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A Famine of the Word of God (Amos 8.11-12)

Amos' preaching proved too much for Amaziah, priest of Bethel. In fact he was so disturbed that he "invited" Amos to leave the country. Hear his words to Amos: "Go, you seer! Flee to the land of Judah. There eat bread and there prophesy. But never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is the royal residence." (Amos 7.12-13).

But Amaziah was not the only one who did not appreciate the message that Amos had for Israel. The greedy men of Israel observed the feast days and the Sabbaths, but they could hardly wait until they were past so they could resume their dishonest business dealings. According to Amos, these shameless merchants made "… the ephah small and the shekel large, Falsifying the scales by deceit." (Amos 8.5.). By way of explanation, the ephah was a unit of dry measure used in the same way as a bushel in our English measuring system. So when they sold grain to the poor, they used an ephah that was smaller than it should have been. In that way, the unsuspecting buyer actually received less grain than he bargained for. As if that were not enough, these ruthless rogues also made the shekel stone large. In increasing the weight of the stone that was used on the side of the balance away from the money being weighed out, they exacted more money than they were due to receive. So, in a given business deal the merciless merchants gave their customers less grain than they should have and they took more money than they were entitled to receive even if the amount of grain had been correct! They literally ripped their customers off coming and going!

This blatant materialism (and by implication, rejection of God) would not be tolerated forever. God's patience would eventually run short and the idolatrous extortionists in the northern kingdom would be carried away captive. When that happened, the voice of the prophets would be heard no more in the land. While now the people cried out to the prophets like Amos to stop prophesying; in the coming dark day of the famine of truth they would cry out for a prophet, but to no avail. God put it this way: "'Behold, the days are coming,' says the Lord GOD, 'That I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the LORD. They shall wander from sea to sea, And from north to east; They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD, But shall not find it.'" (Amos 8.11-12).

The idea of a famine elicits thoughts of extreme need and dire circumstance. Truth satisfies a thirst that no other commodity can slake. Man needs truth even when he says he doesn't. The famine which Amaziah sought was going to come, but not in the way he had desired. The word of God would dry up and the mouths of the prophets would cease. Then and only them would the people of Israel realize just how much they needed God and longed for His word.

I have heard of prisoners of war surviving mentally and emotionally by reciting over and over one or two verses of scripture. They lived in a famine that came through no fault of their own. How different it would be to exist in such a world and to actually know that I had been contributor to the famine of truth that engulfed me! What am I doing to make sure that such a famine never strikes my home, community, church, or nation? Pray for rain!!

"Bible verse and quote" from Jan Couns

Bible and Quote - March 4-8