Amos 8:10-14
[10] And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day. [11] Behold, the days come, saith the LORD GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD. [12] And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it. [13] In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst. [14] They that swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, Thy god, O Dan, liveth; and, The manner of Beer-sheba liveth; even they shall fall, and never rise up again.
Introduction – Our text verse, and the two verses which follow, contain a prophecy that is strange to our ears. It is strange, because God is accustomed to sending out his word, and calling on men to hear and believe it. It must be said here again that ‘his ways are not our ways’, and there are many things in the Bible that the minds of men cannot now, and may never comprehend. However, we believe the scriptures offer an explanation of this unusual promise made by God. We will take special notice of three things in the text:
PROVIDENCE
The fulfillment of this prophecy rests in the providence of God. He not only knows the future, but he can guide events to accomplish his purpose. Notice the:
- POWER – The power to bring it to pass rests in WHO he is v.11 says ‘I‘. As human with a prideful heart we think that we possess a certain degree of power. In this time we are told that we will destroy the world by human activity, if we continue to drive gasoline powered automobiles and heat or cool our home that certain destruction is impending. The “transgender” movement tells us that just by wishing we can change our most basic nature, that is a man can be a woman when he declares it to be so. This, of course, flies in the face of all reality. The certainty that God is the source of all power is confirmed in Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. God spoke the entire creation into existence and maintains it by the power of His word. Colossians 1:16-17 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. It is only the arrogance of sinful man that leads him to believe that he can do that which is in the power of God and He alone.
2. PROMISE – When God says, ‘I will’, his word can be trusted. Titus 1:5 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; There is one source that can always be trusted, that is the Word of God. When God tells us something it is already accomplished in reality. This is because God is not limited by time, He lives in the eternal present. Isaiah 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: His plans cannot be frustrated. When Satan, fallen angels or men rebel against Him, He simply uses their actions to further His plans. I have often heard many say that the Romans or the Jews killed Jesus, this is false. No one can kill God, remember the Lord said John 10 15-18 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold,andone shepherd. 17Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. 18No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. Many confuse foreknowledge with predetermination. Because God knows what we will do and has planned accordingly does not mean that He forced us to act in a certain manner. God cannot lie and always keeps His Word, when He says I will, it is certain.
3. PURPOSE – God’s people must be chastened because of their refusal to hear his word in the past, and the foreknowledge of God enables him to see that in the future they will continue to do so. It was so in Israel then, and it is so among God’s people today! In Amos 2:4, we read ‘Thus saith the LORD; for three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have despised the law of the LORD, and have not kept his commandments’. God’s purpose in chastening His children is for their good and His glory. Hebrews 12:5-11 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. 11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. My father was a wonderful parent who loved me and part of his love was to discipline me. Today his discipline would be considered extreme. I submit that it was necessary because I needed correction in the path I was on. My father’s chastening was not pleasant but it achieved the desired result. God wants His children to live obedient lives for His glory. When we don’t He will deal with us in love. He convicts the wayward child of his sin and will chasten when the rebellion continues.
PLAN
In v.11 of our text, God promises a ‘famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD’. How can this be so? Does not the scripture say in Isaiah 55:11 ‘So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereunto I sent it’?
This principle certainly must be considered in the light of man’s freedom to choose whether he will hear and believe that word. The only possible conclusion, then, is that God does not send forth his word to force his will on men, but to reveal his will. It is then the responsibility of man to respond to this revelation, and to reap the consequences of his choice.
There are two possible explanations, then, for this prophecy of a ‘famine of hearing the words of the LORD’. First, it could be that men will choose not to hear the words of God, and this prophecy simply reflects God’s foreknowledge of this choice. Men can avoid hearing God’s Word by:
1. STAYING away from the preacher and others who believe the Bible and will share the Truth with them.
2. SPEAKING rather than listening – I have met many who think they know it all, and don’t need any more instruction.
3. STRAYING thoughts – Our minds can be distracted from the word when we pay attention to distractions.
4. SEDATING ourselves with drugs, alcohol, etc.
5. SEARCHING out false teachers and preachers who will tell us what we want to hear, rather than ‘thus saith the Word of God’. This is a serious problem in our day. Denominations and cults are abounding today, and each is trying to grab up as many ‘converts’ as possible. Some will tell folks most anything if they can get and keep a crowd in their church.
6. SHIFTING our attention to the messenger rather than the message – People will accept most any doctrinal teaching today if the preacher ‘puts on a good show’. Even in our fundamental ranks, personality has become predominant rather than principle.
7. SLUMBERING while the word is being preached.
Secondly, it could mean that God will providentially take away his word that it may not be heard for a season. He could do this in two ways:
1. SHUTTING the prophet’s mouths – He could do this by simply removing the prophets themselves, as it seems may be happening in our day. One after another of the great preachers I have known have been taken away by death, discouragement or disqualification, and few are taking their place! Many of these ‘replacements’ are compromisers and man-pleasers. He could also accomplish his purpose by restraining the prophets from their preaching for a season. In Hoses 4:17, notice that God said ‘Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone’.
2. STIFFENING the hearers’ hearts – Just as God responded to Pharaoh’s refusal to hear his word by hardening his heart to further resist the divine message, so may this famine involve a hardening of the hearers’ hearts that they will not hear.
I believe the second of these two interpretations is the most likely. The reason for this choice is based on the words ‘I will send’. This statement indicates that the immediate source of this ‘famine of hearing’ is God himself. We believe that the foreknowledge of God enabled him to foresee the continued refusal of the people to ‘hear’ his word, and this prophecy is describing the result of God’s own response to this refusal.
PROPHECY
We know that the consequences of such a famine brought great darkness and spiritual ignorance over the land of Israel, and it is doing so in our day. I have never seen such an unwillingness to hear the gospel by sinners, and the word by saints in all my years as a christian. I suppose every generation of preachers has said similar words, but with some periods of revival excepted, it seems to be a pattern in this wicked world. The sad truth is that one day it will be too late! Notice in Amos 8:12-13 [12] And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord , and shall not find it . [13] In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst. that listeners will one day find that God has taken steps to prevent their hearing the word. Notice them:
1. FINDING – Some day when men realize that human wisdom and worldly pursuits cannot truly satisfy their God-given thirst for truth, they will begin to seek the ‘well-spring’ of truth, the Word of God. Then, the truth will not be found. God in his sovereignty sets limits upon how long men may refuse to ‘hear‘ his word.
2. FAINTING – V.12 indicates the extreme effects of being cut off from the Word of God. Their desperation will not be rewarded, and the result will be ‘faint‘. Their thirst will not be satisfied!
3. FALLING – The word ‘fall‘ in v.13 indicates the end result of a famine of ‘hearing the words of the LORD’. No nation or people can prosper without the Word of God!
Faith Baptist Church of Newborn GA 