Tag: Amos 8-9
Famine in the land!
Scripture reading for September 16th: Amos 8-9
“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will send a famine through the land–not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.” Amos 8:11-12
We are so blessed in America! We have nearly 360,000 churches across our land. In our city of Owensboro and surrounding area, there are nearly 200 churches to choose from for a population of about 110,000. About 12-15% of those attend a church each week, a high number compared with other parts of our nation. We have services broadcast on television, cable, internet, and radio each day of the week. Christians should be out in the community sharing their faith and the word of the Lord each day. Access to Bibles is not restricted here either, and, indeed, most households have more than one.
Amos lived and ministered among a people who were religious and went to church each Sabbath day to hear God’s word! They had prophets who spoke to them regularly. To come into the adult world of that day, children had to memorize the Books of Moses before their thirteenth birthday. How can a person or people have the word of the Lord and still have a famine?
When we ignore the Lord Himself and disrespect the light that we have from Him, we go into darkness that is deeper than before! These people had the truth and willfully rejected it! This brought God’s wrath and judgment on them. This should be a strong warning to us today in America! To whom much has been given, much will be required!
God’s mercy was evident even in the dire prophetic writings of the prophet Amos. (Amos 9:8-10) God promised restoration after the shaking of judgment. He promised to restore the nation again and plant them in the land that He gave to them. (Amos 9:11-15) God’s goodness to a stubborn people is amazing! It should draw us to repentance and faithful love again! (Romans 2:4) Take advantage of the blessing of having God’s word as your living bread! Eat and be satisfied!
Famine in the Land!
Scripture reading for September 16th: Amos 8-9
I have never lived through a famine but have experienced a severe drought. My wife and I had been farming about 5 years when a very dry year caused our corn crop to nearly fail completely. We had a large hog herd and many cattle and had to try to buy corn, which was expensive and hard to find. It was a difficult time that brought us understanding of how dependent we were on the Lord.
In Amos’ day, God also promised a famine would come to His people. “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “when I will send a famine through the land–not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.” (Amos 8:11-12) After warning His people repeatedly, God expected a response but got none. He was going to act and would stop speaking in warning. The judgment was going to fall and men and women would then begin to seek out God’s Word. A famine of the Word would be in the land and no word would be heard.
Amos saw God standing by the altar giving instruction to His holy ones. They were to strike the tops of the pillars and shake them down on the heads of the people. None of those who were sinners would escape His judgment. (Amos 9:1-2) “and I will shake the house of Israel among all the nations as grain is shaken in a sieve, and not a pebble will reach the ground. All the sinners among My people will die by the sword, all those who say ,’Disaster will not overtake or meet us.””( Amos 9:9-10)
The people had not listened to the word of God spoken by the prophets. They continued to trust in their own delusion that they were safe in their sins. God was warning them but they did not repent. The wages of sin is death. Eat the life-giving bread of God’s word while it may be found. It’s hard to satisfy your hunger during a famine!
Famine for the Words of the Lord!
Scripture reading for September 16th: Amos 8-9
“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will send a famine through the land–not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.” Amos 8:11-12
We are so blessed in America! We have nearly 360,000 churches across our land. Even in our city of Owensboro and surrounding area, there are nearly 200 churches to choose from for a population of about 115,000. About 30,000 -40,000 of those attend a church each week, a high number compared with other parts of our nation. We have services broadcast on television, cable, internet, and radio each day of the week. Christians should be out in the community sharing their faith and the word of the Lord each day. We should not have a famine for God’s word or have to search for it! It is readily available! Access to Bibles is not restricted here either, and, indeed, most households have more than one.
Amos lived and ministered among a people who were religious and went to church each Sabbath day to hear God’s word! They had prophets like him who spoke to them regularly. To come into the adult world of that day, children had to memorize the Books of Moses before their thirteenth birthday. What happened that they would have this famine in their land? Can a person or people have the word of the Lord and still have a famine for it?
When we ignore the Lord Himself and disrespect the light that we have from Him, we go into darkness that is deeper than before! These people had the truth and rejected it! They willfully went their own way and neglected to apply what was made known to them. This brought God’s wrath and judgment on them. This should be a strong warning to us today in America and in my city of Owensboro! To whom much has been given, much will be required!
God’s mercy is evident even in these dire prophetic writings of the prophet Amos. (Amos 9:8-10) God promises restoration after the shaking of judgment. He promises to restore the nation again and plant them in the land that He gave to them. (Amos 9:11-15) God’s goodness to a stubborn people is amazing! It draws us to repentance and faithful love again! (Romans 2:4) Let His mercy bless you today! Take advantage of the blessing of having God’s word as your living bread! Eat and be satisfied!