Amos – Part 2 of 2

Silence of the Lord

“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord God, “when 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.” Amos 8:11

Imagine not hearing God’s voice when you cry out to him or not having the reassurance of His Word to guide your way? I find that thought quite terrifying. When I think over those times that I called out to Him in distress, through grief and pain, or difficult circumstance ; and those times I picked up my bible in search of words of comfort and peace. If those words – His words – were ever taken away from me, I would be completely lost.

The Israelites were belligerent in their self-centred waywardness and disregard toward God. Century after century they would test His compassion and forgiveness. Punishment always followed disobedience and a call to repentance always follow punishment. The Lord withheld the fruit of the vine, but the people would not return. He withheld the harvest of the season, but they did not return. He withheld the rain, that they might thirst, but they did not return. Yahweh was now prepared to withhold the most precious thing that the people had access to – the Word of the LORD.

“They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the LORD, but they shall not find it.”

For a period of 400 years from Malachi until John the messenger, it appears that the prophets were silent – God was silent. Thankfully, that silence was broken and God once again sent His Word to His people, but this time it was the living Word – ‘And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us… full of grace and truth’ (John 1:14).

Never stop seeking after the word of the Lord, for His words ‘are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh. Proverbs 4:22