A Famine of the Word
The first devotion on a series on proclaiming the whole counsel of God. Introduction
One of the most eminent problems we see worldwide is not cancer, earthquakes, or even warfare. Look to the people of Yemen, Syria, or Myanmar—and you will find low-grade water, normalised hunger, and starving families. The terror of hunger haunts their days. The people cry, "Will I find enough food to feed for sustenance?" or "Will I source clean water to refresh myself?" Living with an absolute lack of essentials is one of the most dreadful experiences in life.
Knowing the devastating effects of famine, it is no surprise that the Bible uses this as a metaphor for dreadful spiritual realities. Consider the Word of God to Israel in Amos 8:11-12:
"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. People 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.
Let me share a few insights from this passage:
First, notice the cause of the famine. The Sovereign Lord "will send a famine through the land" (8:11a). God sets the stage for the famine. He controls seasons of prosperity and seasons of adversity. Like a master craftsman, he bends the fabric of time, threads both blessing and judgement together, and weaves his secret will into history. God is the Lord of creation who does what he wants. He is the sovereign Lord of history. He sends famines. He unleashes storms. He executes every single judgement with precision.
Second, notice the type of famine. God will bring a "famine of hearing the words of the Lord" (8:11b). In other words, the word will disappear from society. God will take his bread of life and water of refreshment from the wicked nation. "God punishes those who do not want his word with the privation of his word" (John Piper, "Providence", 463).
In fact, one way he makes his word private is by striking down spiritual shepherds. Zechariah 11:16 reveals this truth:
"For I am going to raise up a shepherd over the land who will not care for the lost, or seek the young, or heal the injured, or feed the healthy, but will eat the meat of the choice sheep, tearing off their hooves."
Teachers who fail to proclaim the word, preachers who hide the truth—these are curses God uses to bring judgment to a generation.
Third, notice the chaos of the famine. People "will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east" (8:12a). Let me pick up on one of those verbs, "stagger." To "stagger" means to move back and forth in a non-linear line.
Imagine a person who sets out on a journey from Sydney to Brisbane. Rather than going down the straight highway, they zigzag out to Canberra and back to the Blue Mountains, then wander over to Tamworth before swerving to Newcastle. It is an image of exhaustion, confusion, and chaos.
The person who "staggers from sea to sea" is also like a pirate searching for hidden gold after losing his map. He is on a journey in open waters, but there is nothing to orient him. There is nothing to say, "Ahoy, look over there; this is the way." His future is marked by chaos because he has no direction.
We stagger into a life of chaos without the word. But when we have it, life is very different. Chaos is replaced by clarity. Psalm 119:105 says,
"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."
Lastly, notice the terror of the famine. People search "for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it" (8:12b). Remember, the word is spiritual food and drink. This is the testimony of Scripture.
In the wilderness, Moses said to Israel, "He humbled you, causing you to hunger . . . to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord" (Deuteronomy 8:3). From a biblical perspective, our spiritual lives are not primarily nourished by the grains of fields or the water of springs; they are nurtured by the all-sustaining word of God alone.
For this reason, the worst judgment is a famine of God's word. The hiddenness of the word from the world is a terrifying reality. Souls thirst but cannot be quenched. Spirits hunger but cannot be satisfied. Where there is no word, there is no life. Hosea 4:6 says,
"People are destroyed from lack of knowledge."
This remains true for us. When Jesus and his Word are not taught, not valued, and not prioritised, people are destroyed. The consequences are extreme. Death without hope. Hellfire on the horizon.
Conclusion
We live in a time of gospel abundance. Excellent teachers abound. The word is accessible in hundreds of translations. There are dozens of formats to hear it proclaimed.
But in the face of abundance, remember the famine. God can take his word away if he wills it. He can make us deaf seers, blind guides, and useless shepherds. Our ministries can perish when the ministry of the word begins to fades.
Let us then not take the word of God for granted. Let us proclaim the whole counsel of our all-sovereign Lord. The truth is that we are not a people of famine; we are people of abundance. Let us then not hide one dot or dash of the gospel. Embrace the truth and share it all.
Amen.