ARE WE HEARING GOD’S WORD?
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 thrust for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.”
No one likes the thought of a famine. It will affect the rich and poor, animals and humans alike. The famine of the Lord's word will affects everyone ultimately, but isn’t dreaded by everyone. For the Northern Kingdom that worshiped idols most of the people could care less what Amos or any other prophet of the Lord would or would not say. With their idol worship came sin that didn’t want to be exposed. The Lord said Israel had become like a basket of ripe or rotten fruit. They were not worth keeping any longer in God’s sight, and now he was going to punish them severely. God was going to turn his back on them and their cries for help. The Northern KIngdom would be destroyed.
A famine of the word of God is a serious thing. The reason for it is that without the word of God is is no chance for instruction or warning. With the word of God comes life or without it death. This famine can come by no new revelation or understanding. Without the help of God the Holy Spirit, we will never understand God’s word even if we hear it. It becomes a famine of hearing the word.
In order to hear the word of God we must first want to hear from him. God is a respecter of our free will, and he will not force us to do what we do not want. It is not an uncommon thing to see very intelligent people have no spiritual discernment or insight into God’s word. They can read the Bible, but they might as well be reading a book for entertainment. They can’t see beyond the black and white of the pages, and worst of all is their heart and soul is never moved. The reason is years of rejecting God in their life has left their heart calloused and hard towards God. Instead of having a tender sensitive foot that feels a grain of sand when stepped on, those with a hard hearts are old thickly calloused feet that isn’t affected by walking on sticks and stones. The problem for the calloused foot is while it may help avoid pain it will not help avoid danger. So it is with the hard heart. They may no longer feel God convicting them of their sin, the righteousness of Christ and the judgment of God, and think all is well for them, but like with leprosy dead insensitive flesh is still dead.
There is not only a danger for the calloused heart, but also from that of the prophet or pastor. Without anointed preaching the words of the pastor are simply entertainment. Sad to say in today’s society we have grown up in an entertainment, superficial fast food mentality from our pastors. Today we want to laugh, have good stories we can share with others, hear things that will help us feel good about ourselves or help us do better in life. We want our pastor to be more like a doctor. In fact if we can find a pastor that has a doctor accreditation before their name we think that we couldn’t have found a better person to lead us. Today’s parishioners most often go to church to fix their head, and not their heart regarding their relationship with God. Most go to church will a horizontal agenda and not a vertical one. Today most traditional parishioners would run like scared rabbits or fight like rabid dogs at pastor that would be like John the Baptist. Most want control over their pastor’s thus controlling what they hear. For these people they may hear a pastor that yells and screams at them or strokes their back and tickles their ears, but what they hear is not necessary what God want them to hear. They have brought a famine of God’s word on themselves. The effect is the same as those that don’t go to church at all. The only difference is one pretends they are right with God, and the other people don’t care.
There is coming a time when God will do an incredible thing that will affect the whole world. Revelation 22:10,11 says, “Then he told me, ‘Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near. Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy.’” God is saying that he is going to pull back, and let the free will of humanity carry on without new revelation or word.
God has given all that humanity has need of in information of his word, and in atonement with his Son. In some ways the world is becoming the basket of ripe fruit. With each day more and more of the population of this world is seeking less and less of God through his Son Jesus Christ. People have ears but do not hear from God, they have eyes but do not see themselves in sin and like King Belshazzar are left wanting regarding their reconciliation with God. The people of the world are indeed like sheep that have gone astray each to their own way. And the thing is there is but one way in God’s thinking and that is salvation through his Son Jesus Christ. In John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus himself closed the door on Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Mormonism or anything else. There is no other means of salvation and reconciliation with Almighty God than Jesus. The word of God has spoken and the Word of God has come for all that might want to hear it.
The real question remains is, “Do we really want to hear from God or just go through the motions?”
Prayer: Holy Spirit, please help us to hunger and thirst for the word that you have for us. Please give us the wisdom, knowledge and insight that we need to understand it correctly and the courage to apply it. We ask this in Jesus’ name.
