Open His Gift and Feast – Amos 8

“Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord God, “When I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread or a thirst for water, but rather for hearing the words of the Lord. People will stagger from sea to sea and from the north even to the east; They will roam about to seek the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.” (11-12)

The prophet Amos describes the coming judgment on Samaria in apocalyptic language. He describes bitterness in the land, darkness across the earth, and festivals turned into mourning. Yet, the most devastating punishment they would endure was the inability to hear from God. The Lord said that it would be as if the heavens were bronze and indifferent to their cries when they prayed. When they sought for a prophet or someone to tell them the word of God, none would be found. They would stagger aimlessly throughout the land, like a starving man, only to be met with silence and no hint of the presence of God. Wherever they looked for God’s truth, it would not be found.

This judgment Amos described for Samaria has long since passed. Yet, it seems as if we live in a similar time today. Current events only grow more dire, and it seems as if we are storing up judgment for ourselves with each passing day. Yet, as each day passes, our culture grows more and more blind to the words of the Lord and more susceptible to the Enemy’s lies. The good news is that one doesn’t need to stagger back and forth to seek a word from God. His word is already revealed in the Bible, and it is complete.

Sadly, most fail to open the word of the Lord, and if they do, many refuse to believe it. Instead of searching for a drop of water in the middle of a drought or seeking food in famine, today, people have the truth within reach and still refuse to eat or drink. Dying of spiritual thirst is terrible enough, but dying of thirst while holding a glass of water in your hand is just unforgivable. God’s word is a gift, but it is a gift that many fail to open. Are you spiritually malnourished? Are you dying of spiritual thirst? The answer is simple, open His gift and feast!