A Famine For The Hearing of The Word of The Lord

Amos 8:11 Behold (look now, pay attention), the days come (not are coming but are here now), saith The Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing The Words of The Lord.
1 Samuel 2:1 And the child Samuel ministered unto The Lord before Eli. And The Word of The Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision.
Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keeps the law, happy is he.
Amos 8:12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek The Word of The Lord, and shall not find it.

     It is not that The Word of The Lord will be lacking, it is the HEARING of The Word of The Lord that lacks. Sermons are preached, songs are sung, lips move, but hearts remain unchanged.
     Christians are being tried by fire, literally. Churches are being burned. People are tortured and killed for their faith in Christ. Babies die at the hands of doctors who should be delivering them into life. Children are neglected and ignored because those adults choose self over others.
     Violence is in our streets, our homes, our schools and our churches because The Word of God is being ignored; not just by those who commit violence against each other, but by those who preach it. Why? Because it isn't being applied.
     Some of us can't let a day go by without eating or drinking something. But we do let days go by without studying our Bibles which contain a much more nutritious source: The Word of God. It is food for our souls: our minds, our wills, our emotions. We are succored by The Word of The Lord moment to moment.
     I use the word 'studying' instead of reading, because anyone can read the Bible and not understand any of it. We need to believe that what we are reading in The Bible is Truth and not fables. We must believe that God Is in order to believe that His Word Is.
     Without a clear understanding of what The Word we are reading means we will, indeed, perish. But there is no need for that. Bibles and Bible resources are available to us almost everywhere. And while there are many spirits in this world, we need to follow The Holy Spirit's lead and let Him guide us in The Word of The Lord that we may see and know God.

     The famine for the hearing of The Word of The Lord is sent by The Lord. It is sent as a judgment against a nation which has repeatedly disobeyed and ignored The Lord God. Though we are not always given a reason why God does things, we see here that disobedience brings curses from The Lord. It is a curse to not hear what The Lord is saying. It is a curse to turn deaf hearts away from His Word.
     This curse, this judgment, fell on Israel and Dan at the time of the writing thereof. For their oppression of the needy (vs 4) and thievery from the poor. Greed overcame obedience (vs 5); they wished their time away and forgot the reason for Sabbath, desiring only to buy and sell in the marketplaces-selling for exorbitant prices, but marking the account books lesser.
     While the souls languished, the wealthy increased. They sold that which was not fit for use (vs 6) to they who could not afford it. And The Lord judged them and condemned their actions (vs 7, 8). Joy would be replaced by mourning (grief and sorrow), songs would become lamentations (expressions of grief) (vs 9).
     The Lord would cover the transgressors with sackcloth (garments of mourning; state of repentance; public display of extreme grief) and baldness (shaved head). Everyone would see and be seen, for The Lord will make the sins of the land known.
     Knowing that the famine for the hearing of The Word of The Lord is sent by The Lord, what can we do but draw nearer to The Lord? And how do we do that? Pray, pray, pray to God for salvation from permanent destruction. We pray, pray pray for the salvation of other people, too. Commune with God, talk with God and allow Him to respond, listen to God with sincere intent to receive from Him.
     Our knowledge of God increases with each passing moment the more time we spend with Him. We are on spiritual alert to hear His Voice and know His Heart better and with greater clarity.

     And just what is God's heart? God's will is that none perish. We see this in John 3:16, 17 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." See? God wants every one to believe that Jesus Christ Is Lord. But He does not force His will on us: we have to make that decision for ourselves, on an individual basis.