A Feast for Our Souls

During the long season in the wilderness after the exodus from Egypt, God taught His people that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.  At His command living water flowed from the rock, bread from heaven appeared on the ground, and quail flew in on the breeze.  Though God gave His people His Law, revealed Himself in power and sent prophets to speak to His people, at times they forsook Him for false gods.  When God's people in the northern kingdom of Israel refused to hear and obey His word, He sent a famine of hearing the word of the LORD.

Amos 8:11-12 reads, "Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord GOD, "that 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. ¹² They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD, but shall not find it."  It was not that Hebrews did not have His word written down in a language they spoke fluently, for it was carefully transcribed for generations to this day.  The prophets God sent did not speak in a foreign tongue, for their clear voices were understood perfectly by their hearers.  Yet because the listeners disregarded the word of God and did not obey it, God sent a famine of hearing the words of the LORD.  They prayed and received no answer; they inquired of the LORD and were met with silence.  The heavens were like impenetrable brass to their cries that echoed back to them.

If God's chosen people Israel could be stricken with a spiritual famine of hearing the words of the LORD, so can those who are born again by faith in Jesus Christ.  We can have an assortment of Bibles translated into our own language, read them every day, and not hear God speak because we have not put into practice what we know God has already spoken.  Because we have not walked according to the truth God has revealed, He can send a famine of hearing His word so we might humble ourselves and seek Him.  Imagine, reading the Bible and not hearing from God!  We can sit through a Bible study or sermon where God is quoted often yet not hear from Him ourselves.  We do not likely need to imagine what this is like, for we have also experienced seasons of famine of hearing the word of the LORD.

Should we find ourselves in a midst of a famine of hearing the word of the LORD, God provided a solution for His people in Amos 5:4-7 we ought to take to heart:  "For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel: "Seek Me and live; ⁵ but do not seek Bethel, nor enter Gilgal, nor pass over to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nothing. ⁶ Seek the LORD and live, lest He break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, with no one to quench it in Bethel--⁷ you who turn justice to wormwood, and lay righteousness to rest in the earth!"  God urged His people to seek Him, not to imagine the cure for their ills lay in a geographic location or performing religious rituals when the issue was one of their hearts and will.  God commanded His people seek Him, and having done so the implication was they were to do what was just and righteous, to walk in His ways.  It was not in the house of God but in the God of the house they would find salvation, redemption and abundant life.

Prayer is more than talking to God but waiting on Him to guide and direct us.  Reading the Bible ought to be more than reading chapters or verses but considering and ruminating on what God is saying and how it is personally applicable to our lives, a call to action by our LORD.  More than gleaning information, God's word works transformation in those who yield to Him in humble faith and obedience.  It is a good question to ask ourselves:  have I heard a word from the LORD today?  When God speaks He goes beyond thoughts in our heads but touches our hearts, and this impacts how we live our lives.  God who created us with ears can also hear, and He who created our mouths and all languages still speaks.  May we be those who are not content until we have heard and walked according to the word of the LORD.  The souls who hear and do what God says enjoy a spiritual feast that is vital for the abundant life God has given us by faith in Jesus.