Hunger not and thirst not for bread and water
but for the word of God Amos 8.
Amos, a prophet of God, previously a farmer from Judah, was
sent to minister to the hostile Northern Kingdom of Israel which was seriously
deteriorating in their godliness and obedience to ‘Yahweh’.
In this passage, God takes note of the many ways in which
the Israelites had rebelled against Him clearly demonstrating the fact that God
only promises to forget sins of repentant person, but for the unrepentant, he
keeps record of their sins. Some of the sins He counts against the Northern
Kingdom are:
1)
Oppressing
the needy. In the book of James 2:1-7 and 5:1-6, God through the Apostle
clearly condemns the attitude of the affluent in amassing wealth at the expense
of the disadvantaged in the society. Man is the same. In Amos’ time, they would
not only use scrupulous means of doing business to take advantage of the poor
and make more money, they in fact sold the poor for much more money
(Verses5-6). In Deuteronomy 15:7-11, God had clearly commanded the Israelites
to be mindful of the poor amongst them. This was long forgotten through the
Israelites’ mentality of every one for himself. A poor man would borrow quite a
paltry sum whose security value would be as cheap as a pair of sandals. When he
could not pay due to poverty, the lender took the advantage of his inability
and sold him in to slavery! God was not happy with this and condemned it here.
2)
They
hated God and His laws. Their hatred
for the people of God, the poor, goes to prove that when our relationship with
God is not right, there is no way we can have our relationship with one another
right. Hate God and you will hate His people. Command number four in the Ten
Commandments clearly stated that the people of God were to cease work and
dedicate that day to the Lord. In the Israelites, we meet business men who
found a day in the house of the Lord equivalent to a fish finding itself on the
dry land. Verse 5 portrays complaining people; instead of ‘calling Sabbath a
delight’ it is a burden to them because their mind is consumed with crafty
business opportunities. They ask ‘when will the Sabbath be ended that we may
market wheat?’ In fact, market wheat not only from a skimped measure but with
its sweepings!
Such carelessness led God to declare “I will never forget
anything they have done” (Verse 7). Yes, God keeps records of un-repented
wrong. Judgment is therefore declared in the remaining part of Amos 8. May I
focus on verses 11-12 in which judgment of famine of hearing the word of God is
declared?
Casual look at this kind of punishment may lead one to say
that this is easy and a judgment not commensurate with the heinous sins
committed not only against God but also against the poor in the land. To
appreciate this verdict from God, one has to see it in the light of Jesus’
words in Matt. 4:4. “Man does not live on the bread alone, but on every word
that comes from the mouth of God’. The church is the salt of the earth and
light to the world. Wherever the church does not exist expect serious moral
break down. It is the same case when a church exists yes, but has compromised
faithful preaching of the word of God.
Remove the word of God in a community and get set for worse scenario.
I therefore ask, as much as they mean well. What is the role
of NGO’s in a society without Christ? What is the role of UN and AU with many
of their programmes in the world without Christ? Poverty that UN wants to
eradicate and the many evil that go on in the world, like wars, famine, HIV
Aids name them, their solution can only be found in preaching the gospel of
Jesus Christ-declaring the word of God to the world that is hungering for it.
The cure is in the word of God when declared and obeyed. The greatest curse to
a community is the withdrawal of God’s word from them.
The entire world today needs Jesus Christ not only to sort
out the evil in the land but to make them right with God. Christ declares that
he has come to give us life and give it in abundance (John 10:10). He also declared
to the Samaritan woman that He is the real water that the world thirsts for
without knowing, he who drinks from him will never thirst again (John 4:13-14).
And to His disciples “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go
hungry again.” (John 6:35). So, when God threatens the Israelites with
punishment of famine of his word they better begin to listen to Him while He
can still be found. Unrestrained chaos is knocking at their door. That is what
one expects when God has been thrown out.
This rings a warning bell to the present world.
1) We
need to seek God through Christ while He still offers the Gospel message to us.
There will come a time when men will long for it but it will be too late. Some
will in fact be bending their knees to declare that Christ is Lord on their way
to hell when all preacher men’s voices will be shut. This is demonstrated in
the story of the rich man and Lazarus which Jesus told in (Luke 16:19-31). Do
not forget the lull of four hundred years Israelites went through between the
testaments. Its effect has not been recovered in Israel until today. Real
judgment it was!
2) We
need to preserve and keep faithful ministers of God who genuinely declare the
whole oracle of God. Lack of them in a land is a true curse and judgment. Our
hope is in hearing the voice of God through these men.
Ye men of the world, look to God, hear Him and obey Him and
be saved.
