Week of Monday November 11 – November 17
Strange Starvation - Man as Instructor
“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord God, “when 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. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord, but they shall not find it.” - Amos 8:11-12 ESV
We all know the maxim: “Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” This rings particularly true when we consider the growing interest in socialism among young people. Many of them have been influenced by university professors and political progressives who portray socialism as a better alternative to our current system of capitalism. However, romanticizing socialism means ignoring the lessons of history and inviting disaster. I’ll never forget the images from Soviet Russia: people struggling to find food in stores with empty shelves and standing in long lines just to get a little bread. History has consistently shown that when socialism is fully implemented, it always fails and people starve. There is a better way, so starving and suffering is unnecessary!
Well, the people of Israel were also starving as a result of the policies of their leaders. Only, it wasn’t a shortage of bread or water they were facing. Instead, it was a lack of access to God’s life-giving Word. God told the prophet Amos that He was about to withhold it in judgment on a people who had turned away from their Creator.
A lack of food and nourishment can bring starvation and, ultimately, death. A famine of God’s Word can bring about spiritual starvation and death as well. A life without God graciously giving His Word to feed us, lead us, guard us, and give us hope is no life at all. Yet the desperate and even deadly results from being deprived of God’s truth are tragically unnecessary!
In 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted, marking the worst volcanic disaster in the contiguous United States. Before the eruption, scientists were uncertain about when it would occur or how powerful the blast would be. Local media and civil leaders repeatedly issued warnings and faithfully reported the volcano’s vital signs. However, as time passed without an eruption, people became less cautious. Tourists, photographers, and thrill seekers flocked to the mountain to get a closer look. Meanwhile, some residents living in remote areas chose to stay, determined to ride out any potential danger.
On May 18, 1980 after being dormant since 1857, Mount St. Helens violently erupted. The blast leveled millions of trees, ripping soil from bedrock. Volcanic mudflows carried massive boulders and splintered logs that destroyed bridges, roads, and buildings. Additionally, the eruption created an ash plume that lasted over nine hours and dispersed ash hundreds of miles away. When it was over, at least 57 people were dead, most of whom ignored repeated warnings and died unnecessarily.
This is the kind of tragedy that any nation or individual will experience if they repeatedly ignore the well-intentioned warnings of the Word of God and instead listen to the lure of the idols and immorality of the culture. As a result, that vibrant, life-giving Word from God will recede from our hearing until we are deaf to it. Then our souls starve and lives wither without it.
Yet as we continue to read to the end of Amos’ prophecy, we are gifted with a glimmer of hope as God promises to restore the nation of Israel through a future son of David (see 9:11-15). Similarly, over 40 years after the catastrophic eruption of Mount St. Helens, the area has experienced a remarkable transformation. The landscape, once bleak and covered in ash, has rejuvenated. Wildlife is thriving again, and the valleys that were once lifeless are now vibrant with green grass, wildflowers, and new forests.
If you have walked away from God and His Word only to experience spiritual starvation, know that the same God who promised abundance and restoration to Israel after the famine desires to do the same for us through Jesus, the promised son of David. As Instructors, it is our responsibility to point those we love and lead to these historical examples, urging them to hear and heed the Word of God.
- Do you hear and heed God’s Word, or do you listen to the idols of the culture instead?
- Are you purposefully and effectively instilling in the hearts and lives of your family the life-giving Word of God? Have you connected them with the Stand on the Word daily Bible reading plan? Why not start today! Text “Bible” to 67742 or visit FRC.org/Bible.
- Ask God to equip you as a faithful and effective Instructor of His Word.
Strange Starvation - Man as Instructor
“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord God, “when 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. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord, but they shall not find it.” - Amos 8:11-12 ESV
We all know the maxim: “Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” This rings particularly true when we consider the growing interest in socialism among young people. Many of them have been influenced by university professors and political progressives who portray socialism as a better alternative to our current system of capitalism. However, romanticizing socialism means ignoring the lessons of history and inviting disaster. I’ll never forget the images from Soviet Russia: people struggling to find food in stores with empty shelves and standing in long lines just to get a little bread. History has consistently shown that when socialism is fully implemented, it always fails and people starve. There is a better way, so starving and suffering is unnecessary!
Well, the people of Israel were also starving as a result of the policies of their leaders. Only, it wasn’t a shortage of bread or water they were facing. Instead, it was a lack of access to God’s life-giving Word. God told the prophet Amos that He was about to withhold it in judgment on a people who had turned away from their Creator.
A lack of food and nourishment can bring starvation and, ultimately, death. A famine of God’s Word can bring about spiritual starvation and death as well. A life without God graciously giving His Word to feed us, lead us, guard us, and give us hope is no life at all. Yet the desperate and even deadly results from being deprived of God’s truth are tragically unnecessary!
In 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted, marking the worst volcanic disaster in the contiguous United States. Before the eruption, scientists were uncertain about when it would occur or how powerful the blast would be. Local media and civil leaders repeatedly issued warnings and faithfully reported the volcano’s vital signs. However, as time passed without an eruption, people became less cautious. Tourists, photographers, and thrill seekers flocked to the mountain to get a closer look. Meanwhile, some residents living in remote areas chose to stay, determined to ride out any potential danger.
On May 18, 1980 after being dormant since 1857, Mount St. Helens violently erupted. The blast leveled millions of trees, ripping soil from bedrock. Volcanic mudflows carried massive boulders and splintered logs that destroyed bridges, roads, and buildings. Additionally, the eruption created an ash plume that lasted over nine hours and dispersed ash hundreds of miles away. When it was over, at least 57 people were dead, most of whom ignored repeated warnings and died unnecessarily.
This is the kind of tragedy that any nation or individual will experience if they repeatedly ignore the well-intentioned warnings of the Word of God and instead listen to the lure of the idols and immorality of the culture. As a result, that vibrant, life-giving Word from God will recede from our hearing until we are deaf to it. Then our souls starve and lives wither without it.
Yet as we continue to read to the end of Amos’ prophecy, we are gifted with a glimmer of hope as God promises to restore the nation of Israel through a future son of David (see 9:11-15). Similarly, over 40 years after the catastrophic eruption of Mount St. Helens, the area has experienced a remarkable transformation. The landscape, once bleak and covered in ash, has rejuvenated. Wildlife is thriving again, and the valleys that were once lifeless are now vibrant with green grass, wildflowers, and new forests.
If you have walked away from God and His Word only to experience spiritual starvation, know that the same God who promised abundance and restoration to Israel after the famine desires to do the same for us through Jesus, the promised son of David. As Instructors, it is our responsibility to point those we love and lead to these historical examples, urging them to hear and heed the Word of God.
- Do you hear and heed God’s Word, or do you listen to the idols of the culture instead?
- Are you purposefully and effectively instilling in the hearts and lives of your family the life-giving Word of God? Have you connected them with the Stand on the Word daily Bible reading plan? Why not start today! Text “Bible” to 67742 or visit FRC.org/Bible.
- Ask God to equip you as a faithful and effective Instructor of His Word.