Why Sit Here Till We Die?

"Behold, the days come, 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: 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." (Amos 8:11, 12)

In a day when there are more churches in most cities than there are gas stations and pizza places, and the Word of God has gone out over the air waves of radio and television to every corner of the world, it is difficult to imagine that the prophet Amos could have been describing this present time when he spoke of a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. The key to understanding this prophecy, however, is in the wording. God was speaking of a time when there would be, not an absence of the Word itself, but of hearing the Word.

We are told in Romans 10, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world." (Romans 10:17, 18) It is not just being exposed to the Word of God that changes us, but in really hearing what God is saying to us; letting the Word change us from the inside out. It is like telling our kids to do something and, when they don't follow through, asking them, "Didn't you hear what I told you?" We speak the words to them and make it plain what we expect; but they are just not hearing us, or worse, just not listening. This is often how God feels when dealing with His children. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world, but there can be no faith where there is no hearing. Until we really listen to what the Lord is saying to us, and are willing to follow what He tells us, we are going to continue to live defeated lives. As Paul admonishes us in Hebrews, "Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it." (Hebrews 4:1, 20)

In the days of Elisha the prophet, the king of Syria besieged the city of Samaria, and there was a terrible famine that resulted because the city could not get supplies through the enemy lines. It became so desperate that mothers considered eating their own babies. Elisha, however, prophesied on a certain day that on the next day there would be food in abundance. Of course, he was mocked for his words, for one of the king's lords said, "Behold, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, might this thing be?" Elisha's words were to prove true, though.

There were four leprous men sitting at the gate of the city, discussing their plight. They reasoned that if they went into the city, they would die of hunger; and if they sat still, they would also starve to death. So, they agreed that if they went to the Syrian camp, the worse that could happen is that the Syrians would kill them - which was no loss under the circumstances. However, maybe the Syrians would feed them and keep them alive. It was a slim hope to be sure, but a hope just the same.

As the lepers approached the Syrian camp, surprisingly they were met with no resistance. When they came into the enemy camp, they found no one there, but the unattended tents and supplies that the enemy had left behind. Overjoyed, the men entered the first tent that they encountered and ate and drank. Then they hauled away valuables from the tent and hid them, and returned to sack another tent. At this point, they realized that they were doing wrong by gorging themselves while their countrymen were starving to death in the city. So, they hurried back to the city of Samaria and told the king the news. God's words were then fulfilled which He had spoken through His servant Elisha.

In a time when it is so difficult to discern the will of God, and to really hear what the Lord is speaking to this generation, God truly has promised to open the windows of heaven, and give us spiritual riches and nourishment beyond our wildest dreams. We are often like the leprous men, sitting in the gate of the city until we starve to death. We struggle with our selfishness, our pride, our lusts and our covetousness; but we do not obey God when He speaks to us, and shows us the way to overcome. God speaks to us in His still small voice to give or to forgive, to give up or to give in. Every time we ignore Him, it becomes harder and harder to hear Him until we find ourselves destitute of the truth. We would sooner sit here and die than go out and face our enemies and allow God's promises to be fulfilled.

I have often struggled with things in my life that God knew I would be better off without, but I thought I couldn't live without having. The longer that I tried to ignore God and deny that it was He Who was speaking to me, the harder it became to hear from Him at all. When I would go before the Lord, it was the only thing He had to talk about, and it was the last thing I wanted to hear. Eventually, it affected every area of my spiritual life - my prayer, my reading, my ministry. I was truly experiencing a famine of hearing the Words of the Lord. I still had the Bible close at hand with all the written Word of God, but it wasn't nourishing my soul because I would not apply it.

Usually, there is some action required of us - some letting go of the thing that is destroying us. Like the lepers, we've got to realize that we're going to die spiritually if we just sit still. God's people are a desperate lot, and they must continually face extraordinary situations in their lives. However, extraordinary circumstances provide extraordinary opportunities for God to work extraordinary faith. We find, as we said in our last message, that when we face the giants in our lives, they really do become bread for us; and we are nourished because our faith is increased.

Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea: - Isaiah 48:17, 18