The judgments of the Lord against the evil and idolatry of Israel were no slaps on the wrist. They were harsh trials meant to startle and to emphasize the horrors of sin. Little bumps along the way would not adequately communicate the devastating nature of sin or its eternal consequences. Still, Israel did not heed God’s punitive actions.
As a result of their hardness, He would now send them the worst judgment of all. He would withdraw Himself from them and become silent! No matter how terrible a famine may be, in the end, better to have God speaking through a famine than God not speaking at all! At least if God is speaking through a prophet during a famine you would know how to interpret these events and how to respond. But if God stops speaking, you don’t know anything! No revelation from God equals no knowledge of God, which means no point of contact with God! When God stops speaking, God stops saving. A silent, shut heaven is the worst judgment imaginable!
8:11-12 “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 run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord, but they shall not find it.”
Two questions. How much do you appreciate the words of the Lord in the Bible located right in your own house? Your devotion to it answers that question. Is the word of the Lord heard when you attend church or is there a famine of God’s word? To put it another way, do you hear from the Bible or from man? If God’s word is spoken to God’s people, thank the Lord and appreciate your pastor!
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