The Bible came into existence by the inspiration of God. It took about sixteen hundred years to complete it by forty different authors, who lived in different eras of history. God intended His Word to be the spiritual food for the human race. He sent His prophets, who walked throughout the land, giving warning after warning and call after call to repentance. But the children of Israel did not turn their heart to His Word. Therefore, around the fourth century before Christ, the voice from heaven went silent, when the book of Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, was completed. We have no evidence that there were any prophetic revelations until the beginning of the Christian era. Then the voice of God through the prophets was heard again for about a century.

Early in the second century, the voice of the prophet had again ceased, because the church had departed from the truth, compromised the principles, and slid into apostasy. Many centuries elapsed before the prophetic word was again restored to God’s people through the Spirit of Prophecy.

Around 750 b.c., a farmer and shepherd had been called by God to be a prophet. His mission was to warn Israel of God’s coming judgment if they did not repent. Sadly, the nation did not heed the call to repentance. As a result, they were led into the Assyrian captivity. Part of the fulfillment of Amos’ prophecy concerned an unusual famine that would come upon the people: A FAMINE FOR THE WORD OF GOD! (See Amos 8:11, 12.)

Instead of turning to the Lord with repentant hearts, the Jews had been putting far off the day of doom (Amos 6:3). The people ignored God’s messages repeatedly, yet He still cautioned them with warnings:

“Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near” (Isaiah 55:6).

The warnings through Amos came during a time of national prosperity, when the people were wandering far away from the Lord. However, God’s patience was coming to an end with ancient Israel.

Today, there is also a famine for the Word of God - different in some ways, yet similar in other ways.

The Bible is the most translated book in almost every language and dialect. And it is sold and distributed free of charge more than any other publication. Therefore the warning concerning the “famine of hearing the words of the Lord” is quite surprising. Does this mean that all Bibles will be rounded up and burned? That does not seem to be necessary, since just having Bibles around doesn’t mean that they are read, believed, or understood. However, it does seem that God’s work of proclaiming His words through His children, as well as through the media, will be shut off, perhaps through economic downturns, persecution, governmental regulations, or a combination of these and other factors.

We know that the predicted famine for the Word of God is fulfilling gradually. The real, most accurate translations of the Bible are fast disappearing from many churches and homes. Carrying a Bible to church is often considered old-fashioned and outdated. Soon it will be as scarce as is bread during a time of literal famine. If we love righteousness, we will hear His Word. If we love evil, we will hear the strong delusions that suit us, and we will be lost. (See 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12.)

During Amos’ era: Amos was prophesying during the reign of Jeroboam, the king of the ten tribes of the house of Israel. The prophet foresaw the future declension and apostasy of Israel right up to the latter days just before the second advent of Christ. Indeed, we have such situation of famine today.

Today we find the same forces attacking anyone who preaches the Word. He or she will always be blamed with similar accusations. Against Amos it was said, “Amos hath conspired against [the king] in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words.” Amos was warned: “Flee thee away into the land of Judah” (Amos 7:10, 12). God summarized the reaction of the people of that day: “Ye . . . commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not” (Amos 2:12).

During Jeremiah’s time: “To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the Lord is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it” (Jeremiah 6:10).

During Jesus’ time: Although Jesus had done miracles of mercy, we read nonetheless that most of the Gaderenes “began to pray him to depart out of their coasts” (Mark 5:17). Generation after generation, people try in every way to bring ruin upon those who dare speak the truth.

During the apostolic era: The apostle John was banished to the island of Patmos for the Word of God(Revelation 1:9). The prophecy of Revelation tells of a great company of believers who lived and died for the Word of God. Note carefully that these martyrs and their end-time kinsmen were slain for the Word of God. They were slain because they loved the living and written Word of God and kept the commandments recorded in it (Revelation 6:9; 12:17).

During the Dark Ages: The Middle Ages are also known as the Dark Ages. It was an era during which the Roman church kept the Word of God out of the hands of the people. Millions of true believers died for the Word of the Almighty. It was very dangerous to possess a copy of the Bible or even portions of it.

During that period of persecution, the followers of Christ had to suffer much more than at any other time in history.

However, all the dangers and adversities they had to meet were powerless to destroy or weaken their love for God’s Word. Those who did not own a copy of the Scriptures found ways to read it or hear it read. And many memorized portions of the Bible.

The history of the Waldensian Christians shows their love for the Bible in the face of the greatest perils. Multitudes perished by the sword, at the stake, through starvation, beatings, and other forms of torture.

Peter Waldo translated the Scriptures into French and spread the Word to many spiritually hungry souls. But soon the churchmen in the area ordered Waldo to stop his work. The clergy persecuted his followers, who were forced to flee. Nevertheless, through their dispersion, the light was carried into other areas towards the end of the 12^th century.

The Waldenses were proficient students of the Bible. Even unlearned members were able to recite the entire book of Job and many Psalms by heart. Others had a good knowledge of the whole New Testament. During those days, because it was very dangerous for anyone to carry the Bible, the Waldensian ministers memorized large portions of the Holy Scriptures.

There was a time in England when the Bible was proscribed under severe penalties. Because of the fierce opposition of the clergy, William Tyndale’s English translation of the Bible had to be smuggled into England. And it was not long before the bishop of London ordered that all the copies of the Holy Book that could be found in the homes of the people should be gathered up and burned.

Tyndale was kidnapped in Antwerp, Belgium, and put into prison. After nearly two years, he was tied to a stake, strangled, and burned in 1536. While his enemies were tying him, he cried out: “Lord open the eyes of the king of England!”

Now, in our days, when Bibles are so widely available, it’s hard to imagine what it was like through most of history, Yet, in some nations, even today Bibles are hard to come by or are dangerous to possess, and conversion to Christianity can be punishable by death.

SOME STRATEGIC ATTACKS OF THE ENEMY: Down through the ages, the Bible has continually come under the attack of the enemy. From the beginning, Satan has always hated the Bible because it reveals the whole plan of salvation. The enemy’s chief aim has constantly been to destroy God’s written Word. Atheists and infidels have spent time and energies in trying to obliterate the Bible and its influence. The papacy did her best to burn it and to blot its readers out of existence. Despite these obstacles, nevertheless, God has miraculously intervened and preserved His Word. Through His mercy, today we have Bibles in abundance. And now that the Holy Scriptures are so widely available, the enemy has found new ways to discredit it or just to make it seem irrelevant to modern concepts.

SELF-INFLICTED FAMINE: God has provided for a “feast,” not a “famine”! Therefore, the present spiritual famine is self-inflicted. We have an abundance of Bibles. Never before in the history of the nations has the world enjoyed such free access to God’s Word as in our days. But many read the Bible from cover to cover as a matter of routine and gain nothing for their soul.

The Word of God should not just be read, but deeply studied and well understood. People like to hear today’s popular preachers but hardly spend time in searching the Scriptures for themselves. They actually do not know what the Bible says. In this sense they go spiritually hungry.

POST-MODERN CULTURE: We’re living in a post-modern world, within a culture saturated with godless philosophies. These are “perilous” times (2 Timothy 3:1, 2). “And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:4). Postmodernism is not just everyone doing what is right in his or her own eyes (Judges 17:6; 21:25). The present-day thought has actually dragged society down to the point of subtly rejecting the Word altogether. This is why people of faith are crying out: “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do” (Psalm 11:3)? The world today believes that there is no absolute written truth - that nothing can be known with certainty. And, as a result of the present spiritual famine, our society is impacted and obsessed with pleasure-seeking and lawlessness.

Also, the people of God may be partly responsible for the existing “famine.” When they neglect to faithfully exemplify the Word of the Lord in their daily life, those who are watching them may go spiritually hungry. Likewise, when incompetent men are ordained as shepherds, the flock will languish from lack of green pastures. This may also be the case when the preaching of the Word is displaced by other programs such as pageants, plays, cantatas, and other forms of entertainment.

There is more. When men and women substitute their own ideas for the Word of God, when error prevails under the pretense of truth, when tradition is emphasized instead of the clear-cut teachings of Christ, there is “famine” in the land.

“The Bible declares that in the last days men will be absorbed in worldly pursuits, in pleasure and money-getting. They will be blind to eternal realities.”1

In the days of Amos, the Jews were working out their own defeat (6:1-8). Luxury and pride prompted the people to put far off the day of doom in their minds. They did not want to think about the future. And they even forgot to thank God for their present abundance. The Lord had warned Israel about this danger (Deuteronomy 8:11-14, 17). Jesus also warned the disciples that the cares of this life, the love of pleasures, and the ambition for riches can easily choke our interest in the Word (Luke 8:14). Today, in their search for these things, multitudes forget about God and take no time to study the Bible. This is a form of self-inflicted famine.

The social and moral corruption prevalent in Israel in the days of Amos is described in chapter 2, verses 6, 7. We see a similar situation in our society today. The attractions of the big cities (with lively streets, shopping malls, saloons, night clubs, gambling houses, theaters, and cinemas, for example), constitute a trap, especially for the younger generation. It is no wonder, therefore, that the overwhelming majority loathe even the “smell” of spiritual food, the Word of God. The unavoidable result: spiritual famine.

Satan is not concerned about worldlings who are already in his trap. He is “walking about, seeking whom he may devour” among those who profess the present truth (1 Peter 5:8). Therefore, we need more than human wisdom and power to keep the attractions of the world out of our heart out of our homes, and out of the church. Otherwise, there will be famine also in our midst.

Amos further describes a sad picture in chapter 8:13, 14. (1) Young people fainting from “thirst” and (2) others falling and not rising again. Doesn’t this depict the daily life of many Christians today? Suffering from a lack of spiritual food, they are easily overcome by temptation and often lose interest in the things of God. The condition of many churches today is one “spiritual malnutrition.”

The world is full of negative influences under which people seek material advantages, temporal comforts, and an extravagant lifestyle. And, influenced by the spirit of the world, many - even professed believers - are suffering from spiritual malnutrition by their own misdirected choice. How tragic for those who do not know better!

AFTER THE CLOSE OF PROBATION: “The plagues were falling upon the inhabitants of the earth. Some were denouncing God and cursing Him. Others rushed to the people of God and begged to be taught how they might escape His judgments. But the saints had nothing for them. The last tear for sinners had been shed, the last agonizing prayer offered, the last burden borne, the last warning given. The sweet voice of mercy was no more to invite them. When the saints, and all heaven, were interested for their salvation, they had no interest for themselves. Life and death had been set before them. Many desired life, but made no effort to obtain it. They did not choose life, and now there was no atoning blood to cleanse the guilty, no compassionate Saviour to plead for them, and cry, ‘Spare, spare the sinner a little longer.’ All heaven had united with Jesus, as they heard the fearful words, ‘It is done. It is finished.’ The plan of salvation had been accomplished, but few had chosen to accept it. And as mercy’s sweet voice died away, fear and horror seized the wicked. With terrible distinctness they heard the words, ‘Too late! too late!’

“Those who had not prized God’s Word were hurrying to and fro, wandering from sea to sea, and from the north to the east, to seek the Word of the Lord. Said the angel, ‘They shall not find it. There is a famine in the land; not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but for hearing the words of the Lord.’ What would they not give for one word of approval from God! but no, they must hunger and thirst on. Day after day have they slighted salvation, prizing earthly riches and earthly pleasure higher than any heavenly treasure or inducement. They have rejected Jesus and despised His saints. The filthy must remain filthy forever.’ ”2

PREPARING FOR THE YEARS OF FAMINE: Following the example of Joseph back in ancient Egypt, we need now to prepare for the future. Now, during these years of plenty, we should be treasuring the Word of God for the coming time of famine.

“The world is perishing for want of the gospel. There is a famine for the word of God. There are few who preach the word unmixed with human tradition. Though men have the Bible in their hands, they do not receive the blessing that God has placed in it for them. The Lord calls upon His servants to carry His message to the people. The word of everlasting life must be given to those who are perishing in their sins.”3

God has entrusted His church with a commission to evangelize the world. To carry out this task, we must study the Bible daily, understand it for ourselves, and live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” In this way we can help others - and by helping others we will be helping ourselves - while the door of probation is still open.

“There is earnest work for every pair of hands to do. . . . There are so many that need to be helped. The heart of him who lives, not to please himself, but to be a blessing to those who have so few blessings, will thrill with satisfaction. Let every idler awake and face the realities of life. Take the word of God and search its pages. If you are doers of the word, life will indeed be to you a living reality, and you will find that the reward is abundant.

“The Lord has a place for everyone in His great plan. Talents that are not needed are not bestowed. Supposing that the talent is small. God has a place for it, and that one talent, if faithfully used, will do the very work God designs that it should do. The talents of the humble cottager are needed in the house-to-house labor and can accomplish more in this work than brilliant gifts.

“A thousand doors of usefulness are open before us. We lament the scanty resources at present available, while various and urgent demands are pressing us for means and men. Were we thoroughly in earnest, even now we could multiply the resources a hundredfold. Selfishness and self-indulgence bar the way.

“Church members, let the light shine forth. Let your voices be heard in humble prayer, in witness against intemperance, the folly, and the amusements of this world, and in the proclamation of the truth for this time. Your voice, your influence, your time - all these are gifts from God and are to be used in winning souls to Christ.

“Visit your neighbors and show an interest in the salvation of their souls. Arouse every spiritual energy to action. Tell those whom you visit that the end of all things is at hand. . . .

“Tell them how you found Jesus and how blessed you have been since you gained an experience in His service. Tell them what blessing comes to you as you sit at the feet of Jesus and learn precious lessons from His word. Tell them of the gladness and joy that there is in the Christian life. Your warm, fervent words will convince them that you have found the pearl of great price. Let your cheerful, encouraging words show that you have certainly found the higher way. This is genuine missionary work, and as it is done, many will awake as from a dream. . . .

“My brother, my sister, what are you doing for Christ? Are you seeking to be a blessing to others? Are your lips uttering words of kindness, sympathy, and love? Are you putting forth earnest efforts to win others to the Saviour?”4

“God is not unmindful of those who labor in love to give the word of life to perishing souls, who in their turn reach forth their hands for food for other hungry souls.”5

May this noble act of feeding the starving with spiritual food be the life priority of each of us while opportunity lingers, before the famine strikes!