Amos
the prophet told the people of Israel they were to face a famine like
no other. Their famine would not be for “bread, nor a thirst for
water, but of hearing the words of the LORD”. In chapter eight
and verse twelve of his prophesy, Amos shared how the people of
Israel would “wander from sea to sea” and “run to and
fro to seek the word of the LORD” where we read:
The
verse begins, “And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from
the north even to the east,...” Amos began with the words, “And
they shall wander” or “quiver, totter, shake, reel, stagger,
move, sift waver and tremble” “from sea to sea” which
means “from one large body of water such as the Mediterranean Sea,
a large river or artificial basin to another”, “and from the
north” or “the northward direction” “even to the east”
which means “toward the place of the sunrise”. The people of
Israel would be seeking everywhere for that which the LORD normally
supplied.
The verse goes on to
say,
“...they
shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find
it.”
Amos
continued,
“they shall run to and fro”
which is the Hebrew word “shuwt” and means “to rove about or go
eagerly from pole to pole, to lash or travel” “to
seek”
or “require, desire, exact, request, demand and ask for” “the
word”
which refers to “the speech, speaking and utterance” “of
the LORD”
which means “Yehovah or Jehovah who is the existing One and the
proper name for the one true God”, “and
shall not find it”
or they shall not “attain, secure, acquire or get the word”. The
people of Israel would be running about to uncover “God's word”
or “a word from the LORD”, but they would not find it.
When
we meditate upon these words of Amos, we can imagine the scampering
of the people of Israel just to hear a “word from the LORD”.
They did not have the scriptures as readily available to them as we
do today, so they would seek from “sea to sea” and “north
to east” just to hear something from God. Jesus Christ has made
His word easily attainable for most people today, however, it is
often neglected and overlooked as an unimportant part of life. The
judgment that came upon Israel had them seeking a “word from the
LORD”, but it was not accessible. Oh to God that we might never
find ourselves in such a state that we are running and seeking
everywhere to hear the word of God, and may He give us the desire to
be in His word daily while we may.
Next
time Amos tells Israel how “the
fair virgins and young men faint for thirst”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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