A Matter of Taste
“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. Amos 8:11
I am still ruminating over a conversation with a friend regarding a lack of hunger for the Word of God in many women we are meeting, teaching, and talking to. She was telling me that a group of women had asked her to teach this summer so she decided if they were hungry enough to ask, she was willing to teach.
As the summer progressed many missed several weeks because, essentially, they got a better offer. Some were frequently vacationing, and some came regularly but were not doing the lessons before they came. In a nutshell, although they had asked for it, they were not committed to the study. How frustrating for the teacher.
As we were talking Amos 8:11 (top) came to mind. How long will God tolerate our disinterest in His Word? I recognize that this is not true of every Christian woman but it does seem to be more and more prevalent to not really engage in a study of the scriptures – or do so half–heartedly. Some want others to see them doing a Bible study but are not interested in investing any real effort in gaining knowledge and understanding of God or His Word.
This conversation with my friend happened shortly after I had heard a man praying –someone I have heard pray many times lately. He almost always starts his prayers thanking God “for His Son’, or “the work of His Son,” or “the mercy in what His Son has done for us.” He remembers Jesus, he expresses gratitude for what He has done for us in His work on the cross. He acknowledges that without the mercy and grace of God we have nothing to pray about – no one to pray to. This is a man in the Word of God regularly. He is constantly reminded of who God is and who we are to and in Him.
A born-again Christian who chooses to spend time in the Word of God is different. She is changed by the words, seeing the great gift salvation is, the blessings of obedience to God, and understanding the curses of disobedience. God’s Word is clear, it is written to those who would believe so they would know God, see the sinfulness of humans, and His grace and mercy in sending Jesus to pay the debt we owe God for our sin. Remembering these things by studying the Word of God plants in us an attitude of gratitude toward the One who has saved us.
When we fail to be in the Word of God it seems that the human tendency is to forget. Forgetting God’s goodness and His attributes are things that God dealt with as far back as the flood (Genesis 6) and Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 10). People who do not pay attention to the Word of God forget God.
Has God sent or will He send us a famine of the Word of God? Will he withhold it because churches have made a point that it just isn’t all that important? When I started studying, every Bible study I heard about was weekly. Now many are happy with every other or twice a month and some only once a month. Any excuse will do to skip it — even on Sunday mornings some churches are willing to accept “preaching” from a book about the Bible rather than the Bible. (We visited a church once where the pastor announced they were taking a break from the Bible for the summer! It took my breath away.). In another church I know the Pastor was accused of using the Bible “too much!”
I fear a famine of God’s Word, not one caused by the choice of men to “take a break,” but one from God who will cause it because of the way we have rejected His Words. If we would feed on it, we would acquire a taste for it and it would become like sweet honey to us.
OR, is the famine upon us? Has God already responded in judgment to our lack of hunger for His Word?
How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Psalm 119:103