John Calvin Commentary Amos 8:11-12

"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord Jehovah, 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 Jehovah. 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 Jehovah, and shall not find it." — Amos 8:11-12 (ASV)

Here now the Prophet thunders, for he denounces not temporal punishments, but final destruction—which proves to be an evidence of reprobation—namely, that God would deprive the Israelites of every light of truth, so that they would wander as the blind in the dark. It is indeed certain that they had been, before this time, deprived of sound doctrine, for falsehoods and superstitions prevailed among them. We have also seen that in the land of Israel the true and faithful servants of God suffered cruel tyranny.

Yet God restrained the people, as it were, against their will. When they fled from him and withdrew from his government, he still goaded them and tried, as if by force, to restore them to the way of safety. God thus contended with the wickedness of the people for many years, until the time of our Prophet, even until the ten tribes were banished. For these, as we know, were led into exile first, and finally the kingdom of Israel was abolished; but the Lord did not cease to stretch out his hand.

Now when he saw that the labor of his servants was vain and useless, when he saw that no fruit came from his word, when he saw that his name was profaned and his kindness trodden underfoot, he denounced final vengeance, as if he said, “I am now broken down with weariness. I have until now endured your cries, and though by many kinds of punishment I have tried to restore you, I have still maintained a moderate course, so that you would not lack some remedy.

It has not, therefore, been my fault that your diseases have not been healed; for I have often sent Prophets to draw you to repentance, but without any success. I will now, then, take away my word from you.” Since celestial doctrine is the spiritual food of the soul, the Prophet rightly adopts this metaphor: that the Lord would send a famine. This figure, then, is borrowed from the efficacy and nature of God’s word. For what purpose does God send us Prophets and teachers, if not to feed us with spiritual food? As he sustains our bodies by bread and water, or wine, and other nourishment, so also he nourishes our souls and sustains our spiritual life by his word. Since, then, spiritual doctrine is our spiritual nourishment, the Prophet very appropriately says that a famine would come.

I will then send a famine, not of bread or of water, but of hearing the word of God. The antithesis amplifies or exaggerates the severity of the punishment, as if he had said that it would be endurable to wander in hunger and thirst, to seek roots on mountains, and to seek water in distant rivers. But a bodily famine, he says, is not what will be grievous to them—what then?

They will be in hunger and thirst, and will seek the word of God, and nowhere find it. But so that we may better understand the Prophet's meaning, we must notice what Paul says: that we are fed by the Lord as by the head of a family when the word is offered to us (Titus 1:3), for teachers do not go out on their own, but are sent from above.

Just as the head of a family provides food and sustenance for his children and servants, so also the Lord supplies us daily with spiritual food through true and faithful teachers, for they are, as it were, his hands. Whenever, then, pure doctrine is offered to us, let us recognize that the teachers who speak and instruct us by their ministry are, as it were, the hand of God, who sets food before us, as the head of a family is accustomed to do for his children. This is one thing.

And certainly, since the Lord cares for our bodies, we must also know that our souls are not neglected by him. Furthermore, since the earth does not produce grain and other things by itself, but God’s blessing is the source of all fruitfulness and abundance, is not his word a much more precious food?

Shall we then say that it comes to us by chance? Therefore, it is no wonder that the Prophet here includes the deprivation of sound doctrine among God’s judgments, as if he said, “Whenever people are faithfully taught, it is a proof of God’s singular kindness and a testimony of his paternal care.

As God then has until now fulfilled towards you the role of the kindest father of a family, so now he will deprive you of food and drink—that is, spiritual food and drink.” Now, secondly, we must observe that when we abuse God’s bounty, our ingratitude deserves this recompense: that want should teach us that we ought not to have despised God in his benefits.

This is generally true. For when we intemperately indulge in luxury, when God gives us an abundance of bread and wine, we fully deserve for this intemperance and excess to be cured by famine and want. But bread and wine are of little lasting value and soon pass away. Therefore, when we abuse celestial doctrine, which is far more precious than all earthly things, what punishment does not such willfulness deserve?

It is therefore no wonder that God should take away his word from all ungrateful and profane people when he sees it treated with mockery or disdain. And this truth ought to be carefully considered by us today, for we see with how little reverence most people receive the celestial doctrine, which at this time is so bountifully offered to us.

God has indeed in our age opened the wonderful treasures of his paternal bounty in restoring to us the light of truth. What fear is there now? What religion? Some scoff, some disdain; some indeed profess to receive what is said, but they pass it by negligently, being occupied with the cares and concerns of this world; and some furiously oppose, as the Papists do.

Since, then, the perverseness, wickedness, or carelessness of the world is so great, what can we expect but that the Lord will send a much thicker darkness than that in which we were previously immersed, and allow us to go astray and wander here and there in hunger and thirst?

If, then, we fear God, this punishment—or rather, the denunciation of this punishment—ought always to be before our eyes. And the antithesis also, as it is very important, should be carefully considered, for the Prophet, by the comparison, increases the punishment: it will not, he says, be the lack of food and drink (for such a divine visitation would be more tolerable), but it will be a spiritual famine.

Inasmuch, then, as we are too much entangled by our flesh, these words ought to arouse us, so that we may more attentively reflect on this dreadful punishment and learn to fear the famine or lack of the soul more than that of our bodies. When the barrenness of the land threatens us with famine, we are all anxiety, and no day passes in which this anxious question does not occur to us ten times: “What will become of us?

We now suffer from famine and want, and we are still three or four months away from the harvest.” All feel anxious, and in the meantime, we are not touched by any concern when the Lord threatens us with spiritual want. Since, then, we are so disposed to be overanxious for this frail life, it is all the more necessary for us to take notice of the comparison mentioned by our Prophet.

But it may be asked here: Why does he say that they should be so famished as to run here and there, and wander from sea to sea, from the south even to the east, since this ought to be counted as one of God’s favors? For what more grievous thing can happen to us than for the Lord to render us stupid and unconcerned? But when we are touched with some desire for sound doctrine, it evidently appears that there is some religion in us; we are not destitute of the Spirit of God, though destitute of the outward means. And then comes what Christ says:

Knock, and it shall be opened to you; seek, and you shall find (Matthew 7:7).

Therefore, this denunciation of the Prophet, it is said, does not seem so severe and dreadful. But we must observe that the Prophet does not speak here strictly of famine, as if he said that the Israelites would feel the lack of God’s word, that they would really look for it, that they would sincerely seek it; but rather that they would perceive by the punishment itself that nothing is more to be dreaded than to be deprived of the spiritual food of the soul.

An example of this is found in Esau: when he saw that he had lost his birthright, he cried and howled. He did not do this either from a right feeling or because he had returned to a sound mind; but he was urged on by despair only. Then he sent forth lamentations and howlings, as if he were a wild beast.

An anxiety like this is what the Prophet describes here. We learn from this that the reprobate, when they see themselves deprived of God’s favors, are not really moved to repent, but only feel strong agonies, so that they torment themselves without any benefit and do not turn to God.

What then is this to seek? We must notice what he said before—that they will wander from sea to sea, and then, that they will run here and there. When the faithful perceive any token of God’s wrath, they immediately conclude and clearly see that there is no remedy but to return directly to God. But the ungodly—what do they do?

They trouble themselves and make a great noise. It is, then, this empty and false feeling of which the Prophet speaks. Now, then, the question is answered. But we must at the same time observe what the best way is to recover the favor of God when we are deprived of it; and it is this: to consider our state, to return to him with a due consciousness of God’s judgment, and to seek to be reconciled to him.

Thus will he restore what he has taken away. But if our obstinacy is like that of the Israelites, God will deprive us of his benefits—not only those necessary to support our present life, but also the spiritual food of the soul. Then in vain will our howlings rend the air, for he will not give us an upright spirit to return to him. We will in vain bite the bridle; we will in vain torment ourselves. For he will not allow us to come where we ought (that is, he will not lead us to true repentance nor to a genuine calling on him), but we will pine away in our evils without any remedy.

Prayer:

Grant, Almighty God, that as you continue to recall us to yourself, and though you see us to be alienated from you, you yet extend your hand to us, and often exhort and stimulate us by holy admonitions, and even frighten us by punishments, so that we may not run headlong to our own ruin—O grant that we may not be deaf to admonitions so holy and gracious, nor be hardened against your threatening, but that we may become instantly submissive, return to the right way, constantly proceed in it, and follow one vocation throughout our whole life, as long as you continue it to us, until we finally reach the mark that is set before us, even until we are gathered into your celestial kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.