Amos Prophesies That There Will Be a Famine of Hearing the Word of the Lord
Amos 8:11–13
11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, 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 the Lord:12 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 the Lord, and shall not find it.13 In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.
President Howard W. Hunter said:
“One of the most striking prophecies of the Old Testament, which certainly characterizes our day, is this one spoken by Amos:
“‘Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, 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 the Lord:
“‘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 the Lord, and shall not find it’ (Amos 8:11–12).
“Famine was one of the common scourges of Old Testament times, and people understood the devastating consequences of crop failure and starving people. Amos brought this understanding into sharp focus by his prediction of a spiritual famine. He said: ‘. . . not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.’
“Long before this time Moses had written: ‘. . . man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live’ (Deuteronomy 8:3).
“Present-day reports of confusion and frustration of individuals and religious institutions, as they attempt to resolve their religious doubts and conflicts, remind us of these words of Amos: ‘. . . they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.’
“They seek to find the solution without building on the rock of revelation, as the Lord said must be done, if the gates of hell are not to prevail against it (see Matthew 16:17–18). This problem has engaged the minds of good and sincere men before and since the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in this dispensation.”
(“Spiritual Famine,” Ensign, Jan. 1973, 64.)
