Amos 8:11–12

“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord GOD,
“That 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.
They shall wander from sea to sea,
And from north to east;
They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD,
But shall not find it.”

We now move from the gospel of John to the Old Testament book of Amos. His prophecy sets the stage for John’s depiction of the incarnation. It’s all about God’s word.

Israel and Judah are approaching a different kind of famine. They’ll be starved of something they forgot they need—the words of the LORD.

Their exile will lead to a greater suffering than simple hunger and thirst. They will know what it’s like to be truly cut off. Separation from God is a popular portrait of hell.

Those popular portraits are fun and useful, but beware; we shouldn’t take them literally. My favorite is The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis. It’s wonderful teaching, though obviously a fantasy.

We don’t know what hell is exactly like and we should stay mindful of that. The Westminster Confession takes care to not go beyond what’s specifically in scripture.

The bodies of men, after death, return to dust, and see corruption: but their souls, which neither die nor sleep, having an immortal subsistence, immediately return to God who gave them: the souls of the righteous, being then made perfect in holiness, are received into the highest heavens, where they behold the face of God, in light and glory, waiting for the full redemption of their bodies. And the souls of the wicked are cast into hell, where they remain in torments and utter darkness, reserved to the judgment of the great day. Besides these two places, for souls separated from their bodies, the Scripture acknowledgeth none. — WCF 32.1

The exile will accomplish its intended purpose; God’s people will again hunger for His word — but God isn’t done with them yet.

Cue the incarnation.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. — John 1:14

These Monday—Friday DEEPs are written by Mike Slay. The Weekend DEEPs are written by Matt Richardson. To subscribe to all the DEEPs click here:

https://www.ailbe.org/resources/community

The weekly study guides, which include the Monday–Friday devotionals plus related questions for discussion or meditation, are available for download here:

https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV stands for the English Standard Version. © Copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NIV stands for The Holy Bible, New International Version®. © Copyright 1973 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. KJV stands for the King James Version.