God had many things to say through Amos to the people who were living despicable lives in his day. There was human trafficking, laziness, selling cheap and tainted goods all mixed with people who were more enamored by their appearance and comfort than moved by justice or human suffering. It sounds a little like our world today. The kicker is this- they all knew better on every front because they were God’s people. He had told them what and what not to do, how and how not to live.
They found themselves, however, in the most perilous place of all. God would stop speaking to them (Amos 8:11-13). Oh sure, there are the devastating consequences upon their land mentioned throughout the book. We are not unfamiliar with God telling the corrupt that a day was coming when justice would prevail and the wrongs would be righted. But, they were familiar with tragedy and could brace themselves for it. However, it would be unbearable for God to pull away. We would be "staggering as drunk people" to hear from God. What a vivid image.
Have you ever had an argument with your siblings or spouse or friend? When the person vents their anger or blubbers their disappointment or rants on their complaints they are at least talking and, when the storm subsides, you are able to get somewhere. However, the silent treatment is a hard one. Will they ever come out of it? Are they mad or disappointed? Is it something I said? Will they let me express my thoughts without becoming angry? Will they ever speak again? The unknown is pretty tough to handle; tougher than the known, no matter how bad it is.
When God pulls away, the silence is deafening. When prayer is nothing more than a soliloquy, prayer will eventually cease. When the Spirit stops speaking through the Bible, the Bible becomes little more than a good book. When the Spirit no longer brings strong conviction upon our consciences that one time kept us sharp, we fall victim to many errors that leave us numb to goodness. We can take a harsh word better than no word at all.
Sometimes I wonder if we don’t have so much information around us that God’s word becomes passé and inconsequential. We are blitzed with things to read on the internet, our phones, podcasts, v-casts, twitter, Facebook, newspapers, books and all other saturating means of communication. What we must not lose, however, is the ability to hear God. Our actions can have devastating implications. But, among the most devastating is to be unable to hear from God. The places that experience the greatest spiritual growth are those places where God speaks and where people hear and respond to what they hear from God. That is the best place to be.