Britain and America have not known shortage of food for a very long time. But the world is about to plunge into grave troubles which will bring famine to these nations!
Why does famine stalk the earth? The answer to that is what most prefer NOT to hear! Isn’t it amazing that the solutions to the world’s problems are not wanted?! It’s an irony that what is good for mankind, he resists and rejects, but what brings woe and destruction, he accepts! The solution to famine is spiritual, not physical, just as its cause is spiritual, not merely physical. You may not believe that, but it won’t alter the truth. The truth remains the same, as it always has. Jesus said God’s Word is truth (Jn 17:17).
The main cause of famine is identified in God’s Word as a result of rebellion against God. Although God does not enjoy seeing His creation suffer, He has to allow it to occur. In one sense it is punishment for wrongdoing that He cannot avert – unless the errant ones repent and turn from wrongdoing. Notice it:
Because God is ultimately in control of all that takes place on earth – despite the fact that He hates so much of it! – He is represented in Deuteronomy as being the one who brings it on:
Why? Deuteronomy 11:13-28 explains.
When people do not want God in their lives, they descend into depravity, and God has no option but to let them reap the fruit of their own ways.
Famines have changed the course of history. God used a famine to bring Joseph to prominence and greatness in Egypt (Gen 41); to draw Jacob’s descendants to that region (Gen 42-46) so that God could later work out His purpose, bringing that world power to nothing and delivering Israel. It is God who gives “the dew of heaven, of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine” (Gen 27:28). And it is God who allows famine, just as He allows all people the freedom to do wrong – in the hope that they will learn to do right, turning away from wrong ways.
Egypt, for a while, rejoiced in the rule of Joseph, a righteous deliverer in time of need (Gen 41). He did not oppress the people. He cared for them. In contrast, consider Robert Mugabe’s rule in Zimbabwe, which has turned that breadbasket of Africa into a hunger-stricken hellhole. Leadership has much to do with whether a nation is blessed or cursed:
Wicked rulers crush their subjects (Is 3:15) through oppressive wielding of power, or through inane policies and self-glorification. Look at the recent celebrations of the king of Swaziland, who bought four (or was it six?) new top-of-the-range BMWs to celebrate his birthday. He expects his poverty stricken people to support his flamboyant ‘worship-me’ reign of self-indulgence, with his 13 wives, lavish palace and other opulent trappings. Some western rulers are equally egoistic, but are discreet to mask their motives. The policies of all human governments lead towards poverty and famine in the long run, because they ignore the moral fundamentals that underlie either blessing or curse. They think that by tinkering with the inner workings of the economy, pressing buttons and pulling switches, will make things better. No. God has the final word. Postponement does not solve problems, just as appeasement of evil likewise merely defers it. People will finally come to see that what God told us in the Bible is true and, if nations had lived by it, they would have been blessed instead of cursed. It’s the obduracy in human nature that keeps famine on the earth. Most people don’t want God. And among those who claim they do, even many of them do not want to hear Him tell them how to live!
The political leaders of the world do not give their subjects an appropriate moral lead. Most leaders are concerned more about securing their own power base than securing their country’s stability. Of course, I’m sure they would think they are doing something worthwhile for their nation, as they direct the affairs of the State. But they don’t see their own self-deceit. They don’t know that they are deluded. And if they have any nagging doubts, they soon patch them up with a bit of positive thinking and talk. The truth, however, is that mankind is sorely misguided and has no compass without God. He’s the One who gives true direction, both individually and to a nation. Israel is our example and the Bible is our textbook on human mistakes versus God’s ideals. We read God’s lament in the Bible about Israel’s failure:
What the prophet mentions in verse 18 leads to the famine mentioned in verse 19. The moral vacuum in leadership allows famine to come. You may be able to see many physical causes: bad weather, wrong decisions by government, war, floods, trade imbalances, economic mismanagement and stupid policies, bureaucratic bungling, crop- destroying pests, plagues, etc. But, when you trace the ultimate cause, before all these, the bottom line is always that people do not know God, do not obey Him and therefore don’t have His guidance or protection. Where wickedness rules, the ultimate result is disaster. There may be many years of deferment, but eventually it comes, and it comes with a vengeance!
Although the above words were spoken against Babylon, they are as relevant today to the equally arrogant and wicked modern nations of Britain and America. They will fall suddenly! (1 Thes 5:3.) And that day is not far away. Because evil reigned in Israel in Elisha’s time, God called for a famine (2 Kings 8:1). It was to last seven years! A similar calamity occurred in Elijah’s day, some years earlier. That was for 3½ years (Jas 5:17). But because most people did not heed and change, and the nation continued its downward moral drift, the time of punishment was later doubled.
The spiritually uninformed will think it unreal, but God holds the solution to famine.
Those who are open to God, and obedient to Him, have His guidance, help and deliverance. I have written this very basic article because of this dream which God gave me:
Malcolm B Heap
Further Reading:
Why Britain Will Fall Soon. |
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