Survivalist shows were extremely popular on TV at one point. These shows, which depicted humans battling nature and the elements, tapped into a primal survival urge in many people. They showed people living in the extreme conditions north of the Arctic circle, giving up modern amenities to return to a ″simpler″ way of life, or being thrust into the wilderness with a limited selection of tools.

One thing that was stressed and repeated in these show was the listing of the essentials for survival: shelter, food, water, and warmth. With these basic needs met, it was said, a person could survive indefinitely.

Amos–and Jesus–would disagree. When Jesus was hungry after fasting for 40 days in the wilderness, Satan tempted Him to turn stones into bread (see Matthew 4:1-3). Jesus' famous reply was: ″Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God″ (v. 4). Jesus was intimating that man could go on longer without bread, but not as long without the Word of God.

In Amos 8:11-14, Amos tells Israel that God is going to withhold this vital element of life. Unlike a famine of food or water (v. 11), which were part of the covenant curses found in Deuteronomy 28:22-24, this famine will be one of the very thing that Jesus said that people cannot live without–the word of the Lord (Amos 8:11). The people will not hear God's voice. They will not hear or know the law, nor will they receive any message of wisdom, guidance, hope, or assurance from Him. This drought will leave even the youngest and strongest weak and staggering (v. 12).

This seems to be the case of not knowing what you are missing until it is gone. The people of Israel have not been listening to nor depending on God's words. And now, they will no longer have His words.

This is a strange punishment. It seems as though God is going to withhold the one thing that Israel would need to find their way back to Him. What would the people need more during a time of punishment and exile, than to hear again the word of the Lord calling them to repentance and covenant faithfulness? But all they will hear is the silence of their own sinfulness.