The Black Horse of Famine

When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures,saying, “Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!” Revelations 6: 5-6

Famine is a judgment on the human family. There is a judgment that comes upon the lazy and the sluggard. Proverbs 10:4 Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.

Proverbs 12:27 The lazy do not roast any game, but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt. Proverbs Proverbs 26:15 A sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth. Matthew 25 tells us the story of a wicked and lazy servant who did nothing with his gift. It was taken from him and given to the one richest and wisest and the use of resources.

Luke 16:19-21 demonstrates for us that riches are not always a measure of blessing and poverty does not mean we are separated from God. “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores  and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. There is no sin in being rich, in fact within this same chapter we are told the story of wise business practices and their relationship to spiritual truth. Luke 16:10 reads “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much”

There is also no sin in being poor. We do not know what lead to Lazarus situation As we continue in the story we see Lazarus in paradise and the rich man in Hades. The most informative line in the story comes from the voice of Abraham “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

The one who has been raised from the dead is obviously Jesus. Abraham is saying that if you do not listen to Mosses and the prophets neither will you listen to Jesus who was raised from the dead. The reason is because the message is the same. The prophet Ezekiel stand out in my mind when he says "'Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. Ezekiel 16:49

How are we to understand the famine describe in Revelations 6. We are to understand it in the context of other famines. There are a combination of factors that lead to such situations. Laziness and the hardness of the heart of the wealthy have been seen clearly. The rich man walked by Lazarus each time he returned home. He gave no thought to his plight. Ezekiel's list adds arrogance. It is the arrogance that believes we are not dependent upon God for our life and our needs. We are like the man who stored up his treasure in a barn but did not know that he would give an account of his soul that night.

It is an arrogance that believes life can be lived independently of the word of God. Jesus said I have food that you are not aware of, meaning that the Word of God sustained him. Stated more clearly, he said, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ Matthew 4:4

We as a society are pressing forward with and arrogance and independence from the Word of God in ways the no previous generation ever has. We are plowing up ground in the areas of abortion and marriage that have never been tilled before.

In the 1920's and 1930's the areas of Oklahoma and Texas plowed millions of acres of grass lands. After a few great harvest the reaped dirt clouds 200 miles across and 10 miles high in the air. Our generation is plowing this spiritual ground now. It will create dirt that fills the spiritual air and will ultimately release a rider on a black horse that brings the greatest famine for food the world has ever known. May God give His people wisdom to understand the signs of the times and let's us grow fat on the Word of God for there is surely a famine of the Word of God in our future.