Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:
I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord - a just retribution on those who now will not hear the Lord's prophets, nay, even try to drive them away, as Amaziah did (Amos 7:12); they shall look in vain, in their distress, for divine counsel, such as the prophets now offer (Ezekiel 7:26; Micah 3:7). Compare as to the Jews' rejection of Messiah, and their consequent rejection by Him (Matthew 21:43); and their desire for Messiah when too late (Luke 17:22, "The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it; John 7:34, "Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me; and where I am, there ye cannot come;" John 8:21). So the prodigal, when he had sojourned awhile, in the "far off country, began to be in want" in the "mighty famine" which arose in that land (Luke 15:14; cf. 1 Samuel 3:1, "The word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision" (in the period before Samuel arose); 1 Samuel 7:2). It is remarkable, the Jews' religion is almost the only one that could be abolished against the will of the people themselves, on account of its being dependent on a particular place-namely, the temple. When that was destroyed, the Mosaic ritual, which could not exist without it, necessarily ceased. Providence designed it, that, as the Law gave way to the Gospel, so all men should perceive it was so, in spite of the Jews' obstinate rejection of the Gospel.