Amos 4:6, commentary and pictures

Amos 4:6 stands within Amos's warning to Israel that failure to live up to the light and responsibility granted by God brings punishment. Cleanness of teeth and want of bread in all cities and places means famine, hunger and scarcity of bread. It was one of God's repeated past chastisements before punishment in its severest form, sent together with drought, blasting, mildew, palmerworm, sword and fire.

The hunger was sent as a consequence of Israel's false worship at Bethel and called them to forsake it. Israel had despised the law of God and had not kept His commandments, showing rebelliousness, stubbornness, perversity, injustice and inconstancy continually, and was wholly unprepared to meet God except for punishment, though still His chosen professed church. God sent and permitted the deprivation in love to reclaim a rebellious people and save them if possible, to lead them to Him and teach them to trust Him rather than human help or false gods. It was meant to force home conviction of sin and of righteousness and of judgment and to call them to return.

The recital reveals love and mercy mingled with justice and long-suffering, giving opportunity as individuals to repent and seek God and live before the stroke falls upon the nation. Yet they did not return, though some remained willfully disobedient while some were plucked as firebrands from the burning. When such warnings could no longer avail and a people would not seek the Lord, nothing remained but direst measures and punishment in its severest form, with the call to prepare to meet God. The nation was eventually blotted out and replaced by another. The same principle still governs God's dealing with His church and with the world, because He does not change.