If you’re seeing your grocery bill go up, you’re not alone
Hunger and famine are nothing new. They've come and gone since the beginning.
Genesis 12:10And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land. Grievous meaning - hard, difficult, burdensome. Genesis 26:1And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham.
Famines have occurred throughout history for different reasons.
2 Samuel 21:1Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.
We see God cast this famine because of Saul's actions. He broke the treaty with the Gibeonites.
1Kings 18:1 And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth. 2And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria.
They were suffering severe drought. Why? Because........
1Kings 18:18 .........ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim.
Ezekiel 13:12The word of the LORD came again to me, saying, 13Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it:
Why? Ezekiel 14:5.......... because they are all estranged from me through their idols.
We see the actions of men can provoke God into sending famine to the land. Literally bringing it on themselves.
One of the most popular stories of famine involves Joseph, son of Jacob.
Pharaoh had strange dreams and Joseph is the only one who can interpret the dreams. Genesis 41:17And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river: 18And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine (cows), fatfleshed and well favoured; and they fed in a meadow: 19And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness: 20And the lean and the ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine: 21And when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still ill favoured, as at the beginning. So I awoke. 22And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good: 23And, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them: 24And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears: and I told this unto the magicians; but there was none that could declare it to me. 25And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one. 27And the seven thin and ill favoured kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine. 28This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh. 29Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt: 30And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land; 31And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous. 32And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. 33Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years. 35And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. 36And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine.
They were prepared when the famine came upon the land. Unfortunately for the world today, it isn't prepared for what it's facing.
Matt. 24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in diverse places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Famines are one of the sign's Jesus said would be, among others, just before his return. So what makes our current food shortage different than any other? The fact that it's combined with the other signs that the Lord told us would be. All these, along with the Jews back in Jerusalem. How many times people need a sign to prove Gods existence.
Numerous reports from all over the world tell this story.
Hungry crowds spell trouble for world leaders
Tensions rise as world faces short rations
Food prices to rise for years, biofuel firms say
Arabs without oil hit hard by spiraling food prices
Shoppers scrimp as food prices rise
Food prices drive India inflation
The World Food Program, the globe's main provider of food aid, may have to start rationing. This is not just bad news for countries like Afghanistan and Ethiopia that depend on its supplies. It's grim news for everybody. The global economy is just about coping with the subprime crisis, the fall of the dollar and oil over $140 a barrel. But the inflationary surge in food prices could prove to be the final straw.
Growing Food Crisis As Bio Fuel Subsidies Undermine Free Markets
Corn Hits $6 a Bushel on Tight Supplies
Hungry people become angry people. Violent unrest has spawned around the world.
It's gotten so bad, the World Bank President is calling for a coordinated global response.
Global response needed on food crisis: Zoellick
Food Crisis - Mouse over the countries in the map below to track the latest food-related news and some selected policy responses
It's becoming pretty easy to imagine some of the predictions of Revelation. Scientists say that temperatures have been going up since the 1800s—and that the warmest 10 years on record globally have all occurred since 1995.
This warming is most likely costing the planet $5 billion annually in losses to three of the six major food crops, the Stanford and Lawrence Livermore researchers say. "Global warming is having real impacts—and we're seeing their effects already," said Chris Field, one of the authors of the crop study, and director of the department of global ecology at Stanford's Carnegie Institution. The study warns that wheat, corn and barley are especially affected, with 40 million fewer metric tons of the crops produced each year. For every 1 degree increase in temperature, the researchers said, crop yields drop by about 3 to 5 percent.
That's interesting because......... Revelation 6:5And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure/pint of wheat for a penny/days wage, and three measures of barley for a penny/days wage; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. 7And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. 8And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
We see these predictions of Revelation are in their initial stages. Telling us the Day of the Lord is near.
Wheat Prices Surge to Record High
Food shortages loom as wheat crop shrinks and prices rise
'Silent' famine sweeps globe
It's pretty obvious the worlds food supply is in trouble.
Pork, chicken prices may rise in next wave of food inflation
Midwest flooding adds to farmers' woes
Livestock owners under threat; five U.S. ethanol plants forced to shut
June 13, 2008
Flooding in the Midwest has damaged thousands of acres of cropland at a time
when corn prices are already at record highs and Americans are stretching
their grocery budgets.
Storms this week have inundated fields in Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin
and other states where much of the world’s food is grown. The flooding also
threatens livestock owners, who depend on the grain to feed their herds, and
has forced the closures of five ethanol plants.
The flooding comes after a wet, damp spring that brought planting delays —
which often translate into lower yields — and has pushed corn prices to a
record near $8 per bushel, nearly double last year’s price.
"Until the weather straightens itself out, you're going to see this higher
price for corn and higher food prices for that matter," said Christian
Mayer, an analyst for Northstar Commodity in Minneapolis, Minn.
People will do what they have to, to have food and survive during famine.
We find in Nehemiah such an event 5:1And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews. 2For there were (those) that said, We, our sons, and our daughters, are many: therefore we take up corn for them, that we may eat, and live. 3Some also there said, We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy corn, because of the dearth. (famine, hunger) 4There were also (those) that said, We have borrowed money for the king’s tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards.
These folks were so bad off they had even borrowed money against their land to pay their tributes/taxes.
We've learned from this study that our combined actions can provoke God into sending famine our way, and as the world continues down the road opposite of God, we will see the famines increase. Affecting the whole world. What can believers do to insure their well being, as we watch our food supply vanish?
Psalm 33:18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; 19To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. 20Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield. 21For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. 22Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.
We can certainly use all the help we can get.
Romans 8:35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
