Wednesday 15 May 2024

Psalm 134

Background

Today’s reading, like many this week, comes from the book of the prophet Amos in the Old Testament. Many of his prophecies relate to the northern kingdom of Israel in the 8th century BC, which had separated from the southern kingdom of Judah after the time of Solomon.

Amos speaks repeatedly of the unavoidable disaster that was about to befall Israel, when the Assyrians would conquer the land and take many people away into exile, as they did around 721 BC (6:11, 14).

Like many prophets, Amos uses poetic language and complicated metaphors, which are often hard to translate from their original Hebrew. He also refers to places, people and events that would have been familiar to his listeners but which we struggle to understand. We should not worry unduly, therefore, if we do not understand everything that is being said.

In these particular verses, Amos directs his message at those who feel safe and secure in their wealth and prosperity, and warns them that everything is about to change dramatically. Zion (Jerusalem) and Samaria were the centres of political life in the two kingdoms, where the elite lived and probably felt far from danger. The places referred to in verse 2, though, have seemingly already been captured by the aggressively expansionist Assyrian empire; so why not Jerusalem and Samaria?

Archaeological evidence supports the depiction of the life of the wealthy in verses 4-7, with ivory decorations often being found in sites from this period.

The second half of the passage – like much of Amos – contains a series of oracles that were probably given at different times and occasions but were later put together in the form we ultimately have it today. This is another reason why it can be hard to read these ancient texts. You may be relieved to know that even scholars who have studied Amos for years struggle to interpret verses such as 9-10, which seem to speak in a very cryptic manner about what the destruction that is about to befall the nation will look like. The last verses probably refer to recent military victories by the kings of Israel, which they have attributed to their own strength and wisdom (2 Kings 14:25).

To Ponder:

• How should we tackle passages like today's, when we struggle to understand everything that is being said?
• Which verses stand out most for you? Why?
• What warnings might the prophet be giving us and our society today?
  

Bible notes author: The Revd Geoffrey Farrar
Geoffrey Farrar is the Superintendent Minister of the Richmond & Hounslow Circuit in south-west London. He has pastoral charge of Barnes, Putney and Roehampton churches. He is currently studying for a (very) part-time PhD at the nearby University of Roehampton, looking at the impact of the Maccabean Revolt on responses to Jesus. He lives in Putney with his partner and their adopted son.