These readings remind us that, even in the midst of terrible judgment, God holds out the possibilities of repentance and mercy. Christians at Smyrna are commended for holding fast, and encouraged to be faithful in times of suffering. We all are called to give priority to justice, mercy and faith.

Amos 9:1-10

The Destruction of Israel

9:1 I saw the LORD standing beside the altar, and he said:

Strike the capitals until the thresholds shake,

and shatter them on the heads of all the people;

and those who are left I will kill with the sword;

not one of them shall flee away,

not one of them shall escape.

2 Though they dig into Sheol,

from there shall my hand take them;

though they climb up to heaven,

from there I will bring them down.

3 Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel,

from there I will search out and take them;

and though they hide from my sight at the bottom of the sea,

there I will command the sea-serpent, and it shall bite them.

4 And though they go into captivity in front of their enemies,

there I will command the sword, and it shall kill them;

and I will fix my eyes on them

for harm and not for good.

5 The Lord, GOD of hosts,

he who touches the earth and it melts,

and all who live in it mourn,

and all of it rises like the Nile,

and sinks again, like the Nile of Egypt;

6 who builds his upper chambers in the heavens,

and founds his vault upon the earth;

who calls for the waters of the sea,

and pours them out upon the surface of the earth–

the LORD is his name.

7 Are you not like the Ethiopians to me,

O people of Israel? says the LORD.

Did I not bring Israel up from the land of Egypt,

and the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans from Kir?

8 The eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom,

and I will destroy it from the face of the earth

--except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,

says the LORD.

9 For lo, I will command,

and shake the house of Israel among all the nations

as one shakes with a sieve,

but no pebble shall fall to the ground.

10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword,

who say, "Evil shall not overtake or meet us." (Amos 9:1-10, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here with revision and supplement from December 8, 2005 (Thursday in the week of the Second Sunday of Advent, Year Two):

With today’s reading from Amos, and Sunday’s (Amos 9:11-15), we complete the reading of the book which began with the beginning of Advent, and is interrupted only by two readings from Haggai Friday and Saturday of this week. The entire book has been included except 1:6-12, the indictments of Gaza, Tyre and Edom, the second, third and fourth in the series which indicts eight nations (see the comments for December 2 and 3, Sunday and Monday of the first week of Advent, under “Devotions for Last Week, or in the Archives).

In today’s reading, we find ourselves completing another series, this time, of five visions (7:1-9; 8:1-3; 9:1-6). In the first two the LORD announces disastrous judgment for Israel, but in response to the prophet’s pleas (7:2, 5), he relents (7:3, 6). But in the third, the vision of the plumb line (7:7-9), the announcement of judgment stands. (See the comments for Monday of this week, Dec. 10, 2007), as it does in the fourth (8:1-3; cf. comments yesterday, Dec. 12, 2007).

In reporting the fifth vision, Amos says, “I saw the LORD standing beside the altar, and he said: / Strike the capitals until the thresholds shake, / and shatter them on the heads of all the people; / and those who are left I will kill with the sword; / not one of them shall flee away, / not one of them shall escape” (Amos 9:1). In reference to this vision report, Ehud Ben Zvi asks, “Which altar? The text carefully avoids an explicit reference to the altar at Bethel, which would have constrained the intended readers of the book” (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, on Amos 9:1-6). Gregory Mobley notes “other appearances of the LORD at shrines,” with reference to “1 Sam. 3:1-18; Isa. 6:1-13), and adds that, “probably [at] the altar at Bethel (3:14; 7:10) is intended” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., on Amos. 9:1-6, and on v. 1). For the words, “the thresholds shake,” he refers to Isaiah 6:4). But in Isaiah’s vision he is told to preach, and keep preaching (Isa. 6:9-11a) until–apparently when there is no response–judgment is announced (vv. 11b, c, d, e, f, 12), yet with hope of a remnant (v. 13).

Amos, quoting, the LORD, emphasizes the inevitability, the finality of God’s impending judgment on Israel. “Though they dig into Sheol, / from there shall my hand take them; / though they climb up to heaven, / from there I will bring them down” (Amos 9:2). Ben Zvi explains “sheol [as] the place of the dead. The nadir of the earth; the opposite of heaven” (on v. 2). According to Mobley, Amos asserts that Sheol “is in God’s purview (Ps. 139:7-12, though many feared it was not (e.g., Ps. 6:6; 88:3-5)” (on v. 2). Amos continues: “Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, / from there I will search out and take them” (v. 3a, b). “Carmel,” says Ben Zvi, is “a peak in northern Israel. Here it serves as both a reference to the highest point on earth that an Israelite may think of reaching and as a symbol of the highest point on earth in cosmic terms (cf. 1:2); the opposite of the bottom of the sea” (on v. 3). According to Mobley, “Mount Carmel, which juts into the Mediterranean at the northwest border of Israel, reaches a summit of ca. 550 m (1,800 ft) above sea level and also boasts caves and forests for those who wish to hide” (on v. 3). In contrast to this height, Amos adds that “though they hide from my sight at the bottom of the sea, / there I will command the sea-serpent, and it shall bite them” (v. 3c, d). Ben Zvi explains “serpent” here as “a mythical sea-creature” (loc. cit.). Mobley elaborates: “Sea-serpent, he says, “sea monsters, personifications of chaos, are at times cast as opponents of God (Ps. 72:13); at other times, as here, as God’s servants (Ps. 104:25-26; Job 41)” (loc. cit.). Even being taken into captivity by her enemies will not put Israel out of the reach of God’s judgment. “And though they go into captivity in front of their enemies, / there I will command the sword, and it shall kill them; / and I will fix my eyes on them / for harm and not for good” (v. 4). Gene M. Tucker and J. Andrew Dearman sum up briefly: “There is no escape from the Lord, not even in death or captivity” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Amos 9:2-4).

Amos continues with words that Mobley associates with the fifth vision report (9:1-6), but he refers to the last two verses as “the third hymn-like passage (4:13; 5:8-9)” (on 9:5-6). “The Lord, GOD of hosts, / he who touches the earth and it melts, / and all who live in it mourn, / and all of it rises like the Nile, / and sinks again, like the Nile of Egypt; / who builds his upper chambers in the heavens, / and founds his vault upon the earth; / who calls for the waters of the sea, / and pours them out upon the surface of the earth–the LORD is his name” (vv. 5-6). The analysis of Tucker and Dearman limits the fifth vision report to 9:1-4, and simply calls verses 5-6 “the third hymnic passage or doxology of judgment in the book” (on 9:5-6 with the same cross-references). They add that “the Lord is the name of the one who created the world and whose touch can cause it to melt or toss about.” Ben Zvi is more descriptive: “Theophanic (cf. 1:2) and creation imagery is used to emphasize God’s power. Such descriptions, called doxologies (praises of God) are interspersed throughout Amos, and characterize this prophetic book” (on vv. 5-6).

As Amos continues to pronounce God’s judgment on Israel, he denies their claim to special privilege before God. “Are you not like the Ethiopians to me, / O people of Israel? says the LORD. / Did I not bring Israel up from the land of Egypt, / and the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans from Kir?” (v. 7). The LORD claims to have “enacted other exoduses [than that of Israel] at other times and places” (Mobley, on vv. 7-10; cf. Tucker and Dearman on vv. 7-8). Amos says that Israel can claim no special privileges, even if God took them out of Egypt (cf. Ben Zvi, on v. 7). “The eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, / and I will destroy it from the face of the earth–except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, / says the LORD” (v. 8). Within all this judgment, note the glimmer of hope, “except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob.”

The forthcoming judgment, says Amos, speaking for the LORD, will be what we might call a “great shake-out.” “For lo, I will command,” says the LORD, “and shake the house of Israel among all the nations / as one shakes with a sieve, / but no pebble shall fall to the ground. / All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, / who say, ‘Evil shall not overtake or meet us’ ” (vv. 9-10). The “sieve” simile suggest a separation of the people, limiting the punishment to “the sinners of my people.” “Typically in the book of Amos,” say Tucker and Dearman, “judgment is announced on the people as a whole, but these verses restrict it to certain sinners” (on vv. 9-10). Early on in the Book of Amos, as noted earlier, Amos has called on Israel to repent (e.g. 5:5-6, 14-15); but for the most part, so far in the Book of Amos, we have met mainly gloom and doom. As noted above, a glimmer of hope emerges in today’s reading. But even the Book of Amos holds out promises of restoration and new life for Israel (in tomorrow’s reading).

In the fifth vision, Amos sees the LORD himself "standing beside the altar" (Amos 9:1) and "giving orders for the total destruction of the people" (G.M. Tucker, HarperCollins Study Bible). An exception is made for "the house of Jacob" (v. 8), which has been seen as a reference to Judah (Tucker). God is still God, the creator (vv. 5-6), and even in this "total destruction," in which "not one of them shall escape" (v. 1), there is a place for a "sieve" (v. 9), which suggests a sifting process, "separating the sinners from the others" (Tucker). (Comments repeated from December 10, 2003, for December 11, 2003)

Revelation 2:8-17

8 "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of the first and the last, who was dead and came to life:

9 "I know your affliction and your poverty, even though you are rich. I know the slander on the part of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Beware, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have affliction. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Whoever conquers will not be harmed by the second death.

12 "And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword:

13 "I know where you are living, where Satan's throne is. Yet you are holding fast to my name, and you did not deny your faith in me even in the days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan lives. 14 But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the people of Israel, so that they would eat food sacrificed to idols and practice fornication. 15 So you also have some who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent then. If not, I will come to you soon and make war against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To everyone who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give a white stone, and on the white stone is written a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it. (Revelation 2:8-17, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated with extensive editing and supplement here from January 8, 2005 (dated reference for January 8, Saturday in the week of the Epiphany, Year One), with some reference to the comments of December 8, 2005 (Thursday in the week of the Second Sunday of Advent, Year Two):

John next presents the letters to the churches of Smyrna (Rev. 2:8-11) and Pergamum (vv. 12-17). He commends both churches, the church of Smyrna for enduring affliction, poverty and slander: “I know your affliction and your poverty, even though you are rich. I know the slander on the part of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan” (Rev. 2:9). They are “rich,” says Jean Pierre Ruiz, “in spiritual things.” He adds that “those who say that they are Jews and are not, [are] Jews whose anti-Christian arguments are causing suffering in the church. Synagogue of Satan reflects the tension between Jews and Jewish Christians (cf. Jn. 8:44; 1QH 2.22, which refers to apostate Jews as ‘a congregation of Belial’ ” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., on Rev. 2:9). This church is not rebuked, but encouraged. “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Beware, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have affliction” (v. 10a). David E. Aune, explains: “The devil (Greek diabolos, ‘slanderer,’ a synonym for Hebrew ‘Satan’), working through his earthly henchmen, will throw them into prison. Ten days symbolizes a short but indefinite period of time” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Rev. 2:10). “Be faithful until death,” says the Lord to the church of Smyrna, “and I will give you the crown of life” (v. 10b). The message to Smyrna concludes, as the others do, with what, as we noted yesterday, Ruiz calls a “concluding promise and exhortation to the faithful” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., on Rev. 2:1-3:22).

The commendation of the church at Pergamum takes note of their location. “I know where you are living, where Satan's throne is” (v. 13a). Ruiz notes that Pergamum is “a noted center of the Roman imperial cult ca. 80 km (60 mi) north of Smyrna” (on vv. 12-17), and that the reference to “where Satan’s throne is, in contrast to the throne of God in ch. 4 . . . may be a reference either to the temple of the emperor Augustus or to the monumental altar of Zeus, both at Pergamum” (on v. 13). In spite of this environment, the church at Pergamum is commended for faithfulness to Christ. “Yet you are holding fast to my name, and you did not deny your faith in me even in the days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan lives” (v. 13b). “Antipas,” says Ruiz, “is otherwise unknown; he is the only martyr named in the book” (loc. cit.). But along with these commendations, the church of Pergamum also comes in for some criticism. “But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the people of Israel, so that they would eat food sacrificed to idols and practice fornication” (v. 14). Aune says, “According to postbiblical Jewish literature, the error of Balaam (see Num. 22-24; 31:16; 2 Pet. 2:1-15-16; Jude 11) involved idolatry and sexual immorality.” Aune adds that “Food sacrificed to idols, sold to the public in pagan temple meat markets, violated the Jewish prohibition of idolatry (Ex. 34:15f; 4 Macc. 5:2) and, because of its connection with pagan worship, was a problem for observant Christians as well (2:20; Acts 15:20, 29; 21:25; 1f Cor 8:1, 4, 7, 10; 10:28)” (on v. 14).

The Lord has another criticism of the church of Pergamum. “ So you also have some who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans” (v. 15). Compare the commendation of the church at Ephesus for not tolerating the Nicolaitans (v. 6), and yesterday’s comments (December 12, 2007). So, for these two condemnations, the church at Pergamum is called to repent: “Repent, then,” says the Lord. “If not, I will come to you soon and make war against them with the sword of my mouth” (v. 16). Compare the “sharp, two-edged sword” described as coming “from his mouth” (1:16). Again there is a promise open to all: “Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To everyone who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give a white stone, and on the white stone is written a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it” (v. 17). “Manna,” says Aune, “from the Hebrew for ‘What is it?’ is also called ‘bread from heaven’ (see Ex. 16:4; Neh. 9:15; Jn. 6:31-34) and “food from heaven (Ps. 105:40); here it is a metaphor for participation in eternal life. According to Jewish expectation, the miraculous feeding would be repeated in the last days” (on v. 17). The phrase,“a new name,” reflects a promise of Isaiah: “The nations shall see your [i.e. Jerusalem’s] vindication, / and all the kings your glory; / and you shall be called by a new name / that the mouth of the LORD will give” (Isa. 62:2). As in Isaiah’s situation, there are external enemies of the people of God, but God also requires the churches of Revelation (and us) to deal with sin in our own lives.

Matthew 23:13-26

13 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. For you do not go in yourselves, and when others are going in, you stop them. 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cross sea and land to make a single convert, and you make the new convert twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.

16 "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the sanctuary is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by the oath.' 17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that has made the gold sacred? 18 And you say, 'Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gift that is on the altar is bound by the oath.' 19 How blind you are! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 So whoever swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it; 21 and whoever swears by the sanctuary, swears by it and by the one who dwells in it; 22 and whoever swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by the one who is seated upon it.

23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!

25 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean. (Matthew 23:13-26, NRSV)

On November 19, 2006 (the Sunday closest to November 16, Year Two), comments were repeated from comments on Matthew 23:13-26 July 11, 2006 (Tuesday of the week of the Sunday closest to July 6, Year Two). On that date the comments were combined with some revision from an email sent December 10, 2003, for December 11, 2003, from July 6, 2004 in an email sent July 5, 2004, for July 5-11, and from December 9, 2005 (Thursday in the week of the second Sunday in Advent, Year Two). Other treatments of this passage may be found in the archives on November 14, 2004, two years ago (the Sunday closest to November 16, Year Two), and on December 8, 2005 (the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year Two). The comments are repeated again here:

Elwyn E. Tilden and Bruce M. Metzger remind us (NOAB, 2^nd ed., on Mt. 23:13), “Seven ‘woes’ follow; the denunciations are an indictment of some, not all, Pharisees.” I emphasize the words, “not all.” Matthew has a habit of arranging things topically, whereas Luke puts things in historical context. Luke presents the Lord’s Prayer in Luke 11:2-4, on the occasion when the disciples asked, “Lord, teach us to pray” (v. 1). So Luke describes the circumstances when Jesus taught the disciples the prayer, but Matthew includes it in a “collection” of teaching about practical piety, including giving of alms (Mt. 6:2-4), praying in secret (vv. 5-6) without “empty phrases” (vv. 7-8), the Lord’s Prayer (vv. 9-13) with a comment on forgiveness (vv. 14-15), teaching about fasting (vv. 16-18), and so forth.

So in Matthew, chapter 23, Matthew has grouped things in a way that seems to make the indictment of some Pharisees very harsh. The church has appreciated Matthew as a kind of “church manual,” and it serves that purpose well, in part due to his systematic grouping of similar things together. Luke has parallels to five of Matthew’s seven “woes,” but the setting is different, and the last is addressed not to a Pharisee, but is given in response to the question of a “lawyer” [nomikos]. “While he was speaking, a Pharisee invited him to dine with him so he went in and took his place at the table” (Lk. 11:37). The “woes” follow: Luke 11:39-41 (without “woe”)//Matthew 25:26-27; Luke 11:42//Matthew 23:23-24; Luke 11:43//Mark. 12:38-39//Matthew 23:6 (not a “woe”); Luke 11:47-48 //Matthew 23:29-32.

Jesus criticizes Pharisees because they “tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith” (Mt. 23:23). They are “blind guides” who “strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!” (v. 24). They “clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence” (v. 25). “The Talmud’s ‘he that kills a flea on the Sabbath is as guilty as if he killed a camel’ (Shab. 12a) gives the background to this saying, which is more natural in Aramaic where ‘camel’ and ‘gnat’ are similar in pronunciation” (K. Stendahl, Peake’s Commentary on the Bible, sec. 691f, pp. 792-793, on Mt. 23:24). Who among us has not, at time, been confused about values and priorities? We all need to hear the call to focus on the weightier matters: justice, mercy and faith. And we should set our own houses in order before we attempt to set others’ houses in order.

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net