Amos 6:1-14

6:1 Alas for those who are at ease in Zion,

and for those who feel secure on Mount Samaria,

the notables of the first of the nations,

to whom the house of Israel resorts!

2 Cross over to Calneh, and see;

from there go to Hamath the great;

then go down to Gath of the Philistines.

Are you better than these kingdoms?

Or is your territory greater than their territory,

3 O you that put far away the evil day,

and bring near a reign of violence?

4 Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory,

and lounge on their couches,

and eat lambs from the flock,

and calves from the stall;

5 who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp,

and like David improvise on instruments of music;

6 who drink wine from bowls,

and anoint themselves with the finest oils,

but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!

7 Therefore they shall now be the first to go into exile,

and the revelry of the loungers shall pass away.

8 The Lord GOD has sworn by himself

(says the LORD, the God of hosts):

I abhor the pride of Jacob

and hate his strongholds;

and I will deliver up the city and all that is in it.

9 If ten people remain in one house, they shall die. 10 And if a relative, one who burns the dead, shall take up the body to bring it out of the house, and shall say to someone in the innermost parts of the house, "Is anyone else with you?" the answer will come, "No." Then the relative shall say, "Hush! We must not mention the name of the LORD."

11 See, the LORD commands,

and the great house shall be shattered to bits,

and the little house to pieces.

12 Do horses run on rocks?

Does one plow the sea with oxen?

But you have turned justice into poison

and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood-

13 you who rejoice in Lo-debar,

who say, "Have we not by our own strength

taken Karnaim for ourselves?"

14 Indeed, I am raising up against you a nation,

O house of Israel, says the LORD, the God of hosts,

and they shall oppress you from Lebo-hamath

to the Wadi Arabah. (Amos 6:1-14, NRSV)

On December 9, 2007 (the Second Sunday of Advent, Year Two), comments were repeated from December 4, 2005 (the Second Sunday of Advent, Year Two); they are repeated again here with extensive editing and supplement:

Today’s reading begins with the third in what Gregory Mobley calls “a series of ‘woe’ [yOh, hôy] sayings” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Amos 5:18-6:14; cf. comments Friday and Saturday, Dec. 3 and 4, 2009). “Alas (yOh, hôy) for those who are at ease in Zion,” says Amos, “and for those who feel secure on Mount Samaria, / the notables of the first of the nations, / to whom the house of Israel resorts!” Mobley says, “Amos targets elite classes of the capitals of both the South (Zion, i.e., Jerusalem) and the North (Mount Samaria)” (ibid., on Amos 6:1). Gene M. Tucker, revised by J. Andrew Dearman, says, “Although the message of Amos is to the Northern Kingdom (Israel) and its capital (Samaria) in particular, here he includes the leaders of Jerusalem (Zion)) as well” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Amos 6:1). “Cross over to Calneh,” says Amos, “and see; / from there go to Hamath the great; / then go down to Gath of the Philistines” (v. 2a, b, c). According to Ehud Ben Zvi, “The author or authors and the intended readers of the book were either unaware or thought it irrelevant that these cities and territories were actually conquered years after the period in which the book is set (see 1:1)” (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, on Amos 6:2). The devastation of these cities, of course, is the point as an example for Israel. But Ben Zvi’s time frame, “years after,” is at most a few decades (from the time of Uzziah of Judah, 785-733 B.C., and Jeroboam, 788-747 B.C., to the conquests mentioned above, 738 and or 711 B.C.). Mobley refers to Isaiah 10:9-11, and says, “Calneh and Hamath were prosperous cities of Syria, conquered by the Assyrians in 738 BCE; the allusion to Gath, the only Philistine city unmentioned in 1:6-8, could refer to its defeat at the hands of Syria (2 Kings 12:18) or Judah (2 Chr. 26:6), or its conquest by the Assyrians in 711” (op. cit., on v. 2). According to Steven Breck Reid, “During the reign of Joash (ca. 800-785 B.C.) Hazael, king of Damascus/Syria, took the city [Gath] (22 Kings 12:17). . . . We know from ancient Near Eastern sources that Sargon II of Assyria destroyed the city (ca. 712 B.C.)” (Harper’s Bible Dictionary, rev. ed., 1996, s.v. Gath). In any event, Amos drives his point home with rhetorical questions. “Are you better than these kingdoms?” he asks. “Or is your territory greater than their territory, / O you that put far away the evil day, / and bring near a reign of violence?” (vv. 2d, e, 3).

Being “at ease in Zion,” and feeling “secure on Mount Samaria” (v. 1) are further defined. “Alas [yOh, hôy, assumed correction?]” for those who lie on beds of ivory, / and lounge on their couches, / and eat lambs from the flock, / and calves from the stall” (v. 4 NRSV). The Hebrew (followed by, e.g. AV/KJV, TNIV, NJPS) lacks “Alas” [yOh, hôy], but the thought reflects and elaborates on the “woe saying” of verse 1. With reference to “beds of ivory,” Mobley says, “over 500 ivory fragments have been excavated from the site of Samaria” (op. cit., on v. 4). He refers to his note on 3:15, where he says, “The LORD will raze the tokens of conspicuous Israelite consumption: the winter house, the summer house, and the houses decorated with carved ivory inlay, such as the royal palace in Samaria built by Ahab (1 Kings 22:39)” (ibid., on 3:15). In the present context, Amos continues. “[Alas for those . . .] who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp, / and like David improvise on instruments of music; / who drink wine from bowls, / and anoint themselves with the finest oils, / but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!” (vv. 5-6). Ben Zvi says, “The tradition of David as the archetypal musician is reflected in later Jewish tradition, which attributes the entire book of Psalms to him” (op. cit., on v. 5). But in this context its not a time for rejoicing with music. According to Tucker and Dearman, “The upper classes, including the political leadership, indulge themselves with rich food, drink, and entertainment, but have no concern for the troubles of the nation (ruin of Joseph, v. 6)” (op. cit., on vv. 4-6). “Therefore,” says Amos, “they shall now be the first to go into exile, / and the revelry (H1z2r4ma, marzēach, ‘cultic feast’) of the loungers (MyH96Urs4, s ^erûchîm, the ‘sprawled’) shall pass away” (v. 7). “The revelry (Heb. ‘marzeah’),” says Mobley, “was a social and funerary ritual banquet of Canaanite origin; cf. Jer. 16:5” (op. cit., on v. 7).

Next Amos quotes the LORD’s oath:

The Lord GOD has sworn (fBaw4n9, nišba’ ) by himself / (says the LORD, the God of hosts):

I abhor the pride [‘Pride’ NJPS] of Jacob / and hate his strongholds;

and I will deliver up (yT9r4Gas4h9v4, w ^ehisgartî ) the city and all that is in it. (Amos 6:8, NRSV)

Tucker and Dearman say, “The Lord solemnly swears (see 4:2; 8:7) to hand over (deliver up) the city and its inhabitants to its enemies” (op. cit., on v. 8). Ben Zvi says, “The reference to the Pride of Jacob points to the arrogance of the people. It also ridicules one of the most positive self-descriptions of Israel (see Ps. 47:5). Note the strong contrast between the text there and this v. Ironically, in 8:7, God swears by this pride which He here condemns” (op. cit., on v. 8).

In a prose paragraph that interrupts the otherwise poetic lines of chapter 6 (NRSV, NJPS, TNIV), Amos explains. “If ten people remain in one house, they shall die. And if a relative, one who burns the dead, shall take up the body to bring it out of the house, and shall say to someone in the innermost parts of the house, ‘Is anyone else with you?’ the answer will come, ‘No.’ Then the relative shall say, ‘Hush! We must not mention the name of the LORD’ ” (vv. 9-10). Tucker and Dearman say, “A narrative sketches a mysterious and ominous little scene of survivors hiding among the ruins and the bodies of the slain” (op. cit., on vv. 9-10). “Burns the dead,” says Mobley, “probably refers to practices employed to stop the spread of infection. In this extremity, the few survivors dare not mention the name of the LORD, out of fear of inviting their own destruction from a deity still intent on destruction” (op. cit., on v. 10).

“See,” says Amos, “the LORD commands, / and the great house shall be shattered to bits, / and the little house to pieces” (v. 11). Neither the rich (in “the great house,” nor the poor (in “the little house”), will escape the devastation. “Do horses run on rocks?” asks Amos. “Does one plow the sea with oxen? / but you have turned justice into poison / and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood” (v. 12). Tucker and Dearman say, “The prophet employs proverbial sayings to show that Israel’s sins are unnatural and ridiculous behavior” (op. cit., on v. 12). According to Mobley, “The dried leaves of wormwood were aromatic and bitter; here, injustice leads to bitterness” (op. cit., on 5:7, with ref. from 6:12). “Israel’s legal and moral machinations,” says Mobley, “are a perversion bordering on the absurd” (ibid., on 6:12). Amos’s indictment addresses “you who rejoice in Lo-debar, / who say, ‘Have we not by our own strength / taken Karnaim for ourselves?’ ” (v. 13). The Jewish translation implies another woe saying here, with “[Ah,] those who are so happy about Lo-dabar, / Who exult, ‘By our might / We have captured Karnaim’!” (v. 13 NJPS). According to Ben Zvi, “The reference to Lo-dabar [NJPS spelling] points to a city east of the Jordan (and so does Karnaim). At the same time, it conveys a pun on the basic meaning of ‘lo-davar,’ that is, ‘not a thing,’ nothing. Similarly, Karnaim suggests to the readers a pun on ‘keren,’ horn, a symbol of strength. Wordplays are common in prophetic books” (op. cit., on v. 13). Amos closes the chapter by quoting the LORD’s announcement of judgment.

Indeed, I am raising up against you a nation, / O house of Israel, says the LORD, the God of hosts,

and they shall oppress you from Lebo-hamath / to the Wadi Arabah. (Amos 6:14, NRSV)

This oppression is to be from the far north, so to speak, to the far south. Lebo-hamath is located 100 kilometers (= ca. 62 mi., 100/1.61) northeast of Sidon (according to the scale of Map 7, NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007), and the Wadi Arabah. Although, according to Denis Baly, “ ‘The Arabah’ means the Palestinian rift valley south of the Lake of Galilee, with three divisions: the Jordan valley north of the Dead Sea; the area of the Dead Sea, the ‘Sea of the Arabah’ (2 Kings 14:25); and the area from the Dead Sea to the Red Sea,” he adds, “This last area is ‘the Arabah’ in modern terminology” (Harper’s Bible Dictionary, rev. ed., 1996, s.v. Arabah). Clearly, the latter terminology applies here. According to Tucker and Dearman, “The Lord promises to bring an unnamed enemy to oppress the people from one end of the land to the other” (op. cit., on v. 14).

2 Thessalonians 1:5-12

5 This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, and is intended to make you worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering. 6 For it is indeed just of God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to give relief to the afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 These will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10 when he comes to be glorified by his saints and to be marveled at on that day among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. 11 To this end we always pray for you, asking that our God will make you worthy of his call and will fulfill by his power every good resolve and work of faith, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:5-12, NRSV)

The following comments are based on those of December 10, 2008 (Wednesday in the week of the Second Sunday of Advent, Year One), comments on 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 that were repeated from April 24, 2008 (Thursday in the week of the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year Two), when comments were repeated from December 13, 2006 (Wednesday in the week of the Second Sunday of Advent, Year One), when comments were repeated from May 18, 2006 (Thursday in the week of the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year Two).

At this time we meet two readings from 2 Thessalonians, today (Sun., Dec. 6, 2009) and next Sunday (Dec. 13, 2009), following one reading from 1 Thessalonians, a week ago. Today’s reading passes over the salutation and thanksgiving, but we may note them as the context. Second Thessalonians begins with a salutation (2 Thess. 1:1-2) that is very similar to that of First Thessalonians. Second Thessalonians has “God our Father” (v. 1b) for “God the Father” (1 Thess. 1:1b), and where First Thessalonians has “Grace to you and peace” (1 Thess. 1:1c), Second Thessalonians adds “from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess. 1:2), repeating from verse 1, thus adding a total of nine Greek words to the salutation, seven of which are repeated. The two instances of “our” (hJmw:n, hēmōn), including one in the repeated phrase, represent the only significant difference. This close similarity “makes it appear [to some] that the author of the second letter is dependent on the literary form of the first, unlikely if Paul is the author of both,” according to Paul J. Achtemeier, Joel B. Green and Marianne Meye Thompson (Introducing the New Testament, 2001, p. 444). But they respond to that by saying, “Yet the letter opening is a Pauline stereotype, and in fact the salutation in the second letter (1:2) is more in accord with normal Pauline practice than the salutation in the first letter (1:1).” Many think that 2 Thessalonians was written shortly after 1 Thessalonians, which would explain the similarities, including the same senders (Paul, Silvanus, Timothy).

The thanksgiving (vv. 3-4) appears to be a condensed version of the thanksgiving in 1 Thessalonians (1:2-10). “We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters,” says Paul, “as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing” (2 Thess. 1:3). Compare this from the earlier letter: “We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 1:2-3). At this point in 2 Thessalonians, Paul does not refer to praying for the Thessalonians, but he soon will (2 Thess. 1:11). And Paul mentions his boasting about the Thessalonians. “Therefore we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith during all your persecutions and the afflictions that you are enduring” (2 Thess. 1:4). The first letter says that their faith “has become known, so that we [i.e., Paul] have no need to speak about it” (1 Thess. 1:8, cf. vv. 6-9). Abraham Smith says, “Because persecutions and . . . afflictions were widely regarded as signs of the end of the age (see 2:2; Mk. 13:19-27), they required careful interpretation; see vv. 5-10; 2:1-12; cf. Rom. 5:3; 2 Cor. 1:6-7; 1 Thess. 1:6; 3:3, 7” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on 2 Thess. 1:4).

Whereas the thanksgiving in 1 Thessalonians continues with a description of their receiving the gospel and their faith (1 Thess. 1:5-10), at this point in 2 Thessalonians, Paul moves into the body of the letter, which is where today’s reading proper begins. “This,” says Paul, referring to their “steadfastness and faith during all your persecutions and the afflictions that you are enduring” (2 Thess. 1:4), “is evidence ( e[ndeigma, endeigma) of the righteous judgment (krivsiV, krisis) of God, and is intended to make you worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering” (v. 5). Frederick William Danker defines krivsiV (krisis) here as “judgment,” that is, “scrutiny of conduct . . . with focus on procedural and principally pejorative aspect, mostly in legal sense” (The Concise Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 2009, s.v. krivsiV, krisis). According to Jouette M. Bassler, “The evidence (lit. ‘sign’) of the righteous judgment of God is either the steadfastness and faith of the church (v. 4; see Phil. 1:28) or its afflictions, which will make them worthy of the kingdom of God (see 1 Pet. 4:17-18)” (op. cit., on v. 5). (I included both above.)

But now, it appears, ““the righteous judgment of God” (v. 5), applies to those who have persecuted the Thessalonian believers. Paul says, “For it is indeed just of God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to the afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed ( ejn th:/ ajpokaluvyei tou: kurivou =Ihsou:, en tē(i) apokalypsei tou kyriou Iēsou, lit. ‘in the revelation of the Lord Jesus) from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (vv. 6-8). Danker defines ajpokavluyiV (apokalypsis) as “ ‘making fully known,’ uncovering, disclosure, revelation, in NT only of disclosure implicitly linked with divine plan, purpose, or action” (op. cit., s.v. ajpokavluyiV, apokalypsis). The reference, of course, is to the “appearing” or “coming” (parousiva, parousia) of Jesus at the end of the age (cf. 1 Thess. 4:14-17). Anticipating the details that precede the end presented in chapter two, this description of the Lord’s coming includes details not described in 1 Thessalonians. Smith says, “Vivid descriptions first applied to God in the Hebrew Bible now communicate something about the end-time appearance of Jesus (cf. the angels in Zech. 14:5; the flaming fire in Isa. 66:15-16; glorified in Ps. 89:7)” (op. cit., on vv. 7-10). In reference to “those who do not know God and . . . do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (v. 8), Paul says, “These will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes to be glorified by his saints and to be marveled at on that day among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed” (vv. 9-10). “From the presence . . . his might,” says Bassler, is “a refrain used in Isa. 2:10, 19, 21 (Septuagint), where the day of God’s terrible judgment is described” (on v. 9). “Saints (lit. ‘holy ones’),” she says, is “the usual NT epithet for believers; here it may refer to the mighty angels (v. 7; see Zech 14:5). That day,” she adds, is “the day of the Lord (see 2:2; Isa. 2:11)” (ibid., on v. 10). According to Smith, “The writer’s allusion to that day anticipates 2:1-12, a refutation of the claim that the day of the Lord had already occurred” (op. cit., on v. 10).

And so, according to Achtemeier, Green and Thompson, “The return of Jesus will mean affliction for those who afflict the Christians, and their destruction and exclusion from the presence of God” (op. cit., p. 440). One would think that some at Thessalonica had more questions than answers about the end-time after reflecting upon Paul’s first letter to them. The next chapter will address more of these concerns. But the present chapter ends with Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians, “that our God will make you worthy of his call and will fulfill by his power every good resolve and work of faith” (v. 11), with the result “that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ (v. 12). For the words, “work of faith” (v. 10), Bassler refers to 1 Thessalonians 1:3 (op. cit., on v. 11), where Edgar M. Krentz points out that “Faith, hope, and love occur together . . . for the first time in Paul’s Letters; see also Rom. 5:1-5; 1 Cor. 13:13; Gal. 5:5-6” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on 1 Thess. 1:3). Smith refers to 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 as “God’s election,” and says, “In prayer form, the writer describes God’s role in bringing to fruition a call in the believers’ lives” (op. cit., on vv. 11-12). And he adds, “Again, the writer draws on Isaiah (66:5), but avers that Jesus (not God, as in Isaiah) will be glorified” (ibid., on v. 12).

Luke 1:57-68

The Birth of John the Baptist

57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.

59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father. 60 But his mother said, “No; he is to be called John.” 61 They said to her, “None of your relatives has this name.” 62 Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. 63 He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And all of them were amazed. 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. 65 Fear came over all their neighbors, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea. 66 All who heard them pondered them and said, “What then will this child become?” For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him.

The Benedictus (Zechariah’s Benediction and Prophecy)

67 Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy:

68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,

for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them. (Luke 1:57-68, NRSV)

The following comments are based on those of December 9, 2007 (the Second Sunday of Advent, Year Two; cf. comments for the Presbyterian reading of December 22, 2007), comments that were based on those of December 4, 2005 (the Second Sunday of Advent, Year Two), and comments on Luke 1:57-66 from December 22, 2005 (Friday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year Two), when comments were repeated from an E-mail sent December 22, 2003, for December 23, 2003.

While serving his turn in the temple of Jerusalem, Zechariah was informed by “an angel of the Lord” that his “wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will call his name John” (Lk. 1:13, cf. vv. 8-20). When Zechariah expresses some disbelief, “How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years” (v. 18), the angel, Gabriel, says “But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur” (v. 20). And when Zechariah emerged from the temple, Gabriel’s prediction was realized, for “he could not speak to them [i.e., to the people]” (v. 22).

Before reporting the birth of John, Luke’s narrative reports the annunciation, the announcement of Jesus’ birth, to Mary (vv. 26-38), Mary’s visit to Elizabeth (vv. 39-56), including Mary’s song of praise, known as the Magnificat (vv. 46-55). So, as today’s reading begins, we come to the birth of John. “Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son” (Lk. 1:57). According to David L. Tiede, revised by Christopher R. Matthews, “The episodes of ch. 1 are timed by the months of Elizabeth’s pregnancy (vv. 24, 26, 36)” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Lk. 1:57). Elizabeth’s “neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her” (v. 58). “The birth,” say Tiede and Matthews, “is seen as a sign of the Lord’s mercy” (ibid., on v. 58). They refer to their earlier note: “Childlessness was considered a disgrace (see Gen. 16:4; 30:23) requiring God’s intervention” (ibid., on v. 25).

As was custom for Jewish infant boys, Zechariah and Elizabeth made preparation to circumcise the child, which would include naming him. “On the eighth day,” says Luke, “they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father” (v. 59). The Hebrew Bible passages that command circumcision do not include the command to name the child (cf. Gen. 17:12; 21:4; Lev. 12:3). But Jewish custom is to name the child at the time of his circumcision. In answer to the question, “Why do we wait until the circumcision to name a boy?” Rabbi Menachem Posner answers as follows:

When a child is circumcised he is entered into G-d's covenant with Abraham and his descendants, he joins a chain linking him to the very beginning of our nation. It is only fitting to give him his Jewish name after he has become a full-fledged member of the Jewish nation.

Perhaps another reason why we postpone naming a child until the circumcision is because the first ‘Jewish name’ was given in conjunction with this mitzvah. As we read in Genesis (17:5, 10):

‘And your name shall no longer be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham. . . . This is My covenant, which you shall observe between Me and between you and between your seed after you, that every male among you be circumcised. . . .’ (on the Internet at “Ask the Rabbi,” chabad.org, http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/612216/jewish/Why-do-we-wait-until-the-circumcision-to-name-a-boy.htm; copy and paste the URL in your browser)

Those who were going to name the boy Zechariah, did not include the parents, for “his mother said, ‘No; he is to be called John’ ” (Lk. 1:60). “In Luke,” say Tiede and Matthews, “the mothers, Mary (see v. 31) and Elizabeth, name the children (cf. Mt. 1:21, 25)” (op. cit., on v. 60). According to G. W. H. Lampe, “The name is given by inspiration; Elizabeth can know it only supernaturally, and the story implies that Zechariah is deaf as well as dumb” (Peake’s Commentary on the Bible, 1962, reprint 1972, p. 825, sec. 719 i, on Lk. 1:59-74; cf. Tiede and Matthews, op. cit., on v. 62). Luke tells us, “They said to her [i.e., to Elizabeth], ‘None of your relatives has this name’ ” (v. 61). So “then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him” (v. 62). And Zechariah fulfills Gabriel’s command (v. 13). He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, ‘His name is John’ ” (v. 63a). The people there (neighbors? cf. v. 58) are surprised, for, we are told, “All of them were amazed” (v. 63b). And as the angel said, “you will become mute, unable to speak, until the days these things occur” (v. 20), Luke says, “Immediately his mouth [i.e., John’s mouth] was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God” (v. 64). By this act he confirmed his faith and submission to God’s plan. And fear–reverential fear–spread: “Fear (fovboV, phobos) came over all their neighbors, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea” (v. 65). According to Marion Lloyd Soards, “Fear (rendered ‘awe’ in 5:26) designates humble, reverent recognition of the limits of human understanding and power before God (2:9; 7:16; Acts 2:43, 46-47; 5:5, 11; 19:17)” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on v. 65). According to Tiede and Matthews, “The neighbors’ fear expresses their awareness of divine action” (op. cit., on v. 65). They refer to their earlier comment, “Fear [is] a common human reaction to divine manifestations (Isa. 6:5-6)” (ibid., on 1:12). In the present context, they add, regarding “Throughout . . . Judea,” that, “as here, Luke often indicates in summary fashion the wide circulation of news” (ibid., on v. 65, with ref. to 4:14-15). The reaction of the people is explained. “All who heard them pondered them and said, ‘What then will this child become?’ For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him” (v. 66).

Parents look forward to the child's first words, don't they? They marvel at simple expressions. But when an older man is struck dumb for a while, his later utterances may count as something of a miracle. But his first spoken words of which we know are the prophecy known as the Benedictus (Lk. 1:67-79). (The Benedictus is the reading for Friday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year Two, which will be superceded by the Christmas week readings this year. For brief comments on the Benedictus, see the Presbyterian reading in the Archive for December 23, 2007 (the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year Two).

“Then,” says Luke, “his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy” (v. 67). According to Tiede and Matthews, “Zechariah’s inspired prophecy (traditionally called the Benedictus) answers the neighbors’ question (v. 66) in the scriptural form of a prayer blessing God for what God has done (see 2:28; Pss. 41:13; 72:18; 106:48)” (op. cit., on vv. 67-79). The Benedictus is introduced. “Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy” (v. 67). But only the beginning is included in this reading.

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,

for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them. (Lk. 1:68, NRSV)

This introduces one of a series of hymnic poems found in Luke’s Infancy Narratives (cf. the Magnificat, Lk. 1:46-55; the Benedictus, 1:67-79; the angels’ song, Gloria in excelsis, 2:14; and the Nunc dimittis, 2:29-32, each so named from the opening words in Latin). The balance of the Benedictus is listed for the reading of Friday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year Two, but that falls on Christmas Day this year, and will be superceded by the Christmas day readings.

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net