Bible Poetry Reading Plan: Song of Songs 1-2
Amos 8:11 (NIV); “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign LORD, “when I will send a famine
through the land— not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the
LORD.”
Amos prophesied in Israel during the reign of Jeroboam II, around 200 years before the Babylonian
exile, but he told of a time of silence that came after the rebuilding of the Temple and city walls.
Things had already changed for the people since the exile. Though they had rebuilt the Temple, it
lacked the grandeur of Solomon’s original version as well as the direct visible presence of the Lord
that had been experienced by generations past. Of course God was alive and present as evident
through Esther’s story, but times were different. And after the last prophet died God was silent.
400 years passed during which time rule over the Jews moved from one empire to the next until the
Romans took over in 63 B.C. Rome imposed herself onto the Jews and though they had freedom
to practice religion and govern themselves, they struggled under the oppression. But something
had changed in the nature of the people since the exile: their incessant yield towards idolatry was
put to rest and they have remained a purely monotheistic (one-God) religion ever since. But still,
they lacked the radiance, the sanctity and holiness that they were created for. But of course God
continued to weave His tapestry in the silence. For after nearly 400 years, God collided with His
creation in the most fantastic way. In rustic surroundings and a makeshift bed a baby was born in
Bethlehem. The Redeemer had arrived.
PRAYER and MEDITATION
1. Do you ever feel as though God is silent? How do you normally respond in those times? We
can allow times of silence to refine us. One Christian writer referred to these times as the “dark
night of the soul” where we feel dry and abandoned even though there is no rebellion or sin
that we know of. Be assured that God is nearby, refining you for His purposes. Ask God to give
you a word, thought or picture to cling to the next time you feel He is silent.
2. Think about how God came to earth as a child. What does this show you about Him? Worship
Him for what He shows you.
