The Silence

One of the most uncomfortable things is silence when you are in the presence of someone that you are in disagreement with. You know..."the silent treatment?" I think nothing fustrates me more than the silent treatment. Whenever I have been in an argument with someone (especially when it was my fault), I wanted the other person to fight back. Argue with me! Say something!!! I'm talking about insults being hurled through the air like frisbees in the park on a Saturday afternoon! Ah, but when I am seated in the righteous corner, silence is golden! If I am the one withholding comments (out of spite, of course), it is just as satisfying as a good ol' fashioned hissy fit! This is a subject that I have been, unfortunately, highly skilled in. However, praise be to the Lord Jesus, I have learned self-control, for the most part, and I can keep silent when it is appropriate and speak only when there is a need.

After the book of Malachi, we need to be aware that God was silent for some 400 years after he used Malachi to speak to His children, Israel. Their hearts were cold toward God and His love for them. The Intertestamental Period had no prophets or inspired writers. God was silent. God was not absent. He was silent. God was keenly aware of all the goings on during this time. He was silent. There are six eras during this time: The Persian Era (397-336 B.C. which overlaps with Malachi); The The Greek Era (336-323 B.C.); The Egyptian Era (323-198 B.C.); The Syrian Era (198-165 B.C.); The Maccabean Era (165-63 B.C.); and The Roman Era (63-4 B.C.). God broke His silence with the announcement of the birth of John the Baptist as prophesied by Isaiah!

Have you ever considered what is significant about the 400 years of silence?

Have you ever experienced divine silence? *

If we continue in sin after we have been convicted by the Holy Spirit and refuse to get in line with His Word, well, His "voice" calling out to your conscience will get quieter and quieter. His silence is not ALWAYS a result of sin, but if you know that sin is the reason for His silence, why would you not ask Him to remove it. Being in a right relationship with God versus the lure of sin and it's empty promise to be fulfilling is the age old battle. The spirit versus the flesh, to state it more simply. Being single, silence can become deafening, especially if we live alone. At times, God is the only voice we have in our solitude. So, silence from sin is not golden! Keeping ourselves in a right relationship with God will keep a line of communication with Him open. I do not like the silent treatment and neither does He!

Hayes, Jason. (2009). Blemished: how the study of Malachi confronts empty religion. Lifeway Publishing: Nashville, TN.