When God Is Silent
It has always been the case that when God was silent about
what He wanted, man is not to presume that he can guess his way into pleasing
God. When David presumed that he could
carry the ark on the ox-cart, he soon found out that he should have consulted God
about what God DID say about the transporting of the ark. God had not been silent (1 Chron.15:13), but
David had forgotten to check God’s will in the matter. People are often reckless regarding God’s word
and the authority it possesses over our every move and decision. The
fact that God had spoken meant that only what God specified could be used in
transporting the ark. The fact that God had spoken about a specific way and was
silent about any other possibility meant that everyone was restricted to what
God said. When God specified, there was no general authority to give other
options.
David was confronted
about another issue of silence. David
was feeling guilty that he himself had a nice house and that God was still in a
tent, a lesser house. In this regard God
said to David:
Wherever I have moved
about with all Israel, have I ever spoken a word to any of the judges of
Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people, saying, 'Why have you not built
Me a house of cedar?'"'( 1 Chron. 17:6-7NKJV)
God’s point to David is that if God had wanted a house of
cedar He would have “spoken a word” about it to others long before now. The fact that God did not say a word about it
was all the proof anyone needed to conclude that God did not want a cedar house
up till now. The silence meant that God
did not want it. People need to learn
this. Now, keep in mind that a dwelling
for God such as a tabernacle or temple has to be commanded. A building for people to meet in, such as a
synagogue, is not a dwelling place for God, but a place for people to
meet. If God commanded the priests to
make arrangements for teaching, then a place is generally authorized to
facilitate that command. Building a synagogue to carry out the instructions to
teach God’s word throughout Israel is not the same as building a gymnasium to
do something God did not command the priests of Israel to do. Likewise, a church building to facilitate
doing something God has commanded us to do (meet for worship and edification)
is not the same as building kitchens and gymnasiums to do something God has NOT
commanded us to do. The synagogue for
the Jews was an aid to do what was commanded.
Likewise, when persecution is not a factor to consider, local churches are authorized to choose
anything that expediently aids them in assembling. An addition would be to determine a work that
has not been given to the church, such as games, social and recreational
activities, and then adding facilities to accomplish what has not been
commanded.
God had Not Commanded
Then Nadab and Abihu,
the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it,
and offered profane fire before the LORD, which
He had not commanded them. 2 So fire went out from the LORD and
devoured them, and they died before the LORD. (Lev 10:1-3 NKJV)
The fact that God had not commanded the kind of fire or
source of fire they used, was enough.
God does not have to give a long list of forbidden things. When He has spoken specifically, we are
limited to what was specified and cannot presume upon His silence. Silence is not automatic permission. In fact, it should throw up a red flag.
Silence is not permission.
Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass,
When the Lord has not
commanded it? (Lam 3:37 NKJV)
Jesus Did Nothing of Himself
Then Jesus answered
and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the
Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. (John
5:18-20 NKJV)
This principle of respecting the silence of God is seen in
Jesus. He did not act unless He had
authority. We should be careful not to
do anything when it is merely a personal desire from within. Jesus did not act that way, and it is certain
that we cannot follow Jesus and do differently.
We Gave No Such Commandment
It was considered into the evidence of the discussion in
Acts 15 that we cannot bind upon brethren what had not been bound by the
apostles from the beginning. The silence
of God was reason to reject allowing anyone to make circumcision a church
ordinance. But, God is also silent about
infant baptism, instrumental music in worship, popes, Cardinals, human names
and organizations, and a lot of other things that were not taught by the
original apostles of Jesus. When we see
that the silence of God was considered on “proving” this issue of circumcision
in the church, we know that we should take into our consideration the fact that
God never commanded that and other similar matters.
Prove All Things
All matters must be tested as to their divine authority (1
Thess.5:21). Only after it can be proven
good, and scriptures furnish us unto “every good work”(2 Tim.3:15-17), can we “hold
fast” to that tested and proven thing.
This alone demonstrates that we cannot presume upon the silence of God’s
word.
Prove What IS Acceptable
Silence is not proof that something is acceptable. The burden to prove all things and to prove
it IS acceptable places us all under personal responsibility to not act unless
and until we have proven that something is acceptable to God. That means that we have to gather the
evidence, test the evidence, and draw the necessary conclusions from that
evidence. That process is not
optional. Even though many brethren are
now denying the process, there is still the obligation to “prove what is
acceptable” to the Lord (Rom.12:1-3; Eph.5:11). You simply cannot use silence
AGAINST something to prove that it IS acceptable to the Lord. Human desire and imagination is not proof
that God accepts something.
So, when God is silent, we must not act. We must act with
caution, and seek to prove what is acceptable to the Lord before we get others
on board to do something with us that has not gone through the proving
process. Beware of those who are not so
inclined to be cautious with regard to the authority of God’s word! – Terry
W. Benton
