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Manna From Messiah

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Pastor Ellen Mumper, Canada

 

 

 

GOD's SEEMING SILENCES

 

Many examples are given in the Holy Word of God that should tell us that He is always working to keep His promise even when it seems He is silent. Yet we as fearful and fallible human beings take His seeming silences for His not being there when in fact He is, Sometimes His silences are because He chooses not to hear, and so the first thing we need to do is to check up. When something REALLY trying and grievous comes into our lives the first step shold be to make sure nothing is between us and our Father.

Isaiah 59:1 and 2 say "Behold the LORD's hand is not shortened that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear." Psalm 66:18 agrees with this in saying "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." These verses are plain enough. The first step when it seems heaven is shut to us, is to check up to see what if anything is blocking the way.

In a believer's life, in the life of one who is earnestly seeking His will and living in a continual state of "teshuvah", or repentance, there will be many times when it seems the LORD is not hearing us. The key word is "seems". Psalm 34:15 promises "The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry." That is a promise that we can "take to the bank." Will we believe or not? Belief goes beyond feeling. Belief is obedience. We choose whether or not to believe.

 

One of the little known stories of an example of people crying to the Most High and thinking He did not hear them is in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. Oh, we think we know this story so well. The situation is much like today's. There is drunkenness, idolatry, sexual debauchery, open homosexuality. Most theologians teach that these cities were destroyed for the sin of homosexuality. While this was the case there, yet there is a lesser known teaching in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

 

It often seems as if GOD is silent today. Surely the world situation is scary and chaotic. Believers pray for their country, the USA or Canada or wherever, that leaders who are moral and good will come to office, that they will have protection from terrorism and despotism, that energy will not run out, that the economic situation would right itself, and so on. It must have been a bit like that in Sodom and Gomorrah. Does GOD hear our cries? Did He hear theirs? By the time fire and brimstone rained down from heaven there were no righteous people left in the city except Lot's family, according to the Word of GOD. Were there ever? Genesis 1:20 gives us a clue: "And the LORD said, because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great..." He was going to take action. I can imagine there were righteous in that city before the time of Lot who surely cried out to the unknown God. Another clue is in Ezekiel 16:49: "Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy." Sounds so much like today! Surely those that were wronged by the greedy and cruel in Sodom and Gomorrah cried out for deliverance. The Righteous Judge heard. Those cities are no more. We can also be assured that those who mock at Him today, those who pridefully reject Him and exploit others, will be dealt with by the GOD who hears.

 

On a more personal level, I think one of the most beautiful stories in the Word of GOD dealing with GOD's seeming silence, is the story of Zachariyah and Elisheva (Zacharias and Elizabeth) in Luke chapter 1. This is also a familiar story. The Father is about to send His Son to deal with the sin problem in His people once and for all. As the Scriptures promise in Isaiah 40, and other places, there would be a fore-runner before the coming of the Mashiach (Messiah). This one would "prepare the way of the LORD" and would "cry in the wilderness." We know this to be Yochanan the Immerser (John the Baptist) before the coming of Yeshua. There are 400 "silent" years before this happens between the last prophecy of Tanakh (The Old Testament) and the opening of the Gospel accounts. It was all in His time and all for a reason, and His time was perfect. It always is and always will be. We can trust that.

 

Thousands of priests ministered in the temple on a daily basis by rotation, and all of them served during the times of the festivals of the LORD mentioned in Leviticus 23. One of these priests, Zacharias, was of the "course of Abiyah" (family of). He was a Levite in the priestly line. Priests served on a rotation basis. In 1 Chronicles 24, the rotation of the priests was explained. Zacharias was of the family line of Abiyah (Abijah) and served on the eighth rotation, or eighth week. Counting from the first of Aviv (Nisan), 8 weeks would have been about the time of or coming close to, the time of Shavu'ot (feast of weeks, Pentecost).

 

Zacharias drew lots, as did the other priests, for their line of duty in the week they served. Every priest prayed that during his lifetime, once in his service, he would be the priest to offer prayers at the golden altar of incense. Every priest prayed for the coming of the former and latter rains. Every priest prayed for the coming of the Messiah. Zacharias, as we know, drew the lot for this cherished service and was standing before the altar, praying. He would first have cleansed himself, and then entered the Holy Place with live coals from the brazen altar. He would approach the golden altar with the hot coals, lay them on the grate, and then sprinkle fragrant incense over them and pray. The coals would sizzle and give off a pleasing aroma in that Holy Place.

 

What was Zacharias praying? For many many years, he and his wife had prayed for a son. It SEEMED GOD was silent. Also, at this altar, he would have been praying for the coming of the Messiah. Poor Zacharias! He was past the time of child bearing. At that time heads would have wagged. Perhaps the people wondered- what was their sin, that GOD would shut up Elisheva's womb? We can picture him at the altar with the disappointment of never having a child in his heart and mind. Would he also pass away before the coming of the promised Messiah? Suddenly, as we know, the angel of the LORD appeared to this humble and righteous man and said "Fear not, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard, and your wife Elizabeth shall bear you a son!" (Luke 1:13). The words of the angel are how we know what it was Zacharias prayed for all those years. Surely his faith wavered but he kept on praying. Luke says Zacharias was righteous.

 

GOD's seeming silence had a reason. The fulness of time would bring the Messiah. He was not late. The seeming silence were not just for Zacharias and Elizabeth for their blessing but for all of mankind.

 

For us too, we puzzle why, if we have prayed and there is no un-confessed sin in our lives, and we know we are asking something in line with His will, why He seems to remain silent? We can absolutely trust that our Father loves us no less than He did the victims of Sodom and Gomorrah or the priests who prayed for Messiah to come or Zacharias and Elisheva who prayed for a son. His ears are open to our prayers. He may make us wait, but He is never late.