Silence

Malachi 2:17- 4:5, Isaiah 1:10-17

It had been 400 years since the last prophet of Israel, Malachi, had spoken on behalf of God. Since Malachi, God had chosen to be silent. No prophets, no words, no visions, just silence.

The final words of Malachi prophesied that God would send a messenger to prepare the way of the Lord. Then the Messiah would suddenly appear to His people (Malachi 3:1 and 4:5). After Malachi wrote these words, God became silent for 400 years until the arrival of John the Baptist.

But why the 400 years of silence between Malachi and John the Baptist? We get a hint from Malachi when he writes to the Israelites, “You have wearied the LORD with your words, by saying, ‘All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord, and he is pleased with them, ‘ or ‘Where is the God of justice?” (Malachi 2:17)

The words from the prophet Malachi 2:17 sound very similar to Amos’ words when he wrote in 5:21,

“I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-falling stream!”

The evil people were calling good was not necessarily a loss of morality, but a loss of justice in how they were treating the most vulnerable in their society: the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the foreigner. The Israelites were calling these acts of injustice good and right.

When people collaborate with or condone injustice, chances are they are receiving some perceived benefit from it. In the case of Israel, these injustices were being perpetuated not only individually but also corporately as a country. You see, Empire has a way of convincing ordinary people that the end justifies the means, as long as the ends benefit them individually and, in most cases, they are not the ones doing the injustice.

Therefore, God was tired of hearing their justifications for their injustice, and he was ready to bring his judgment. Malachi 3:5 says,

“So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers, and perjurers, against those who defraud la- borers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, deprive the foreigners among you of justice, go, do not fear me,’ Says the Lord Almighty.”

God’s silence was the result of the ongoing injustice of the Israelite people. Now God not only became silent, but he also allowed the surrounding oppressive Empires to conquer and oppress them because they forgot that God is a God of justice. He cares deeply for how society cares for the poor and the oppressed, the foreigner and the mistreated among them.

Yet hope was not lost, as there was still a rem- nant looking for, longing for, waiting for the

Messiah. People were waiting for the King to come and rescue them from the Empire and to establish His kingdom forever. They had not given up hope; they remained faithful to God, maintained justice, even despite being oppressed by one of the most violent and ruthless Empires that the world had known.

Then, on a silent night, a small Light —a baby’s voice —broke through the darkness and shat- tered the silence forever and shaking the foundation of Empire.

• A Chapter from the book, “A Subversive Advent”
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