Shirley H Wife, mother, veteran in the spiritual war we all face!

Even though it seems that God was silent for 400 years, when we look back we realize that He was busy.

Remember, priests and prophets had been delivering God's message for years.

After the last King, Solomon, the tribes split the nation into two kingdoms. Idolatry was rampant. Exile by the Assyrians and the Babylonians occurred. 

The Maccabean revolt had brought a period of independence. Then Roman control came into the land. 

The Pharisees and the Sadducees roamed the land of promise.

In Galatians 4:4 Paul tells us that God sent His Son in the fullness of time. 

When Jesus came to Bethlehem, the timing was precise! Our God is exact! Religious need was at its peak.

The old gods of Rome were meaningless. There were mystery religions and idols of various kinds. The worship of Caesar, the emperor himself, was accorded divine honors. All of these things had failed. 

The hearts of the people were hungry and their souls stabbed with the remorse of sin. The Jews had been looking for centuries for their Messiah. 

The social, economic, moral, and religious factors converged to provide the proper setting for the manifestation of the Son of God. It was the fullness of time!

As for the muteness of John the Baptist's Dad, Zechariah, which I found in Luke chapter one, I think it is possibly related.

God was mute, in that He was silent, no more prophecies.

In Luke 1:25, Elizabeth said, "Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein He looked on me to take away my reproach."

In Genesis 30:23 we read of Rachel (Jacob's wife) saying something very simular. She said, "God hath taken away my reproach.."

In 1 Samuel 1:6 we see Hannah, also barren, then the Lord answered her prayers and she bore a son. She said, "God hath taken away my reproach."

That child that Hannah bore was Samuel. He was dedicated to God by Hannah. It is said that not one word that Samuel ever said fell to the ground.

To me, that is like saying that God's words still speak today.

God, we think is silent at times. But we can be assured that He is active, speaking through His book, and is not truly silent. He is always in control.

Look at the world. Listen to God's words. Do we see and hear? Are we keeping all in readiness for His coming? The time is full.

October 25 2022 • 3 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report