The Time of Silence

“Then You spoke in a vision to Your holy one, and You said, I have laid help on a mighty one; I have lifted up a chosen one out of the people.” (Psalms 89:19)

This psalm was written by Ethan the Ezrahite and is only mentioned in this psalm which is curious because he was known to be the wisest in his time and became the worship leader of David’s court. Spurgeon surmises that this is one and the same, Jeduthun, David’s worship leader who wrote Psalms 39, 62 and 77 because both are mentioned along with Asaph and Herman. This is not unusual in those times when some were known by different names which makes it very confusing for us.

In our verse of study, Ethan is speaking about David who was chosen to take over the throne of Saul. The vision he is talking about is when God told Samuel that He had chosen another to take the throne from Saul. “And Jehovah said to Samuel, How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I will send you to Jesse of Bethlehem. For I have seen a king for Me among his sons.” (1Samuel 16:1)

David had a heart after God and the Lord honored that. “I have cut a covenant with My chosen; I have sworn to David My servant, Your seed will I establish forever and build up your throne to all generations. Selah.” (Psalms 89:3-4) We know that when the Lord said the word forever, He was speaking of a divine and eternal throne. This could only mean the Messiah. He was telling David that the Messiah would come through him.

The Messiah was prophesied by the prophets. All of Israel was waiting for Him. But from the time of the Maccabees until Jesus was born was four hundred years of silence from God. It’s known as God’s 400 years of Silence. Malachi’s prophecy was the last. “Behold, I am sending you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of Jehovah. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the sons, and the heart of the sons to their fathers, that I not come and strike the earth with utter destruction.” (Malachi 4:5-6)

Although God was silent, we see in history God’s preparation for the Messiah. The Jews lived as a people during the Medo-Persian empire, the Greek empire and then the Roman empire. Greek became the universal language among different people and commerce. During these 400 years of silence, the Pharisees and the Sadducees, opposing religious groups, rose in power. When Jesus came, He clarified God’s perfect will from the two opposing religious groups.

Jesus is the true heir of David. “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” (Matthew 1:1) And He reveals Himself as a descendant of David in His revelation to John. “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify these things to you over the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the bright and Morning Star.” (Rev 22:16) He is the King of the Jews. The wise men came from the east seeking the King of the Jews. “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men came from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is He who is born king of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” (Matthew 2:1-2) Jesus is the One who conquered death and rose from among the dead. Paul writes about the evidence of those who saw Jesus after His death on the cross, including himself. “And, brothers, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you have received, and in which you stand; by which you also are being kept safe, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received, that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures; and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the Twelve. Afterward He was seen by over five hundred brothers at once, of whom the greater part remain until this present day, but also some fell asleep. Afterward He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. And last of all He was seen by me also, as one born out of time. For I am the least of the apostles and am not sufficient to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace which was toward me has not been without fruit, but I labored more abundantly than all of them; yet not I, but the grace of God with me.” (1Corinthians 15:1-10)

Jesus fulfilled all of the prophecy of the Messiah. During the 400 Years of Silence, God didn’t speak to His people but was preparing the way for the Gospel. The early Christians used the roads the Romans made to spread the Gospel. God is always in control. The 400 Years of Silence came before the great gift of forgiveness and mercy to the world through Jesus Christ. This has implications for us. Sometimes we may feel that God is silent. We may be continuing our Christian practices, or we may be lax in our Bible reading and study, prayer and fellowship, but it’s important that we prepare for a movement of God to come after the silence. Let’s use this wisdom that has been handed to us to understand that it’s a time of preparation.