The Silence of the Lamb
In the last devotional, there was a link to the article “A King Foretold”, which closed our articles on the Old Testament. But before we move into the New Testament, I want to talk about the gap.
The very last book of the Old Testament is Malachi, which ends with the promise of the Messiah and his forerunner, John the Baptist. Between the books of Malachi and the first coming of Christ recorded in the gospels is a time period of approximately 400 years. As mentioned last week, Daniel’s prophecy of 70 weeks began with 7 seven-year periods, which took us to the end of the Old Testament. The next set of 62 seven-year periods (434 years) is the gap between the end of the Old Testament and the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on a donkey. So, what happened during that gap?
We know from historical documents, such as the books of Maccabees, that many important things happened during this time, and none of them were good for the Jews. As Daniel had prophesied, Alexander the Great conquered the area that included Jewish land, bringing Greek culture and pagan practices to the Jews. When he died, there were several successors, including Antiochus Epiphanes. This evil king was very antagonistic to the Jews and their practices. He martyred many of the faithful remnant in horrific fashion and desecrated the temple by erecting a statue of Zeus and sacrificing a pig. Antiochus Epiphanes foreshadowed the Antichrist that is still to come in Daniel’s final seven years. Eventually, a revolt led by Judas Maccabeus took back Jerusalem and cleansed the temple. After this time, Rome conquered the region as Daniel had prophesied. This led to King Herod, who was the king at the time of the birth of Jesus.
The final books of the Old Testament were written by the prophets Ezra, Nehemiah and Malachi, all of whom were contemporaries. By this time, most of the Jews were backslidden and disobedient, and the last thing they wanted to hear was a true word from the Lord. As such, they persecuted and killed the prophets of God. Because they didn’t want to hear from God, he stopped talking to them.
Before we go any further, we need to clarify the role of the Old Testament prophets. The role of these prophets was to bring the word of God to the people. Their prophecies were 100% accurate, because they came directly from God or from an angel of God. In the New Testament, there were only two prophets of this type. One was John the Baptist, who paved the way for Jesus, and the other was Jesus himself. The final prophecy that was given is recorded in the book of Revelation, which was recorded by the apostle John. We see this in Hebrews 1:1-2:
In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.
Hebrews 1:1-2 (NIV)
The role of prophecy in the church today is very different. God speaks to every believer through the Holy Spirit that indwells us, and the role of prophecy today is to confirm something God is already saying and to encourage the church. If someone is telling you to do something and God is not, they are likely deceived or simply mistaken. We will talk more about this in a later devotional.
God is a gentleman. He will not force his kids to do his will or to listen to his warnings of what will happen if they decide to remain in the bondage of sin. Most of the Jews of the Old Testament didn’t want to hear from God, so he stopped talking until John the Baptist came on the scene about 400 years later.
The job of the Holy Spirit is to convict the unsaved of sin and to drive them to Jesus, the only one who can save us from sin. But if we decide not to listen, our conscience will be seared, and we will not be able to hear his call to our heart. Paul warns us that, when this happens, we will be taken over by sin and allowed to let it ruin our lives now and for eternity. (See Romans 1:18-32 and 1 Timothy 4:1-2)
For the believer, God would love to see us living in his perfect will, but if we won’t listen, he won’t force the issue. Further, if we do not spend time in prayer and Bible study, it will be very difficult for us to hear his voice in our lives. Most of the time, we hear from God in bits and pieces. As Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13, we see things dimly, and the further we stray from God, the dimmer it gets. But the closer we draw to God, the clearer his voice will become. And yes, there will be cases when God remains silent for a time. He has his reasons, even though we may not understand. During this time, it is more important than ever to stay in prayer and stay in his Word.
This week, let’s make this our prayer:
Dear God,
I want to hear your voice as clearly as possible. This world is full of distractions and time commitments. Remind me to stop and talk to you throughout the day. Help me to understand your Word and put it into action. Bring to my mind any sin that is keeping me separated from you. Forgive me and empower me to put that sin away. Protect me from any deceiving spirits that would seek to lead me astray. Speak to me and guide me in all things. Amen.
Songs of Victory
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