Silence Does Not Suggest Ambivalence

“These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.” (Ps 50:21 AV)

 David is meditating upon the condition of Israel which precipitated his choice to have an affair with Bathsheba.  As king, he was concentrating on battles as the LORD directed and allowed the moral condition of the nation to slide a bit.  Consequently, thievery and adultery were becoming problems.  At least to the degree the nation as a whole did not severely deal with it.  David and Israel were busy ridding the land of the heathen that they neglected to care for the day-to-day morality of the nation.  This played a part in the evil choice of David to have an affair.  The LORD states He did not immediately deal with these issues.  Perhaps it was His grace.  Or, it might have been the priority of ridding the nation of enemies was higher than the current lapse in morality.  Whatever the cause, David and the nation assumed God’s silence on these matters meant He was tolerating this immorality as the people were and therefore, they should not be overly concerned about it.  However, the verse above shows us just what the LORD was thinking.  Even though He was silent at the moment, He would not remain that way.  God will correct and He will fix it.

As it was true with Israel, so too is it with us.  We came from a very wicked life and God does not fix us in one fell swoop.  The changes us incrementally.  A few areas at a time.  Even though every area is a serious one and needs to be changed, the LORD does not demand that we make every right decision all the time all at once.  Recently, I took a tour of some buildings that were set aside for a unique ministry.  Having worked in maintenance and some renovation, I knew what I was looking at.  These buildings were over one hundred years old.  They may have been closer to a couple of hundred years.  To say they needed serious renovation and repair is an understatement.  The more I saw, the more overwhelmed I became.  These buildings had not been touched all that much from their original condition.  Lathe and plaster walls, very few electrical outlets, vinyl on top of wood floors, no closet space, and a single bulb lighting the room.  The utilities were massively undersized.  Basements had dirt floors and foundational issues.  The grounds needed just as much attention.  The more I looked the more I was overwhelmed by all the work these properties needed.  To someone with a lot of patience, these were doable projects.  However, to this writer, I was so overwhelmed by all that needed to be done that my brain was short-circuiting.  The thing is, a project like this can only be tackled as the hunter eats an elephant.  One bite at a time.  Everything needed attention.  But there can be only so much done at one time.  Prioritizing is the key.  Just because something is not prioritized above another does not mean it is unimportant.  There are simply more important things at the moment.  Inactivity does not suggest a lack of interest.  It is simply that other things are more pressing.

When it comes to our walk with God, we cannot assume God’s silence on a fault or sin means that He does not think it to be serious enough to address.  God does care about every detail.  Every single trait, flaw, or shortcoming that does not conform to Christlikeness, the LORD is concerned with.  However, He knows how frail we are.  He knows that He cannot push us beyond certain limits.  So, He addresses the more needful, first.  The LORD did not require Israel to go directly into enemy territory upon fleeing Egypt.  He knew they would be “discouraged in the way” and therefore, had them go the long way around.  As they did, they learned of God’s ability to meet their need.  If we know something to be wrong, it is best we seek the Holy Spirit to empower us to overcome it before the Father must deal with it.  He may delay allowing us to seek His power rather than suffer correction.  Perhaps He is giving us an opportunity to trust Him before He has to deal with our shortcomings.  Whatever the motive, God’s silence is not to be mistaken for apathy.  He does care.  And He will deal with it if we do not.