Posted on 10/22/2021 10:52:04 PM PDT by Pilgrim's Progress
“Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words” (Proverbs 23:9).
Now, what I got to thinking about with this verse is the idea that if the Lord gives me those instructions, it could be that if I'm fool enough, God might not talk to me. Think about that! I mean, here you have Saul who was King in Israel—a God anointed King in Israel. There came a day when he could not get an answer from the Lord. He would go to the urim and thummin, yet no answer. He would go to the ephod, there's no answer at all. In a day when God spoke through visions, and where he would speak through the ephod and the urim and Thummim; but there came a day that God was aggravated enough and mad enough at Saul that he would not answer.
Then you have Abraham. Think about Abraham for just a second. All the way back to Genesis 16:16 even somebody as notable as the friend of God. Right? Notice that this is where Abraham has taken Hagar to wife and had his son Ishmael. “And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.”
So, he is 86 years old, but notice 17:1, where Abraham is now 99 years old. Now, I can't prove that God didn't speak to Abraham between 86 and 99; but at least there's nothing recorded there. There is, however, at least the hint that because of Abraham's doing wrong in taking Hagar to wife that God was silent with him those 13 years. And yet, he is a man that became known as the friend of God. So, don't think that God won't get silent with you, okay?
There are a lot of gaps in the Bible, and some of those gaps are indications that God didn't speak too much to anybody in those days.
Two friends were talking on religious topics. When they discussed the question of punishment for sin in future life, they settled to their own satisfaction that there was none.
They decided Hell was a myth; argued that God was a God of love and so could not consign His creatures to everlasting punishment.
The conversation dropped. Then a Christian, who had been a silent listener to the discussion, said, “Suppose it is true, after all?”
The words seemed to fall on the ears of the other two with crushing force. The power of God seemed behind them, as it ever is behind the truth:
Solemn silence reigned for many minutes.
Suppose it is true after all that God must punish sin? How would you stand before Him? What could you say to Him? How would you fare before the Judge?
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