Silence of the Scripture is Golden

Silence of the Scripture is Golden
By: Daron Hoggatt

A friend gave you a box seat ticket to a major league baseball game for June 9th. You hear that the same team is also playing the day before; so is it safe to go ahead and go a day early? Of course not. However, the ticket did not say you could not go any other time. The point behind this story is that just because it is written that we are told to do something and not told we cannot do another does not mean we are authorized to do what we want.

Genesis 6:22, “Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.” Noah was commanded, by God, to build the ark in a certain way, with certain wood, with 1 door, 1 window, and with 3 decks. Since he followed Gods instruction he was saved. Hebrews 11:7 “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly [reverent] fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” 1 Peter 3:20-21 “when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water. Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you--not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience--through the resurrection of Jesus Christ”

Exodus 25:40, “And see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.” Here we see that Moses was shown and given direction from God on how to build the tabernacle and what items needed to be placed within it. Hebrews 8:5 “They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, "SEE," He says, "THAT YOU MAKE all things ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN WHICH WAS SHOWN YOU ON THE MOUNTAIN."

John 12:49, 50, “For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.” Jesus Christ did not speak on His own. He spoke only what God told Him to. If Christ did not interject His own authority, how can we justify applying our own authority?

There were some people that had genuine hearts and still failed to follow the silence of God. Leviticus 10 tells us the story of Nadab and Abihu. Here they brought an “unauthorized” fire to the Lord. This fire was meant with good intensions, but because it was not authorized, God consumed them in the fire. God said, “I must be glorified” (Leviticus 10:3). In I Samuel 13 Saul became impatient and forced himself to offer a sacrifice to God. However, Samuel said, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you. For now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.”

In 2 Chronicles 26:16, “But when he was strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against the LORD his God by entering the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.” We find here that Uzziah although strong hearted did not follow what God instructed and was destroyed.

On the other side of the coin, the silence in the baseball ticket story shows us that we can make our decisions. For example, the ticket does not tell us how to dress or how much money we need for food and drinks while watching. The box seats may be joined with a millionaire that wears a tuxedo to the game. Do you wear shorts and a t-shirt or a tux as well? This is a decision that we, as individuals, would have to make. This silence does not change the authority that we are given.

Romans 14:1-3, “Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him.” We have been released from the laws of food. We are free to eat any kind of food we choose. I Corinthians 8:9, “Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.” We simply cannot let our freedoms become a stumbling block for someone else.

We can look at the Lords Supper to examine additional silence in the scriptures. We are instructed to partake of unleavened bread and fruit of the vine. Would it be okay to have coke and a cookie? The scriptures do not tell us we cannot use these items. If God was to list the things we cannot use for the Lords Supper the list would be never ending. This authorization eliminates other things and therefore there is no need for the list. In reference to music in the church the Word of God tells us to sing psalms and hymns to the Lord. This eliminates the use of instrumental music. Again, it is not possible to list everything that we cannot do.

When speaking of elders in the church we find that it is a requirement to have two or more (elders – plural) in each local congregation. We also see that the scriptures do not tell us that an elder cannot be a woman. However, when reviewing the qualifications for an elder it says that the elder must have only one wife; therefore, this eliminates the need to say they cannot be a woman. The silence speaks for itself.
Romans 6:4, “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Buried means, to put under (immersed). The use of the word “buried” here it cannot reasonably be anything else.

We have examined two different ways that silence is important in scripture. The first being that silence is prohibited and the second is that silence is permissive. I ask you one final question, do you know the difference?