"A Time To Keep Silence"
1. "A Time To Keep Silence And A Time To Speak"
King Solomon reminds us in Ecclesiastes that there is a time for every purpose. Let's look at few of these times of our lives...
"1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; ...
7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace." (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)
I am looking at verse 7, "...a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;" I recently saw a list of situations with Bible verses to help us know when to be silent. So, today we are starting a new series on "A Time To Keep Silence." I hope that it will be enlightening to look at some of these difficult times and see when it would be better to keep our mouths shut.
2. Be Silent In The Heat Of Anger
Let's just throw this one out there first... "Be Silent In The Heat Of Anger". This may be the most difficult one on the list, because I think we all have problems arise that cause us to be angry. It is not wrong to get angry, but we must not sin in our anger. "Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:" (Ephesians 4:26) Continue with Paul's exhortation.
"29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." (Ephesians 4:29-32)
Many times in a heated argument, it is better for us to keep our mouths shut. We may not even mean the things we say in anger, but once they are out there, they are not soon forgotten. It is better to remain silent than to say things that we will regret later on.
3. Be Silent When You Don't Have All The Facts
We can get into so much trouble when we jump to a conclusion and open our mouths before we have all the facts. Our verse today is Proverbs 18:13, "He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him." While thinking about this verse I remembered a story from the ninth chapter of Joshua. As Joshua led the Israelites into the land of Canaan they were supposed to destroy all the cities and inhabitants that were close by. But, see how the people of Gibeon tricked the children of Israel into a peace agreement before giving them all the facts.
"3 And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai,
4 They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up;
5 And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy.
6 And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us.
7 And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you?
8 And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye?
9 And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the LORD thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt,
10 And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth.
11 Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us.
12 This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy:
13 And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey.
14 And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.
15 And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them.
16 And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they were their neighbours, and that they dwelt among them." (Joshua 9:3-16)
Joshua kept his promise and in the next chapter the Israelites fought to rescue Gibeon from the five kings of the Amorites. It is so important for us to make sure we have all the facts before we give our opinion or make agreements. Sometimes it is better for us to be still until we can make sure we know what we are talking about.
4. Be Silent When You Haven't Verified The Story
Oh my, how many times have I read something online and repeated it only to find out later that it was fake news? I grew up during the days of Walter Cronkite and he was a true newsman that you could trust what he reported. We should have the most trustworthy news of all time with the level of technology we have, but it seems we have the highest level of fake news than ever before. We need to verify what we hear before we pass it on. For our Bible example today I am looking at a man named Nabal.
"2 And there was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.
3 Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and she was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb.
4 And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal did shear his sheep.
5 And David sent out ten young men, and David said unto the young men, Get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name:
6 And thus shall ye say to him that liveth in prosperity, Peace be both to thee, and peace be to thine house, and peace be unto all that thou hast.
7 And now I have heard that thou hast shearers: now thy shepherds which were with us, we hurt them not, neither was there ought missing unto them, all the while they were in Carmel.
8 Ask thy young men, and they will shew thee. Wherefore let the young men find favour in thine eyes: for we come in a good day: give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thine hand unto thy servants, and to thy son David.
9 And when David's young men came, they spake to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David, and ceased.
10 And Nabal answered David's servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there be many servants now a days that break away every man from his master.
11 Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men, whom I know not whence they be?" (I Samuel 25:2-11)
So, Nabal did not verify the story of David's men, but lashed out at them. David decided to fight against Nabal, but after Nabal's servents told Abigal how David and his men had been a wall of protection to them night and day she quickly took a gift of food and wine to David. Abigail was very wise in her words to David.
"28 I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid: for the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house; because my lord fighteth the battles of the LORD, and evil hath not been found in thee all thy days.
30 And it shall come to pass, when the LORD shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee ruler over Israel;
31 That this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my lord hath avenged himself: but when the LORD shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thine handmaid.
32 And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me:" (I Samuel 25:28-32)
Nabal's heart became as a stone when Abigail told him what had happened and after he died David took Abigail to be his wife. Abigail showed much wisdom and David listened to her.
5. Be Silent If You Are Speaking Just To Say Something
In trying to remember Biblical examples of people who said the wrong thing, my mind went to Peter. He preached on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2 and 3,000 souls were saved. But, it took a little time for him to get to that place in his life. Along the way he sometimes said things when maybe he should have kept silent. Do you remember this story?
"2 And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them.
3 And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.
4 And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus.
5 And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
6 For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid.
7 And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.
8 And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves." (Mark 9:2-8)
The scriptures tell us plainly that Peter was afraid, and he didn't know what to say, so he just blurted out something. Peter was putting Jesus on the same level at Elias and Moses, but God let him know that Jesus was His Son. When we are afraid, or angry, or surprised, it may be hard for us to know exactly what to say. During those times we need to be careful that we don't speak before we think. We also need to learn that it is better not to say anything at all, than to say the wrong thing.
6. Be Silent When You Are Speaking Against The Lord's Will
I don't mean to pick on Peter, and I have a great respect for his service to the Lord, but I want to use another example to show when we should be silent. Jesus was teaching the disciples a lesson in being a servant to others and Peter said, "Thou shalt never wash my feet." Peter did not understand the Lord's will yet he basically told the Lord, "No." We know better than to tell the Lord what He will or will not do, or how we will or will not follow His plan and purpose for our lives, but we do. How often do we say, "I am going to ... do this or that" when we have not prayed about it first? How many times have we felt the Holy Spirit leading us to do something and we refused to follow His leading? God knows what is best for our lives and we need to trust Him and not speak against His will.
"3 Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;
4 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.
5 After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.
6 Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?
7 Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.
8 Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.
9 Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.
10 Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.
11 For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.
12 So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?
13 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.
14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet.
15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.
16 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.
17 If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." (John 13:3-17)
7. Be Silent When You Continue To Push A Brother Farther Down
Job lost his children, his wealth, and his health, yet still he could say, "For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:" (Job 19:25) At the lowest point in his life Job's three friends came to be with him. Instead of lifting him up they condemned him and pushed him farther down. One example is found in Job 8:5-6.
"5 If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almighty;
6 If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous."
Job's three friends continued to pass judgment on Job, and he was more righteous than they were. I am reminded of the line from the old Disney cartoon "Bambi" when Thumper says, "If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all." If we are not careful in our words we can add to the burden of those going through trials instead of bringing them comfort. Sometimes it is better to quietly be a shoulder to lean on, than to say the wrong things.
8. Be Silent When You Are Tempted To Pass Judgment On Others
James and John were really close to Jesus and He allowed them to go a little farther with Him on several occasions. But sometimes they did not really understand who Jesus was and why He came.
"51 And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,
52 And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him.
53 And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.
54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?
55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of." (Luke 9:51-55)
It is great for us to walk close to the Lord, but it is not good for us to pass judgment on others. We should try to bring lost sinners to Jesus, not condemn them. James and John were ready to call fire down from heaven and kill the people of this village. Jesus came to save the lost, as we see in the next verse. "For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village."
9. Be Silent When It Is Time To Listen
I have heard preachers say that God gave us two ears and one mouth because we are supposed to listen twice as much as we speak. There are many times when we should be listening instead of speaking. This brings back memories of our school days. Did you ever get a bad mark on your report card for talking? It may not be much easier when we get older. It is tempting to interrupt someone when we think what we have to say is more important. Or, maybe we are not really interested in what the speaker is saying and we try to carry on our own little conversation with those near us. Over and over the Bible tells us, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." (Matthew 11:15) It is important that we learn when to be still and listen.
10. Be Silent When You Are Tempted To Make Light Of Holy Things
I grew up in a day when churches did not have to be locked. People had a respect for the things of God and did not openly defy God or Christians. Things are surely different now. Those who mock and shake their fists at God don't know how holy and powerful God really is. Our verse is found in Ecclesiastes 5:2, "Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few." Our Biblical example is King Belshazzar, who used the golden cups that King Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple at Jerusalem.
"1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.
2 Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein.
3 Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them.
4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
5 In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.
6 Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another." (Daniel 5:1-6)
The king called for all the wise men of Babylon, but they could not interpret the writing. Daniel was called in and he reminded Belsazzar how God had humbled King Nebuchadnezzar.
"22 And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;
23 But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:
24 Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written.
25 And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
26 This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.
27 TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.
28 PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.
29 Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
30 In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.
31 And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old." (Daniel 5:22-31)
11. Be Silent If Your Words Will Damage Someone Else's Reputation
I think one of the biggest problems people have today is gossip. While people used to gossip behind their backs, now they say damaging things right to their faces, no matter who may be listening. Or they post it on the internet, where it can be spread across the country and never be taken away. And it doesn't make it right just to say, "It isn't gossip if it's true." Are you guilty? No one wants to be called a "Gossip", but the descriptions in the Bible are even more condemning. There are several verses that warn of tattlers, busybodies, and talebearers.
"For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies." (II Thessalonians 3:11)
"And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not." (I Timothy 5:13)
"Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: ..." (Leviticus 19:16)
"A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter." (Proverbs 11:13)
"The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly." (Proverbs 18:8 and 26:22) God surely wanted us to see this verse because He put it in twice!
There is an answer! Just stop adding wood to the fire! "Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth." (Proverbs 26:20) We can stop gossip in its tracks, but we usually like to add a little more wood to the blaze. For a Biblical example I want to look at Hannah and Eli. Hannah wanted a son and she went to the temple and prayed in bitterness of soul. Eli the Priest accused her of being drunk. This would have been very bad on Hannah's part if those nearby heard Eli's harsh words. We must make sure of our facts and not say anything that will hurt others.
"9 So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD.
10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.
11 And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.
12 And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli marked her mouth.
13 Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken.
14 And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee.
15 And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD.
16 Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto.
17 Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.
18 And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad." (I Samuel 1:9-18)
12. Be Silent When You Are Tempted To Joke About Sin
My Mom called the other night and said there was nothing on television to watch. She then named some of the shows that were coming on. I don't have cable so I have never seen the shows, but I could tell by the names of the shows and her short descriptions they were a mockery of sin. I pray that our country will turn back to God before it is too late. Our verse for today is found in Proverbs 14:9, "Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour." Our Bible example is II Chronicles 36:14-16, just before God's people were taken into captivity to Babylon. Look at the last few words in the following scripture.
"14 Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the LORD which he had hallowed in Jerusalem.
15 And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place:
16 But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy." (II Chronicles 36:14-16)
Has America come too far in its mockery at sin? Is it too late for a remedy? As Jesus yielded up His life to die for sin He did not commit, just to save those lost in sin, the Bible tells us in several verses that "they mocked him". He died on the cross, and He arose from the grave, and it isn't over yet. The Lord is coming back and every knee shall bow before God Almighty. "For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. (Romans 14:11) "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." (Galatians 6:7) Don't let the voices of this world pull you into their mockery of sin.
