The Biblical Admonition for Silence

Introduction

We are clearly called to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves (Proverbs 31: 8-10). We are told to rescue those being led away to death (Proverbs. 24: 11-12). We are told to stand in the gap to warn those whose souls are in danger of hell (Ezekiel 33:6-8). So how do we square that with the silence of our Lord in the face of his oppressors when He went to the Cross? Sometimes it is hard to discern when to speak, and when to be silent.

Context is Everything

When Jesus spoke, he did not hold back truth, mercy, and even righteous anger when He was trying to rescue people on a path of destruction. He speaks to the woman at the well and the woman caught in adultery. He urges them to sin no more. He spends three years speaking to His disciples to train them for when He would no longer be with them in human form. He chastises and directs them when they get it wrong. He overturns the tables in the temple of those who are desecrating the house of worship to become a house of commerce. He repeatedly blasts the Pharisees.

The context is critical in discerning when we must speak.  When people need to hear truth to alter a disastrous path, Jesus rarely withholds His speech. In most cases when He speaks at length, it is to willing listeners or at least hearts soft enough to absorb His message. He also does not withhold speech when the wicked and hypocritical are using religion to justify their own rebellion and wickedness. In those cases, His words sometimes fall on hearts that only grow colder. So, in the face of all this speaking, when and why does He fall silent at the Cross?

In the Face of Unjust Accusation

The picture is quite different in the face of unjust accusation. Not only Jesus, but many Biblical people of God fall silent in the face of unjust persecution. 1 Peter 2:18-23  gives us advice about how we are to respond when facing opposition that wrongly accuses and castigates us. In fact, there are many passages in the Bible that point us to when silence is golden.

“Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;”

“He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.”

Isaiah

And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, saying, “Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?” But He kept silent and answered nothing…

Mark

In the face of unjust accusation and suffering, it can be to God’s glory to withhold our words. Jesus, as He led to the cross, does not speak in His own defense. David when he is cursed by Shimei reminds those around him to take no action against Shimei because God has told him to curse.(!!!?)

“And David said to Abishai and all his servants, “See how my son who came from my own body seeks my life. How much more now may this Benjamite? Let him alone, and let him curse; for so the Lord has ordered him. It may be that the Lord will look on my affliction, and that the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing this day.””

When Stephen is stoned, he does not speak to defend himself from the unjust accusations but has pity for the crowd that does not understand.

“And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”

A holy silence in the face of false accusation has a purpose that magnifies the Lord. We sometimes say more with our silence in the face of injustice against us then we do by trying to defend ourselves. In the end, there will be justice. In the end, we will be vindicated. Vengeance belongs to the Lord. We show our trust in the ultimate justice of the Lord to make all things right when we do not defend ourselves and trust He will defend us.

There is another important guiding principle when Jesus goes to the Cross. He is on a pivotal and incredibly important mission. It is devastatingly difficult. His full focus and attention is on completing His mission. He does not allow Himself to be sidetracked or distracted by the unjust accusations against Him. He does not defend Himself.

While what we face on the sidewalk does not compare to what Jesus faced at the Cross, I believe there are parallels that can be drawn. We also are on a Holy, God-directed mission. What happens on that mission is a spiritual battle of life vs death. We are constantly barraged by unjust accusations and taunts meant to discourage and discredit us. If we defend ourselves, our attention shifts from the mission to which God has called us to self-defense. Human lives are on the line. We need a laser-beam focus on the mission and the goal.

Sidewalk Application

So, when do we speak in the face of opposition, and when do we remain silent? This question has direct application to us on the sidewalk and in social media posting. If we are spending our time and effort on the Sidewalk or on social media defending who we are and what we do because we are unfairly maligned, we are distracted from the Holy purpose and truth we are called to proclaim. In my experience, we rarely change hearts, but we often end up in endless arguments that absorb precious chunks of time and energy. Is this instead when holy silence is better? When we are on the sidewalk and the opposition is saying horrid unjust things about us, we should focus on our mission. The moms and the babies are in danger of imminent death. If we can ignore the false accusations about us and focus on them, God is glorified…and lives might be saved. 

The opposition takes notice. They know when they are treating us unfairly. They are trained to fill us with anger and uncertainty and put our eyes on them instead of our mission. Our purpose-filled silence towards them can accomplish more than our self-defending words.

But the Opposition Needs Jesus and Needs to Hear Truth

This is true. However there is a critical distinction between the needs of the opposition and the needs of the unborn babies who are our ministry focus. One group will likely make it alive to the end of the day. The other group likely will not.

In addition, if we are doing our job well in what we say as we call out to the moms and dads entering the abortion center, the opposition will hear everything they need to hear. If we are doing our job well, they will hear the reasons why abortion is wrong, the sacred value of life, the truth of God and the need to follow and trust Him, and the essentials of salvation.

When to Speak and When to Stop Speaking

Whenever we are interceding for the unborn, and there is someone who can influence or directly change the choice from death to life, we should speak. We should speak until we are told to be quiet and are threatened with harm. (At that point, it is unlikely they will hear us anyway.)

There is another time when it is best to stop speaking. This requires discernment. We are told that we are not to throw our pearls before swine. Sometimes hearts are so hard and ears are so deaf to the truth, that our time truly would be better spent elsewhere. There is no hard fast rule to discern when this time is. Sometimes our speaking turns into arguing and the discussion keeps circling back to the same points. That is a point at which it is best to gracefully step away.

When to Persist

On the other hand, there are times when persistence in speech results in saved babies. Two recent prolonged text discussions illustrate this point. In both cases, the mom to whom I was speaking became furious with me and told me that I should not be sharing scripture since my truth was not her truth. Both of them told me this discussion was over. However, I noticed they were still reading the texts. They had not blocked me. They did not directly say shut up. I decided God had not closed the door and I should therefore keep it open. I continued to text in both cases for several days. In both those cases, the moms suddenly shifted and chose life!

So how do we know when to speak and when not to speak?  Below are some guidelines.

• Be clear about the ministry and missional focus.
• Listen to the Holy Spirit.
• Consider the advice of those with more experience on the sidewalk.
• Look for evidence that you are reaching that person.
• Determine if they are still listening. If so, keep speaking.
• If someone directly tells me to stop speaking or they are going to harm me, I stop speaking and pray.
• Is the speech directly relevant to achieving the mission goal God has given us?
• If we deviate and speak to the opposition, it should be the exception and not the norm.
• If our speech increases the chaos and noise and fuels the anger and potential for violence against us or our teammates, silence is probably best.
• Are we losing control and responding out of anger and/or pride? Silence is probably best.
• Are we trusting God to be our defense in the face of false accusations?
• Is our speech effective? (HINT: usually speaking to the opposition results in more chaos, less interactions with moms, less positive results, and more self-doubt and increased anger and self-pity on the sidewalk. Also, the more we speak to them, the more they continue to speak to us and distract us from our work.)

Never Neglect Prayer and Trust God

Sometimes our compulsion to speak may reflect a mistrust that God is working on that person‘s heart. It is clear biblically that we are called to action when we see others in need or on a dangerous path, but we are also called to Prayer. We know that God is working even when we cannot see it. Our voice is important, but it is not the most important voice. The most important voice is God’s voice, and we can trust that He is raising it appropriately and with perfect timing.

We should never shy from speaking truth that is directly relevant to the purpose to which we are called on the sidewalk. We should also trust God that when we choose not to speak or are unable to, He can and will accomplish His good and perfect purpose.