Isaiah 35-36

Posted on Jul 25, 2016 in Reading the Bible in 2016 |

Monday                                                                      
What do you do when a bully wants to intimidate you?
Isaiah gives us a legitimate response in 36:21 when he writes“ … the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, ‘Do not answer him.’” Do you remember how Jesus responded to Pilate when he was brought before the governor? Matthew 27:13 says, “Then Pilate asked him, ‘Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?’ 
14 
But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge – to the great amazement of the governor.” You might recall that Isaiah foretells this in 53:7, “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.”
 

Sennacherib is trying to bully Judah and by intimidating them, make them say something they might later regret or  maybe even get them to  turn against God. There are times in our lives when we most definitely should stand up for what we believe, but I feel there are also times when silence can be the better defense against someone.

Often we can say a lot by what we don’t say. If someone trashes you or speaks badly of you, what is the point in stooping to their level by responding in a verbal war, and I mean one that is filled with trash talk. It only will result in hurting each other.

So I think the point I am trying to make in this verse of scripture is that sometimes it is alright to remain silent and let your accuser hang themselves by their own word.

Shalom

Pastor Kathy

Leave a Reply