Isaiah uses the verb “be silent” (chashah) seven times. Nearly every time, it is Yahweh who is silent. He has restrained Himself until He cannot hold it in (42:14, 2x), keeping silent so long that Judah began to think they could get away with anything (57:11).
For Zion’s sake He (or His Servant) refuses to be quiet (62:1) and He appoints watchmen who are continue speaking without cessation (62:6). When Israel complains that He keeps silent at their affliction (64:12), He promises that He will not keep silent: He will repay (65:6).
When God is silent, things go badly. The wicked flourish and justice is not done; Zion languishes in darkness, a bereft widow; no one is repaid for their works. Judah wants God to speak, and His speech is always an act. By His word, He lays waste mountains and hills, makes Jerusalem burst with a flame of justice, gives Israel’s enemies their wages.
Justice comes when the silent God speaks His righteous Word.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
The Church in the Age of Therapy
In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…
Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot
On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…
The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen
Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…
