Advent, Day 14

SILENT NIGHT

God sent his word to one last prophet, a man named Malachi. God warned of a day of judgment. Evil would be destroyed along with those who practice it. The whole world would be purged of evil, like a tree pruned of diseased limbs so that healthy shoots can grow.

Imagine living in a world where evil and oppression had been surgically cut away. What would that even look like? Consider—locks would be obsolete. There would be no passwords, no weapons of war, no safes, no prisons. There would be no prosecutors or conmen. No spam or deceptive ads. No divorce or orphans. Without sin, there would be no DMV, or DUIs, or ICBMs, or ICUs, or UTIs. There would be no mourning or crying or pain. No bribery, embezzlement, or price gouging. No name-calling, bitterness, gossip, or slander. Everyone would love and share and care and give and grow. Such a world might start as a simple seed, but it would bloom and grow until the whole universe became full of life and beauty.

Malachi looked forward to a world purged of evil. He could almost taste it! He said the day would come! He saw that day as a source or hope rather than fear, saying, “But for you who fear [God’s] name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.”

Then Micah finished his scroll. He put down his quill.

And it got quiet… A hush fell over the whole of the heavens… For years, nothing happened. Life went on as it always had, and for most people, the story of God faded into the background. No more prophets, no new promises, no new reminders.

The royal line of David had long fallen and faded into obscurity. The Persian empire now ruled. A whole generation was born and lived and got old and died until nobody alive even remembered meeting anyone who had known Malachi, the last prophet. Then another generation arose and passed… and then another. The Persian empire gave way to the Greeks. The coins and language changed. More generations arose until nobody remembered living under the Persians. Then Israel fell under the rule of the Ptolemys. Another generation was born, lived, got old, and died. Still, heaven was quiet. The Seleucids took over. Still, silence.

Another century passed. Israel revolted and gained limited independence, set tenuously between two competing factions of the shattered Greek empire. They walked a delicate line to maintain limited freedom. Another generation arose, matured, and gave way to still another. New technologies were developed. Culture and language shifted. Still silence. Still, heaven waited, until four whole centuries passed without a word from God. For 425 years—nearly twice the history of the United States—the politics of power seemed to have supplanted the plans of God. God’s promises must have seemed ancient, obsolete, and archaic. The various factions of the people of Israel adjusted to the new reality of the ruling Romans.

Oppression was inescapable. Slavery was everywhere. Pagans ruled the world. The empire faded into unyielding silence and darkness—a terrible aching silent night.

DAILY SCRIPTURE READING
“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver… Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.

…those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name. “They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him. For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble… But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.
– Malachi 3:1-4, 3:16-4:2

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
– God’s appearance is forecast by Malachi to be terrible for the wicked, but a bright sunrise for the righteous. Do you hope for or dread that day?
– Have you gone through seasons of silence, where you cried out to God without an answer?
– Why do you think God remained silent for all those generations?
– God’s silence did not mean He had abandoned his promises. What are some truths you can remember the next time you go through a period of silence?

PRAYER
Lord God, we long for a day when there is no more wickedness, no more pain, no more tears. But it also feels so far off. It can be so hard to keep believing, to keep trusting that day is coming. Just like the Israelites, your promises can feel ancient, obsolete, and archaic to us. But God, you are always faithful to keep your promises. Help us to trust you even when it’s hard. Help us to keep our eyes set on your promises. Amen.