Understanding God’s Silence and the Danger of Assumption
Introduction: The Power of a “Not”
In our pursuit of truth, we often expect God to write out every detail—what to do and what not to do. But what happens when God doesn’t say, “Thou shalt not”? Is silence consent? Or is silence itself a statement?
The subject may seem unusual, but it’s of vital importance. In Genesis 1:1, we read: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” By the time we get to verse 31, Scripture declares: “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.” Mankind was made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26), a rational, free-moral being—capable of understanding and choosing to obey or disobey.
God gave man law from the very beginning. With law came the ability to transgress. And with transgression came the need for discernment—not just in what God said, but in what He did not say.
God’s Commands Are Inclusive and Exclusive
In Exodus 20, God gives the Law to Israel: “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3). Throughout the Ten Commandments, we see clear prohibitions: “You shall not…” over and over again. This structure communicates God’s will by both inclusion and exclusion.
But under the New Covenant, God often commands by stating what to do—without listing all that is not to be done. When God says to do one thing, He excludes all else. That is the foundation of divine authority.
Some might say, “If God didn’t say not to, then maybe it’s allowed.” But John 21:25 reminds us, “There are also many other things which Jesus did, which, if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.” God didn’t give us a list of every “not”—instead, He gave us a perfect standard and expects us to respect His silence.
Case Studies:
Cain and Abel
In Genesis 4, both Cain and Abel brought offerings to the Lord. But Abel’s was accepted, and Cain’s was not. Why? Hebrews 11:4 says, “By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he was attested to be righteous.” Faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17), which means Abel obeyed what God had revealed.
God never had to say “Do not offer the fruit of the ground.” He had already specified what He desired. Cain’s offering was rejected not because of malice but because it was not what God had commanded. God’s silence was not permission.
Noah and the Ark
God told Noah, “Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood” (Genesis 6:14). God didn’t need to say, “Do not use cedar, pine, or oak.” His specification excluded all others. That’s why we’re told in Genesis 6:22, “So Noah did; according to everything that God had commanded him, so he did.”
Noah didn’t add to God’s word. He respected it. And Hebrews 11:7 says, “By faith Noah, being warned by God…prepared an ark for the salvation of his household.” His faith was not presumptive—it obeyed the details.
Nadab and Abihu
In Leviticus 10:1–2, “Nadab and Abihu…offered strange fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. And fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them.”
God had told them how to offer incense. He didn’t have to list every wrong way. When they chose their own fire, they treated God’s silence as permission—and it cost them their lives. God’s silence is not an invitation to innovate.
Transporting the Ark: A Deadly Assumption
In 2 Samuel 6, David and the people placed the ark of the covenant on a cart. But God had commanded in Numbers 4 that it be carried on poles by the Levites. When Uzzah reached out to steady the ark, God struck him dead.
Why? Because, as 1 Chronicles 15:13 says, “Because you did not carry it at the first, the Lord our God made an outburst on us, since we did not seek Him according to the ordinance.” They tried to honor God their way—but it wasn’t His way.
Let us not mistake good intentions for acceptable worship. God’s silence is not a blank check.
Specific Commands Leave No Room for Substitutes
When it comes to the Lord’s Supper, God specified unleavened bread and fruit of the vine (Matthew 26:26–29). Does He need to say, “Do not use soda and crackers”? No. The command excludes all else.
When God said to baptize believers (Mark 16:16), does He need to list who not to baptize? Infant baptism is excluded because it does not meet the conditions. Baptism is a burial (Romans 6:4), so sprinkling or pouring is likewise unauthorized—not because God said “not to,” but because He didn’t say “to.”
The silence of Scripture is not an oversight. It is a boundary.
Instrumental Music in Worship
God has told us how to make music in worship: “Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your hearts to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19). “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you…singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16).
He never said to use instruments, not because He forgot—but because He told us what to do. Anything else is an addition. As with Nadab and Abihu, it’s not worship when we do it our way.
Trying to Help God
In 1 Samuel 15, King Saul was told to destroy Amalek completely. But he kept the best sheep and oxen. When confronted, Saul said, “I have obeyed the voice of the Lord…But the people took some of the spoils to sacrifice to the Lord” (1 Samuel 15:20–21).
Samuel responded, “Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22). Saul’s downfall was not in rebellion—but in presumption. He tried to help God.
Many today say, “We just want to help the church grow,” so they form missionary societies, change the worship, and alter doctrine. But God’s gospel is sufficient. Ephesians 3:21 says, “To Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.”
God didn’t authorize it, and that’s enough.
Can We See the Scriptures Alike?
Some claim, “We just can’t see the Bible the same way.” But do we say that about science? Mathematics? Contracts? Only in religion do we treat truth as subjective. Yet Paul commands in 1 Corinthians 1:10, “Now I urge you…that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.”
Unity is possible when we respect what God has said—and what He hasn’t.
Conclusion: What Will You Do with God’s Silence?
The world accepts “almost truth” as good enough. But God has not given us that luxury. When God tells us what to do, we must do it—and we must not add to it.
Revelation 22:18–19 gives this warning: “If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues…if anyone takes away…the Lord will take away his part from the tree of life.” God’s word is complete. We are not editors. We are not advisors. We are servants.
Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). And again, “He who does not enter by the door… but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber” (John 10:1).
If you’re trying to come to God any way except through His revealed word, it will not lead to life.
The Gospel is a moving train, ready to carry all who will board. But we must come His way.
Have you respected what God has said? Or are you doing what He never said not to do?
Let us be among those who tremble at His word (Isaiah 66:2)—not because we fear what He didn’t say, but because we deeply revere what He has.
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