THE VOICE
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December 7, 2024One time, I came across a topic which was somewhat intriguing December 1, 2024 and at times the subject of debate, especially among biblical scholars about what happened between the Old Testament and New Testament. Some would treat this as a period when God kept silent. In the Old Testament, God would speak to His people through the prophets as they were considered the mouthpiece of God. The prophet Malachi was regarded as the last prophet in the Old Testament who has spoken on behalf of God. God, through the prophets would always remind them about turning away from their wickedness and must return to Him. During the time of prophet Malachi, the people did not only disobey God and were unwilling to repent, but also considered Him as the problem. Prophet Malachi ended his book with a promise that Elijah will be sent by God. “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with the decree of utter destruction.” (Malachi 4:5-6 ESV) A long period of silence followed, no prophet came forward to remind the people about turning away from their sinfulness and return to God. Others regarded this as the 400 years of God’s silence.
In our Gospel this Second week of Advent, Luke starts with a list: Tiberias was a Roman emperor acting like God; Pilate, the Roman governor being despised by many; Herod, a cruel and dangerous one sitting on the Jewish throne; all were noted to want nothing else but to hold on to their position and power. It was with this background that “the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert. John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” (Luke 3:2-3 ESV) Did God break His silence after being quiet for a long period of time through John the Baptist? In the Gospel of Matthew, when Jesus was speaking about John, he said, “For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John, and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.” (Matthew 11:13-14 ESV)
After that long period when no one spoke on behalf of God and no one preached about turning away from sin and wickedness,the entry of John the Baptist was a confrontation between God and His people: John the Baptist, the messenger of God,proclaiming God’s message of repentance and declaring God’s judgement, at last, a mouthpiece of God has spoken. The desert or wilderness where John the Baptist preached symbolizes that of the barrenness and state of unbelief of Israel. The people desperately needed to hear the voice of God once again. They needed somebody to remind them about God, the way we need somebody at present to remind us about the love and mercy of God.
The message of repentance is as timely today as before, for we also have our own spiritual barrenness where the voice of God must be heard and takes possession of us. The Second Sunday of Advent reminds us of PEACE because a change of heart is making at peace with God. Living at peace with God is listening once again to His voice reminding us of our need of newness of life in Him. John the Baptist is the voice crying out in the wilderness of our hearts telling us, “Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” (Luke 3:5-6)
We should not fall in deaf ears and haughty hearts lest God will be silent again in our life.
