Some of them are lofty bliss, reaching celestial highs.
Others are filled with deepest woes, bringing men to dark places unknown.
Some bring storms so dark and tumultuous that life itself seems consumed in a void of hopelessness.
Others bring one to seashores and green pastures of peace, rest, and renewal of the soul.
In these cycles of change, the soul and heart are taken to their greatest limitations and stretched to their highest capacities. King Solomon had lived a long enough life to understand this reality. He displayed his grasp of this in Ecclesiastes 3, introducing the passage with, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” Don’t miss that opening phrase. Solomon understood that the seasons of our lives are not only different but they are targeted. They have purpose. They are directed by One who understands all. They are times of temporality that serve eternal purposes and produce fruit in eternity. As Solomon would pen the proceeding seven verses, we cannot help but see the stark contrast between these individual seasons that Solomon identifies:
Being born, dying
Planting, uprooting
Killing, healing
Breaking down, building up
Weeping, laughing
Mourning, dancing
Casting away stones, gathering stones
Embracing, refraining from embracing
Gaining, losing
Keeping, casting away
Tearing, sewing,
Keeping silent, speaking
Loving, hating
War, peace
Each of these seasons presented by Solomon carry a tremendous weight of application in our lives. I believe most of these times and segments of our short lives can be placed into these categories. This isn’t a post about each of these seasons, rather just one of them. A time to be silent.
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One: Rooftops
We love our platforms, don’t we?
You see, each of us has rooftops, and I’m not talking about the shingle or metal on top of your house. I mean we each have platforms; we have influence. We have people that will listen. People that will side with us. People that will fight for us. People that will get madder than we are just because they care so much about us. People that believe in us and will always be in our corner. You know these people and groups, they’re the ones you call first. They’re the ones you spend time with at their houses and yours. They’re the ones that you confide in and they vent to you. They’re your tribe, your family, your group, your ride or dies, your followers, your friends, your brothers from other mothers, your mentors, your spouses, your children, etc. They make up the measurable quotient known as your influence.
Whether your influence reaches 5 or 5 million, you have a rooftop, and the natural leniency of man is to get on the rooftop the minute that something goes wrong—the minutes that something slips into the lack-of-control category—and shout for all to hear. We want to shout on our rooftops because we long for control, but I believe it is deeper than that. Deep down inside of us, we want to be able to control the image that others see. But, I think it’s even deeper than that… I think that even deeper down, in the sin-stricken subconscious of our soul, we want to still convince ourselves of the image that we present to everyone else. This issue is so deeply rooted in our DNA as fallen human beings that we rarely catch it. In its simplest sense, it is pride; in its most complex sense, it is us trying to be God in our own lives through the influence of others so that what we convince them of, they will eventually convince us of through reaffirmation of the very image that we have presented… Let that sink in for a sec.
“…so that what we convince them of, they will eventually convince us of through reaffirmation of the very image that we have presented…”
We have to war against that nature—that tendency—to be what God wants us to be. Let me explain, and then I’ll move to the next point. God desires for us to live lives of wisdom, integrity, and humility. He sends us seasons to be silent so that we can build and practice these spiritual disciplines. Solomon speaks of “a good name” in both Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. Each time this “good name” is said to be better than great riches and precious ointment. Beyond that, we are taught by Jesus and James that the tongue and our words carry with them an insurmountable power. Now watch this: We think that we maintain our good name by shouting from the rooftops of our lives (an effort to maintain the image—name—that we think we have), when, in actuality, what we need to do is not speak at all. Say nothing. Not a word. No defenses. No explanations. No discussions. This is not an American courtroom; this is the course of justice established by the Almighty at the moment He expended creative power and spoke reality into existence. By remaining silent, we allow the hand of God to take its course in our situation and season, and His hand always brings the best to pass.
There’s nothing wrong with staying on the rooftop, maintaining your influence and relationships. But try something in this season, instead of saying anything. Sit down, rest, wait, watch, and see.
“…this is the course of justice established by the Almighty at the moment He expended creative power and spoke reality into existence.”
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Two:Silence
Shout it from the rooftops! Make your voice heard! Tell your side of the story! Defend yourself! Speak your truth! Make sure everyone knows what really happened! Squash the assumptions! Prove you were right!
We have all heard each of these statements above. Whether we’ve heard them from others or those deep recesses of our hearts, we have heard them when we wanted to speak our minds about something. Amidst a time when accusations were brought against us, maybe we were being questioned about something we had done, or maybe we just saw a situation that we knew wasn’t right and thought that we needed to intervene. We are wired to think that we have the ability to fix. To fix others. To fix ourselves. To fix situations. To fix the world. When in reality, we break more than we fix. Often, the harder we try, the worse we make things.
So, how should we handle a time in our life when we feel every urge to speak, to shout, to scream?
The question you have to ask yourself as a Christian is, “is this a season that God wants me to be silent?” In a less theological way, “should I just keep my mouth shut?”
Let me ask you this: When was the last time you were just silent? Not listening to music, not having white noise (or pink noise or green noise) in the background, not reading a book, not praying, not listening to a podcast, not having a conversation with someone, just silent. You probably can’t think of the “last time” because there has probably never been a time! You are told to “go” and “do” constantly in your life. To be silent, still, patient, and wait are concepts that have to be taught as if they are new, yet they are ancient. Think about it… When I say the words sage, wise, mature, accomplished, and seasoned, what do you think of? I picture someone who is put together, not swayed by the chaos around them, and steady in their choices and words. I see someone with serenity around them. Order is their mantra. They rest in silence. They sit in tranquility.
Jesus is described in this way throughout Scripture. Isaiah 53:7 prophesied that “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.” This occurred as He stood before Pilate: “Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked Him, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ Jesus said to him, ‘you have said so.’ When He was accused but the chief priests and elders, He gave no answer. The Pilate said to Him, ‘Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?’ But He never answered him a word, so that the governor was greatly amazed” (Matthew 27:11-14). This was a season of silence for Jesus. On the night of His greatest betrayal, when He was forsaken by most, when He had no guilt of His own, when He had every right to defend Himself, when there were truly false accusations brought against Him, He remained silent. He knew and understood the purpose of the appointed time in His life.
I know, all of this sounds strange, but that is only because it is so opposed to the world that you are accustomed to living in. Silence requires discipline, something that is a commodity in the present culture of this world. Ironically, everyone wants peace, but we are creating more noise than ever.
What I am getting at here is that in these seasons of silence, you are going to be called to not say things that you know are true. There’s no point. The more you speak, the more you sound defensive. The more you try to explain things to someone the more they will try to prove themselves right. The wisest course of action is to stop, pause, wait, be silent, and let the fruit of a situation prove itself. If people want to deny fruitful reality, that is their choice. Your silence may seem like you are “pleading the fifth” but again, we are not talking in judicial terms. We are speaking in terms of the rules of sovereignty and providence.
“Ironically, everyone wants peace, but we are creating more noise than ever.”
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Three: Speaking
When is it time to speak again?
Solomon’s words are clear in the passage. There is a time to be silent but there is a time to speak. I don’t have all the answers on this one, but I have a few thoughts:
Questions answered. When you have truly taken the time to seek the Lord, contemplate the situation, recognize your responsibility and others, identify the truth, and answer the questions that used to swirl, you are ready to speak again.
Wounds healed. Every situation is different, and everyone has different parts in every situation. Regardless of what role you played in whatever the given situation was, there are wounds that have to be healed. Until healing comes, hurt will continue to flow. Hurting people hurt people. Allow yourself time to heal in whatever capacity that needs to be. When you feel like you could walk up to the person who hurt you the most and not feel hurt, you are ready to speak again
Bridges burnt. The harsh, horrible truth is that everything won’t be normal again. Some relationships and situations will never exist again. These are the most painful, tear-filled moments that you have to come to grips with. There will be relationships with people that you love and that loved you deeply that you will never have again. When you have accepted this, and are at peace with it, you are ready to speak again.
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Time has a funny way of working, doesn’t it? They say that time heals all wounds, but I don’t believe that. I believe that healing comes through intentional, targeted effort. I believe that time keeps moving regardless of what you do and whether you heal or not. Like a river flowing, you will eventually reach the oceanfront of time. You will cross over from this life. Your seasons will be no more. Life will be a whole new reality. Death will come.
And as each of us approaches that time moment by moment, we have multiple series of choices to make. But they all boil down to one question. Will we recognize and submit to our given season or not?
Many attributes throughout Scripture can be taken too far or not taken far enough. Some of the qualities that Christians are called to strive for can challenge a person’s balance of humility and pride. This battle is found in multiple aspects of the Christian life, but none may be so prominent as the apprehension of knowledge.
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One: The Wisdom of Learning
As Solomon was penning his immense work of proverbial statements and thoughts to his sons, he provided an introduction. Within this introduction, he exhorts his sons that “A wise man will hear, and will increase in learning; a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels.” The first portion of this verse is where attention must be given. Solomon states that someone who is choosing to walk in wisdom will increase in learning.
However, this is not a passive increase; it is intentional. Notice, “will hear.” This sounds an alarm to Jesus’s words famous remarks about having “ears to hear.” This specific phrase is used eight times in the gospels and is always used to describe someone who not only hears words enter their ears but has an attitude of heeding what they have heard. There is intentionality.
Beyond Solomon’s instructions, the New Testament flagbearer charges his young disciple in the faith to “study to show yourself approved, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Notice the standard—study for approval from God. Every once in a while, in the text of Scripture, we come across a command and an expectation that presents an endless task. This is one of them. When God does this, I have come to understand that it is subtle instruction to continue this task throughout all your life. Learning, study, and diligence are never to cease for the true disciple of Jesus Christ. Paul knew this and was desperately heralding this charge and responsibility to his mentee and son in the faith.
{Proverbs 1:5; 2 Timothy 2:15}
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Two:The Warning of Learning
Paul, a man who was academically superior to most of his equals gave an intense warning in his first epistle to the carnal Corinthian church. He warned them that “knowledge puffs up.” This may seem to be a strange warning given the emphasis on learning elsewhere in Scripture. However, this cautious instruction is not misplaced. The following discussion will be an overview of three Christian leaders’ views on the state of an overeducated church culture:
J. I. Packer – “For the fact that we have to face is this: If we pursue theological knowledge for its own sake, it is bound to go bad on us. It will make us proud and conceited. The very greatness of the subject power will intoxicate us, and we shall come to think of ourselves a cut above other Christians because of our interest in it and grasp of it; and we shall look down on those whose theological ideas seem to us crude and inadequate and dismiss them as very poor specimens. For, as Paul told the conceited Corinthians, ‘Knowledge puffs up… The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know,’ (1 Cor 8: 1-2)” (1973, 21). Here, Packer gives attention to the theoretical dangers of pursuing knowledge about God rather than pursuing God Himself.
Paul David Tripp discusses this concept in a very practical way in his book Dangerous Calling. He recounts his own experience in seminary, “I had spent hours each day for months studying perhaps the most extensive and gorgeous exposition of the gospel that has ever been written, and I had been fundamentally untouched by its message” (2015, 41). He goes on to discuss his concerns as he eventually ended up on the other side of the educational scene as an instructor. He comments, “Over the years I had heard way too much ‘Will we need to know this for the exam?’ and not enough ‘Help me understand how to live in light of what you are now teaching us’” (2015, 47) and “His study of the Word brings him again and again to his desk, but it seldom brings him to his knees” (2015, 55). It is observations like these from a man who has been paramount in influencing the practical theological scene over the last few decades that should raise concern to the student who studies for the sake of studying.
“His study of the Word brings him again and again to his desk, but it seldom brings him to his knees.”
Millard Erickson, the author of a premier textbook entitled Christian Theology, notices this risk in education as well. He addresses the modern-day context of Christian education and state, “Theology is now being done in a period characterized by, among other things, a ‘knowledge explosion.’ The amount of information is growing so rapidly that mastery of a large area of thought is becoming increasingly difficult. While this is especially true in technological areas, biblical and theological knowledge is also much broader than it once was. The result has been a much greater degree of specialization than previously required. In biblical studies, for example, New Testament scholars tend to specialize in the Gospels or in the Pauline writings. Church historians tend to specialize in one period, such as the Reformation. Consequently, research and publication are often in narrower are often in narrower areas and in greater depth” (2013, 48-49). Pardon the lengthy quote, but notice the trend—Packer, Tripp, and Erickson (all highly educated men) recognize that there is danger in knowledge.
{1 Corinthians 8:1b}
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As with many things in the Christian life, balance is essential. We don’t want to fall into the trap of a pendulum theology or pattern in our Christian life. As we grow in our maturity as Christians, we must learn to balance the task of diligent study with the danger of self-exaltation. We can get to the point that we think our knowledge itself is enough to be self-sufficient and lead ourselves away from dependence on God. Knowledge and learning are necessary for spiritual growth, but so are humility and lowliness. We cannot let the natural tendencies of our hearts steer us toward self-sufficiency but self-denial.
Until we write again…..
In, for, and because of Christ,
Hunter V.S. See
Tripp, P. D. (2015). Dangerous Calling: Confronting the Unique Challenges of Pastoral Ministry. Crossway.
Packer, J. I. (2021). Knowing God. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
Erickson, Millard J. (2013). Christian Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group.
