The Sound of Silence (39 of 66)
Series: Route 66, A Roadtrip Through the Bible
Tony Thomas
Malachi
Malachi is the last Old Testament prophet and John the Baptist was the first New Testament prophet. 460 years separate Malachi and John and the only thing the Jews could hear was the sound of silence. Sssshhhh.
We're uncomfortable with silence, aren't we? But imagine growing up in a Jewish household, where the focus of life was faith, where access to God was determined by a prophet, and suddenly, there were no prophetic voices left.
What do you do when God is silent? While you think about that, let's get into the book. Before we do, let me try and paint a backdrop so you can appreciate what we'll read.
I. His Setting
Saul, David and Solomon were the first kings of Israel and then a Civil War divided the nation. The northern kingdom lasted 215 years, they had 19 kings, and all of them were wicked! The southern kingdom lasted 345 years, they had 19 kings and one queen, and one-third of the kings were righteous.
Israel and Judah were both conquered by foreign nations. The city of Jerusalem was destroyed, the Temple was desecrated, the skilled workers were deported to Babylon, leaving the aging, the affirmed, and the unskilled laborers behind.
Seventy years later, the Jews returned from exile. With the drive of Haggai, the inspiration of Zechariah, and a load of gold and silver from King Darius, the Temple was rebuilt.
Sixty years later, Ezra arrived with 7,000 more returnees. He brought gold and silver from Artaxerxes, the Temple was beautified, and the Jew's religious identity was restored.
Thirteen years later, Nehemiah rode into town with a load of timber. He surveyed the mess Judah was living in, discovered there was opposition, rebuilt the walls and gates around the city, and then he stayed another twelve years a Governor.
But it didn't take long for the supplies to run out. There was no timber, no gold, and no silver. Even worse, ...
Series: Route 66, A Roadtrip Through the Bible
Tony Thomas
Malachi
Malachi is the last Old Testament prophet and John the Baptist was the first New Testament prophet. 460 years separate Malachi and John and the only thing the Jews could hear was the sound of silence. Sssshhhh.
We're uncomfortable with silence, aren't we? But imagine growing up in a Jewish household, where the focus of life was faith, where access to God was determined by a prophet, and suddenly, there were no prophetic voices left.
What do you do when God is silent? While you think about that, let's get into the book. Before we do, let me try and paint a backdrop so you can appreciate what we'll read.
I. His Setting
Saul, David and Solomon were the first kings of Israel and then a Civil War divided the nation. The northern kingdom lasted 215 years, they had 19 kings, and all of them were wicked! The southern kingdom lasted 345 years, they had 19 kings and one queen, and one-third of the kings were righteous.
Israel and Judah were both conquered by foreign nations. The city of Jerusalem was destroyed, the Temple was desecrated, the skilled workers were deported to Babylon, leaving the aging, the affirmed, and the unskilled laborers behind.
Seventy years later, the Jews returned from exile. With the drive of Haggai, the inspiration of Zechariah, and a load of gold and silver from King Darius, the Temple was rebuilt.
Sixty years later, Ezra arrived with 7,000 more returnees. He brought gold and silver from Artaxerxes, the Temple was beautified, and the Jew's religious identity was restored.
Thirteen years later, Nehemiah rode into town with a load of timber. He surveyed the mess Judah was living in, discovered there was opposition, rebuilt the walls and gates around the city, and then he stayed another twelve years a Governor.
But it didn't take long for the supplies to run out. There was no timber, no gold, and no silver. Even worse, ...
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