People of Israel,
you come from Jacob’s family
and the tribe of Judah.
You claim to worship me,
the LORD God of Israel,
but you are lying.
You call Jerusalem your home
and say you depend on me,
the LORD All-Powerful,
the God of Israel.
Long ago I announced
what was going to be,
then without warning,
I made it happen.
I knew you were stubborn
and hardheaded.
And I told you these things,
so that when they happened
you would not say,
“The idols we worship did this.” (Isaiah 48:1-5)

God adds a thousand words to every picture he paints. If God did not speak, there would be no certainty regarding God’s actions. When God performed his great miracles, rescuing Israel from Egypt, bringing them manna, conquering the Promised Land, or finally, bringing judgment on his people and taking them away to captivity in Mesopotamia, the events alone were not enough to explain what was going on. If God had remained silent, if he had not given his words to his prophets, then his people would have been able to explain away everything that happened.

God’s prophets were like the gift card on a bunch of roses received by an unfaithful wife. She wanted to believe it was her lover who had been so thoughtful. But when she opened the card, it told her they had come from her husband.

Because God spoke, the people were not able to argue that it was some other gods that were responsible. When their crops came in and they had plenty, they had to turn away from God’s words if they wanted to ascribe their blessings to their idols.

God is not silent. He has not left us without a witness. He has explained what he is doing.

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