"Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: 'Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?'" (Job 38:1-2)

January 14, 2026

Dear friends,

These days I've grown more prone to having migraines, and so I have come to cherish quietness. Quiet mornings with coffee, music on a low volume, calm conversations with periods of silence. I never thought I'd like the idea of "sound cancellation." O blessed silence.

We live in a very loud society. Sometimes I can identify a song in a car two cars behind me at a light. OK, slight exaggeration, but not too much.

And news and social media. Everyone seems to have an opinion, held loudly. Whether it's about Minneapolis, Venezuela, Greenland, Gaza, ICE, DEI, trans athletes, Epstein, stolen elections, stolen land, AI, MAGA, MAHA, and everything in between, we have an opinion. A loud opinion. Everyone seems very angry. James wrote, "Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God." (James 1:19-20)

God spoke to Job after many chapters of Job and his friends going back and forth about his innocence or guilt, exhausting all their shared wisdom. They seemed to be getting increasingly angry, until God showed up and said, "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?" (38:1-2) Full stop. Job was righteous, but perhaps feeling a bit too righteous, and he was unaware of all that he did not know. He was unaware of his limitations. God gave him a breathtaking panorama of Job's vast ignorance. Humbled, he said (probably very softly), “Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth." (Job 40:4)

Blessed silence. Would we learn from him, and sometimes just put our hands over our mouths.

In our rush to judgment on our society we pronounce curses on all who are not of our tribe.

We are often told that silence is complicity. That to be silent about issues is to be complicit with injustice. So we speak out on injustice, which just happens (often, not always) to be people who don't agree with us. Even when we don't know any particulars, or facts, or maybe we just have some cell phone footage, we make a judgment call. Or maybe that orange-haired man had something to do with it, so it must be bad. Or that pink-haired strange woman had something to with it, so it must be bad.

Solomon says that there is "...a time to keep silence, and a time to speak..." (Ecclesiastes 3:7) We should speak... if we have all the facts. If we are called upon to be a witness, a witness to something we know (emphasis on know) something to be a fact, or have seen with our own eyes, we should indeed speak out and act in defense of justice. If not, we may be in danger of being a false witness.

Through the years I have been involved in mediations between people, where outsiders have lined up in heated support of each side, convinced they knew who was guilty and who was in the right, when I knew (as counselor or mediator) that those outside did not have all the facts. They thought it was a slam dunk in favor of their side, and it wasn't. I've seen it on jury duty, as well. And marriage counseling. In so many things in life we just don't have all the facts. Most of us rely on others' third- and fourth-hand reports, hot-takes, and popular influencers.

We get swept up in an uprising of emotion and rage and fist-pumping. We tend to look at groups or classes or races of people -- whether white or black or indigenous or Somali -- and impute guilt or victimhood upon any individual within those groups. We can't make judgments from appearance or group identity to individual guilt or innocence.

What we forget in our rush to speak out in judgment: there is One who knows all the facts and who will bring retribution and vengeance in his appointed time: "Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly." (Deuteronomy 32:35-36) This may come about through God's use of human means (in his time) or at his final judgment. Secular people don't believe that, and sadly, many Christians don't seem to believe it either.

Here's what I've come to believe. That God is Creator and Judge. That he has sent his Son into the world. And, "he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” (Acts 17:31) He died on the cross for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) For every person Christ will be either Savior or Judge. This I'm sure of. This I will not be silent about!

But there is a host of other issues in our world and in our society that I may not speak on until I hear and gather enough facts to know enough to say something useful. Silence is not complicity if our silence is used for listening, fact-gathering, growing in wisdom, waiting on the Lord, practicing discretion, and even letting others dig their own holes to fall into. Silence is affirming our limitation and our trust in God's sovereignty.

Finally, here's a passage to ponder in this loud and crazy time: "Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.' To the contrary, 'if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:17-21)

That's it for this week!

Sandy

Afterwords is an occasional newsletter on topics of interest to me (Sandy Young) since my retirement from full-time pastoral ministry. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.