1 Peter 2:15-16 English Standard Version (ESV)

¹⁵ For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. ¹⁶ Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servantsof God.

The KJV uses may rather than should in verse 15. Having recently written about the uses of may and might in translations I felt compelled to check out the Greek here. I was very surprised to discover a phrase and not just a word.

Phimoō means to close the mouth with a muzzle. My understanding is that we are not allowed to place a muzzle on another person’s animal. Since my understanding is limited in this meaning I must seek answers from my Lord.

There was no social media in the first century and it is not fair to compare what we see these days with what was being said back then. Mean spirited and hateful people don’t just shut up. Those that answer to another authority will not be muzzled. They however are not foolish.

Aphrōn is the Greek word used for foolish and it means without reason. The hateful, spiteful and mean spirited have reason to respond as they do. The foolish do not. It is the foolish who are muzzled.

1 Corinthians 1:27 English Standard Version (ESV) But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;

The foolish, without reason, without cause, can be used of God by giving them something the hateful, spiteful and mean spirited refuse. A reason to seek God, His salvation and a hope for a life without bitterness and harsh words.

Isaiah 1:16-20 English Standard Version (ESV)

16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
    remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;
cease to do evil,
17     learn to do good;
seek justice,
    correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless,
    plead the widow’s cause.

18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
    they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
    they shall become like wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient,
    you shall eat the good of the land;
20 but if you refuse and rebel,
    you shall be eaten by the sword;
    for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

God is speaking to Israel as a nation not to individuals. Verse 9 speaks to a remnant of survivors who have not given themselves over to the evil perpetrated by the majority. For their sake He has not destroyed Israel like Sodom and Gomorrah. How many that might be we do not know.

I cannot help but think about God’s willingness to reason with that nation, a national discourse. He invites them to reason together after they turn from their evil ways and do those thing laid out in verses 16 and 17.

How much of this example points the finger at any nation in rebellion against God? Perhaps to all that have a remnant of the faithful. This begs me to ask what of the remnant? What are they to do?

Verse 27 “Zion shall be redeemed by justice, and those in her who repent, by righteousness.” (ESV)

No matter how bad it gets God continues to speak redemption by justice and repentance. He speaks hope to the remnant that are faithful to speak of justice and repentance.

Speak hope as long as there is hope.