The Silence of Murder: The Crime of Saying Nothing

by Douglas Lay February 7, 2026

More murders occur not by the sword—but by Silence.

Silence covers up the bodies;

Silence masks the anger;

Silence avoids the chaos;

Silence protects the reputation;

Silence harms the victims;

Silence encourages the corruption;

Silence runs from the light—

Yet, one day, as it was on the first day, the Silence will be silenced by the Voice.

On the First Day,

The Voice pierced the silence of darkness —

         Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3, ESV)

The Voice ruled over the silence of lies —

You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,  but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.   (Genesis 2:16-17, ESV)

The Voice broke the silence of loneliness—

Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”        (Genesis 1:28, ESV)

The Voice confronted the silence of shame —

 “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9, ESV)

The Voice disrupted the silence of comfort --

I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;

in pain you shall bring forth children.

cursed is the ground because of you;

in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;

The Voice punished the silence of injustice —

 “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—"  

therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. (Genesis 3:22-23, ESV)

The Voice exposed the silence of murder —

What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. (Genesis 4:10-11, ESV)

 And On the Last Day,

The Voice will permenatly silence the Silent--

By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.

But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life. (Revelation 21:27, ESV)