Advent is one of the best reminders that God keeps His Word – it instills His promises within and wants to let us know how to pray and trust. Mary guarded and treasured what God put there. Luke 2: 19.
After I had prepared the message for tonight, God took the scope out and highlighted only one of the previously prepared portions. He wants us to focus on that. It is silence. Larry Hagman, the late T.V. star, never spoke on Sundays to save his voice, which he felt would save his career.
Starts with silence at the throne
In this Psalm of David it is written to the choir director. It is a song. It begins with silence. It may serve us to come before God with our mouths closed and ears open. The word “silence” in the Hebrew is “dumiyyah” It means “silence, a quiet waiting, repose”. It comes from the word “dumah”, meaning “a silence” in the feminine voice (if silence is in the feminine here, you know it is a miracle). Inside the Hebrew word is the word “dumb”. It does not mean stupid. It means “lack of speech, sound” – Psalm 39: 2. Though this portion states there is praise (the Hebrew word “tehillah” – notice the word “hill” in it. Praise is seeing and placing God on the hill of His Holiness), it still means to approach in a quiet, respectful pose, awaiting the sound of the Master and His direction. This prayer is directed towards God – the divine name of Elohim, The God of Creation.
His glory and power in witness brings silence
Jesus put the Sadducees to silence in Matthew 22:34. They do not believe in the resurrection, so they are like the atheists epithet: “All dressed up and no place to go”. This is reason they are “sad, u see”. In the days of Acts of The Holy Spirit 15: 7-12; 21:40; 22: 2 the multitudes would hush. One instance Peter stands up and declares that faith is equal for Jews and Gentiles, and that the Law cannot do the work of Grace. Another time Paul defends his voice when he speaks in Hebrew to them. When we are silent before The Lord and hear from Him, He affords the opportunities in witness where listeners will surrender their words.
It ends with silence at the throne – Revelation 8: 1
There is silence in heaven for half an hour. Can you imagine heaven where there is praise continually, becoming silent? This occurs after the 7th seal was opened, which relates to the 7 trumpets of verse 2, the 7 angels that are preparing to send forth the messages of judgment. The word “silence” in the Greek is “sige” meaning “a hush, command of silence”. It is the calm before the storm, like the trees which get still before a tornado.
Then another angel stands at the altar. He has the golden censer, with incense and adds to the original incense the prayers of all the saints upon the altar – verse 3. These combined prayers ascend together before the face of God, having left the hand of the angel. Remember that prayers that are God-breathed are kept before the face of God until the need is met, so they are not dumped somewhere in heaven and never seen again. The incense of prayer goes up to God and the fire on the altar goes down to the earth in judgement. The 7 angels sounding the trumpets take this time to prepare themselves. Silence should help us prepare to listen better and be more receptive to what God is going to do.
Silence does serve a purpose. First, it helps us to quit talking and hearing ourselves and instead, to hear God. It helps us to prepare ourself for His purpose, and any duration of silence is God telling us to get ready – I’m getting ready to speak.