Human Silence: Let All the Earth Be Silent

According to Ross W. Muir in Canadian Mennonite: “Silence was a part of biblical worship and was held in high esteem by the early church. . . . Silence needs desperately to be recovered in our worship services if the words that are spoken and sung are to have any depth or ring of truth to them, in the same way that lament needs to be recovered in order to make our praises more honest and less hollow.”

Today’s verse and especially the phrase “Let all the earth be silent before him” is often used in calls to worship (v. 20). But what exactly does it mean? Here the silence that is called for indicates finality. God’s presence is the absolute reality, the bottom line of everything that exists—as opposed to the fakeness and unreality of idols (vv. 18–19). Given the fact that “the Lord is in his holy temple,” nothing else needs to be said. Silence is the best, most reverent, most worshipful response. As one translation renders it, “The whole earth is speechless in his presence!”

If words are needed, God will speak them! When “the Lord is in his holy temple,” a time of judgment has arrived (Ps. 11:4–7; cf. Zech. 2:13). Justice will be done; righteousness will have the victory. Zephaniah, too, invited his listeners: “Be silent before the Sovereign Lord, for the day of the Lord is near” (Zeph. 1:7). To recover silence in worship, then, is to focus on the Lord’s justice, righteousness, judgment, and sovereignty. We are to bear witness, hope in, submit to, and worship these attributes and actions of God.

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus,” the hymn says. “Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”

Pray With Us

As we continue to pray for the Facilities team, please add to your list Nathan Detwiler and Ryan Yoder in Exterior Maintenance. Ask for God’s grace and protection as they work on landscaping in all seasons and every weather in Chicago.

BY Brad Baurain

Dr. Bradley Baurain is Professor and Program Head of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) at Moody Bible Institute. Bradley has the unique privilege of holding a degree from four different universities (including Moody). He is the author of On Waiting Well. Bradley taught in China, Vietnam, the United States, and Canada. Bradley and his wife, Julia, have four children and reside in Northwest Indiana.