Today's Reading: Deuteronomy 27

 

On This Day: Silence

This day is a special day in the history of Israel.  Today is a day of preparation.  They are on the edge of the Promised land and “the game is on.”  Soon, they will close the chapter on their wilderness wanderings and begin a new chapter in their history.  Soon, the desert wilderness will be...

behind them.  Soon, they will cross over the Jordan River.  Soon, they will begin to take possession of the land God had promised them.  Are they ready?

It is time to prepare the people to “get in the game.”  Moses and the leaders of Israel gather the people together for a pre-game strategy session and pep talk.  They remind them of the many responsibilities they will have as they enter the Promised Land.  This day the Lord commands you to keep His statues and rules.  Today, you must walk in His ways and obey His voice.  Remember you are a people for His treasured possession, so you must keep all His commandments.  You shall be a people holy to the LORD your God.  When God gives you the victory, you must remember Him and make offerings and tithes to Him.  You must erect altars and stones of remembrance in His honor.  Oh, what a day!

Of utmost importance on this day is the LORD’s instruction here in Chapter 27, that they “keep silence and hear.”  This is a solemn moment.  This moment demands their silence.  It is a time to be quiet and listen to the voice of the LORD their God.  Solemn moments require silent reflection.  Yes, it’s time to rejoice in their upcoming victories, but first - on this day: SILENCE.

But why silence?  Simply put, you can’t obey God if you are not silent to listen to Him.  The people of God need to quiet all other voices and listen to God, alone. One of Scripture’s most beautiful paradoxes is that blocking out the world around us can cause us to hear clearly from the Spirit of God. We honor God when we are are in awe of him and simply sit before Him in silence. It is here that our souls are refreshed and we receive new power for moving forward.  It is here that we are reminded that we belong to Him and that He is on our side.  It is here that our anxiety about moving into the next chapter turns into His calming peace.

In preparation for the “big game,” the one thing the people needed most was to “Keep silence and hear.”  Are you moving into new territory in your walk with the Lord?  If so, I exhort you to “keep silence and hear” before you even think of moving forward.