Let All The Earth Keep Silence Before Him Text: Habakkuk 2:20 But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him. Introduction: Before I begin speaking about what this verse DOES say, let me remove from our minds what it is NOT saying. It is NOT saying that we are not permitted to utter a peep to God about anything, anytime, anywhere. It can t be that, for Scriptures galore find God urging us to speak with Him more in prayer. He never says, stop praying so much just the opposite, He spends so many admonitions encouraging us to not give up praying, and pray more and more, than we typically do. So, this verse is not saying that. Nor, is this verse saying when in church, be solemnly quiet. Though we do need to have goodly decorum and decency in church gatherings, that is not what this verse is promoting silent services. So, what is it saying? It is expressing a much needed mindset that mankind from the very beginning has wrestled to maintain. Actually, it was Eve who demonstrated it first, but there have been many daughters and sons of Eve since. Eve wanted equality with God. She wanted "God rights." She wanted to be in the know of everything. But, what she needed to do when tempted, was keep silent. Or if she spoke, to say Jehovah God reigns in majesty upon His throne, and I, His created one will keep silent before Him. Solomon understood it. He says it this way in the first 2 verses of Ecclesiastes 5 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words
be few. Solomon, with the extraordinary wisdom given him by God, says as Habakkuk says, never forget that God is in heaven, and we are on the earth, and so when coming to the house of God, where the law of God could be read by the priest, or as it is today, when we open our pages of Scripture or listen to a man proclaim the gospel to us, come with a humble attitude, ready to listen and learn, more than talk and debate. Many years ago there was a commercial on TV by the finance company EF Hutton. The setting would be some place where lots of people are speaking with one another, and two of them are speaking about finances, and in the conversation one of them comes to a place where he says, Well, my broker is EF Hutton. And the second he says that, immediately all the others around them in the room go completely silent, and look and lean towards them waiting to hear what EF Hutton says. The catch phrase was: When EF Hutton speaks, people listen. Well a million times over that ought to be our spirit. When God speaks, we need to shut up! Shut up and listen. Job understood it, but it was a tremendous struggle. When all the calamities befell him, basically overnight, and his life goes into the tank, which throws him into utter despair and dismay, Job holds up well and maintains his integrity, and does not charge God falsely but even he, righteous Job began to talk too much. Listen to this at the end of the book Then Job answered the LORD and said: I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge? Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me. I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself,
and repent in dust and ashes. (42:1-6) Though Job endured the tests of the devil and patiently and faithfully hung with God in a way so magnificent that it is maybe unmatched or at least unsurpassed by any other mortals, still it seems he felt he stepped over the line. And we see it in what God says when He speaks of of a whirlwind beginning in chapter 38 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. And then chapter 40:1-5 And the LORD said to Job: Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it. Then Job answered the LORD and said: Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth. I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but I will proceed no further. God never revealed to Job the behind the scenes accusations made by the devil and how that lead to his sufferings on earth. When God appears to him at the end, we might think, oh, now God will tell him but He doesn t. Instead for four chapters He puts Job back in his place and his friends, too after all this talking they have been engaged in as to what God is up to. And God does it by a lengthy treatise about God s supremacy, sovereignty and authority. Ok, let s go to another verse Romans 9:19 You will say to me then, Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will? So what kind of talking back to God are we talking about here? Well, I am not going to get into the context, but notice the questioning Why does God still find fault? This sounds a lot like the Job problem. Why is God doing this or that? Well, curious minds want to know, you
might say. But, curiosity sometimes does what? Kills the cat. Let s read on in Romans 9:20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, Why have you made me like this? Just who am I to raise such a question? This seems to be the problem. Second guessing the Lord about things. How can a loving God allow all the suffering in the world? God is in heaven and we are waaaaaaaay down there. We are not His counsellors, His advisers, His peers, etc. He doesn t need any assistants and He does not need anyone seeking to delve into matters not revealed. He once said, The secret things belong to God, but the things revealed are for you and your children. Speaking of needing an assistant A Sunday school teacher once said, Let s assume the distance between the earth and the sun (93 million miles) was reduced to the thickness of this sheet of paper. If that is the case, then the distance between the earth and the nearest star would be a stack of papers 70 feet high. And the diameter of the galaxy would be a stack of papers 310 miles high. The teacher added, The galaxy is just a speck of dust in the universe, yet Jesus holds the universe together by the word of his power. Finally, the teacher asked her students, Now, is this the kind of person you ask into your life to be your assistant? No! You ask Him to be in charge. Why would we in our puny strength want to run the show when we know Someone who has unlimited power? Let HIM run the show! Let God run your life. Then you will be able to enjoy it a whole lot more. On we go with Scripture I Cor. 2:11 For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. God says in Isaiah 55:8-9 that His thoughts and ways are not man s and not just by a little, but greatly higher and
different. We must be very careful filtering God through our human minds. Even our best and wisest judgment is no substitute for God's truth. In I Corinthians 1:25 we read The foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. Don t show ourselves fools by speaking beyond what is written. Even when it does not make human sense, believe it. By our much speaking, even about religious matters, we can quickly do more than be foolish, we can do evil and possibly condemn ourselves. Listen to these passages I Timothy 6:3-5 If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, 20-21 O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge, for by professing it some have swerved from the faith. Titus 3:9 But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. You see, this is not avoiding talk about the weather, but talk about God. Some talk ought to be avoided. Not only me saying, but me listening. We cannot see God nor can we know His will, except He reveals such to us. No Aristotle, no mountain top guru can possibly figure it out in a million years. It has never entered the hearts of man what God has prepared for us. We are COMPLETELY dependent upon Him revealing it to us otherwise we are hopelessly
lost. Let us return to I Cor. 2 again verse 9 But, as it is written, What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. And He takes it even further Get this He (God) has even chosen the vehicles of thought to convey to us whatever He chooses to impart to us, so that we are dependent on Him that way too. He has chosen JESUS to embody God on earth and in the pages of Scripture. And He has also chosen the words to convey that message of Jesus and any other message from heaven. The Holy Spirit would guide even the word selection to reveal Gods mind. Notice this in verse 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. And so with all this in mind, we hear Peter say this in I Peter 4:11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God. He says this is in order that God gets the credit, the glory for it, not man. But, it also in order that we do not end up fools, sinning and condemning us and anyone who hears us. I know that otherwise good people can become too smart for their own good.studying themselves right out of believing. So, let us be very careful. It is written. It is written. If that was Jesus, it ought to be me.many times more so and then some. In closing, Jesus once said, Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. 18:3-4). This sermon has been about that humble, like a little child, taking the word of our Father and keeping our opinions to the contrary to ourself. For the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.