Two Kinds of Silence – Psalm 39:1-3

Psalm 39:1-3 ¹ I said, “I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth while in the presence of the wicked.” ² So I remained utterly silent, not even saying anything good. But my anguish increased; ³ my heart grew hot within me. While I meditated, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue:

We all wish we could make some people just shut up. I know that probably sounds a bit harsh, but isn’t it the truth! Some people just don’t know when to keep it zipped. Their worlds flow like the trash trucks at a land fill, they never seem to stop coming and dumping.

We probably also know people who hardly ever say anything, even when we wish they would. Their silence enables bad things to continue to happen. They are caught in the uncertainty of what life would be if they did speak up. They might lose their home, relationships, income, security. The cost of saying something is just too great. So they remain silent.

Have you ever chosen to be silent on purpose? You held your tongue instead of letting it rip. You worked out what you wanted to say, but then you didn’t say it. Your silence was a choice. You weighed the consequences of saying something, even the truth, and the cost was too high.

The author of our Psalm today was in a situation where he had to make a choice. He chose to remain silent. We don’t really know exactly what his circumstances were, but some evil people were present. In that moment, he didn’t even say anything positive. Now that is a challenge for some of us, isn’t it! We always want to say something positive. Well, the psalmist didn’t!

But then something happened in him. The inner turmoil ramped up, rather than calming down. Even with the time he spent meditating on the Word, God’s presence, and the history he had had with the LORD, the turmoil increased. The fire burned, stoked by a cause we don’t know about.

The author’s first action was to say nothing, to remain silent. Probably a really good thing for most of us to emulate. He took time in God’s presence, also a really good thing for us to do. I can guess that he hoped this would help calm him down, put his heart, mind and spirit at ease. But the exact opposite happened.

The words he spoke are not what I expected. I expected him to rail against his enemies, the wickedness of those who were against him, or at his circumstances. But instead, the author looks realty straight in the face. He sees the shortness of life. He realizes that life is too precious to allow this fire burning inside of him to control him.

He also realizes that wealth isn’t permanent; we don’t take it with us. Wealth has not brought what was dreamed. Wealth brought no security. It too is fleeting.

Are you in a self-imposed period of silence? Are you choosing to not say something in hopes that it will go away? Or are you giving vent to the heat within? Maybe it is time to simply offer a plea for help from the One and only person who can help.