Psalm 83:1 The Petition for God to Move

PSALM 83:1

The Petition for God to Move

(Psalm 83:1) “KEEP not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.”

Beginning at a proper context, this is “A Song or Psalm of Asaph.” Asaph is mentioned in 29 verses in Scripture and is apparent he was the chief singer of The Levites who ministered daily before the ark of The Lord. His specific title was given in various forms: “the recorder”, listed among “the singers”, “the chief”, “prophesy with harps”, “the seer”, and “chief of the singers” (2 Kings 18:18, 1 Chronicles 15:19, 1 Chronicles 16:5, 1 Chronicles 25:1, 2 Chronicles 29:30, Nehemiah 12:46). You will find Asaph in the headings of Psalm 50 and 73-83. Asaph’s job was essential to the spiritual state of Israel. The songs were prophetic and petitioned for the presence of The Holy Spirit among the people. He saw God move in the Davidic reign of Israel. The Psalms and hymns of Israel were prophetic in many instances and petitioned diverse prayers in the form of song.

Now, we know that Mosaic reference is throughout The Scripture. The deliverance of Israel from the bondage of Egypt was a loud and visual presentation unto the people of God’s salvation. The most prosperous times of Israel was when they were revisiting the victories God gave them and testimonies of His faithfulness. Let us look at the three petitions given in the verse before us. 1.) “KEEP not thou silence”. 2.) “hold not thy peace”. 3.) “be not still”. The word peace in this passage is “chârash”. This is a verb and is used in various applications. It is essentially to plough and devise; in other words, to cultivate. What is so interesting about these three petitions to Jehovah in this Psalm is how it parallels with Exodus 14:13-14. Moses is of course inwardly crying to God at the extreme circumstances they are facing (v. 15). However, verses 13-14 read the following, “And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.” Notice Moses’ command to the children of Israel. That they should “stand still” and “hold your peace.” In other words, to not move and not speak. The children of Israel knew the significance of the phrase to “stand still.” The words “Be still, and know that I am God:” find themselves with the Psalms of Israel. (Psalm 46:10a)

Examine for a moment the results of these two realities:

1.) Mankind standing still- What would take place if mankind were at a standstill? What if we spent an entire day not moving or not speaking? Would the universe collapse if our abilities were not exercised? Would the sun refrain from shining if we did not exercise our intelligence? Would the earth still rotate on its axis? Would the wind still blow? We of course can ruin and help with the meniscal ability we have. However, the universe is not fringed on the power of humanity.

2.) God standing still- Now we know that God is omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent. Let us transition the dependence of earth’s sustaining, humanity’s existence, the sun, and the universe to God. Could any of these things exist and persist without His Word and eternal power? No! For we are all dependent upon The Creator and He is dependent upon no one or no thing.

Since it is impossible for God’s power to not always be in full measure of existence. Furthermore, that His Person is always in sovereign authority. What does Psalm 83:1 mean? It is the petition for God’s power to manifest itself to the petitioner and the situation that is being delivered to His throne! Rather than silence, God speak! Rather than withholding His divine aid from us, to “hold not thy peace” and have His perfect work done before us. Rather than His presence be in the realm of Heaven alone, for Him to move among us and fill the temple with smoke. It is the prayer of Elijah as he prayed God would send fire from heaven in more than one occasion. It is the prayer of David as he stood before the Philistine giant. It is the prayer of Hezekiah in a broken spirit as he petitioned for God to move against their blasphemous adversaries and demonstrate His great power against 185,000 Syrians. God, please move!

Friend, it glorifies God for a needy and lowly servant to petition for His Majestic Power to move in their life. The idea of us standing still is not that of immobile Christians who refrain from obedient service. However, it is refusing to walk in the flesh and as a necessity to walk in The Spirit trusting that God will move. It is not rushing to a job. It is asking God to provide the right placement for you. It is not jumping into a role of ministry. It is asking God to move in your heart and show clearly in His Word what you must do. It is not cramming Christianity down someone’s throat. It is asking God to move in their heart and convict them of their sin. It is not protesting and rioting against our nation’s leaders. It is crying out that God would have mercy on us and move in our government. It is asking for The Creator of the universe to reach down from Heaven, put on full display His Sovereign authority and work in what we as feeble vessels cannot control. It is the petition of “God please move!”

Sources Cited

The Holy Bible Authorized King James Version. R.L. Allan & Son Publishers.