HEBREW WORD STUDY – SILENCE – DAMAM – דמם  Daleth Mem Mem

Leviticus 10:3: “Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.”

In Leviticus 10 we have the story of the inauguration of the tabernacle. This was a joyous time and the people had waited seven days for the Lord to appear in the tabernacle.  This would be the sign that the Lord had forgiven them for the sin of the golden calf.  On the eighth day the Lord appeared and the High Priest Aaron brought a sacrifice.  His two sons, Nadav and Avihu followed carrying the incense and were struck dead by the fire of God for having presented “strange fire” to God.   In a previous study I talked about the reasons for the death of Nadav and Avihu so I will not go into that issue.  However, when Moses explained to Aaron the father of these two men why these deaths occurred Scripture tells us that Aaron remained silent.  This would have been a great shock to this father to see his two sons slaughtered right before his very eyes and then when Moses seemingly gave his callus response that this was done to sanctify and glorify God, Scripture says that Aaron remained silent.

For one thing Moses’ response was not callus.  He was speaking direct words for God Jehovah who was explaining why He took the sons of Aaron. Aaron remained silent. He did not cry out in grief, he did not argue with God he said nothing, he “held his peace.”

“Held his peace” in Hebrew is yidom which is in a simple Qal verbal form.  The word comes from the root word damam and as a Qal it simply means to remain silent, still or to grow mute.  Had it been in a Piel form then we would render it as being stunned or in a state of shock.  Yet, in a Qal form he simply remained silent before God allowing God to comfort him.  

I recently watched a movie where a young man’s brother died suddenly.  The brother who passed was an orthodox rabbi and the surviving brother was a non-religious Jew.  After the burial service everyone returned to the home of the immediately family where all the guest just sat quietly, not saying anything to the brother or his mother. The brother whispered to his mother; “What? Are they just going to sit and stare at us this whole time?” Being non-religious the brother did not realize that the mourners were practicing silence before the grieved. 

I recall at the wake of my parents who passed away four months apart how mourners were coming by very awkwardly trying to express their condolences. It was very unnerving for me so during my mother’s wake I just played the organ.  I took seven years of piano lessons that my parents really sacrificed to pay for and I never was very good at playing the instrument. I had no sense of rhythm.  But it was my way of paying tribute to my mother who was probably the only one who appreciated my playing. I played all her favorite songs, Gospel songs and hymns, quite badly at that and I am sure I made many of the visitors cringe but they said nothing as they knew this was my way of paying tribute to my mother.  But I did it for another reason as well, I  just could not stand around and have people walk up to me trying to be mournful and say all those gad awful words like, “So sorry,”  “I am sure she is better off.”  Etc. 

All of us at one time or another will be attending a funeral for a close family member and many of us, perhaps most of us sort of cringe at the thought of people having come up to us and struggle trying to say the right words when there are really no right words to say.  The only words that are right are those that come from God.  I often wonder why we Christians cannot learn silence like the Jews do. Why are we so uncomfortable with silence?  The mourners know they are there to comfort us and they want to show their love and friendship by comforting us so they feel they have to say something. It is so challenging to say the right thing so we offer simple mandatory scripted words. Everyone mourns in their own different way. Some need to be busy, some need to be alone, some need to just be surrounded by those who love them.   We learn in silence.  Silence allows us to hear profound messages. Silence gives us time to consider what the person who has just lost a loved one really needs. It is in silence that we can hear the voice of God.

Have you ever attended a prayer meeting where every prays as led and there is that dead silence.  All of a sudden everyone becomes uncomfortable and finally someone stands up to break the silence and you can almost feel that sense of relief at the sound of some noise.  Do you ever try to pray and you just can’t think of anything to say?  Then there is that silence and you feel uncomfortable and quickly end your prayer time or fill it with a lot of Praise you Lords.  Yet, it is that period of silence when you can hear God’s voice. Sometimes we don’t hear God’s voice because we have to keep talking and poor God can’t get a word in edge wise. 

My parents were married 67 years and rarely spent a day apart. In their later years they would love to just sit out on the porch together. They usually said nothing to each other but if one went into the house, the other also followed. Sometimes silence can be the greatest communicator.  Just being in the presence of that other person is all the communication that is needed. Silence before God may be the most appropriate time for God to speak to us.   You wonder how the great saints could spend all night in prayer?  They might not have been saying anything most of the night, they might have just been on their knees before God listening for His voice, enjoying His presence as God enjoyed their presence and saying nothing.  

Prayer is not like your first date where you felt someone had to be talking and silence was most feared. We treat silence like a sewer that needs to be clogged.  There is something flowing in silence. When Aaron was silent before God there was something flowing into him from God. When you go before God you don’t have to say anything. Just rest in his presence, let Him enjoy your full attention and presence as you enjoy just being before Him.  He has no other place to go, His place is by your side and He is in no rush, so why should you be. Speak only when you feel like it.

If you don’t sense God speaking to  you don’t panic and think you have to say something.  Perhaps, like my parents, just sitting on the porch alone with each other saying nothing but just enjoying being with someone you love is all the communication you need. More is accomplished in silence that in a lot of empty words.

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