Is God asleep?

Originally posted on December 03, 2006 – by Andre Piet

I received an email from someone that included the following:

Hello André,
I was in need of an edifying message and listened to “On the threshing floor.” I was not disappointed—I was encouraged—but I do have a small question. You mentioned in passing that God “sleeps” in regard to the world. I have some difficulty with this view, and it seems to me to be at odds with your overall perspective on Scripture.
(…)
Here in the Netherlands, we had the case of an 8-year-old boy who was murdered. I don’t know if the parents are believers, but let’s assume for a moment that they’re not. Is God “asleep” with regard to them? Or does God also have a plan for their lives, in which all things work together for good (even though such a situation is obviously very difficult to grasp)? And that ultimately, they too will be reconciled to God?

I hope my question is clear—or perhaps I misunderstood you.
Greetings from …

That’s it for now.
The question is perfectly clear to me. It’s possible that I expressed myself unclearly in the message. No problem—that now gives me the opportunity to clarify a few things.

In my message, I referred to the figure of Boaz, who, prior to redeeming the lost inheritance, went to the threshing floor to winnow and sleep. I related this to the Lord, who, on the eve of Israel’s redemption, will also winnow His people—that is, He will separate the chaff from the grain. Primarily, this refers to the people of Israel in the end time, but it applies just as well to what the Lord is doing today in the Ecclesia. He lifts us upward, and as we are directed heavenward, it is the Spirit (> wind) that blows away the chaff of the old life. That is the active involvement of the Lord in our lives.

With the world, on the other hand, the Lord is not currently involved—at least, not actively. The examples mentioned above, of what is happening in the world, only confirm this. The Lord does not intervene and apparently allows all the misery and injustice to continue unchecked. Every new edition of the newspaper bears witness to it.

Not without reason did Margriet Eshuijs sing, “God is asleep.” And that is more biblical than she likely ever realized. A few examples:

Psalm 7:6
Arise, YHWH, in Your anger,
Be exalted against the fury of my foes,
AWAKE for me! You have instructed judgment.

Psalm 35:23
AWAKE and ROUSE Yourself for my judgment,
For my contention, O my Elohim and my Lord.

Psalm 44:23
AWAKE! Why are You sleeping, O Lord?
AWAKE! …

Isaiah 51:9
AWAKE! AWAKE! Clothe Yourself with strength,
O arm of YHWH!
AWAKE as in the days of yore…

The time is near when the above (prophetic) words will be fulfilled. The Lord will awaken, rise from His sleep, and unmistakably act in this world and bring justice. Until that time, He has no direct, active involvement with this world.

However, the above in no way negates the equally biblical truth that God (behind the scenes) has everything perfectly under control. He is the God who, as Paul proclaimed on the Areopagus,…

“gives to ALL life and breath and EVERYTHING… For in Him we live and move and have our being.”
—Acts 17:25,28

So NOTHING, thank God, happens apart from Him. That God “sleeps” therefore expressly does not mean that He is unaware of what is happening in the world or that it falls outside His capacity or control.

Summary:
That God sleeps is a metaphor—just like it’s a metaphor when Scripture says God walks or that His arm is not too short. God’s sleep is a figure of speech for the fact that He does not intervene. Just as His future awakening symbolizes that He will intervene. But whether He intervenes or not, everything unfolds perfectly “according to the counsel of His will” (Eph. 1:11).
And that is a very comforting thought…

Delen: