Psalm 44:23—Does God sleep?

Problem: According to Psalm 121:4, God shall “neither slumber nor sleep.” Yet, in this verse the psalmist calls on God, “Awake! Why do You sleep, O Lord?”

Solution: The psalmist uses “sleep” as a figure of speech referring to the fact that God had deferred judgment, showing at that moment no signs of activity (cf. Ps. 44:9–10).

This excerpt is from When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1992). © 2014 Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Click here to purchase this book.