Psalm 29
The Voice of the LORD
Little calms my soul more than standing on the beach in the heart of winter in front of the choppy seas. For when I stand there before the untamed power of nature, I am reminded how small I am. Often it helps to put in perspective the thoughts and concerns that swamp my mind.
But it also brings another question to the fore. “What is man that you are mindful of him?” I am so small compared to the vast seas and oceans before me. And God sits enthroned imperiously over them. Yet he cares for me.
This Psalm confronts us once more with the grandeur and glory of God. But David also comforts us with God’s gracious promise of peace.
A psalm of David.
1 Ascribe to the LORD, you heavenly beings,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due to his name;
worship the LORD in the splendour of his holiness.3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the LORD thunders over the mighty waters.
4 The voice of the LORD is powerful;
the voice of the LORD is majestic.
5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon leap like a calf,
Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the LORD strikes
with flashes of lightning.
8 The voice of the LORD shakes the desert;
the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the LORD twists the oaks
and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, ‘Glory!’10 The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;
the LORD is enthroned as King for ever.
11 The LORD gives strength to his people;
the LORD blesses his people with peace.
In this Psalm David looks back to the flood from the Noah story to remind all of us of the might and majesty of God.
There are two clues that suggest this. In v10, God rules over the ‘flood’. First, this is the only other place in the Hebrew Scriptures where that word for flood is used outside of Genesis 6-9. Second, the title of those this Psalm is directed towards is eerily similar in the original to that of Genesis 6.2. What this reminds us of is rebellion against God is not just among humanity but is found in the very courts of heaven (see Job 1-2 & Jude 6). The sons of God, these heavenly beings, are those who have turned their back on the true and living God, just like humanity has done and still does.
And so this is a call to acknowledge the splendour of God, bend the knee before his holiness and glorify him with our whole heart.
Three times we are bid by the King to ascribe. To ascribe is to say something belongs to another. This then is a summons to give to God what belongs to him. That is glory! For he is the thrice holy one and his throne room is filled with angels who exalt him and exult in his glory. The opening of this Psalm invites us to join with the song of the angels.
For remember what happened to the fallen angels and unrighteous humanity. They were those swept away by the raging waters. These waters are those that sit under the sovereign control of the God’s word.
Seven different times David writes of the voice of LORD and its awesome impact over the world. Seven is the biblical number of wholeness and fullness. This sevenfold repetition tells us that the voice of the LORD has total control over the world. It is unmatched and matchless.
Nothing can stand in the way of the LORD. Great and ancient trees bend and break before the breath of God. Nations of renown quiver and quaver before the voice of the LORD. The whole world, whether desert or ocean, shakes and shivers when God speaks.
Therefore, God is King over all things for all time.
There’s a famous story of Jesus sleeping (Mark 4.38). He slept as thunder crashed overhead and waves crashed into the boat where he laid his head. But his disciples did not sleep. They were cowed by the rising water and swells which pummelled the boat. The storm is described as great, the Greek word where we get mega from (4.37).
Jesus was woken and said “Peace, be still!” to these mega waves. And the whole scene was quieted in an instant. It was described as a mega calm (4.39). Here is the transforming power of Jesus’s words. And the disciples who had grown up with the stories of Noah, who regularly sang the words of Psalm 29 were in mega fear before Jesus (4.41). They knew only God was King over the waters, yet here Jesus just spoke a word and the sea was stilled at his command.
Jesus speaks with the authority, insight and power of God. It is by his word that all of creation is upheld and sustained (Hebrews 1.3). The disciples are in awe of him. He has a power that is unmatched and matchless. They will ultimately ascribe glory and strength to him. But there is something still more wonderful that Jesus does.
Christ’s first words to his disciples after his resurrection were, “Peace be with you” (John 20.21). The God who can silence the storm with a word is the same one who gives us peace through his word (v11).
Glory be to the Father, who sits enthroned as King over all, both now and forevermore.
Glory be to the Son, who sustained, sustains and will sustain all things by his powerful word.
Glory be to the Spirit, who speaks tender words of peace to our turbulent hearts.
Ever three and ever One.