Psalm 29 is about a storm. It's a storm that started over the waters in the
Palm 29:1-2
A Psalm of David.
1 Give unto the LORD, O you mighty ones,
Give unto the LORD glory and strength.
2 Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name;
Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
The mighty ones mentioned here are angels. David is calling on them to give unto the Lord. This 'give unto the Lord' is to ascribe to Him all that is due the name of the Lord. He wanted the angels to testify of God's glory and strength. These angels were to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. The New American Standard bible says they were to worship in holy array. This is holy adornment, it's special attire for the worship of the Lord. These angels were to worship in Holy Array. We can only imagine what this array and adornment is for these angels.
The name of God deserves a response. That response is glory. The name of God is YHWH……. no man knows how that name is pronounced. It has been rendered Yahweh or Jehovah. For us the name of God is Jesus Christ. That name will always elicit a response. Many will respond by finding offense for the name of God. Others respond with indifference. For us in the church, our response is to call Him Lord. In time, every knee will bow to Him and do the same.
The very name of God is associated with glory and honor and praise. His name is due all these things because He is God, He is Lord. He is Holy, the creator and sustainer of everything.
Palm 29:3-4
3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
The God of glory thunders;
The LORD is over many waters.
4 The voice of the LORD is powerful;
The voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
David hears the voice of the Lord in this storm. He describes the voice of the Lord as full of majesty. It's powerful and over the many waters and thunders. When the Canaanite cultures heard the thunder and saw the rains come they gave honor to their gods. One of which was Baal, he was the god of rain and fertility. The Canaanites had gods of rain and gods of thunder. However, David said the Lord is over the waters and His glory resides in the thunder.
We know the voice of God can be heard in the still, small voice. His word and message is loud and clear in the gentle breeze. We might imagine this voice David speaks of as a booming and thunderous voice, but it really doesn't say that. When God speaks it is with full authority. When He speaks ……things happen…… things move…….the rains fall ….. the thunder claps.
Palm 29:5-7
5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars,
Yes, the LORD splinters the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes them also skip like a calf,
7 The voice of the LORD divides the flames of fire.
The cedars of Lebanon were these famous forests along the coast. It is where the Canaanite people believed their gods lived. They believed Baal and the others lived among the cedars of Lebanon. That makes it all the more meaningful when David said it is by God's command that these world famous trees are broken to splinters. These were amazing trees. If you wanted the best and the strongest construction material of that day, you got the cedars of Lebanon. Yet to the Lord, they are nothing. This place known as the residence of other gods the Living God brings to splinters. He breaks them and flattens them with a word. Not by the wind or fire or anything else. Simply by his word.
By his breath and his command, He moves the mighty cedars. To see this reminded David of a calf skipping. You can imagine the tops of the tall trees swaying in the wind. And then storm moves across the wilderness of
God's word also commands the flames of fire. To those pagans there was a god in charge of fire but David said the Lord God commanded the fire. There was no wild fire, it was commanded, divided, accelerated, stalled and extinguished by the very word of God.
Palm 29:8-9
8 The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness;
The LORD shakes the Wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth,
And strips the forests bare;
And in His temple everyone says, "Glory!"
These pictures that play out in our mind almost seem epic. And they are epic. When the voice of the Lord is heard it is bigger than life. For God to speak and shake the wilderness is nothing. This awesome storm that is driven by the voice of the Lord causes such a great fear the deer give birth prematurely. The storm of the Lord causes the leaves to be stripped off the trees. This is the perfect storm. It is the voice of the Lord. All this happens by his voice and at His command and the angels in His temple proclaim …. Glory!
Palm 29:10-11
10 The LORD sat enthroned at the Flood,
And the LORD sits as King forever.
11 The LORD will give strength to His people;
The LORD will bless His people with peace.
He is the Lord God. He is the king of kings and Lord of Lords. The pagans could attest power and strength to their puny gods of wind and rain but the Lord God, Jesus Christ, sits as King forever. It was He who sat on the throne during the flood of Noah and it is Him who sits on the throne during the storm or David's day. God is sovereign. We should sing praise and glory to his name. He is the God of all the storms. He is Lord over every circumstance.
It's no coincident that the phrase 'voice of the Lord' shows up seven times in this passage. Seven is God's perfect number, it is completeness. It goes with the perfect will of God revealed by His voice. The voice of God speaks truth into our life. For us this mostly happens through His Holy Word. The words of this book have that same power that David spoke of. We imagine it loud and booming. Yet we see it sitting quietly on a page until we read it, then things happen, strongholds are broken, hearts are healed, relationships are restored, addictions disappear. The word of God is living and active and sharper than a two edged sword.
The voice of God changes lives and it's our job to give Him all the praise. As the angels are clothed in Holy Array, we are clothed in Christ. We put on His righteousness. That is our holy array. And as we stand clothed in His righteousness we praise Him and we give Him Honor and glory that is due at the sound of His name.
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