It’s interesting that the Psalmist uses the violent aspects of nature to represent the voice of God – thunder, lightning, stormy seas, earthquakes, and tornados. Is there a subliminal message here?

The video link is here:

Psalm 29 – the Voice of God

The audio links are to the right… i.e. Spotify and iTunes

Here is the transcript for today’s podcast:

Psalm 29

What Happens in Heaven

1 Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings,
    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
    worship the Lord in the splendor of his[a] holiness.

The activity in Heaven reflects the true nature of our God – His glory, His strength, His splendor.

Stunned into Silence

Growing up in Alaska we were hunting without adult supervision by the time we were 12 or 13 years old. We were going out in boats alone by that age as well. I remember so well my bragging about what I would do if I saw a brown bear in the forest, and how confidently I would talk about navigating in the ocean with our small boat that we would go out in. All that braggadocio went out the window the first time I came face-to-face with a brown bear. All that confident talk went out the window the first time I had to navigate a 14 foot Boston Whaler through choppy and stormy waters by myself. After those experiences, I quit bragging.

Those are the thoughts I had while reading the following descriptions of the power and majesty of God. Using the forces of nature to describe and demonstrate what God is capable of, I was put into the mindset of seeing all those who make their brag about what they would do or say if they had a chance to talk to God. I began thinking about the coming judgement(s) of God and imagining people’s responses when God unleashes His power as described in this Psalm. I believe their responses to all of these manifestations of God’s power would be like my response the first time I was up close and personal to North America’s apex predator. I was in awe, I was terrified… and I was silenced.

This Psalm is a call to worship for God’s people, and the examples of God’s power mentioned here is fuel for our celebration of Him. Unbelievers are not mentioned in this poem, but that is where my thoughts took me as I read this. When God DOES finally judge our world and all those in it, I imagine the unbelievers being stunned into silence by what they will witness.

Oner last thought before I continue – the comparisons the Psalmist is making concerning God are violent and powerful acts of nature. Violence is very much within the capability of our God. As much as this is a Psal of praise, I believe it contains a warning as well to the enemies of God.

The Voice of the Lord

3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
    the God of glory thunders,
    the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.

As I mentioned, I have been in a boat on the Gulf of Alaska in stormy weather. Not fun. Stormy weather on the water can be very frightening. Thunder can be terrifying. I can see why God’s voice is compared to thunder.

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.

Thunder and wind. I have lived through a major Category 3 Hurricane. There has been no more helpless feeling for me than to be inside my house wondering if my house was strong enough to withstand the storm.

6 He makes Lebanon leap like a calf,
    Sirion[b] 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.

This is a perfect description of an earthquake. Making mountains “leap like a calf”, a desert being shaken – a horrifying picture. The problem with earthquakes is that unlike a storm where you can shelter yourself from that storm’s fury, in an earthquake there is no place to hide. The very earth underneath your house is shaking. 

9 The voice of the Lord twists the oaks[c]
    and strips the forests bare.

What force of nature i.e. God can twist an oak? Tornados most definitely can. I have also lived through a tornado that barreled towards our house, lifting at the last second just before hitting our home, with my family and myself in it. I cannot recall ever feeling more helpless in my life. That tornado literally twisted the trees in our vicinity like you would twist a piece of paper. There was a small grove of trees nearby that were totally denuded of their leaves, and the trunks of many of those trees twisted and broken.

The Lord Enthroned

And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
    the Lord is enthroned as King forever.

11 The Lord gives strength to his people;
    the Lord blesses his people with peace.

The Lord is supreme – He rules over all. All aspects of nature are reflections of His Nature and His voice. Just as His power will silence all who foolishly regard Him as their enemy, that same power is available for us to give us strength and grant us peace.

In His Grip,

Paige