Worship in WORD
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Psalm 29 A
psalm of David.
29 Ascribe to the Lord, O mighty
ones,
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 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 skip 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
forever.
11 The Lord gives strength to
his people;
the Lord blesses his people with
peace.
NIV (’84)
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Psalm 29 A psalm of David.
29 1 Honor the Lord, you
heavenly beings;
honor the Lord for his glory and
strength.
2 Honor the Lord for the glory
of his name.
Worship the Lord in the splendor
of his holiness.
3 The voice of the Lord echoes
above the sea.
The God of glory thunders.
The Lord thunders over the
mighty sea.
4 The voice of the Lord is
powerful;
the voice of the Lord is
majestic.
5 The voice of the Lord splits
the mighty cedars;
the Lord shatters the cedars of
Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon's mountains
skip like a calf;
he makes Mount Hermon leap like
a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord strikes
with bolts of lightning.
8 The voice of the Lord makes
the barren wilderness quake;
the Lord shakes the wilderness
of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord twists
mighty oaks
and strips the forests bare.
In his Temple everyone shouts,
"Glory!"
10 The Lord rules over the
floodwaters.
The Lord reigns as king forever.
11 The Lord gives his people
strength.
The Lord blesses them with
peace.
, New Living Translation ®,
copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of
Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved_.
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Psalm 29 A Psalm of David.
29 Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto
the LORD glory and strength.
2 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his
name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
3 The voice of the LORD is upon the waters:
the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters.
4 The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice
of the LORD is full of majesty.
5 The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars;
yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He maketh them also to skip like a calf;
Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.
7 The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of
fire.
8 The voice of the LORD shaketh the
wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to
calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of
his glory.
10 The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, the
LORD sitteth King for ever.
11 The LORD will give strength unto his
people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.
KJV
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Psalm 29 Ascribe to the Lord Glory
A
Psalm of David.
29 Ascribe to the Lord, O 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 holiness.
3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord, over many waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf,
and Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
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 all cry, "Glory!"
10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
11 May the Lord give strength to his people!
May the Lord bless his people with peace!
ESV
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I. Splendor – vv. 1-2
II. Storm – vv. 3-9
III. Sovereignty – v. 10
IV. Stillness – v. 11
STORM:
The blue canvas is being covered with dark foreboding
colors. Ominous storm clouds blacken the sky and block the golden orb that once
lit the azure firmament. Below the waves from the restless sea fomented by the
rising wind, mercilessly toss a sailing vessel that has been haplessly caught
in its breakers. In the distance, the Cyprus trees that dress the mountains in
a green and brown garment thrash to-and-fro and some begin to splinter, and
some are stripped of needle and limb. The desert quakes as lightning leaps from
the sands to clash with the arcs that flash from the thunderclouds. A
frightened, expectant deer gives birth prematurely amidst the tumult and
twisted foliage, and the heavens declare the glory of God. Torrents of rain
deluge the earth as the swollen clouds burst and flood the land.
Such is the picture painted before us of this tremendous
storm that David witnesses, but in the Spirit, he saw the more profound meaning
and heard in the thunder and wind, and saw in the lightning and waves, the powerful
voice and activity of God. He understood that this was a demonstration of the
Lord’s holiness, majesty, power, and glory to both the mighty in heaven and
earth. He not only saw and heard, but he also understood its more profound
meaning in relation to the surrounding nations and his own nation Israel.
Some commenting on Psalm 29, say that David was taking a
backhanded slap at the surrounding nation’s gods.
The Bible knowledge Commentary speaks affirmingly of this
being the purpose of the psalm:
Ps 29 is a polemic against pagan beliefs in false gods who were credited with being responsible for storms.(from Bible Knowledge Commentary/Old Testament Copyright © 1983, 2000 Cook Communications Ministries; Bible Knowledge Commentary/New Testament Copyright © 1983, 2000 Cook Communications Ministries. All rights reserved.)
The
Expositor’s Bible Commentary expands upon this thought, though it ends on a
more reserved note:
The glory of God rests on all his creation: sky, sea, land, and wilderness. The psalmist reflects on the thunderstorm as a powerful illustration of the majesty and power of the God of Israel. The glorious God (El) manifests his glory and strength even in a thunderstorm at sea. The region of the sea was considered by the Canaanites to be the battleground between Yam, the god of the sea and of chaos, and Baal, the god of fertility and thunderstorms. El, the chief of the Canaanite pantheon, was the benign father of the gods. The direct reference to Yahweh as the glorious El may contain a polemic allusion to the superiority of Yahweh over Baal.VanGemeren, W. A. (1991). Psalms. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (Vol. 5, p. 255). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.
The IVP O.T. Background Commentary sees the illusion to Baal
but views this as a means to direct the reader to the proper object of their
praise rather than a polemic against false deities:
It is possible that the psalmist is using this psalm to attach to Yahweh many of the Baal functions but not to argue against Baal so much as to elevate Yahweh and proclaim his glory. On the other hand, it would present no problem if the psalmist did choose to pattern his composition after a Canaanite original so that praise was transferred from Baal to Yahweh.
(from IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament, Copyright © 2000 by John H. Wal-ton, Victor H. Matthews and Mark W. Chavalas. Published by InterVarsity Press. All rights reserved.)
Knowing the pagan religious beliefs that ruled the other
nations, I do not see why all the reasons given above are not in play here. The
LORD is the true God. He is higher than all the false gods of the nations.
Understanding the lure of these false gods on the people of Israel, he presents
the holy, transcendent, mighty, and majestic God who rules over all of
creation. Why worship these inferior gods? Why seek these lesser losers for
protection and favor? Furthermore, if the LORD God is superior to these false
deities, then He is also mightier than the nations that surround them. This is
the God to whom they should give praise!
I have already spent time discussing the mighty in verses 1
and 2. For the sake of argument, let us agree that the most likely audience is
the heavenly host that surround the throne of God and worship Him. The storm
was not only a message to the nations but the residents in heaven. Some crass
person might accuse God of showing off to the angelic citizens of heaven. To
this, I must respond as the Apostle Paul would have if someone had accused God
of such a thing:
mh\ ge/noito – “May it never be! (NASB); Not at all! (NIV); Of course not! (NLT); Absolutely not! (CSB); God forbid! (KJV).
God is no more a show-off than He is reckless
with His love. No, but it is to elicit worship and increase the joy of those
who gathered around the throne of God. I also have a sneaking suspicion that
God too was reminding them that their power was derived by the endowment of
strength from God Himself, but for Him, it is inherent. He really doesn’t need
them to accomplish His will, but He has created them for His glory and praise
(v. 9), and to serve the saints (see Heb. 1:14) thereby experiencing joy in His goodness,
beauty, and grace.
To the people of God, He promises strength and
peace. As I read this Psalm, I kept thinking that verse 11 referred to the end
of the storm when calm would ensue. However, as I read a particular commentary,
it dawned on me that this is not necessarily so. In fact, there is no mention
of a cessation of the storm. Therefore, the promises of verse 11 are “strength”
and “peace” amid the storm. To me, that is a more powerful message.
Here is what that commentary said:
[The LORD will give strength unto his people] This is a practical application of the sentiments of the psalm, or a conclusion which is fairly to be derived from the main thought in the psalm. The idea is, that the God who presides over the tempest and the storm, the God who has such power, and can produce such effects, is abundantly able to uphold His people, and to defend them. In other words, the application of such amazing power will be to protect His people and to save them from danger. When we look on the rolling clouds in the tempest, when we hear the roaring of the thunder, and see the flashing of the lightning, when we hear the oak crash on the hills, and see the waves piled mountains high, if we feel that God presides over all and that He controls all this with infinite ease, assuredly we have no occasion to doubt that He can protect us; no reason to fear that His strength cannot support us.[The LORD will bless his people with peace] They have nothing to fear in the tempest and storm; nothing to fear from anything. He will bless them with peace IN the tempest; He will bless them with peace through that power by which He controls the tempest. Let them, therefore, not fear in the storm, however fiercely it may rage; let them not be afraid in any of the troubles and trials of life. IN the storm, and IN those troubles and trials, he can make the mind calm; BEYOND those storms and those troubles he can give them eternal peace in a world where no "angry tempest blows."
(from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database Copyright © 1997-2014 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
Give praise to the Lord of
might
Honor to Him, let all render
Holiness is a beautiful sight
Let us bless the God of splendor
He reigns over heaven and earth
Over the gale and the calm
Brings death and new birth
And holds His saints in His
palm
Majestic and Holy King of the
ages
Sovereign Ruler over all
Now Your enemy rages
Tomorrow on his knees he will
fall
Worship in Witness:
One thing that l think is
lacking in many of these commentaries is the mention of the Divine purpose for
this Psalm. What do I mean by this? All emphasize David’s reason in writing the
Psalm. Even I am guilty of this. However, when we read the Psalm, there is not
one personal reference made by David to himself. David begins with an
exhortation (Ascribe!) and follows with an exemplification (the storm) and
concludes with words of encouragement (strength and peace). The focus of the
whole Psalm is on God and His power and provision, and I believe we can speak
of David’s motives but even more so of the Divine purpose behind the Psalm. The
LORD is the director, actor, and scriptwriter of this three-act play. David is
merely sharing the script with us.
Worship
in Song: Praise You in the Storm by Casting Crowns
I was sure by now, God You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away,
Stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say amen
That it's still raining
As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
I'm with you
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
The God who gives and takes away
And I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
That You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
I remember when I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry You raised me up again
My strength is almost gone how can I carry on
If I can't find You
As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
I'm with you
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
The God who gives and takes away
And I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
That You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The maker of heaven and earth
I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The maker of heaven and earth
And I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
That You are who you are
No matter where I am
And every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
Written by: Mark Hall, Bernie Herms
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc., ESSENTIAL MUSIC
PUBLISHING, CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP, BMG Rights Management
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
"Praise You in This Storm Lyrics." Lyrics.com.
STANDS4 LLC, 2019. Web. 23 Aug. 2019.
<https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/8310622/Casting+Crowns>.
(Editing Note: capitalization added to personal pronouns “You”
and “Your” when referring to God)
Here is a link to a powerful video of
Psalm 29: https://youtu.be/d0QC-DaR1NE
