The Righteous One’s adoration of the God of Glory, in the day of His storm
This is a majestic psalm. The majesty of princes is called to recognise a greater majesty. A storm is pictured sweeping from its usual compass point across the great sea, through Lebanon and whirling the wilderness sands of Kadesh. The crashing, resounding, terrible tempest is used as a similitude of the voice of God. Seven times the voice of God is referred to, and to what it can cause and what it does. He rules over the elements, rides upon the storm, He is King over all. He can speak in judgment, and that glorifies Him. But it is in His temple, the church, that His glory is seen, admired and confessed.
After the storm comes the calm, and so the psalm ends with the peace that passeth all understanding, gracing His people. It is only through Christ saying, “Peace be still,” that the waves obey, and their power abates and peace ensues.
Pastor Jeff O’ Neil
Recommended Tune: Milton
Psalm 29
¹Give ye unto the LORD, ye sons
That of the mighty be,
All strength and glory to the LORD
With cheerfulness give ye.
²Unto the LORD the glory give
That to his name is due;
And in the beautyof holiness
Unto JEHOVAH bow.
³The LORD’s voice on the waters is;
The God of majesty
Doth thunder, and on multitudes
Of waters sitteth he.
⁴A pow’rful voice it is that comes
Out from the LORD most high;
The voice of that great LORD is full
Of glorious majesty.
⁵The voice of the Eternal doth
Asunder cedars tear;
Yea, God the LORD doth cedars break
That Lebanon doth bear.
⁶He makes them like a calf to skip,
Ev’n that great Lebanon,
And, like to a young unicorn,
The mountain Sirion.
⁷God’s voice divides the flames of fire;
⁸The desert it doth shake:
The LORD doth make the wilderness
Of Kadesh all to quake.
⁹GOD’s voice doth make the hinds to calve,
It makes the forest bare:
And in his temple ev’ry one
His glory doth declare.
¹⁰The LORD sits on the floods; the LORD
Sits King, and ever shall.
¹¹The LORD will give his people strength,
And with peace bless them all.