Psalm 29
The Great Men Humbled by the Voice of the Lord
The Great Men Humbled by the Voice of the Lord
Psalm 29. This is a Psalm of David, and it is a proclamation of the strength and majesty of Jehovah as far greater than the greatest men of the earth. These thoughts are intended to be an encouragement to the faithful. The voice of the Lord is pictured as a storm striking the earth. Prophetically this looks forward to the appearing of Christ, when His voice, pictured in Rev. 19:25 as “a sharp sword” that goes “out of his mouth”, destroys His enemies, particularly the Western powers.
PSALM 29
A Psalm of David.
1 Give unto Jehovah, ye sons of the mighty ones, give unto Jehovah glory and strength;
2 Give unto Jehovah the glory of his name; worship Jehovah in holy splendour.
vv.1-2 The mighty called on to give glory to Jehovah. The call is to the “sons of the mighty ones”, which would be the great men of the earth; the kings, presidents, financial superpowers, stars of the entertainment world, etc. These ones are called to give glory to the Lord, and to worship Him “in holy splendour”.
3 The voice of Jehovah is upon the waters: the GOD of glory thundereth, — Jehovah upon great waters.
4 The voice of Jehovah is powerful; the voice of Jehovah is full of majesty.
5 The voice of Jehovah breaketh cedars; yea, Jehovah breaketh the cedars of Lebanon:
6 And he maketh them to skip like a calf, Lebanon and Sirion like a young buffalo.
7 The voice of Jehovah cleaveth out flames of fire.
8 The voice of Jehovah shaketh the wilderness; Jehovah shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of Jehovah maketh the hinds to calve, and layeth bare the forests; and in his temple doth every one say, Glory!
vv.3-9 The voice of Jehovah. The psalmist expounds on the voice of Jehovah. The voice of deity is always connected with power (Gen. 1:3; Psa. 33:9; John 5:25). These verses describe the power of Jehovah as a great storm that gathers strength over the ocean, then comes over the land wreaking devastation and shooting out lightning, shaking the ground and changing the course of nature. In v.3 we have the voice of Jehovah thundering out across the oceans, a picture of His glory being manifest to the whole earth (Hab. 2:14). In v.4 we find that the voice of Jehovah is not only powerful, but “full of majesty”. In vv.5-6 we have the voice of Jehovah breaking the cedars, those majestic symbols of strength. The upright cedars represent man in his pride and arrogance, but brought low by the voice of Jehovah. In v.7 the voice of Jehovah is pictured as cutting with a flame (possibly lightning), which is an apt picture of judgment. In v.8 the voice of Jehovah is shaking the wilderness (perhaps with thunder, following the lightning), and even the distant refuge of man is proven to be under the power of Jehovah (Heb. 12:27; Isa. 2:12-13, 19). In v.9 the voice of Jehovah even has power over nature, to make the deer give birth, or lay bare the forests. This brings us into the Millennium when the temple will be full of His people saying “Glory!”.
10 Jehovah sitteth upon the flood; yea, Jehovah sitteth as king for ever.
11 Jehovah will give strength unto his people; Jehovah will bless his people with peace.
vv.10-11 The reign of Jehovah. The throne of the Lord is pictured as “upon the flood”; the power of water being the greatest power on earth. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; “Jehovah sitteth as king for ever”. But toward His people, Jehovah will give strength and peace. This will be fulfilled in the Millennium (Isa. 32), but it is intended to encourage the remnant before that day, and give them peace even in times of trial.