Psalm 29:3a, 4, 8a (NKJV)
The voice of the Lord is over the waters; The God of glory thunders; The voice of the Lord is powerful; The voice of the Lord is full of majesty; The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
What kind of sound stops you in your tracks? Is it the crack of thunder nearby? The wail of sirens as emergency vehicles rush to the scene? The scream of a child in intense pain? The crunch of twisting metal when a car crash occurs? Whatever the case may be, there are certain sounds that arrest our attention and bring about an immediate and intense response. Such is the case when the sounds of God’s power are encountered by mankind and angels alike.
Psalm 29 is about one thing and one thing only: Giving the God of the Universe the glory and honor and praise his awesome power requires of His creation. When his power and might are accurately recognized, the only possible response is to humbly worship Him. Isaiah encountered that same might when he was allowed to experience a vision of God’s throne room…and it left him utterly undone. In the face of God’s majesty, he was confronted with his total lack of worthiness. This psalm, with its repetition of “The voice of the Lord…the voice of the Lord…the voice of the Lord,” is relentless in driving home the awesome power and holiness of that voice and of its owner. There is simply nothing else that compares.
God’s “voice” thunders over the waters. His voice shatters trees and lays forests bare. It causes earthquakes and shoots forth flame (likely intended to be lightning). This is not the “still, small voice” of 1 Kings 19:12. There is nothing comforting or comfortable about this aspect of God’s voice. Here, instead, is a God whose very voice is laced with all the terrifying power of an enormous thunderstorm, a massive earthquake, or a land-covering tsunami. This is a voice able to rip creation apart, just as it brought creation into being.
When you were a child, there was a version of your mom or dad’s voice that, when uttered or shouted, stopped you in your tracks and created in you a deep sense of fear and weakness. Perhaps it was used in conjunction with them saying your full name. I remember that voice clearly – it happened to belong to my dad – because it accurately represented the authority behind it. He was in charge and I was not. He made the rules and I was called to follow them. He brought about judgment and I was the recipient. Sadly, sometimes an earthly voice has more authority in our life than God’s Heavenly Voice. That should never be the case.
In the end, and only for His children, the Lord’s voice is not about fear or dread or judgment…but about comfort and peace and joy. Verse 11 is the calm that occurs after the storm has passed or the earthquake has subsided. “The Lord will give strength to His people; The Lord will bless His people with peace.” Charles Spurgeon, with respect to this final verse of Psalm 29, asked of all Christ’s followers: “Why are we weak when we have divine strength to flee to? Why are we troubled when the Lord’s own peace is ours? Jesus the mighty God is our peace–what a blessing is this today! What a blessing it will be to us in that day of the Lord which will be in darkness and not light to the ungodly! Dear reader, is not this a noble Psalm to be sung in stormy weather? Can you sing amid the thunder? Will you be able to sing when the last thunders are let loose, and Jesus judges the quick and dead? If you are a believer, the last verse is your heritage, and surely that will set you singing.”
Oh, what a heritage we have!
