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"The Voice of the Lord
   in the Storm"

Psalm 29

Good News Translation (GNT)

"Hebrew Title:

 A psalm by David."

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  1  Praise the Lord, you heavenly beings; praise
   his glory and power.
  2  Praise the Lord's glorious name; bow down
   before the Holy One when he appears. (b)
  3  The voice of the Lord is heard on the seas;
   the glorious God thunders, and his voice
   echoes over the ocean.
  4  The voice of the Lord is heard in all its might
   and majesty.
  5  The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars, even
   the cedars of Lebanon.
  6  He makes the mountains of Lebanon jump
   like calves and makes Mount Hermon leap
   like a young bull.
  7  The voice of the Lord makes the lightning
   flash.
  8  His voice makes the desert shake; he shakes
   the desert of Kadesh.
  9  The Lord's voice shakes the oaks (c) and
   strips the leaves from the trees while everyone
   in his Temple shouts, "Glory to God!"
10  The Lord rules over the deep waters; he rules
   as king forever.
11  The Lord gives strength to his people and
   blesses them with peace.

   Footnotes
   Psalm 29:2 when he appears;
   or
   in garments of worship;
   or
   in his beautiful Temple.

   Psalm 29:9 Probable text
   shakes the oaks;
   Hebrew
   makes the deer give birth.

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Commentary taken from 'word-on-the-web'
supplied by Scripture Union

'The Voice of the Lord in the Storm'

In the introduction the 'heavenly beings' are urged to recognise the Lord's 'glory': i.e. who God has revealed himself to be.(vs 1,2)

In the body of the psalm, God is revealed by means of a storm which appears from the Mediterranean Sea in the west ('the mighty waters', v3 NIV).(vs 3-9 )

It proves more powerful than the most majestic trees (vs 5,9) and moves eastward to the desert of Kadesh, causing even the earth itself to shake (vs 6,8).

This demonstration of God's awesome power should provoke an appropriately humble response in both angels and humans.

However, we may find it difficult to equate the voice of the Lord with the sound of thunder, being only too aware of the destruction and suffering caused by extreme weather.

Three observations may help. First, the language of the psalms is poetic rather than literal and we are not to suppose that thunder is literally the Lord's voice.

Second, it is clear from Elijah's experience that the sound of the storm is not always the voice of the Lord (1 Kings 19:11-13).

Third, 'raw, untamed power' is only one aspect of the Lord's glory and needs to be held alongside other attributes also described in the psalms, such as his love, mercy and faithfulness.

In fact, these relational aspects are touched on in the concluding verses of this psalm.

In verses 10 and 11, God's people are reassured that he reigns supreme over the destructive forces of nature and that, as the violence of the storm gives way to the stillness which follows, the Lord's purpose for his people is that we should experience his peace.

Other versions are available here

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