Psalms 29:3–10

In Psalm 29 we read of the God of glory, the only place in the Old Testament that uses that title. It appears in verse 3, and verse 9 says that in His temple everyone speaks of His glory. God has brought a company into that glory with understanding, able to discern it and respond to it.

The power of His voice celebrates Jehovah's Name in full (vv. 3-9): 'El' supreme, in the strength of holiness, over every opposing power. So glory is the one universal keynote of praise in His Temple.

Thunder is God's voice in judgment, the expression of His authority in it (1 Sam. 7:10; Ps. 18:13; Job 26:14).

The greatness of Jehovah's power as the deliverer of His people, in line with the judgment that is written, is the leading topic of this Psalm. The imagery is Jewish throughout. The cedars seem to stand for the princes, and the great waters for the peoples. The day that will burn like an oven will break their strength and make their numbers few. "The voice of Jehovah" is the great theme of the Psalm. In Scripture this expression often shows the ruling power of Christ, whose name is the Word of God (Isa. 30:30-31; Ps. 2:6; Joel 3:16, etc.; cp. Rev. 19:13).

In the millennial age God's voice will sound with no uncertain note "over the waters" (v. 3). The surging might of the ocean's waves will be no match for the overpowering voice of God. The waters stand for "peoples and multitudes and nations and languages" (Rev. 17:15). The voice of the Son of God will subdue them all, and as the God of glory He will speak like thunder. While on earth, He did not need to speak like thunder to subdue the raging sea. He said with calm simplicity, "Peace! Be still!" (Mk. 4:39), and there was a great calm. But the nations of earth will need a voice of thunder before they are ready to listen to the Lord Jesus.

Psalm 29 summons the mighty to hear the mightier voice of Jehovah. They are to own Him and worship before Him according to the holy order of His house. The psalm celebrates the power of His voice in all creation. But there is a place of worship with understanding, where His glory is known — His temple, where men are to come. This Jehovah is above the proud raging of the surges of created strength. He sits as King for ever, above it all and in spite of it all. And He, this mighty Jehovah, will give strength to His people and bless them with peace.

The awesome thunderings are indeed God's voice to men, calling on them to listen to Him. But if we are to understand God's will, and to discern His glory, we must know what it is to be found in the secret of His presence.

This is a celebration of the power of "the voice of the Lord," who is also "the God of glory."… Think of Noah in the ark while the waters rose. Think of Lot in Zoar while fire poured down on Sodom. Think of Israel behind their Passover doors while the angel went through Egypt with the sword. So the remnant will rest in their rooms in a coming day (Isa. 26:20). They will have a song too, while the decreed vengeance takes its course (Isa. 30:32), and not a hair of theirs will perish.

Psalm 29 summons the mighty to hear the mightier voice of the LORD. It calls them to own Him and to worship before Him according to the holy order of His house, celebrating the power of His voice in all creation. But there is a place of understanding worship, where His glory is known — His temple, where people are to come. And this LORD is above the proud raging of the surges of created strength. He sits King for ever above it all, and despite it all. And He, this mighty LORD, will give strength to His people and bless them with peace. It is a positive encouragement for the faithful. It is not their complaint or appeal. It is a testimony to encourage their hearts in the presence of the mighty. He who cares for them is mightier than they.

The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; the God of glory has thundered; the LORD is upon many waters. The voice of the LORD is in strength, the voice of the LORD is in majesty. (Note: the Hebrew gives the definite article here.)

Thunder is God's voice in judgment, the expression of His authority in it.

The waters symbolize "peoples, multitudes, nations and tongues" (Rev. 17:15). The voice of the Son of God will subdue them all. As the God of glory, He will speak like thunder. While on earth, He did not need to speak like thunder to subdue the raging sea, but said with calm simplicity, "Peace! Be still!" (Mk. 4:39), and there was a great calm. But the nations of earth will need a voice of thunder before they are ready to listen to the Lord Jesus. He will make them feel how powerless they are. For His voice is powerful and full of majesty, and all creation will then see it proved.

That voice shakes the wilderness of Kadesh and bows the everlasting hills. It showed a still mightier force in the days of the despised Messiah's patience. At the command of the gracious healer of His people, the demons came out unwilling — and He spoke no louder than any other man. The grave of Lazarus gave back its rotting occupant at the voice of Jesus... The raging tempests fell into a peaceful calm when Jesus spoke His will to them. But far mightier than all these was this: that voice could speak into the souls of wretched sinners the divine assurance of forgiveness and of life.

This is a celebration of the power of "the voice of the LORD," who is also "the God of glory." The last verses let us see the rest of the faithful and hear their joys. Meanwhile this power passes by to destroy the ungodly. The faithful remnant will rest, like Noah in the ark while the waters rose. They will rest like Lot in the town of Zoar while fire fell on Sodom, and like Israel behind their Passover doors while the angel went through Egypt with the sword.

This great and overwhelming judgment of the day of the Lord comes before us as a picture: a storm sweeping through the land of Israel from north to south. It shows us the unstoppable power of the Lord in judgment. We hear the voice of the Lord in the roar of the waters and the thunder of the waves. The storm breaks on the shore. It bursts in full fury on the mountains of Lebanon and Hermon, breaking the mighty cedars in pieces. Behind these destructive forces of nature is the mighty power of God that will overwhelm the nations in the coming storm of judgment.

In Scripture the cedar always stands for power or exaltation, if not pride. When the king of Israel wanted to pour contempt on the king of Judah, he compared himself to a cedar and Judah's king to a thistle (2 Kings 14:9). The Psalmist uses it to express the prosperity of the righteous, "He shall grow as the cedar in Lebanon" (Ps. 92:12). When judgment comes upon the great of the earth, the prophet Isaiah says it is the day of Jehovah upon the cedars of Lebanon (2:13). These mark the cedar as the symbol of dignity and power.

Then the crash comes. The cedars of Lebanon stand for created greatness at its full height, and they take the force of the blow. The storm shatters them and breaks them down. So the prophet announces the coming day of the Lord (Isa. 2:11-14): the proud looks of man will be humbled, the arrogance of men will be brought low, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. The day of the Lord of hosts will come against everyone who is proud and lofty, against everyone who is lifted up, and against all the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up... The trees represent the individual rulers of the earth.

The cedar is a majestic tree. It speaks of the elite of mankind in their proud exaltation. But the Lord by His voice breaks them down, and He will humble all the pride of man in the same way. Verse 6 shows that the Lord has not been speaking of the literal cedars in verse 5, because He makes them "skip like a calf." This shows that man's pride will give way to a willing response to the sovereign work of God.

And how tender and sweet is the voice of Jesus, the Son of God! Long ago, the voice of Jehovah in unstoppable might broke down even the cedars of Lebanon (Ps. 29:5). At Sinai that voice made men shudder with fear and dread.

What force was there in the words, "Follow Me"? None. And yet, despite himself, he rose up and followed Jesus... What mighty power was detaching Levi from everything he had in the world? It was the voice of the Lord that breaks the cedars. Do you know such a moment? We should never have been at the feet of Jesus if the Lord had not drawn us.

Psalm 29 summons the mighty to hear the mightier voice of Jehovah, to own Him and worship before Him according to the holy order of His house... But this Jehovah is above the proud raging of the waves of created strength. He sits as King forever, above it all and despite it all. And He, this mighty Jehovah, will give strength to His people and bless them with peace... The One who cares for them is mightier than they are.

A great mountain on the north-east border of Palestine. It forms the highest part of the Anti-Lebanon range. Its highest peak is 9,200 feet above the sea, and is almost always covered with snow. The Sidonians called it SIRION (Deuteronomy 3:9; Psalm 29:6), and the Amorites called it SHENIR.

The Hebrew word is reem. The Authorized Version translated it "unicorn," but nothing in Scripture suggests the animal had only one horn... Its great strength and wildness are its main features: it cannot be used for farm work, as a tame ox can... It is most probably a species of wild ox.

This is no exaggeration, and it is not untrue to nature. Nor are we to think of an earthquake, which would bring in a different element from the one we are dealing with. This is no common storm. The hills themselves tremble and start like a frightened animal before Jehovah. The governments of the earth seem to be in view here, while the trees stand for the individual rulers: all that is most stable quakes.

The psalm pictures this great and overwhelming judgment of the day of the Lord as a storm that sweeps through the land of Israel from north to south. It brings before us the irresistible power of the Lord in judgment. We hear the voice of the Lord in the roar of the waters and the thunder of the waves. The storm breaks on the shore and bursts in all its fury on the mountains of Lebanon and Hermon, breaking the mighty cedars in pieces.

Verse 6 shows that the Lord has not been speaking of the literal cedars in verse 5. He makes them "skip like a calf," which shows that man's pride will give way to a willing response to the sovereign work of God. Lebanon and Sirion will also come under God's gracious and powerful dealings, and will respond as a young wild ox. They lie outside the bounds of Israel, and so are spoken of as "wild."

The next verse shows the limit of the storm. It comes from the north of the land of Israel, from Lebanon and Hermon (Sirion), and sweeps past the territory of Judah in the south, dying away in the wilderness of Kadesh-barnea, where the people wandered so long after the exodus... The course of the storm is the course of the invasion of Israel's foes in the last days. God uses the enemy as His rod in a correction that works repentance. Then He comes Himself to deliver them. It is the "great and terrible day of the Lord," but it ends in refreshment, revival, and eternal salvation.

The closing verses give the blessed result for those who have been into the temple and worshipped the Lord in the beauty of holiness. They realize that whatever the storms of this world, the Lord is above them. However great the might of the mighty ones, the Lord is mightier. They may be mighty for a time; Jehovah is "King for ever."

This psalm pictures the day of the Lord, when He will show Himself in wrath and in mercy, as a rushing thunderstorm... The fury of the storm breaks the mighty cedars of Lebanon. Those cedars stand for the high and exalted things that will be broken to pieces in that day... He shows Himself with flames of fire, the lightning of His righteousness, which brings in His glorious reign.

Thunder is rare in Palestine, and Scripture treats it as the voice of God in power, both in the Old Testament of the past and in the Revelation of the future... In Psalm 78:48, which recounts the plagues of Egypt, hot thunderbolts consume the flocks. The word is resheph, and is also translated 'coals,' 'burning coals,' 'burning heat.' It surely means lightning, as when the 'fire of God' fell from heaven and burned up Job's sheep. Job 1:16.

"The voice of the Lord divides the flames of fire" (v. 7). He knows exactly how to bring His fiery judgments on each object of judgment so that they fit its condition. His judgment separates one case from another. He sees clearly what measure of judgment each one calls for.

"The voice of Jehovah" is the main theme of this Psalm. In Scripture the phrase often stands for the ruling power of Christ, whose name is the Word of God (Isaiah 30:30-31; Psalm 2:6; compare Revelation 19:13).

That voice shakes the wilderness of Kadesh and bows the everlasting hills. It showed even greater force in the days when the despised Messiah waited in patience. The demons cried out in dread and came out against their will at the command of the gracious healer of His people, and He spoke no louder than any other man. The grave of Lazarus gave back its rotting occupant at the voice of Jesus... But mightier far than all these things was the power of that voice to speak into the souls of wretched sinners the divine assurance of forgiveness and of life.

This psalm celebrates the power of "the voice of the Lord," who is also "the God of glory." (See v. 3) The last verses let us see the rest of the faithful and hear their joy, while this power passes by to destroy the wicked. Noah was in the ark while the waters rose. Lot was in Zoar while the fire fell on Sodom. Israel stayed behind their doors at Passover while the angel went through Egypt with the sword. In the same way the faithful remnant will one day rest in their rooms (Isaiah 26:20) and sing, while the appointed vengeance runs its course (Isaiah 30:32), and not a hair of theirs will perish.

Psalm 29 calls the mighty to hear the mightier voice of Jehovah, to acknowledge Him and worship before Him according to the holy order of His house... But this Jehovah is above the proud raging waves of created strength. He sits as King for ever, above it all and despite it all. And He, this mighty Jehovah, will give strength to His people and bless them with peace. This is real encouragement for the faithful. It is not their complaint or their appeal. It is a testimony to strengthen their hearts in the presence of the mighty. The One who cares for them is mightier than they are.

The psalm pictures this great and overwhelming judgment of the day of the Lord as a storm sweeping through the land of Israel from north to south. It sets before us the unstoppable power of the Lord in judgment. We hear the voice of the Lord in the roar of the waters and the thunder of the waves. The storm breaks on the shore and hits the mountains of Lebanon and Hermon with full force, smashing the mighty cedars... Behind these destructive forces of nature is the mighty power of God, who will overwhelm the nations in the coming storm of judgment.

The name Kadesh means "apartness." But you may cut yourself off from everyone, even in a lonely, deserted wilderness, and you will still not escape the judgment of God in the coming day. Some may claim to be "neutral," but God will show that no one is neutral. People are either for Him or against Him. The voice of the Lord will shake them in that day.

It was one of the stopping places of the Israelites. They stayed there a long time, and from there the twelve spies were sent into the land. At the end of the thirty-eight years of wandering they came back to Kadesh, and Miriam died and was buried there. It was here also that Moses struck the rock when the people complained for water... We know it lay in the far south of the land.

The cedars seem to stand for the princes and the great waters for the peoples. In the day that will burn like an oven, the strength of the princes will be broken and the crowds of the peoples reduced to few. "The voice of Jehovah" is the great theme of the psalm, and in Scripture that phrase often shows the ruling power of Christ, whose name is the Word of God (Isa. 30:30-31; Ps. 2:6; Joel 3:16, etc.; cp. Rev. 19:13).

That voice shakes the wilderness of Kadesh and makes the everlasting hills bow. Yet it showed even greater force in the days when the despised Messiah waited patiently. At the command of the gracious healer of His people, the demons came out against their will, crying out in dread, though He spoke no louder than any other man. At the voice of Jesus, the grave of Lazarus gave back its decaying occupant... But far mightier than all of this was the power of that voice to speak into the souls of wretched sinners God's own assurance of forgiveness and life.

This psalm celebrates the power of "the voice of the Lord," who is also "the God of glory." The last verses let us see the rest and hear the joy of the faithful, while that power passes by to destroy the wicked. Noah sat in the ark while the waters rose. Lot sat in Zoar while fire fell on Sodom. Israel sat behind their Passover doors while the angel went through Egypt with the sword. In the same way the remnant will one day rest in their own rooms (Isa. 26:20), and have a song as well, while the sentence of vengeance runs its course.

But then comes a beautiful addition: "The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth" (v. 9). The same voice that judges the wicked has power to give life to the deer. By implication it gives life to every soul who submits to His sovereign government. Besides this His voice "strips the forests bare." Does this not remind us that "all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account" (Heb. 4:13)? When someone is born again, he welcomes this exposure to the eyes of God. Such stripping is not so welcome to the unbeliever. It may seem strange that this is added: "in His temple all cry, 'Glory!'" But when our hearts are truly laid open before God, we will so value the holiness of His presence — His sanctuary — that we will respond with glad rejoicing, glorifying the One whose voice does such great things.

The final verse gives us the end in two ways. First, the deer is made to give birth: the new birth comes for the nation, hastened by that terrible visitation which God uses to bring blessing. On the other hand, the forests are stripped, and that is the work of judgment itself. So the work of Him who is perfect in it all has two sides. And in His temple — the place where He is seen and known — "all of it" proclaims His "glory." I do not think that means the temple itself or the people in it, which would not fit the line of truth here; it is all His work itself that proclaims His glory. This is the perfect end of all.

The earth will still be shaking with shocks of upheaval, which both the Old and New Testaments assure us will come. God will use these shocks to make the frightened deer give birth (Ps. 29:9) — the nation of Israel born spiritually in this way, as in one day (Isa. 66:8).

Psalm 29 calls the mighty to hear the mightier voice of Jehovah, to own Him and to worship before Him according to the holy order of His house. It celebrates the power of His voice in all creation. But there is a place of intelligent worship where His glory is understood — His temple, where men are to come.

The centre is His temple, for there "doth everyone speak of His glory" — "in His temple doth everyone say Glory!" (N. Tr.). In His temple there is no discordant note; the praise is universal and forever.

he ministered unto the Lord in the presence of Eli. Though himself but a child, he ministered to the Lord — a little Levite indeed, serving Jehovah as best his infant years permitted, caring for the things about "the tent of testimony," the holy vessels and utensils, all of which were intended to express God's glory under various figures. (See Ps. 29:9, marg.)

Only those who know the presence of the Lord can understand how His glory shows in all His works. The awesome thunder really is God's voice to people, calling them to listen to Him. But if we are to understand God's will and to discern His glory, we must know what it means to be found in the secret of His presence.

The "flood" (mabbul) is a word used in Scripture only for what destroyed the world in Noah's day. It does not follow that the direct application is to that, and yet the reference must not be brushed aside. Here is now a second Flood, of which that old flood was in fact a type. Another world has now come to an end, and a wholly new state of things follows. At this flood too Jehovah has sat enthroned; and Jehovah now sits (openly) as King forever.

Jehovah sits on the floods, is above them, and rules to His own purposes all the tumultuous movements of the mass of peoples. He sits too as King forever. As He is above the swellings of men, so He sits in sure, unmoved government forever. But then there is the connection with His people. He gives them strength; He blesses them with peace. Verse 10 is the possession of power over all and in Himself; verse 11 is what He is for the people.

The majesty and dignity of the Lord is now emphasized, His sitting enthroned at the Flood. He was in perfect control of the flood of Noah's day. In the same way, He will sit enthroned when the awesome flood of God's judgment sweeps over the whole earth at the time of the Great Tribulation (v. 10). He will sit as King forever, subduing everything before His face.

The storm is past. The Lord has come. The judgment flood is gone. Jehovah has now taken His throne. He is King and blesses His people with peace. The name of Jehovah is found eighteen times in this Psalm, and this Jehovah is our ever-blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

The last verses show us the rest of the faithful and let us hear their joys, while this power passes by to destroy the ungodly. Noah was in the ark while the waters were spreading. Lot was in Zoar while fire fell on Sodom. Israel stayed behind their Passover doors while the angel went through Egypt with the sword. In the same way, the faithful remnant will soon rest in their rooms (Isa. 26:20). They will have a song as well, while the appointed vengeance takes its course (Isa. 30:32), and not a hair will perish.

The God whom He served was behind every circumstance. He sat above the water-flood and put a strong bridle on the mouth of the storm. It could not rage beyond His permission. His love would keep His loved One in all His ways, and the ever-blessed and completely dependent Jesus rested there. And, Christian, He gives that pillow to you, so that you may find rest in the middle of trouble.