Psalms 29:4–5

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.