The Lord’s Powerful Voice

29:1 Acknowledge the Lord, you heavenly beings, acknowledge the Lord’s majesty and power! 29:2 Acknowledge the majesty of the Lord’s reputation! Worship the Lord in holy attire! 29:3 The Lord’s shout is heard over the water; the majestic God thunders, the Lord appears over the surging water. 29:4 The Lord’s shout is powerful, the Lord’s shout is majestic. 29:5 The Lord’s shout breaks the cedars, the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon. 29:6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf and Sirion like a young ox. 29:7 The Lord’s shout strikes with flaming fire. 29:8 The Lord’s shout shakes the wilderness, the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. 29:9 The Lord’s shout bends the large trees and strips the leaves from the forests. Everyone in his temple says, “Majestic!” 29:10 The Lord sits enthroned over the engulfing waters, the Lord sits enthroned as the eternal king. 29:11 The Lord gives his people strength; the Lord grants his people security. Psalm 30 A psalm – a song used at the dedication of the temple; by David.

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible®, copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

Psalm 29 calls all worshipers to give the Lord his proper honor. His voice is like thunder over the waters, the mountains, and the forests. The same Lord who shows such great power also gives strength and peace to his people.

This psalm is a song of praise. It begins by calling the heavenly beings to give the Lord glory and worship him in holy splendor. Then it describes the Lord’s voice as strong and majestic. His voice is pictured as thunder that moves over the waters, breaks great cedars, shakes the wilderness, and strips the forests bare. The point is not only that nature is noisy. The point is that the Lord speaks with power, and creation obeys him. The psalm ends by saying that the Lord rules forever and gives strength and peace to his people. So the right response is reverent worship and confident trust in the Lord’s care.

• The Lord is worthy of glory and worship.
• God’s voice is powerful and majestic.
• The Lord rules over creation, not creation over the Lord.
• No earthly strength can stand against the Lord.
• The Lord is the eternal King.
• The Lord gives strength and peace to his people.

• Acknowledge the Lord’s majesty and power.
• Worship the Lord in holy attire.
• Do not treat the Lord as small or ordinary.
• The Lord’s voice shows his rule over all creation.
• The Lord gives strength to his people.
• The Lord grants peace and security to his people.

Psalm 29 shows the Lord as the true King over creation. His rule reaches over waters, mountains, and wilderness. In the wider Bible, this supports the hope that God’s kingly rule will bring ordered peace to his people.

We should worship God with reverence, not carelessness. His greatness should humble us. His care should also comfort us, because the one who rules the world gives strength and peace to his people.

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