Psalm 29

Ascribe to the Lord Glory

A Psalm of David.

29   Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings,
    ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
  Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
    worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.
  The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
    the God of glory thunders,
    the LORD, over many waters.
  The voice of the LORD is powerful;
    the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
  The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
    the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
  He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf,
    and Sirion like a young wild ox.
  The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire.
  The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness;
    the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
  The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth
    and strips the forests bare,
    and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”
  The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;
    the LORD sits enthroned as king forever.
  May the LORD give strength to his people!
    May the LORD bless his people with peace!

(ESV)

Psalm 29 Commentary

by Brad Boyles

In Canaanite poetry, it was believed that Baal was the god of the storm who controlled the thunderous claps of the sky. It was also believed that Baal was victorious over the waters of the sea. Here, the psalmist writes of God’s sovereignty over all of nature’s rumblings. The storms of the sky, the roar of the sea, the crashing of the forest, and the sandstorm in the desert all give glory to God. It is by His voice He commands nature to obey.

This “debate” over who controls all of creation was settled with Elijah and the prophets of Baal.

The LORD sent fire down, and it burned up the sacrifice, the wood, and the stones, scorched the earth and dried up the water in the trench. 39 When the people saw this, they threw themselves on the ground and exclaimed, “The LORD is God; the LORD alone is God!”

1 Kings 18:38-39 GNB

Soon after, God sent a rainstorm.

In a little while the sky was covered with dark clouds, the wind began to blow, and a heavy rain began to fall. Ahab got in his chariot and started back to Jezreel.

1 Kings 18:45 GNB

Ironically, it would be in the storm that Elijah searched for God after the “storms of life” had rocked his world.

“Go out and stand before me on top of the mountain,” the LORD said to him. Then the LORD passed by and sent a furious wind that split the hills and shattered the rocks—but the LORD was not in the wind. The wind stopped blowing, and then there was an earthquake—but the LORD was not in the earthquake.

12 After the earthquake there was a fire—but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the soft whisper of a voice. 13 When Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. A voice said to him, “Elijah, what are you doing here?”

1 Kings 19:11-13 GNB

Yes, God is over the physical storms that come and go. He sends them specifically at times in order to bring glory to Himself and grow His children. But, He is also the God of mystery. In other words, He is working in the stillness and in our waiting when we don’t even realize it. Elijah had just seen a miracle of God come down from the heavens. He had seen God at that moment.

It’s easy to believe when we see this kind of miraculous event. When things got difficult for Elijah, he once again looked for God where he had seen him before. He questioned whether or not God was doing anything among His people if He could not see Him in that same miraculous way.

God was working. He was in the stillness. He was in the quiet. Where do you need to hear this?

Sometimes we get so focused on expecting a fantastic revelation from God that we fail to believe He is still working when we can’t see or hear anything. Yes, He is over the storms and uses them for His glory. But He’s also in the mundane, ordinary details of life as well. He is working as you read this sentence. He is here among us, drawing us closer both in the ordinary and the extraordinary. Where do you need to remember this?