(1) Ascribe to the LORD, O mighty ones,
Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
(2) Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.
(3)The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
The God of glory thunders,
The LORD thunders over the mighty waters.
(4) The voice of the LORD is powerful;
The voice of the LORD is majestic.
(5) The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
The LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon
(6) He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
Sirion like a young wild ox.
(7) The voice of the LORD strikes
With flashes of lightning
(8) The voice of the LORD shakes the desert;
The LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
(9) The voice of the LORD twists the oaks
And strips the forest bare.
And in his temple all cry, "Glory!"
(10) The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;
The LORD is enthroned as King forever.
(11) The LORD gives strength to his people;
The LORD blesses his people with peace.
--Psalm 29, A Psalm of David
Thoughts on Psalms from James Montgomery Boice:
I do not know of any book of the Bible that requires more knowledge, more experience of life, and more skill of interpretation to understand it well than the Book of Psalms.
It is because the psalms are so diverse. They cover the vast range of biblical theology and the full scope of human experience -- from doubt to faith, suffering to jubilation, defeat to victory-- and they do so in an amazing variety of poetic forms.
The psalms are so deep, so diverse, so challenging that I do not believe anyone can ever really master them.
Moreover, as soon as the student begins to get hold of one type of psalm and thinks he understands it, he is suddenly confronted with another that is quite different...
Psalm 29
This psalm is unique, in part, because it consists totally of praise to God. Most psalms praise God, but the offered praise is mixed with other words of supplication, confession of sin, and promises of obedience.
This psalm has no other ingredients - it is purely praise.
It does not admonish us, does not challenge us to confess our sins or to live righteously.
It just acknowledges God's power and glory and praises Him!
Another remarkable feature of this psalm is the repetition of the name of the LORD (written with all caps), Jehovah, the special sacred covenant name of God.
The poem has only eleven verses, but "the LORD" (Jehovah)
appears eighteen times!
In the middle stanza (verses 3 - 9) the phrase "voice of the LORD"
occurs seven times.
More from James Montgomery Boice:
If you do not have a poetic spirit, you will never appreciate this psalm.
For this is not a poem to be critically analyzed, above all not in a scientific frame of mind.
If you keep telling yourself that the voice of God is not in thunder, that thunder is only a clashing of differently charged electronic particles, you will miss it all.
To appreciate this psalm we have to get out in the fields, watch the majesty of some ferocious storm, and recall that God is in the storm, directing it, as He is in all other natural and historical phenomena.
Note: Many historical commentators tell us that in the early church this psalm was often read to children or to an entire congregation during storms. The Puritans continued that tradition.
Like so many psalms, this one is a reminder that how ever much we might enjoy reading the psalms to ourselves, throughout the history of God's people, they have been read most often by groups - and we feel the summons to pray these verses together.
Read it out loud - hear the voice of God in the thunderbolts!
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