January 28
“Give unto the Lord, O you mighty ones, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders; the Lord is 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, yes, the Lord splinters the cedars of Lebanon. He makes them also skip like a calf, Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the Lord divides the 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 everyone says, ‘Glory!’ The Lord sat enthroned at the Flood, and the Lord sits as King forever. The Lord will give strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace,” Psalm 29:1-11.
The psalmist begins this psalm by calling upon the “mighty ones” – that is, people who are in positions of government – to recognize the almighty God as King of kings and Lord of lords. “Give unto the Lord, O you mighty ones, give unto the Lord glory and strength.” Give God the glory as being the One with greater strength. This is telling people in government not to think more highly of themselves than they ought to think (Romans 12:3).
In humility, all people should, “Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name.” We should recognize God’s majesty and power. We should worship Him as the only true God. “Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” The beauty of holiness is revealed in the Gospel. Our holy God tells us how, by faith, we sinners can stand in His presence beautifully robed in the garments of Jesus’ righteousness. We are declared forgiven for Jesus’ sake.
Seven times in this psalm, our attention is directed to the almighty power of “the voice of the Lord.” “The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.” The almighty power of the voice of God was first spoken at the creation, when God said, “Let there be . . . and there was!” By the power of His almighty Word, He created the heavens and the earth. He separated the waters from the dry land. He created the fish and the fowl and the land animals. He created the various kinds of vegetation. He created our first parents, Adam and Eve. Now, “(He upholds) all things by the Word of His power,” Hebrews 1:3.
The voice of the Lord is heard throughout all creation. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard,” Psalm 19:1-3.
The voice of the Lord is heard in our redemption. “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin,” 1 John 1:7. Son, daughter, your sins are all forgiven! “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved,” Acts 16:31. “Death is swallowed up in victory . . . Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ,” 1 Corinthians 15:54, 57.
The voice of the Lord is heard in the Holy Spirit’s call to believe in Jesus Christ as God’s Son and our Savior from sin, death, and the power of the devil. To the Thessalonians, the apostle Paul wrote, “When you received the Word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe,” 1 Thessalonians 2:13.
Through the voice of His Word, “The Lord will give strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.”
“Lord, open Thou my heart to hear,
And through Thy Word to me draw near;
Let me Thy Word e’er pure retain,
Let me Thy child and heir remain.” Amen.