Psalms Reading – 1.28.2022
Psalm 29
A psalm of David.
1 Ascribe to the LORD, you heavenly beings,
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 leap 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 forests 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.
This psalm celebrates the Lord’s power over all of creation. Specifically, the Lord’s name and His thunderous voice are exalted. The name used 18 times for God in this psalm is “Yahweh” and His “voice” occurs 7 times. This reminds us of the creation story where He spoke it into existence.
This psalm answers David’s prayer from Psalm 28 when David asked God not to be silent. God answered with his powerful voice thundering over creation. The imagery is a theophany, a manifestation of God. His voice is the mighty sound of the storm over the waters of the Mediterranean to landfall in northern Canaan, breaking the mighty cedars and causing the mountains of Lebanon in the north to quake and even the Desert of Kadesh in the south to shake. There is no one who comes close to His majesty as revealed by the power of His voice.
“Ascribe to the Lord” means to give God all the credit for who He is and what He does. David boldly calls on the heavenly creatures to do so. They see and know God’s holy majesty the best.
Surely, David, then, includes all of us to give God all the credit that is due his most sacred name. We must not take any of His glory for ourselves. We must not give it to someone else. We must never forget to recognize and attribute to Him His power and love. Even though He is King over all creation, He lovingly remembers us as He offers us strength and blesses us with peace.
Memory Verse:
Psalm 25:4-5, Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
Question(s) to Consider:
Are your careful to give God the credit that He is due? What do you want to tell Him today about His glorious nature?