Ocean City Maryland sits on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and the Assawoman Bay. On the bayside there is a beautiful huge enclosed pavilion with a series of open decks cascading out over the bay. One Summer afternoon my daughter was to be married on the deck over the bay as the sun was setting in the West behind the wedding party. Over a hundred guests were seated in chairs on the deck as we saw dark billowing storm clouds gather out over the Ocean in the North off the Delaware coast. As the storm intensified and came to shore heading our way, South, the bright sunny afternoon turned ever darker shades of black and an eerie green, with flashes of lightening and pounding thunder. Gale force winds and sheets of rain sent the wedding guests running for the pavilion mere minutes before the tornado touched down just to our North, twisting trees and causing general havoc. Everyone stayed in the pavilion and a few prayers were said. As the storm swept South and back out to Sea off the Virginia coast more than one guest wondered where the wild horses on Assateague Island seek shelter when these fierce storms blow in off the Ocean. (The wedding was amazing even though it had been delayed for a few hours!)
What, you may ask, does this have to do with Psalm 29?
In Psalm 29 David describes a similar scene. The people had assembled for a worship service in the Temple on Mt. Zion when to the North they witnessed a mighty storm gathering out over the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Lebanon. As the storm came to shore with mighty winds, flashes of lightening, and pounding thunder, Mt. Sirion shook and the mighty cedars of Lebanon were splintered. As the storm’s winds and torrential rains swept past the Temple and down into the Southern Desert of Kadesh the wild deer were drenched.
| Psalm 29 A Psalm of David | The Power of Jehovah |
| Ascribe to Jehovah, O sons of God Ascribe to Jehovah glory and strength. 2 Ascribe to Jehovah the glory due his name; Worship Jehovah in holy attire. | I. Ascribe Glory to Jehovah God rules over and directs all of nature.“… let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Let us be thankful and worship God acceptably with reverence and awe. Hebrews 12:28 |
| 3 The voice of Jehovah is over the waters; The God of glory thunders, Jehovah thunders over the mighty waters. 4 The voice of Jehovah is powerful; The voice of Jehovah is majestic. 5 The voice of Jehovah breaks the cedars; Jehovah breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon 6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, Mt. Sirion like a young wild ox. 7 The voice of Jehovah flashes forth flames of fire. 8 The voice of Jehovah shakes the desert; Jehovah shakes the Desert of Kadesh. 9 The voice of Jehovah makes deer writhe And strips the forests bare, | II. The Voice of Jehovah Jehovah reigns over all of his creation. God asks, “Do you have an arm like God’s, and can your voice thunder like his? Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor, and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.” Job 40:9-10 A furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him! Matthew 8 |
| But in his Temple all cry, “Glory.” | III. Our only Response: Worship Jehovah Jehovah is more awesome than all who surround him. Psalm 89:7 |
| 10 Jehovah sits enthroned over the flood; Jehovah is enthroned as King forever. 11 Jehovah gives strength to his people; Jehovah blesses his people with peace! | IV. Jehovah Reigns Awesome in power, like a mighty storm, yet Jehovah uses that power to strengthen and bless us, his people! |
When this Psalm was written many believers had abandoned the worship of Jehovah and instead worshipped the false god of fertility and prosperity, Baal. In the ancient Ugarit texts Baal is described as an exact counterfeit for Jehovah, using the same descriptions as David; “lord of the earth, thundering in the clouds, flashing his lightnings to the earth” sending “rains, opening rifts in the clouds” and with “his holy voice convulses the earth … the mountains quake.” Being deceived, the people had come to believe that Baal would grant them prosperity in their farms and families if they would only sacrifice to him. Jehovah’s response to such folly? “The One enthroned in heaven laughs; Jehovah scoffs at them.” Psalm 2:4
Lest we become too smug, remember that today many in the church have also forgotten their Creator, Jehovah, and worship all kinds of things believing that they will find prosperity. The ancients sacrificed their children to Baal believing that they would be blessed with prosperity. Are we any different today when we abort the children that Jehovah has blessed us with believing that we would prosper both monetarily and emotionally without them burdening us?
The worship of Baal also included temple orgies to insure blessing and prosperity. Are we very different when we join in our culture’s pursuit of pornography, pederasty, homosexuality, adultery, and more, believing that such behavior, though contrary to our Creator in whose image we are made, can bring us lasting peace, fulfillment and ultimately prosperity?
After a dramatic confrontation between Jehovah’s prophet, Elijah and the prophets of Baal, in which Elijah mocked the false god and his prophets and in which Jehovah destroyed the false teachings of Baal, the people finally realized their folly in worshiping Baal and turned back to Jehovah.
Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”
But the people said nothing.
22 Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. 23 Get two bulls for us. Let Baal’s prophets choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. 24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire—he is God.”
Then all the people said, “What you say is good.”
25 Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.” 26 So they took the bull given them and prepared it.
Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.
27 At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” 28 So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. 29 Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down. 31 Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Your name shall be Israel.” 32 With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed. 33 He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.”
34 “Do it again,” he said, and they did it again.
“Do it a third time,” he ordered, and they did it the third time. 35 The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.
36 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37 Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”
38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.
39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord— he is God! The Lord—he is God!” I Kings 18
Only Jehovah is God. Only Jehovah blesses his people with peace. When will we stop wavering between two opinions, abandon our folly and seek true life in the one who sits enthroned over the flood; enthroned as King forever; giving strength to his people; blessinghis people with peace! The voice of Jehovah: As Peter wisely remarked to Christ, “Lord to whom shall we go? You alone have the words of eternal life.” John 6:68
Return to “The Psalms”