Psalm 29

Reflections on The Psalms

Psalm 29

Psalm 29

A Psalm of David.

Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty,
give unto the LORD glory and strength.
{2} Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name;
worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

{3} The voice of the LORD is upon the waters:
the God of glory thundereth:
the LORD is upon many waters.
{4} The voice of the LORD is powerful;

the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
{5} The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars;
yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.
{6} He maketh them also to skip like a calf;
Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.

{7} The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire.
{8} The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness;
the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.
{9} The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve,
and discovereth the forests:
and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.

{10} The LORD sitteth upon the flood;
yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever.
{11} The LORD will give strength unto his people;
the LORD will bless his people with peace."

This is a late psalm in that it mentions the temple. That being the case the author may never have heard the voice of Jehovah himself, but the legends of that voice must have formed a powerful image in the minds of all the people. When God came down on Mount Sinai, the whole mountain shook and started to smoke. And when God spoke the words of the Ten commandments, his voice rolling down the sides of the mountain and echoing into the distance, it must have been enough to loosen a man’s insides. It was powerful enough to break huge trees.

That last idea in the psalm, that Jehovah will give strength to his people is interesting in that it doesn’t specify Israel. "The People of God" seems to include more than a few tribes. In the time of Paul, there were many non-Jews who believed in God and rejected all idols. They had not gone so far as to be circumcised and to keep all the rituals of Judaism, but they did keep the commandments of God. They were called "God Fearers" by the Jews. Most likely, this is who God was talking about when he told Paul in a dream, " Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city." (Acts 18:9-10).

They may also be the "other sheep" Jesus mentioned, "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd." (John 10:16)

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