Pure Praise

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Psalm 29

The ancient Hebrew people were surrounded by other cultures that worshiped many gods.  The Jews were constantly interacting with these peoples both positively and negatively.  Sometimes through peaceful trade and commerce but other times in political strife and even warfare.  Perhaps the most unfortunate aspect of Hebrew/Canaanitic relations was the temptation for the Jews to worship the gods of other tribes.  

Furthermore, the 29^th Psalm is structured, on the grammatical level, like an ancient Canaanite poem.  And the theology of this poem parallels that of the Canaanites as well.  They worshipped a god known as “Baal-Hadad” (“rider of the clouds”) who was said to reveal himself in the storm.  According to Canaanite legend, “Hadad” wrestled with the Sea and prevailed in victory, thus ascending the throne.  

What we know is that David borrowed many themes and concepts from the Canaanites and their worship of Baal-Hadad in order to communicate what it means to have faith in Yahweh.  Also, this Psalm would have been used as a polemic against the worship of Baal-Hadad which proved to be a regular temptation for the people of Israel under the Old Covenant.

Let us come to learn that Yahweh the Lord God of Israel has all supremacy over every power on earth and in the heavens!  And that He is worthy of all honor, glory and praise because of His creative and atmospheric might! 

This tremendous Psalm is an early apologetic hymn that teaches the people of Israel and the surrounding communities in Canaan that the Lord (Yahweh), not Baal Hadad, is the One True and Living God who alone reveals Himself in the storm.  As we study this great Psalm let our hearts be drawn out to the Real God in adoring fellowship!

1. The Call for Cosmic Praise to the Creator in Verses 1-2
   1. David Calls upon mighty Celestial Beings to Praise and Glorify God
   2. This 1^st verse speaks to several temptations:
      1. Heavenly Beings/Human beings are not to use their glory and strength for themselves but are to render Glory to God alone.
      2. Our glory and strength cause us to not depend upon God.
      3. Ascribing glory and honor to ourselves or beings other than God.
      4. Application:  Therefore, because the glory of the Lord is so great we must renounce our self-reliance and all the things which we have placed our security or identity upon and count them as rubbish.  The text says “ascribe to the Lord Glory and honor” means that He alone is worthy of such praise! 
   3. Inferior Beings.  The reason these “heavenly beings” are being called upon in this Psalm to worship Yahweh the God of Israel is because He is the only One with no beginning and no ending.  However mighty these “heavenly beings” may be, they are metaphysically inferior to the true God— “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.”-Psalm 33:6
2. The Creator-God Reveals Himself in the Storm in Verses 3-9
   1. Furious Atmospheric Storms Testify to God’s Glory  
      1. “The Waters” symbolize the tumultuous forces that threaten to overwhelm the regular order of life.  The way flood waters burst forth and destroy cities and vast plots of farmland.  These violent waters stand as a metaphor for the many tumults of life which seek to disrupt us:
         1. The flood waters of politics
         2. The flood waters of personal crisis
         3. The flood waters of spiritual warfare
      2. In the legend of Baal-Hadad and other ancient mythologies the gods had great difficulty usurping their authority over primordial elements—This Psalm calls upon those divine beings to worship God because He had no trouble in subduing the elements—Why? Because He is the Creator-God!  Like an authoritative teacher entering the classroom, God spoke, and the forces that were so brave and outspoken hushed themselves!
      3. The Voice of the Lord is like “thunder” and “lightening” in verses 3 and7—This suggests to the worshipper that God’s voice in Creating the World is still reverberating today in the form of mighty, destructive thunderstorms.
      4. The Voice of the Lord is Frightening and Destructive—Like a mighty thunderstorm!
         1. The animals are frightened by the Lord’s voice in verses 6 and 9.
         2. Inanimate objects are destroyed by the ferocious voice of God in the storms in verses 5, 8 and 9.
         3. The wilderness is the domain of the Sovereign God in verse 8. 
3. The Communique of the Creator. God’s Reign and Promise of Blessing in Verses 10-11
   1. Inter-dimensional Praise-This Psalm moves from the nether reaches of the cosmos down to earth, back into the cosmos again all the way into the Temple.  The “heavenly beings” of verses 1-2 now do exactly what they were called upon to do—Praise the True and Living God!
      1. These divine beings witnessed God’s sovereignty over the waters of Creation and it was because of God’s awesome creative power they bow down before Him in praise— “and in his temple all cry, “Glory!” The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD sits enthroned as king forever.”—verse 9c-10
      2. Evidently there was a specific moment whereby Yahweh the God of Israel took His throne as the Omnipotent Creator-King and at that moment all the powers in realms unseen fell down and worshiped Him.  That decisive moment is linked to God and His Creation event and would last forever.  The tumultuous “waters” would never again be able to usurp themselves.
      3. “May the LORD give strength to his people! May the LORD bless his people with peace!”—These heavenly beings ask God to bless His people and fulfill His purposes in them!

5 Takeaways from our study of Psalm 29:

1. Take time to offer up “God Centered Praise”.  The name of God is found 18 times in the 11 verses of Psalm 29 and there are no requests for God to do anything, there are no complaints and you will find no mourning.  Only Pure Praise.
2. If God’s power is so great that “Heavenly Beings” which dwell in the unseen realm praise God then why don’t we?
3. The God of Israel has done all this so that we may have “Peace” in verse 11.
   1. Peace in the midst of the storms of life
   2. Peace from our Spiritual Enemies
   3. Peace in the atmospheric tumults
4. No other being in heaven or on earth is able to “outclass” Yahweh the God of Israel.
5. A metaphor is a figure of speech.  In the metaphor of the storm in Psalm 29 we find an unsettling truth about God and it is that He can be destructive ripping and tearing trees from the ground and sending wild animals fleeing.  This challenges our conception of God and causes us to reconsider who we think He is.