Psalm 29 - The Lord's Voice Makes Hinds to Calve
I think children could sing this psalm and enjoy it. Just be simple and enjoy it.
v1 - The only other use of the phrase "sons of mighty" is Ps 89:6, where it refers to angels, as it does here.
"mighty" is the Hebrew word elim, meaning "mighty" or "gods". This word, as it is here in the plural, is never used to refer to the true God. It's singular form, el, can mean God, a god, or mighty.
v2 - "beauty of holiness" could also be translated "beauty of consecration".
While v1 is directed toward angels, the rest of the psalm seems to be directed towards us human beings.
v3 - The thunder indicates a great storm.
v5-6 - It seems a shame that the Lord's voice would break the beautiful cedars of Lebanon and on Mount Hermon, which is Sirion ( Deu 3:8-9). The majestic things that we admire are broken by the Lord in storms, bringing us back to Him.
Perhaps the cedars on Mt Hermon were like the giant Sequoias in California, which only grow on mountains. Lebanon's climate is like California's. Sequoia wood breaks when it falls, so in a great storm, the giant pieces of wood would bounce around like calves and buffaloes.
4 The Lord's voice to us is full of strength and also of splendor. It strengthens us to carry out His will, and fills us with awe for Him.
v7 - This is similar to separating our soul from our spirit and the thoughts from the intents of the heart. ( Heb 4:12)
v 9 - The Lord's voice brings things to fruition.
This is my favorite verse in this psalm.
If we are abiding in the Lord's temple, the church, we will genuinely praise the Lord in the storms. To abide in the Lord's temple is to abide with the Lord and with all other believers, not just those with your view.
Once another brother, Steve Bradshaw, and I had a summer job delivering samples of New Era laundry soap in Cleveland. One day while we were delivering, it rained golf ball sized hailstones. Steve B. and I were spontaneously glorifying the Lord for the awesomeness of it. Another young man came back to the truck cursing because of the hail. Later that summer, this young man got gloriously saved at a gospel meeting which I invited him to. He told me then that when he saw us praising the Lord in the hail, he had resolved right then that whatever the two of us had, he wanted it.
v11 - The Lord gives His people strength and peace, especially during a storm. The Lord's voice through His Word gives us strength (v4) and peace.
-copyright Steve Miller 2012
written 4/6/2012
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Psalm 29 through David
1 1 Give to the LORD, sons of mighty,
give the LORD glory and strength.
2 Give unto the LORD the glory,
the glory due to His name.
Worship the LORD in the beauty,
the beauty of holiness.
3 The LORD's voice upon the waters,
God of glory thundereth.
2 The LORD upon many waters,
4 the voice of the LORD in strength,
The voice of the LORD in splendor,
5 the LORD's voice the cedars breaks.
And the LORD breaketh the cedars,
the cedars of Lebanon.
6 And He makes them skip like a calf,
Lebanon and Sirion.
3 He makes them skip like buffalo.
7 The LORD's voice carves out the flames,
dividing the flames of fire.
8 Wilderness the LORD's voice shakes.
The LORD shakes the Kadesh wilderness.
9 The LORD's voice makes hinds to calve.
and it maketh bare the forests
exposing what's really there.
4 In His temple does everyone
speak, to the Lord be Glory!
10 The LORD sitteth upon the flood
for the LORD sits fore'er King.
11 The LORD gives strength to His people.
The LORD blesses them with peace.
The Lord's blessing's on His people,
which blessing will never cease.
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Ps 89:6 For who in the heaven can be compared to Jehovah? who among the sons of the mighty shall be likened to Jehovah? (DBY)
Deuteronomy 3:8-9 And we took at that time the land out of the hand of the two kings of the Amorites, that were on this side the Jordan, from the river Arnon to mount Hermon 9 (the Sidonians call Hermon Sirion, and the Amorites call it Senir): (DBY)
Heb 4:12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Heb 4:12-13 ESV)
-copyright Steve Miller 2012
written 4/6/2012
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