#709 Beauty of Holiness

Ascribe to the Lord, O 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 holiness.


3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord, over 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 breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf,
and Sirion like a young wild ox.


7 The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.


9 The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth
and strips the forests bare,
and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”


10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
11 May the Lord give strength to his people!
May the Lord bless his people with peace! Psalm 29 ESV

Oh heavenly beings - I have seen some translations that render this "mighty ones" rather than heavenly beings. Whether angels or those who are considered great and powerful in the earth, strength and glory must be attributed to the One Who created them. So it is with all things, health, intellect, and saving faith, these are all gifts from the Lord. 

The splendor of holiness - Here every knee must bow and every tongue confess. Who is the greatest example of good among us, and yet without blemish or stain of sin? I must confess that I am not without sin, I am not without error, this is an attribute of God alone, purity beyond our comprehension. Left to my own devices I would know nothing of holiness, I would decide right and wrong based on my feelings and want, and I would be forever lost thinking myself right in my own eyes. 

The voice of the Lord - Who can speak above the water, create the water, whose words are equal to God's? David shares the awe of all peoples at the sound the thunder makes, the way the wind picks up and the storm causes the waves to rise upon the sea. He is probably inspired by a great tempest, a storm moving in from the sea. Many will bow down and worship the storm itself, the heavenly bodies, but the Psalmist is declaring God above these things, He is the maker, Creator of the earth, His word has made all these patterns, a language we see evidence for but have not yet learned to speak. In their day they worshiped Baal as the god of the storm, today we worship those who study the storm, but to the Psalmist, glory belongs to the Lord, as that which we falsely praise was created by Him and so belongs to Him as well. 

1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.…Genesis 1: 1-3

Breaks the cedars - I live in Florida so I have seen the damage from many a hurricane, and when I worked on the road I once heard the strength of the tornado as it snapped trees not far from our truck. We fled as reasonable men would, but I remember also the house of one of my bosses, only the foundation was left from another tornado. I did not see that one but you could see the places it had been, the trees that were treated like twigs, uprooted and turned over. Big trees that we use to climb as kids or swing from could be seen swaying in the night, and found pulled up and lying in the morning. David sees this as the work and strength of God, the power of the One Who put all these things into motion. He directs, as a true worship leader should, our praise and glory to God. 

Shakes the wilderness - Those that experience the earthquake are rightly afraid, but David again directs them as a good shepherd, it is the voice of the Lord. God is greater than the earth quake, stronger than the wind, over the waters, and the lightning has a greater, it is all in His hands. Those that are not naturally shaken at the magnificence and holiness of God are bound to perish in the storm. 

37But Jesus let out a loud cry and breathed His last. 38And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39When the centurion standing there in front of Jesus saw how He had breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”… Mark 15: 37-39

At that moment the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split. 52The tombs broke open, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. 53After Jesus’ resurrection, when they had come out of the tombs, they entered the holy city and appeared to many people.…Matthew 27: 51-53

Over the flood - Many nations and people have ancient stories of a great flood, and it is the politics of the day to try to attribute these stories to many smaller, regional disasters, but the Bible declares One responsible party, a just and holy God. The reason we hear the story is because God was not only just in this but also gracious, setting apart and saving Noah and his family. 

i. “The word rendered ‘flood’ is only used elsewhere in reference to the Noachic deluge, and here has the definite article, which is most naturally explained as fixing the reference to that event.” (Maclaren)

ii. “Psalm 29:10 is the only place in the Old Testament where this particular Hebrew word for flood occurs except in the classic flood narrative of Genesis 6-9.” (Boice)

iii. David’s reflection on the Flood reminds us of what a staggering expression it was of God’s power and justice. “Even as in the days of the Flood, when he destroyed creation with his power but saved his own, so it is at any time that God’s glory is expressed in the severity of judgment.” (VanGemeren)

And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?” Matthew 8: 23-27