Verses 1-11

Psalm 29

The judgment Storm

1. Give unto the Lord the glory of His Name (Psalms 29:1-2)

2. The day of the Lord described as a thunderstorm (Psalms 29:3-9)

3. The calm after the storm--the Lord is King (Psalms 29:10-11)

Psalms 29:1-2. The voice of His trusting people is hushed; His voice is now heard. From Psalms 25:1-22; Psalms 26:1-12; Psalms 27:1-14; Psalms 28:1-9 we have seen the soul exercise of the remnant of Israel, we heard their prayers, we learned of their hopes and anticipations and of their trials and sorrows. Their last prayer in the preceding Psalm was “Save Thy people,” and now He is seen arising to save them. His glory and strength, the glory of His Name, is now to be manifested.

Psalms 29:3-9. This is one of the most wonderful poetic descriptions we have in the Bible. The day of the Lord, when He will be manifested in wrath and in mercy, is described under an onrushing thunderstorm. The mighty tempest passes from north to south. Jehovah thundereth, great waters sweep along, His voice is heard with power. The mighty cedars of Lebanon are broken by the fury of the storm. The cedars of Lebanon are symbolical of the high and exalted things which will be broken to pieces in that day. (Read Isaiah 2:11-14.) Lebanon and Sirion, the lofty mountains, skip like a young unicorn. The mountains will be shaken by mighty earthquakes and all the governments, typified by mountains, will also be shaken. He is manifested with flames of fire, the lightning of His righteousness, which ushers in His glorious reign. Then the hind is made to calve--it means Israel’s new birth, while the forests (the nations) are stripped and laid low. And in His temple, that greater house, whose maker He is, earth and heaven, “all that is therein uttereth glory” (literal translation).

Psalms 29:10-11. The storm is past. The Lord has come. The judgment flood is gone. Jehovah now has taken His throne. He is King and blesseth His people with peace. The name of Jehovah is found 18 times in this Psalm and this Jehovah is our ever blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.