Psalm 29 Continued…
Psalm 29:3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.
The voice of the Lord is over the waters
Here thunder is called, and rightly so, “the voice of the Lord” (being one example of those many glorious works of His in nature). The best way to think of this is that we hear God Almighty by His thunder speaking to us from heaven; and we see him in His lightning, watching, to observe what we had been doing. This voice of the Lord is evidence of the Divine power and majesty. What follows concerning thunder, the voice of the Lord, is many reasons why the Lord should have glory given Him and why He should be worshipped; the pagans paid their devotion to thunder and lightning, but they did not know who made the thunder and lightning.
In the land of Palestine, where David lived, such a statement clearly means that “It is thundering out in the Mediterranean Sea as a great thunderstorm approaches the land.” Another acceptable interpretation is that the “waters” mentioned here, “Are the waters stored in the clouds that float high in the air.” Some writers have proposed that the “waters” are the “waters above the firmament, mentioned in Genesis 1:7”—“So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so.” This is true, of course, only if those “waters above” are truly interpreted as being those billions of tons of water stored in the clouds.
“Is over the waters” The word “is” is supplied by the translators. The whole passage might be read as an exclamation: “The voice of Yahweh upon the waters!” It is the utterance of one who is overpowered by a sudden clap of thunder. The mind is awed. God seems to speak; His voice is heard rolling over the waters. A thunderstorm is awe-inspiring anywhere, in mountain scenery or upon the plains, upon the land or upon the ocean; but there are circumstances which give it special grandeur at sea, when the thunder seems to “roll” along with nothing to check or break it, and when the chilling effect is increased by the solitude which reigns everywhere on the ocean.
One writer thought that the best understanding of “The voice of the Lord is upon the waters” is to take it as meaning the mass of water gathered together in the thick, black storm clouds. “The voice of the Lord” appears no less than seven times in this psalm. That voice is metaphorically presented here as thunder, bringing to mind instantly the reference in Revelation to the effect that, “When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke.” (Revelation 10:3). The Jews were accustomed to call thunder the seven voices, and to regard it as the voice of the Lord. “The voice of the Lord”—the voice of Yahweh—the voice of the seven thunders is repeated seven times:
There can be no doubt that the expression which is repeated seven times in the psalm, “the voice of Yahweh,” refers to thunder; and no one can fail to see the appropriateness of the expression. In a violent thunder storm it seems as if God is speaking. The crack of thunder comes from above. It fills us with awe. We know, without question, that thunder as well as the other phenomena in the world, is produced by what are called “natural causes;” that there is no miracle in thunder; and that really God does not “speak” anymore in the thunder than he does in the sighing of the breeze or in the gurgling of the stream; but, when it thunders, we are reminded of His power, His majesty, His greatness; but we are also stirred to think of our own weakness, feebleness, and dependence; and to contemplate the ease with which our life may be taken away, and of the importance of being prepared to stand before Almighty God.
The God of glory thunders
“The God of glory thunders”—the association of thunder and the voice of the Lord suggests this Psalm was prompted by David witnessing a great storm, hearing the power of thunder, and associating it with the voice of God. The spiritual man or woman can see something of the hand of God, or the shadow of God, in almost every event of life. “The thunder is not only poetically but instructively called ‘the voice of God,’ since it peals from on high; it surpasses all other sounds, it inspires awe, it is entirely independent of man, and has been used on some occasions as the grand accompaniment of God’s speech to Adam’s sons.” (Spurgeon) When Israel heard from God at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:1-25), they associated God’s voice with thunder. Two passages from Job also clearly make this connection – Job 37:4-5, 40:9
The Lord thunders over the mighty waters
He speaks of the waters in the clouds, which are many, and potentially possess great force, such as that which appeared in the great Flood; and does still appear in that immeasurable deluge of rain that falls in the midst of the thunder claps. Some render it, “the Lord (his voice),” or, “the voice of the Lord,” is heard above many waters, that is, above the loud roaring of many waters, which is even drowned out by the thunder. Generally, the ancient Hebrews were not a seafaring people and they saw the mighty waters of the sea as dangerous and foreboding. Yet David knew that the powerful voice of God, full of majesty, was over the “mighty waters.” The ancient Canaanites recognized deities over the sea (the god Yam) and the god of fertility and thunder (Baal). Here David recognized that Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel was the real Master over many waters and the God of glory who thunders.
Scientists calculate that a typical thunderstorm (not even the kind of great or major storm described here by David) releases around 10,000,000 kilowatt-hours of energy—the equivalent of a 20-kiloton nuclear warhead. Storms still are examples of the massive power of God.
Psalm 29:4 The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic.
Or, his voice is mighty; or, has strength. Allusion may be made to what seems to be the effect of thunder (or rather, lightning in the thunder) in bringing down trees, or tearing off their limbs, or it may be merely a reference to the loud sound of the thunder. And so is there power in the Gospel, for when it comes, not in word only, but is accompanied with the power of God, there is enough force to convert sinners and save souls.
The voice of the Lord is majestic
The Hebrew is “in majesty:” that is, it is grand, awe-inspiring, and overpowering. Christ, while here on earth and in His state of humiliation, spoke and taught as one having authority; and now, in the ministration of his Gospel by his servants, He goes forth with glory and majesty.
PRAY
Father help me to hear your voice each day as clearly as I hear the thunder in the storm. Speak to me through your Word.