Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Preparing for the Baptism of our Lord Sunday - Psalm 29

Psalm 29:1-11 A Psalm of David
Ascribe to the LORD, O mighty ones, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. 2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness. 3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD thunders over the mighty waters. 4 The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic. 5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. 6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox. 7 The voice of the LORD strikes with flashes of lightning. 8 The voice of the LORD shakes the desert; the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh. 9 The voice of the LORD twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, "Glory!" 10 The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD is enthroned as King forever. 11 The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.

I had no idea, until now, that this is perhaps among the oldest psalms. I also didn't know that it is quite likely an adaptation of an ancient Canaanite hymn to Baal.

I love how this Psalm moves from an invitation to praise to the recognition that all power and glory are the Lord's.  Not only does the Lord reign, but according to the psalmist, does so forever.  I also like the way the psalmist either reminds the people about the strength and blessing that comes from the Lord or reminds the Lord to fulfill the Lord's royal duty by strengthening and blessing the people in verse 11 (different theologians have taken both sides of this interpretation). 

I would invite you to read the text again...what do you see?  We are told to ascribe something to the Lord 3 times and we see the words, 'the voice of the Lord' 7 times.  I don't want to stray to the point of being heretical and living in a place of numerology, but I am keenly aware that the numbers 3 and 7 have great significance throughout the Scriptures, so to see a command three times back to back and to see an exact reference to the Lord 7 times in such a short work has me scratching my head and wondering if the significance is coincidental or more meaningful than I know at this time.

What stands out more than anything else, however, is the description of the Lord's voice.  The Lord's voice is powerful, destructive, quick, decisive, present, and mighty.  We will see this again and again throughout the Scriptures...the power and might of the Lord's voice.  From calling life into existence, to raising Lazarus from the grave, the Lord's voice is indeed all of the things the psalmist says.  Perhaps the irony of it being a borrowed hymn, is that it serves the purpose of redirecting people away from Baal or the ways of the world and recognizing once again it is the Lord with the all power; even the power over the wind, the storm and all creation.  Prophetically speaking, this is a message that would be true from the time of the golden calf, to the oppression in Egypt under Pharaoh, to the Roman gods of the first century, and even speaking out against the gods that we follow when we stray from our Lord today.

However, here's a rub; if God's voice is so strong that it can break open heaven (I know I'm referring to the Matthew text a little early) or can twist oaks and shake deserts, why is it then, as Luke Powery and Willie Jennings say, that  this powerful voice is most frequently "expressed in small, unintimidating, often unimpressive, anointed voices?"

Perhaps there is a message in here about our recognizing and submitting to God's sovereign power.  Or the message here is really about listening to those God is sharing his voice through.  Perhaps it is about hearing the audibly loud thunderous voice of God over all the other noise in our life.  Maybe there is some divine foreshadowing to the gospel that should be given more credence.  At the very least, there is a profession here that is consistent throughout all of the scriptures: "The Lord reigns!"

How is this text making its mark on you today?  Please share in the comments section below.

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