Psalms 29:1 - Meaning and Application

In this psalm, David calls the great men of the earth to honor the great God. Every clap of thunder, he seems to hear as a summons for himself and other rulers to give God glory. The “mighty” and the “sons of the mighty” in (Psalm 29:1) are those with power, whether by birth or rank, and David says they are bound to worship God. Their authority comes from him, and they must use it for him.

This call is repeated three times, “Give to the Lord,” because powerful people are often slow to do this duty. Yet it matters greatly for God’s kingdom that rulers sincerely support his cause. Jerusalem prospers when the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it (Revelation 21:24). What God asks is not something he needs from us. He owns all things already, and no one has ever given him something he did not first receive.

Still, when we recognize his glory and rule over us, God counts that as a gift. We are to give him ourselves first, and then our service. We are to give the Lord glory and strength, meaning we should acknowledge his majesty and power, and praise him as the one who has all authority. If he has placed honor, power, or influence in our hands, we should offer it back to him for his use and praise. A prince values his glory and strength, but he must confess that God is greater than all of it.

David may be speaking to the leaders within Israel, such as the nobles and tribal princes, whom he had seen neglecting God’s altar. Or he may be speaking to neighboring kings who had become subject to Israel and now needed to become subject to Israel’s God. Either way, crowned heads must bow before the King of kings. What is said here to the mighty is also said to all people: Worship God. That is the heart of the everlasting gospel (Revelation 14:6-7).

True worship is giving the Lord the glory due to his name (Psalm 29:2). God’s name is how he has made himself known, and there is glory due to that name. We can never give him all the glory he deserves, because his greatness is beyond us. But when our thoughts, words, prayers, and acts of devotion match what he has revealed about himself, we are giving him a real, though small, measure of that glory. If we want to receive grace in hearing, praying, and other acts of worship, we must aim to honor God in them.

We must also worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. This may point to the object of worship, for God’s glorious majesty is itself the beauty of holiness. It may also point to the place of worship, since the sanctuary was called the beauty of holiness because the worship there matched God’s command. Under the gospel, Christian gatherings are the place where God is to be worshiped, and purity is part of their beauty. Or it may point to the manner of worship, meaning that all our worship must be holy, set apart for God and directed to his will and glory. Holiness is what makes worship truly beautiful and acceptable.

There is good reason for this call to worship. We should be moved by God’s sufficiency in himself, shown in his name Jehovah, meaning “I am who I am.” That name appears again and again in this short psalm. The mighty of the earth should know him by that name and give him the glory that belongs to it. We should also be moved by his rule over all things. Those who govern people must remember that there is a God who governs them and governs everything.

David especially shows God’s rule in the world of nature. In thunder, lightning, and rain, we see God’s glory and strength. Thunder is the sound of his voice, and it reveals him as the God of glory, because its sound is so powerful and its flashes are so bright. It reaches both the ear and the eye with a force that leaves people without excuse. Some have thought thunder was especially called the voice of the Lord because God often used it to speak, especially at Mount Sinai, and because he used it to scatter Israel’s enemies. The psalm says this voice is over the waters, over many waters (Psalm 29:3), reaching across the sea and crashing through the thick clouds above.

Everyone who hears thunder, and feels it shake them, must admit that the voice of the Lord is full of majesty (Psalm 29:4). It is enough to humble the highest person, for no one can thunder with such power. It is also enough to make the proudest tremble, because if his voice is so terrible, what must his arm be like? Every time we hear thunder, our hearts should be filled with high and honorable thoughts of God. True godliness depends much on holy awe, worship, and wonder before him. “O Lord our God, you are very great.”

His power is also shown in this same verse, where the voice of the Lord is said to be powerful, because of the effects it produces. Those who study nature tell of the amazing results of thunder and lightning, effects that go beyond the usual course of nature. These things must be traced back to the all-powerful God who made the world. Trees have been split and broken by thunderbolts (Psalm 29:5, 6). The voice of the Lord in thunder often broke the cedars, even the great cedars of Lebanon, the strongest and most majestic trees. Some understand this as describing violent winds that shook the cedars and sometimes tore off their highest tops. Earthquakes also shook the ground where the trees stood, making Lebanon and Sirion move, and the wilderness of Kadesh shake as well (Psalm 29:8). I am more inclined to understand it this way, with the trees shaken by winds, the ground by earthquakes, and both by thunder.

The learned Dr. Hammond understands this as referring to the fear and defeat of nearby kingdoms that fought against Israel and opposed David, such as the Syrians near the forests of Lebanon, the Amorites near Mount Hermon, and the Moabites and Ammonites around the wilderness of Kadesh. Fires have also been started by lightning, and houses and churches have been burned by them. That is why we read of hot thunderbolts (Psalm 78:48). So the voice of the Lord in thunder is said here to divide the flames of fire (Psalm 29:7), meaning that God scatters them over the earth as he chooses, using them to carry out his purposes.

Thunder also frightens deer and makes them calve sooner, and some think more easily than they otherwise would. The hind is a shy animal, deeply affected by thunder, and no wonder, since even proud and stubborn people have sometimes trembled at it. Emperor Caligula would hide under his bed when it thundered. The poet Horace admits that he was turned from atheism by the fear of thunder and lightning, which he describes in a way much like David does here.

The thunder is said here to uncover the forest, because it so frightens the wild animals that they leave the dens and thickets where they were hiding. Or it may mean that thunder throws down the trees and exposes the ground that had been shaded by them. Whenever it thunders, let us think of this psalm. And whenever we sing this psalm, let us remember the frightening thunderclaps we have heard. In this way, let us bring God’s words and his works together, so that both may lead us to give him the glory due his name. Let us also thank him that he has another voice besides this dreadful one, by which he now speaks to us, the quiet voice of the gospel, whose terror does not drive us away.

God is also to be praised in the kingdom of providence, where he rules the world of mankind (Psalm 29:10). He sits upon the flood, and he sits as King forever. He does not only rest in his own greatness, but also sits as King on the throne he has prepared in heaven (Psalm 103:19). From there he notices and directs all the affairs of human life, doing all according to his will and the purpose of his will.

Notice the power of his kingdom, he sits upon the flood. As he has founded the earth, so he has founded his throne upon the floods (Psalm 24:2). The changing of this lower world, and the unrest and revolutions in human affairs, do not disturb the rest or the plans of the eternal mind. The opposition of his enemies is compared to a flood (Psalm 93:3, 4), but the Lord sits above it. He crushes it, overcomes it, and carries out his own purposes despite all the schemes in human hearts. The word translated “the flood” is never used anywhere else except for Noah’s flood, so some think that is what is meant here. God sat over that flood as Judge, carrying out the sentence of his justice on the ungodly world that was swept away by it. He still sits over the flood, holding back Noah’s waters so they never again cover the earth, according to his promise never again to destroy the earth by a flood (Genesis 9:11; Isaiah 54:9).

We also see the lasting nature of his kingdom, he sits King forever. No end can, or will, come to his rule. The way he governs agrees with his eternal plans and follows his eternal purposes.

In the kingdom of grace, where God saves and rules his people, his glory shines most clearly. First, it shines in the praise he receives from the people of that kingdom (Psalm 29:9). In his temple, where people come to receive his revelation and offer him their praises, everyone speaks of his glory. In the world, every person sees it, or at least may see it from far away (Job 36:25), but only in the temple, in the church, is it spoken of to his honor. All his works praise him, meaning they give us reasons to praise him, but only his saints bless him and speak of the glory of his works (Psalm 145:10).

Second, his glory shines in the gifts he gives to the people of that kingdom (Psalm 29:11). He will give strength to his people, making them ready to resist every evil work and to do every good work. He will bring strength out of weakness, and even perfect strength in weakness. He will also bless his people with peace. Peace is a priceless gift, which God means for all his people. The path of righteousness leads to peace, and those who love his law have great peace. But even more, the crown of righteousness leads to peace. The end of righteousness is peace, endless peace. When the thunder of God’s wrath makes sinners tremble, the saints will lift up their heads with joy.