Psalm 29 - Voice of God

Psalm 29:3-9 (NRSV)

3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord, over mighty 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 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 causes the oaks to whirl,[b]
and strips the forest bare;
and in his temple all say, “Glory!”

Think of a voice that causes you to shudder. Think of a voice that moves you to action. Perhaps it's the voice of a coach or a parent. Maybe it's the voice of a singer or actress. My dog knows when I am praising her and when I am displeased with her by the sound of my voice. And I have to mention that the voice of Darth Vader almost always gives me chills. Thank you James Earl Jones!

When the Israelites gathered at Mt. Sinai to worship the Lord, God descended from heaven upon the mountain in fire and smoke and thunder and peals of lightening. They were terrified by the immensity of the appearance of the maker of heaven and earth.

Here's what happened according to the retelling of the giving of the law at Mt. Sinai in the book of Deuteronomy.

Deuteronomy 5:23-27 (NRSV)

When you heard the voice out of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, you approached me, all the heads of your tribes and your elders; 24 and you said, “Look, the Lord our God has shown us his glory and greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the fire. Today we have seen that God may speak to someone and the person may still live. 25 So now why should we die? For this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any longer, we shall die. 26 For who is there of all flesh that has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of fire, as we have, and remained alive? 27 Go near, you yourself, and hear all that the Lord our God will say. Then tell us everything that the Lord our God tells you, and we will listen and do it.”

The voice of the Lord brought holy fear to their hearts. Fear is an important concept in the Old Testament. Fear engenders a healthy respect and careful attention. Think of how workers in biohazardous situations garb up in protective gear and follow strict precautionary procedures to assure their safety.

God is holy. The Jews took special care to observe His commands and organized their life to carefully attend to the will of God. Their utter respect, their reverence for God, came from an understanding of God's total otherness and their own mortality before the Immortal One.

Psalm 29 speaks of the immensity of God. His voice shakes the earth and all that is in it. When you understand who you are before such a presence, what can you do but join in worship and cry, "Glory?!!"

And yet, "Do not fear," the bible often says, to reassure those whom God has chosen. Even though we are mortal, God has chosen to make His dwelling in us. God descended from heaven to Sinai, from Sinai to the Tabernacle, from the tent to the temple in Jerusalem, from the temple back to heaven sending messages through prophets to His people in exile, from the lips of prophets to the heart of Jesus, from Jesus to all of you who believe in His name! May the voice of the Lord move you to worship!

"Glory!"