The Seven Thunders

Psalm 29. Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings. Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name. Worship the Lord in the splendour of holiness.

The voice of the Lord is over the waters. The God of glory thunders, the Lord of many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful. The voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars.

The Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf and Sidon like a young wild ox. The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire. The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness. The Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth and strips the forest bare, and in His temple all cry glory. The Lord sits enthroned over the flood. The Lord sits enthroned as king for ever. May the Lord give strength to His people. May the Lord bless His people with peace.

It's a beautiful psalm, isn't it? When I first read this psalm in my quiet time, I was really impressed just with the power and magnitude of the words of David in this psalm. And so I decided I had to read it again, but I had to go an octave lower. I had to deepen my voice to kind of get the power of these words across. And I just don't have a very deep voice.

So I thought maybe it would be better if someone like Morgan Freeman read this chapter. That would be really, really beautiful. And then I thought, why stop with one deep voice? Why not have a choir of men singing full chestedly the Psalm of the power of the voice of God going through this storm? But then I read Charles Spurgeon's notes on this psalm, and he hit the nail on the head.

He said, you need to be in the middle of a storm raging outside, and that's when you open this psalm and you read the voice, the words of this beautiful exposition. And so I actually really want to encourage you: if you're here today, take a bookmark, place a bookmark in the psalm, and the next time you see dark clouds coming across the skies, open up God's word, turn off all the lights, just put on some candlelights, and read through the Psalm as the thunder rumbles and as the lightning strikes. I figure all of us have a memory of a fantastic storm raging outside. I want you to think of that image, remember that storm as we go through the sermon. For myself, this was in 2008.

My whole family was at home and there was an incredible lightning storm outside. It was the first time I experienced a lightning storm. And so we pulled up chairs from downstairs and we were all sitting in my parents' room out just watching through the window every two seconds. You just see another strike of lightning, another strike of lightning, and the whole suburb would be dark and then all of a sudden, you'd see everything for a split second. I'm pretty sure we had coffee and tea, but it went cold.

We weren't focusing on that. We didn't speak with one another. All you could hear is, wow. Oh, did you see that one? We were completely mesmerised and glued to the window.

It was as if time stood still in that moment. I was really hoping today that we'd have a storm outside. By God's providence, we have a beautiful day, and I'm not going to complain about that at all. But please, next time there's a storm, get your family around the dinner table and read the Psalm. If you're by yourself, that's perfectly fine as well.

And this Psalm has really captured my heart and I'm excited to share with you guys today. But I do feel like I'm actually unable to get to the depths of the riches of this Psalm. But nevertheless, we'll dive down as deep as we can go today. Just as we get started, I'm going to be giving a quick glossary just to help us understand the context of this psalm. In verse one, we can see that the author of this Psalm is King David, the most powerful man in all the land of Israel, pens this Psalm.

In verse three, we see the reference over the waters, and this would be a reference to the Mediterranean Sea that was off to the west of Israel. In verses three to nine, seven times we hear the voice of the Lord. And this is meant to coincide, remember, it's poetry. It's actually meant to coincide with thunder rumbling. So in some Bibles or sermons, you'll hear this called the Psalm of the seven thunders.

Because every time you hear the voice of the Lord, you should hear a booming thunderous voice going across the land. In verses five and six, there are references made to Lebanon and Sidon, and these are mountainous countries to the north of Israel. And in Lebanon, in particular, at this stage, they were worshiping the god Baal, which is important to note. And then finally, in verse eight, we have the wilderness of Kadesh. And Kadesh is located at the very bottom of Israel, the very southern part of Israel.

And the reason it's important to know these references is because we see a storm starting in verse three over the waters, over the Mediterranean Sea. And as the storm continues, it goes over Lebanon on the north and then it comes down over the mountain ranges all the way down to Kadesh in the south. And so we should picture the storm moving through and not just the storm, we should imagine and envision the Lord walking, moving through as the psalm continues and proceeds. And in this passage, there are three characters. I don't know if you can notice them.

Did you notice three characters in the psalm? Think on that for a second. The first character that we find in the psalm is a powerless king. The author, King David, the mighty king who rules over all the land of Israel, the one man who all should fear because of his power and authority, He's sitting cooped up in his palace. He's been stripped of his power and authority as this storm comes through.

He can't send out his army to go to battle. He can't go and tend after his flock. He really can't do anything in this moment. Here he is king over all of Israel, the most powerful man, and he is rendered completely powerless in the midst of this storm. And what does he do?

King David sits down and he pens this beautiful psalm, this beautiful song or poem about a glorious, awe-inspiring storm that's powerful. But yet, in this, he realises it's not actually the storm that is powerful, but he envisions a God who is even more powerful, more glorious, more majestic than even this storm that is raging outside of his palace. And we see in this very psalm, there's not a single mention to David at all, apart from the fact that he signs his name at the bottom as the author of it. And we know there are points in David's life where his focus shifts and he is the centre of attention. He becomes the most important person and that's why he falls into sin with Bathsheba.

But here, there's a refocusing and a reorientation of David's priorities. You can see in the Psalm, it is not about him. It is not about the most important man in Israel. This is all about the King of the universe. And it's a reminder for us brothers and sisters.

It's so easy, it's so easy for us to become the centre of our story again, to think of our lives and think about what we need and what we're doing. But this psalm is a beautiful psalm that can help us this morning to refocus on who the story is all about, the King of glory. So our first character that we see is a powerless king. The second character is actually not directly mentioned at all in the psalm. It's only there by implication.

And if we were there in Israel at this day and age, they would recognise and see this. The commentators agree that this poem, this hymn looks very familiar to a hymn that's written to the god Baal. Very similar. And they're pretty sure that the hymns written to Baal came first. And so it looks like this is a copy of a hymn sung to a different god, and David kind of repurposes it for the God of Israel.

And yet, it's not just a copy and paste. It's very beautiful. Because in this psalm, we now see that the second character is a false god. How do we see this? Well, we need to know and understand who the Canaanite god of Baal was.

He was seen to be the god of weather and fertility. And so he was also known by his servants as the rider of the clouds. And it's a little bit ironic because as you read through the psalm, it's about the weather. We have a verse referencing deer giving birth. And so what King David is doing in the psalm is he's going, you guys are talking about worshiping your God, Baal, but look at the God of heaven and earth, the true God, and what He can do.

And so we see that it is not the Canaanite or the Lebanese god Baal who is the god of the weather and fertility, but it is in fact the God of Israel. And one of the things that I found really interesting was that we actually see Baal come up later in scripture. In 1 Kings 18, we see Elijah face off with the priests of Baal on Mount Carmel. And as many of you would know, Elijah ends up killing all the priests of Baal because of their worship of a false god. All of these Baal worshipers, these priests were worshiping in Israel the god of Baal, and yet it was during a period of two years of drought.

They were worshiping the God of the weather, and yet there wasn't a single drop of rain. And Elijah rocks up, and he says, let's see who the real God is. And they have their contest with the altars, and God comes raining down fire, burning up the offering. And right after that, he sends his servant. And he tells his servant, go and look over the sea and tell me what you see.

Seven times he sends his servant, and on the seventh time, the servant comes back and he says, I see a cloud the size of a human fist. And from that cloud came torrents of rain. And at that very encounter, Elijah, in that moment, proved there is one true God, and that the God of the Canaanites, the God of Lebanon, the god Baal is a false and useless idol. And how amazing is it to think that today, there are churches praising the one true God across the earth. How many temples of Baal have you seen recently where people attend?

None. In this passage, though we don't see a single reference to Baal, David is mocking and he's writing, showing in this cosmic battle, there's only one that persists. There is one that remains. It is the one true God. And brothers and sisters, this should be a real encouragement to us.

Just like Baal was defeated here, we remember back to Egypt when God defeated the Egyptian gods and let His people out of bondage, out of slavery. There will be a day where every false god is destroyed. There will be a day where every idol will be made and taken away. There will be a day where the things that capture and ensnare our hearts, our false gods that we worship will be completely and utterly destroyed. A day when Yahweh, the one true God, will be our true joy and delight forevermore.

And that is what this psalm is ultimately all about. Yes, it talks about David, but it's not about David. It talks about Baal, but it's not about Baal. This whole chapter is dedicated to the Ancient of Days, the Lord Almighty. In these 11 verses, there are 18 references made to the Lord, the Lord who is worthy of glory and honour and praise.

And we can see this so clearly. David is trying to capture our hearts and to turn us to worship God who is worthy. Just look at verses one and two. He says, ascribe to the Lord. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name.

He wants us to worship God. Why? Because the voice of the Lord is over the waters. Over the waters. Think of that.

It takes us back to Genesis. Genesis chapter one, where the spirit of the Lord was over the waters. This is the God of all creation. It takes us to the voice of the Lord being powerful, breaking the cedars of proud Lebanon. This is the Lord who crushes the proud and who crushes the idols that we worship.

Then if you continue and you look at verse seven, you can see the voice of the Lord flashes with flames of fire. When God speaks, there's power behind His words. And we see that the voice of the Lord is the one who makes the whole world tremble. I mean, just look at verse six where it says that Lebanon skips like a calf and Sidon like a young wild ox. Those are mountain ranges, and they're not just moving.

David envisions these mountains leaping up and down as God moves through. He is a God of power and majesty. And in verse 10, we see that He is the Lord who sits enthroned over the flood. And this is very rich to me because the floods remind me of Noah and the flood. God is the God who has the authority over both life and death, of both grace and judgment.

And at Noah, God saves His people while the wicked are destroyed. And we, brothers and sisters, are found in Christ. And if we are found in Christ, then we too will be saved from the floods. Not the physical floods, but the judgment of God that will come at the end of days. And then why should God be praised?

David finally finishes with a blessing. In verse 11, he says, may the Lord give strength to His people. May the Lord bless His people with peace. The Lord is our fortress and our strength. And I quickly wanted to take a bit of creative licence to re-envision what it would have been like for David to experience all of this happening with the context that we now have of this passage and with our understanding of the New Testament and of Christ.

And so please imagine with me, as we just think what David would have experienced in that moment. I can imagine David sitting in his palace with his everyday affairs continuing, and then he notices off in the distance over the Mediterranean Sea some clouds forming. And as the minutes go on, he can start to hear rumbling off in the distance. And as it continues, the sky darkens slowly but surely as the clouds roll in. And finally, he can see dark clouds coming across heading towards Lebanon.

And all of a sudden, either through a vision or just through his rich theology, he sees behind the physical and he looks into the spiritual, and he sees heavenly hosts in these clouds. And then the sender of it sits the Ancient of Days, the King of all creation sitting on His throne. And the Lord, the Yahweh stands up, and He starts to march across the waters towards Lebanon. And as the Lord speaks, thunder echoes and the ground shakes, and lightning flashes across the sky. And David is thrown back in his palace, now he can only see the storm again, but he's envisioning Yahweh marching across.

And as the Lord walks through Lebanon, and He speaks again, all the trees of Lebanon, the cedars are crushed like toothpicks. And the Lord changes direction, and He's walking south. He's coming towards Israel, and the voice of the Lord speaks and thunder and lightning crackles. He continues to see this magnificent clouds building nearly like a robe of clouds, majestically following the King of glory. And again, the Lord speaks and the mountains start to jump like wild animals in the field.

And the Lord speaks again, and the desert shakes like a leaf on the tree. And the Lord speaks, and the deer give birth. And as this mighty procession of Yahweh continues through the land, all the earth, the animals, the birds, the people sitting in their homes are in the midst of the temple of God, crying glory to the King. And David and all of Israel and the worshipers of the Lord say, may the God of earth give strength to His people. May they share in His peace.

Brothers and sisters, if this is our God, who can stand against us? If this is our God, can't we rest and experience His peace in the midst of our storms? This is a beautiful, beautiful passage, rich in the imagery. It reminds me of the throne room of God in Revelations 5. One day, we will all be, if we are followers of Christ, in His glorious presence, and there will be no more idols that ensnare our hearts.

There will be no more storms of life that cause us worry. And the Lord will be our ultimate strength. And the Lord will be our ultimate peace. And we will find rest in Him forevermore. Let us pray.

Father, You are the creator and King. Lord, Your majesty is across all the earth. In You, Lord, resides all power and authority. And, Lord, here we are today as Your people saying thank you for who You are, for what You have done, for the fact that we can rest in You. Lord, that You give us peace, that as we look at the storms of life, Lord, we can see that You are the one in the midst of those storms. You are the one in control.

And, Lord, in our own lives, Lord, we do not compare. Like David, we are powerless before Your glory and Your might. Lord, thank you that You will ultimately rescue us from all idols, Lord, and that You will bring us into an everlasting peace. Father, we just ask that You continue to draw us to Yourself that we may worship You for who You are. We pray this in the mighty name of Christ our Lord. Amen.