Matthew Henry Commentary Psalms 29
Matthew Henry Commentary
Psalms 29
Matthew Henry Commentary
Psalms 29
"Ascribe unto Jehovah, O ye sons of the mighty, Ascribe unto Jehovah glory and strength. Ascribe unto Jehovah the glory due unto his name; Worship Jehovah in holy array. The voice of Jehovah is upon the waters: The God of glory thundereth, Even Jehovah upon many waters. The voice of Jehovah is powerful; The voice of Jehovah is full of majesty. The voice of Jehovah breaketh the cedars; Yea, Jehovah breaketh in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild-ox. The voice of Jehovah cleaveth the flames of fire. The voice of Jehovah shaketh the wilderness; Jehovah shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of Jehovah maketh the hinds to calve, And strippeth the forests bare: And in his temple everything saith, Glory. Jehovah sat [as King] at the Flood; Yea, Jehovah sitteth as King for ever. Jehovah will give strength unto his people; Jehovah will bless his people with peace. " — Psalms 29:1-11 (ASV)
The mighty and honorable of the earth are especially bound to honor and worship him; but, alas, few attempt to worship him in the beauty of holiness. When we come before him as the Redeemer of sinners, in repentance, faith, and love, he will accept our defective services, pardon the sin that clings to them, and approve of that measure of holiness which the Holy Spirit enables us to exercise. We have here the nature of religious worship: it is giving to the Lord the glory due to his name.
We must be holy in all our religious services, devoted to God, and to his will and glory. There is a beauty in holiness, and that puts beauty upon all acts of worship. The psalmist here sets forth God's dominion in the kingdom of nature. In the thunder, lightning, and storm, we may see and hear his glory.
Let our hearts be by this filled with great, high, and honorable thoughts of God, in whose holy adoration the power of godliness so greatly consists. O Lord our God, you are very great! The power of the lightning equals the terror of the thunder. The fear caused by these effects of the Divine power should remind us of the mighty power of God, of man's weakness, and of the defenseless and desperate condition of the wicked in the day of judgment.
But the effects of the Divine word upon the souls of men, under the power of the Holy Spirit, are far greater than those of thunderstorms in the natural world. Through this, the strongest are made to tremble, the proudest are cast down, the secrets of the heart are brought to light, sinners are converted, and the savage, sensual, and unclean become harmless, gentle, and pure. If we have heard God's voice and have fled for refuge to the hope set before us, let us remember that children need not fear their Father's voice when he speaks in anger to his enemies.
While those who are without shelter tremble, let those who abide in his appointed refuge bless him for their security, looking forward to the day of judgment without dismay, safe as Noah in the ark.
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