KEY TEXT
Psalms 29:1-11 (KJV)
V1- Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the Lord glory and strength.
V2- Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
V3- The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; the God of glory thundereth; the LORD is upon many waters.
V4- The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
V5- The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.
V6- He maketh them also skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.
V7- The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire.
V8- The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.
V9- The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.
V10- The LORD sitteth upon the floods; yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever.
V11- The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.
A commanding voice from a person of authority has the power to put chaos in check.
Psalms 29 calls upon heaven and earth to join in worshipping Yahweh as He reveals Himself in creation. He is to be praised because His voice commands the “many waters,” the “cedars of Lebanon,” and the “Wilderness of Kadesh.” Thus the areas north, south, and west of Israel are under His command. God is heard in the “thunders,” in the storm, in the earthquake, and in the birth of a deer. As He commands His world, so He will care for His people.
Psalms 29 celebrates God’s reign over all the earth. Since seven is the Biblical number of PERFECTION, the sevenfold, thematic repetition of the phrase “the voice of the LORD” suggests that God is COMPREHENSIVE and COMPLETE in His SOVEREIGNTY over all things. HE IS IN CHARGE. Chaos cannot overcome those who trust in Him. “Strength” and “Peace” belong to His people.
This morning I would like to share a sermon entitled ‘THE COMMANDING VOICE OF GOD.’
In what ways is the voice of God COMMANDING?
1. THE VOICE OF GOD HAS COMMAND OVER MANY WATERS
V3- The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; the God of glory thundereth; the LORD is upon many waters.
The words “many waters” here mean:
a) Storms
b) Turbulences
c) Chaos
d) Many troubles
Yet our key text aims to show us that the God whom we worship, is the God who speaks creation into existence, who orders all things according to His word, and who commands this fallen world into submission to Himself. The voice of God, the theme of this Psalm, is “over many waters.”
The fact that God’s voice thunders over the many waters is to drive home to us the FACT that God’s voice has DOMINION OVER OUR MANY STORMS, INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL TURBULENCES, CHAOS AND MANY TROUBLES of our lives.
Let’s face it – There are storms in the new creation, natural and spiritual storms, storms that threaten to destroy us. If you are a child of God, you have been through storms, or you are in a storm even now. The last Adam, Jesus Christ, is MASTER OF STORMS. He went through storms with His own. Once when He and His disciples were in a boat, a storm came up on the Sea of Galilee. “And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full; and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and REBUKED the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased and there was great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?” (Mark 4:37-40).
In this instance the Lord quieted the storm with one commanding voice to the great storm. So can the Lord quiet your storm with just one commanding voice from Him.
2. THE VOICE OF GOD IS POWERFUL.
V4a- The voice of the LORD is powerful…..
It is said in the Bible that the voice of God is like the thunder. In the rolling thunder, the power of God is heard.
Can you recall being awakened from your dead sleep by the explosion of lightning hitting near your house and then it was followed by the crack of thunder. Your body could involuntarily shake from the shock. Here was raw power displayed.
You see if we can be awe struck by the sound and power of the thunder, that means our many troubles can be frightened off by the powerful voice of God. When God thunders upon our many waters, it is to tell us that HE IS POWERFUL ENOUGH TO TAKE CARE OF OUR STORMS AND TROUBLES.
3. THE VOICE OF GOD IS FULL OF MAJESTY
V4b- the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
Psalms 29 declares to us that our LORD is the King; He sits enthroned over all our floods; He sits enthroned as KING forever. God sits on the throne in the splendor of His holiness. As King, He therefore has authority and when He speaks, His voice is full of majesty.
When the children of Israel heard the voice of God thunders from Mount Sinai, they were afraid.
Exodus 19:18-29 –Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently, and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Then Moses spoke and THE VOICE OF GOD ANSWERED HIM
Exodus 20:18-19 – When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.”
See the majestic voice of God that issued from His throne – so overwhelming that the children of Israel have to bow out in reverential fear.
Therefore by the powerful and majestic voice of God as the King of Glory, our many waters have to come in subjugation to Him. He is the King of Glory. He is not the King of shame. The Bible tells us Jesus rebukes the storm. I believe when Jesus rebukes the storms, His voice carries that majestic command and every force of nature has to submit to Him.
After I returned from Singapore, I notice that my Rottweiler dog, Hugo has the habit of howling in the middle of the night. I heard Pas Toh Nee shouting at him to shut up but he did not but continued to howl. One night, he was just lying outside my room and again that eerie howling spirit was back. I commanded him with the fullness of my voice- “Hugo! Quiet!” You all know that voice travels faster in the night and in the quietness of the night, my voice rang majestically. Immediately, this dog recognized my authority as His owner. He fears none except me. And with that one majestic, commanding voice, HE STOPPED HIS HOWLING IMMEDIATELY.
I was told by Pas Carlos last week that in one of the Sunday Services at the altar, many of you heard a choir of angelic host singing in the middle of the altar even though the musicians were not playing and worship singers weren’t singing. I ask those of you who have heard this voice – how does it sound? MAJESTIC, isn’t it? AWESOME, isn’t it? Why? Because it flows from the throne of God. It flows from the splendor of God’s majesty. That is how the voice of God sounds- Majestic – full of glory and splendor!
4. THE VOICE OF GOD HAS COMMAND OVER THE CEDARS
V5- The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.
V6- He maketh them also skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.
The cedars of Lebanon carry two connotations.
Firstly, the cedars of Lebanon points to A HARD HEART.
Remember, the cedars of Lebanon are prized for their hardness. They are very tough lumber.
Yet Psalms 29 tells us that the powerful and majestic voice can break even the cedars of Lebanon. Figuratively speaking, it means the voice of God can break the most hardened human heart.
Look at the hard-core persecutor of Christians – Saul. The Living Bible calls him in Acts 8:3 – “Paul was like a wild man, going everywhere to devastate the believers, even entering private homes and dragging out men and women alike and jailing them.” He was so bent on persecuting the Christians that he volunteered to High Priest to go Damascus to arrest more believers. But what broke this hard-core persecutor? It was the VOICE OF JESUS on Paul’s way to Damascus, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” that brought Saul down on his knees. His hardened unbelieving heart was broken by that one voice and he became the most fervent church planter in church history.
Is your heart very hardened like the cedar of Lebanon? Tell God to speak to you like Christ spoke to Saul. You need just one voice of Christ to break your hard heart.
The second connotation of the cedar of Lebanon is LOFTY PRIDE. This may also be the thought behind these verses since the magnificence of the cedars was proverbial. Thus God brings the pride of the nations low.
I can’t think of any Bible character with such lofty pride as Nebuchadnezzar. Look also how one voice of God from heaven breaks down the lofty pride of this man.
Daniel 4:29- 33- Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, he said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” The words were still on his lips when a VOICE CAME FROM HEAVEN, “This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar. Your royal authority has been taken from you. You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes.” Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people and ate grass like cattle. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird.
Literally you could say that at the command of the LORD, “Lebanon and Sirion” skip like…a young wild ox.” Nebuchadnezzar acted like silly calves because his power is ended when he heard Yahweh’s voice.
Are you in lofty pride over your riches, beauty, intelligence and accomplishment?
Don’t! Repent, lest with one commanding voice of God, you will be reduced to a silly calf skipping foolishly in the field.
The voice of God has the command to break your pride and arrogance.
5. THE VOICE OF GOD HAS COMMAND OVER OUR HEARTS
V7 (KJV)- The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire.
RSV – The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire.
When we hear the voice of God, our hearts will be set ablaze.
What did the disciples on the road to Emmaus comment after Jesus appeared to them and spoke to them?
Luke 24:30-32- When he was at the table with them, he took bread, give thanks, broke it and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, ‘Were not our hearts BURNING within us while he TALKED WITH US on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
Each time, you open the Bible and read – you will begin to hear the voice of God speaking to you when he quickens a verse to your heart. The aftermath of the hearing the voice of God through your devotion WILL BE A BURNING HEART.
The voice of God flashes flames of fire in our hearts.
I believe God wants to speak audibly to many of us here today. If your heart is so cold – get that voice of God. It will melt away all your frozen heart!
6. THE VOICE OF GOD HAS COMMAND OVER THE WILDERNESS
V8- The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.
The wilderness of Kadesh refers to the South side of Israel.
The voice of God shakes the Wilderness of our lives.
The wilderness of our lives refers to all our TRIALS AND TESTINGS OF OUR LIVES. We sometimes think that our wilderness is here to stay. All our trials and testing seems so stubbornly resident in our lives. But once God speaks, our wilderness will be shaken. It will no more be a stable resident and chronic experience in our life. It will leave us.
DESERT can be shaken to become FERTILE. That is the underlying meaning of the text. When Jesus speaks, flowers grow and deserts bloom again; water streams down across the desert, shaking away all the DRYNESS AND ARIDNESS of our lives.
God can command our trials and testing to stop. God can command all our desert to stop and in its place, God can command another blessing which brings us to our next last point.
7. THE VOICE OF GOD HAS COMMAND OVER OUR PRODUCTIVITY
V9- The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.
In verse 8, it says that God “shakes the wilderness.” The word “shakes” in verse 8 means “to dance” or to “writhe in pain.” Here David pictures God’s voice as an earthquake ripping across the wilderness of Kadesh, stripping “the forest bare” in judgment but also bringing new life as a fawn comes into the world.
The voice of God makes the hinds to calve. That means the voice of God makes us to reproduce ourselves – to go and make new disciples and to make a forest out of our lives.
I see this verse so applicable of our church experience. Two years ago, it seems as if a great “earthquake” had hit our church. There was great shaking and many forces seemed to want to strip our ministry bare. But out of that trying wilderness and shaking came the voice of God – so powerful and commanding –God commanded us to build the tabernacle of God inspite of the “spiritual earthquake.” Of course the great shaking caused us to “writhe in pain” but out of it, God helped us to birth our new fawn – our new tabernacle, our new church building. Also out of the shaking, God birthed new people to our church.
As we hear the commanding voice of God and see His glory, we must bow in worship and cry “glory” in response to such majesty and might.
Yahweh sits above the “floods” of our lives; He sits above the chaos of our lives. There God is enthroned, ruling and using the “many waters” in judgment. “The Lord sits as King forever” over creation and history.
As King, God empowers His people Israel and us, giving us STRENGTH from His strength. This may mean strength to battle against the forces of CHAOS. Then He blesses us with PEACE (shalom) or “WHOLENESS”.
In Psalm 29, God is King. He is the sovereign Lord. While chaos and pride challenge His rule, HIS VOICE PREVAILS.
Are we listening to the voices of chaos and pride? They will fail. Listen to the voice of God. Shout “GLORY!”
End of sermon
PREACHED AT ETAB ON 13 APL 2014 2ND ENG SV
