Rev. Doug Floyd

Pentecost +11 2026 Our God Reigns
Rev. Doug Floyd
Psalm 29

The voice of the Lord is over the 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 voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire;
The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
“The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare, and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”” (Psalm 29:9, ESV)

Last week, I quoted Eugene Peterson who refers to the voice of God as a javelin piercing the human heart with His life-giving truth. In Psalm 29, the Voice of the Lord echoes throughout. It is over the waters; it is powerful and majestic; it breaks cedars, flashes forth flames of fire; it shakes the wilderness; it makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare.

The Voice of the Lord is truly awesome, even terrifying. Imagine the former Hebrew slaves standing at the foot of Mt. Sinai. In Exodus 20, the Lord tells Moses to prepare the people for His appearing,

“The Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments and be ready for the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. And you shall set limits for the people all around, saying, ‘Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death. No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot; whether beast or man, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.”” (Exodus 19:10–13, ESV)

“On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain.” (Exodus 19:16–19, ESV)

Imagine standing at the foot of that mountain. Thunder and lightning; the mountain itself quaking, smoke enveloping the whole mountain.

Terrifying.

Those who live through a hurricane or a tornado get some sense of this terrifying power. Nature gives us a sense of the awesome terror of this encounter.

After the Lord speaks the 10 commandments, the people are shaken to the core. In Exodus 20, we read:

“Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.”” (Exodus 20:18–19, ESV)

Our Psalm today, reveals the mysterium tremendum of God speaking to His people. Rudolf Otto coined that phrase in his 1917 book, The Idea of the Holy. To encounter the Creator, the Wholly Other is both a terrifying and fascinating mystery. To encounter God in His glory is to remind humans of our nothingness. We see a glimpse of this in Isaiah 6. Isaiah’s friend, King Uzziah has died. He is at the Temple grieving. God shows up in all His glory.

He suddenly sees the Lord. Angels surround Him, but their wings cover their faces and feet. God is too glorious even for them. Isaiah’s response is to cry out,

“Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”” (Isaiah 6:5, ESV)

Paul speaks of this overwhelming glory in 1 Timothy 6:

“He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.” (1 Timothy 6:15–16, ESV)

His glory is overwhelming. Psalm 29 reveals our glorious Creator as the true Sovereign of all creation. All glory is due Him. The waters are under His thunderous voice. The trees tremble before Him. The land and the mountains shake before Him. The wilderness and the forests shake. He is truly Lord of the Cosmos. And all creation cries, “Glory!”

Underneath this vision of God’s majesty and power and glory is a challenge to all the powers that be. Israel is surrounded by other tribes who worship various powers and spirits. At the same time, the rulers of these tribal groups would seek to assert themselves over the Hebrews. If you read the ancient Mesopotamian saga, The Epic of Gilgamesh, you meet the nature of early rulers.

The King of Enuk is a strong man or big man. He has wealth and he is powerful. He can protect the city but he also takes from the citizens whatever he desires, including all the women. The Israelites still see this pattern around them, and this is why Moses warns the future kings of Israel to study the book of the Law. He writes,

 “And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.” (Deuteronomy 17:18–20, ESV)

It’s very clear in the law that many laws address the danger of powerful men taking advantage of poor and weak people. We even see this when David takes Bethsheba and ends up having her husband killed.

While David repents, we see a pattern in the history of the Israelites of kings and wealthy people who worship false gods and oppress the weak.

Psalm 29 uses language and imagery that have made some scholars think this was originally a Canaanite poem to one of their gods. The imagery seems to address various gods such as Baal who is much like Thor, a god of Thunder and power. The true power over the thunder and lightning and waters of the earth in the YHWH, the God of Israel. Thus, the Psalm opens with “Ascribe to the Lord of heavenly beings.” These beings could refer to angels. It could also refer to the people of God who are “Sons of God.” And it could also refer to all the powers on earth and in the heavens that rule or seek to impose obedience.

Think of all the corrupt rulers in our world today. Ultimately, they must bow and ascribe to God glory. Paul prays that God’s people would see the glory and power of who Jesus is in the opening of Ephesians. He prays,

“For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.” (Ephesians 1:15–23, ESV)

All powers on this earth must eventually submit to the rule of God. Psalm 29 also gives us a great picture of God’s rule over the waters. There appears to be a fear of the deep among the people of Israel and probably among most peoples. Psalm 29 tells us that, “The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over many waters.” (Psalm 29:3, ESV)

And

“The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.” (Psalm 29:10, ESV)

The people fear the chaos of the deep overtaking creation. In the flood, it appeared that this chaos unraveled creation as all things were destroyed by the great waters. But Psalm 29 assures us that YHWH “sits enthroned over the flood.” (Psalm 29:10, ESV)

If you saw read or saw The Odyssey, you would have seen the Scylla (SkyLa) (the many headed sea monster). The sailors are caught between the Scylla and the Charybdis – (Karibdis),a great whirlpool: whichever way the sailors would choose someone would die. The dangers of the deep are common across multiple cultures. Israel feared the Leviathan, who is also a seven headed sea monster. Psalm 74 show YHWH ruling over this threat,

“Yet God my King is from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth. You divided the sea by your might; you broke the heads of the sea monsters on the waters. You crushed the heads of Leviathan; you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.” (Psalm 74:12–14, ESV)

No power in land or sea could threaten the absolute rule of YHWH, the king and creator of all things. Psalm 29 overwhelms with images of the power and terror of YHWH’s over all things. Yet, it ends with a reminder that he draws near to His people.

“May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!” (Psalm 29:11, ESV)

Isaiah reminds us that this God who terrified him also comforted him. He writes,

“For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.” (Isaiah 57:15, ESV)

Jesus Christ comes in human flesh. He draws near. The God whose voice rattles the earth and brings down every throne comes to us in love. He strengthens His people and He blesses His people with peace.

In Scripture and in creation, we behold the Creator who sometimes reveals Himself through the raw and overwhelming power of creation. In Scripture, we behold the Savior who draws near in our weakness and who embraces us, redeems us and lifts us up.

As we look around our world today, there are many reasons to be fearful. Wars; economic challenges, political disputes, violence in the land, sickness, and so much more. Yet we can find refuge in the God who is Lord over all creation and who also draws near to us in love.

Every weapon formed against us shall ultimately fall. We are safe in His love. Let us trust in Him alone.