CF Family,
I read this Psalm this morning:
Psa. 29:1 Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. 2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness. 3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD, over many 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 to 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 makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare, and in his temple all cry, “Glory!” 10 The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD sits enthroned as king forever. 11 May the LORD give strength to his people! May the LORD bless his people with peace!
This Psalm is about recognizing and appreciating and ascribing glory to God….Who so rightfully deserves it. Keep that (His glory) in mind while you notice the range of things that happen when the Lord speaks. His voice thunders. It’s powerful. It breaks cedars and flashes fire and shakes the wilderness. This great and mighty voice that strips forests bare……is yet the same voice that hovers quietly over still waters and whispers to the mother deer “it’s time…..it’s time to find a soft spot…..it’s time, gentle doe, to push and push with all your might and bring forth what I’ve knitted together in your womb!”
It struck me as I read this Psalm the gamut of glory displayed when God speaks. It’s beautiful…..if you see it ALL…….the range of possibilities. I fear sometimes we only consider His glory in the gentle whisper to a pregnant doe…….or the soft call of the Shepherd to His sheep to follow Him. If you only see His glory in the graceful calls, then you’ll never reconcile His instructions to Israel to stone the Sabbath breaker………or His command to Saul to completely destroy the Amalekites (1 Sam 15:3)…….or the many other STARK pictures of graphic judgment in book after book of our bibles. Instead of appreciating His glory here, you might find yourself a little embarrassed and either reconcile it with the idea that God must have really had a bad day………or the Sabbath is that important (though it hardly seems it)…….or the Amalekites must have been especially wicked, even the wee ones. If you only see glory in the call to salvation, you’ll never appreciate His glory in the gamut of righteous possibilities from judgment to grace. If you only see glory in the rescue, you’ll have a tough time making sense of worldwide deluge destroying man and beast………and you’ll likely ONLY be able to explain with the notion that those who died in the flood must have been more wicked than those on the ark. If you can’t see the glory in God judging and that we’re all due deluge for all have sinned and all fall short of the glory of God, then you’ll not be confounded that He saved anyone at all!?!?!?. (Read E zekiel 16 – A MUST READ) If you’re not confounded that He saved anyone at all………then you’ll blush at the book of Hosea never really understanding the TREASURE within that story explaining ours. (Another REALLY important read in light of last Sunday’s message)
I would argue you have to see it…..and even enjoy it………the gamut of glory to REALLY appreciate and understand grace and the gospel and what was actually accomplished in Christ’s life/death/resurrection. You won’t walk away feeling like a loser……...rather you’ll feel like the most blessed being on the face of the earth to have heard (and hear) the Shepherd’s voice.
Ben
