Notes on the Book of Psalms, Psalm 29
The xxix. PSALM.
David to awe all men to be respective of Gods Church & people, specially Kings from whom they then did, & ever should receive most opposition & hardship. He first seeks to awe them by a due respect of God himself and of his ordinances, exhorting them to give him honour & worship. And therefore sets before their considerations the terriblest of his words to convince them of his glorious greatness, to wit, the thunder, shewing the marvellous effects it hath upon things both sensible and unsensible, the better to move with man, and specially with great men, to reverence the greatness of Almighty God: And besides that, he also preaches to them his glorious goodness manifested in his word and ordinances, to excite them to partake therein together with his people. But in case they refuse, and obstinately oppose themselves against him and them; He incourageth the Israelites, and in them the faithful, assuring them, that God will subdue their enemies, and make them prosperous under him (as Christ shall his Church) spite of all the world.
Psalm xxix. A Psalm of David.A Psalm made by David.
1GIve unto the Lord) O ye mighty, give unto the Lord glory and strength.1 O ye mighty potentates of the world suffer a word of exhortation, be not high in your own conceits, to which you are most subject, be warned not to swell with the pride of your honour and power, but set the Lord above you, and pay the homage of both to God, least he lay your honour in the dust, and bring your strength to weakness.
2Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of Holiness.2 Do by God as you exspect others should do by you, that are your subjects and inferiours. Give him the honour that is due to his greatness, and leave off your superstition and come and worship him, and bring your gifts in token of service and subjection, to his beautiful sanctuary, for no where else will he receive them, it being the sole appointed place of his glorious and solemn worship and special presence.
3The voice of the Lord is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth, the Lord is upon many waters.3 Your power is here below, but Gods is up above which loudly declares it self to us on earth, from out those watery clouds that are in the firmament over us, whence God, who is the Lord of supream glory dreadfully thunders, and shews his greatness by that terrible noise multiplied out of sundry clouds, by sundry thunder-claps at once, and by the infinite inundation of rain that immediately follows thereupon.
by sundry thunderclaps at once, and by the infinit inundation of rain that immedaitly follows thereupon.
4 This voice of the Lords thunder is in it self very dreadful,4The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of Majestie. and declares him to be of mighty power and of exceeding great Majestie and glorie, far above all earthly potentates.
5 When the Lord thunders,5The voice of the Lord breaketh Cedars: yea, the Lord breaketh the Cedars of Lebanon. it is so mightie and forcible, that it overthrows the strongest trees; even the great and tall Cedars of Lebanon are broken and turned up by the roots by the violence of thunder-storms.
6 Yea,6He maketh them also to skip like a calf: Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn. of such affrightment is that terrible voice of his, and with such power doth it operate even upon unsensible creatures: That not onelyonly the trees, but also the mightie and unmoveable mountains whereon they grow are shaken by it, and seem to jump up out of their places, and from their center by the earth-quake, which is begotten by that noise. Even the mountains Lebanon and Hermon, as great and weightie as they are, are moved; and in a moment rise and fall with the force of thunder.
7 The thunder sends forth fearful and fiery-flashes of lightning from out the clouds,7The voice of the Lord divideth the flames of fire. and in an instant with a violent and sudden motion disperses and darts them hither and thither.
8 The thunder by its mighty and frightful noise uttered as it were by the omnipotent mouth of God himself,8The voice of the Lord shaketh the wilderness, the Lord shaketh the wilderness of Kad…sh. makes even the vast and savage wilderness, yea, that great and terrible one which the Israelites wandred in 40 years between Egypt and Canaan together with the wild beasts and formidable creatures therein, which are so frightful to others, themselves to quake and tremble.
9The voice of the Lord maketh the Hinds to calve, and discovereth the forrests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glorie.9 This noise of thunder so terrifies the most wild and untamedst creatures, and which are of difficult production, as are the Hinds, that it makes them prevent natures season, and for fear, untimely cast their young, and of such force it is, that it layes the forrest in many parts of it plain, by turning up trees by the rootes, making a clear prospect through woods and groves. This is one way whereby God gets himself glorie, shewing this his greatness to the amazement of all men and all things, and exspects of all men to be honoured thereafter. But another and better way whereby he is honoured, is, now in his tabernacle, and hereafter in his temple, for saving-mercies with a sanctified worship; where all the faithful do and must resort to give him the glorie and praises not onelyonly of his greatness manifested in his works, but chiefly of his goodness and merciemercy manifested in his word.
10The Lord sitteth upon the floud: yea, the Lord sitteth King for ever.10 O that the Kings and great men of the earth would therefore be awed by his works, and won by his word to honour him, and subject themselves to him and his holy ordinances, and cease to rebel and rise up against him, by opposing his Church and peoples quiet; but if not, The Lord that commands the raging seas and subdues their force, can and will subdue theirs also, for he shall bring all his enemies be they never so great, under his feet, and will reign for ever in and for his Church, spite of all earthly power to the contrarie.
11The Lord will give strength unto his people, the Lord will bless his people with pea…e.11 The Lord will give his people the better of their adversaries be they never so potent, and will establish them in peace and tranquillitie by and under me, as Christ shall his Church in inward spiritual peace and consolation, spite of all her enemies, the world, flesh, or devil.