“Psalm 29 is one of the loveliest poems ever written. It is pure and unrestrained praise.” (TPT footnote)
Read the opening verses and see if you agree:
1 Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord in the splendour of his holiness. (NIV)
Or as the Passion Translation puts it:
1 Proclaim his majesty, all you mighty champions,
you sons of Almighty God,
giving all the glory and strength back to him!
2 Be in awe before his majesty.
Be in awe before such power and might!
Come worship wonderful Yahweh, arrayed in all his splendour,
bowing in worship as he appears in all his holy beauty.
Give him the honour due his name.
Worship him wearing the glory-garments
of your holy, priestly calling!
In one of Charles Wesley’s many well-known hymns he concludes with the words,
“Lost in wonder, love, and praise.” (Love Divine, all Loves Excelling”, 1747)
I think these words can describe the mood of this psalmist as he describes the awe, the majesty, the power of God.
I wonder, when was the last time you experienced such a time of worship of God?
Maybe, if it has been a while, then this Christmas, while Christians around the world worship the “new born King”, you could join them.
There is so much in this psalm worth considering and we will do this in greater depths in the following posts, but as we reflect upon it in the light of Christmas, we see something wonderful.
The psalm commences with worship,
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
WORSHIP the Lord in the splendour of his holiness. (verse 1)
and ends with the words
The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with PEACE. (verse 11)
All reminding us of that wonderful night in Bethlehem when Jesus, the Saviour of the world, was born.
Here is how Luke describes it:
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, PRAISING GOD and saying,
14 “GLORY TO GOD in the highest heaven,
and on earth PEACE to those on whom his favour rests.” (Luke 2:8-14)
Wilcock comments, “There is a movement…in this psalm…from heaven (vv. 1-2) where praise is given to God by his angels, to earth (vv. 10-11) where peace is given by God to his people…The observation of Franz Delitzsch [1830-1890] on the psalm’s opening and closing verses is too good to miss: Gloria in excelsis is its beginning, and pax in terris is its end. Thus Psalm 29 too points forward to the Lord Jesus, at whose coming the angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace.” (see references # 5)
May we, this Christmas and everyday after, do as the carol writer suggests:
“Come and behold Him,
Born the King of Angels;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.”
Father, help us this day to ascribe to you glory and strength, to ascribe to you the glory due your name; and to worship you in the splendour of holiness. Thankyou for the peace you give. Thank you for sending Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Amen.
Tehilim (Psalms) - "songs of praise". 