the extent of His voice

The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness;

the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

Psalm 29:8

Over half of this psalm is caught up in the power and majesty of the voice of the Lord as reflected by God’s power over the natural and the political world. It can be charted like this:

So looking at the poetry, what point is being made? It extols the powerful, impressive, and fearful voice of God and ends in worship. People cry out “Glory!” in God’s temple (which did not yet exist when David wrote this psalm). It is somewhat prophetic, perhaps a glimpse into eternity in God’s new temple. Every image is about three things: 1) The exclusivity of the voice of the Lord. When God speaks it is a unique experience attributed only to Him. 2) The power of the voice of the Lord. It is both destructive and, depending upon how the Hebrew reads in verse 9 (ie “deer gives birth”) creative in expression. 3) The rule of the voice of the Lord is global: It extends from Lebanon (north) to Kadesh (south) and embraces all people, coming from God enthroned as King over all forever (Psalm 29:10).

Lord,

You are in control. Your voice rules the world, still echoing across the universe You created as You thunder over wilderness, shake the forests and the cities, send the floods, and yet keep Your creation in Your care. May Your mighty power continue to be made known now in the voice of Your saving love AND Your impending justice is here now in the voice of Jesus for Your glory, O King!

Amen