Ps 29 9The voice of the LORD twists the oaks
and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, "Glory!"
The Psalmist is describing a natural disaster that is created by Gods spoken word. God speaks everything into existence. When we see the creation and examine the beauty and symmetry we can describe it in a language. We can use hyperbole and all kinds of forms of speech in order to express our emotional reaction in viewing the creation. So we see that Gods speaks the creation into existence and it speaks as an explanation of Gods attributes and character.
How does God create something through His word? He creates it according to His pleasure. The purpose of Gods original creation was to pronounce that it was good on the 7th day. God was pleased with His handiwork. This idea is where we get the doctrine of free grace. Free grace creates the same circumstances as if God were standing back and admiring His creation. Its hard for us to believe that a storm is a display of Gods beauty and pleasure. We must understand that all of creation as we view it, is a display of Gods work alone. Our view and experience of Gods creation will describe how much we know God. In other words in a storm we face real danger that forces us to look at our helplessness to escape it. In this sense we are put in Gods hands and forced to trust in God alone. This is what the Psalmist is comparing with God speaking in the temple.
Before sin entered the world there was no communication of violence. There was no opposition in man because there was no presence of corruption and sin. There was no such thing as a violent action in the garden. But the violence was introduced by the Serpent. When man fell into sin God had to address the sin by demanding vengeance and punishment. You see that man became violent and God opposed man with vindicating His perfection and beauty. Here the Psalmist is describing Gods voice as a violent opposition to violence of the wicked that steals the peace of His people. The purpose of this Psalm is to extol Gods judgements of the storm and then after the storm is finished there is peace.
This is how the Psalmist builds his case for Gods judgements. We must understand that the presence of evil and corruption fuel the destructive disaster that could always exist that would produce the destruction of mankind. Because God is gracious after man fell, he took the power from man to be as bad as man could be. God in his grace , cursed mankind and the creation. This voice the Psalmist is describing is the reaction of God to the opposition to Gods elect. God responded to wicked men by destroying them in a display of His fury and power in the presence of His people who gather in the Temple.This Psalm is teaching that Gods awful judgements that are displayed in the storm is His ability to carry out His law on law breakers. Here we see Gods actions that are described in a world of men who are unable to produce the effects that bring about the kind of peace that is a result of the huge effects of a storm.
Here we see that the production of the entire event of the disaster is compared to the voice of Gods curse toward law breakers. We are taught that as we experience the power and the work in the storm so the curse of God is the inward ability given to us to feel the power of Gods wrath and rise up to the line between blessing and cursing and experience the peace of God. We naturally want to do things to bring peace into our lives. But Gods peace does not depend upon circumstances. Gods peace is already established in His absolute rule over the earth. In this day and age we are taught two line theology. We like to be in between absolute peace that is promised by God and our walk on earth where we cannot control the peace. So we describe God as the person who is sovereign who brings things into our lives that we do not understand. Thats the answer to the question as to why we feel anxious.
In this scenario we are always encouraging the attitude hat God is slack in His defense of us. Which enforces our attitude of resignation. Two line teaches us that God is sometimes the boogie man behind the door who checks our wills. We learn to be resigning people instead of defenders. But we are taught in the Psalms that Gods judgements are absolute just like His blessing and cursing. In other words our efforts to establish Gods peace are fruitless. No matter how hard we try to resign to the violence in this world we still will not overcome the threats until God establishes peace through the curse. There is no such teaching in scripture where those two lines do not meet. Gods sovereignty is purposed to defend His elect because the curse of the law is never satisfied until it is fully carried out. The only time that peace is present and established is when all opposition has be destroyed through the curse. This is why we spend years in pronouncing the curses so that we can experience the peace of God through strength. Until the opposition is destroyed we will always experience tribulation. Gods sovereign action is always to defend His purposes.
and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, "Glory!"
The Psalmist is describing a natural disaster that is created by Gods spoken word. God speaks everything into existence. When we see the creation and examine the beauty and symmetry we can describe it in a language. We can use hyperbole and all kinds of forms of speech in order to express our emotional reaction in viewing the creation. So we see that Gods speaks the creation into existence and it speaks as an explanation of Gods attributes and character.
How does God create something through His word? He creates it according to His pleasure. The purpose of Gods original creation was to pronounce that it was good on the 7th day. God was pleased with His handiwork. This idea is where we get the doctrine of free grace. Free grace creates the same circumstances as if God were standing back and admiring His creation. Its hard for us to believe that a storm is a display of Gods beauty and pleasure. We must understand that all of creation as we view it, is a display of Gods work alone. Our view and experience of Gods creation will describe how much we know God. In other words in a storm we face real danger that forces us to look at our helplessness to escape it. In this sense we are put in Gods hands and forced to trust in God alone. This is what the Psalmist is comparing with God speaking in the temple.
Before sin entered the world there was no communication of violence. There was no opposition in man because there was no presence of corruption and sin. There was no such thing as a violent action in the garden. But the violence was introduced by the Serpent. When man fell into sin God had to address the sin by demanding vengeance and punishment. You see that man became violent and God opposed man with vindicating His perfection and beauty. Here the Psalmist is describing Gods voice as a violent opposition to violence of the wicked that steals the peace of His people. The purpose of this Psalm is to extol Gods judgements of the storm and then after the storm is finished there is peace.
This is how the Psalmist builds his case for Gods judgements. We must understand that the presence of evil and corruption fuel the destructive disaster that could always exist that would produce the destruction of mankind. Because God is gracious after man fell, he took the power from man to be as bad as man could be. God in his grace , cursed mankind and the creation. This voice the Psalmist is describing is the reaction of God to the opposition to Gods elect. God responded to wicked men by destroying them in a display of His fury and power in the presence of His people who gather in the Temple.This Psalm is teaching that Gods awful judgements that are displayed in the storm is His ability to carry out His law on law breakers. Here we see Gods actions that are described in a world of men who are unable to produce the effects that bring about the kind of peace that is a result of the huge effects of a storm.
Here we see that the production of the entire event of the disaster is compared to the voice of Gods curse toward law breakers. We are taught that as we experience the power and the work in the storm so the curse of God is the inward ability given to us to feel the power of Gods wrath and rise up to the line between blessing and cursing and experience the peace of God. We naturally want to do things to bring peace into our lives. But Gods peace does not depend upon circumstances. Gods peace is already established in His absolute rule over the earth. In this day and age we are taught two line theology. We like to be in between absolute peace that is promised by God and our walk on earth where we cannot control the peace. So we describe God as the person who is sovereign who brings things into our lives that we do not understand. Thats the answer to the question as to why we feel anxious.
In this scenario we are always encouraging the attitude hat God is slack in His defense of us. Which enforces our attitude of resignation. Two line teaches us that God is sometimes the boogie man behind the door who checks our wills. We learn to be resigning people instead of defenders. But we are taught in the Psalms that Gods judgements are absolute just like His blessing and cursing. In other words our efforts to establish Gods peace are fruitless. No matter how hard we try to resign to the violence in this world we still will not overcome the threats until God establishes peace through the curse. There is no such teaching in scripture where those two lines do not meet. Gods sovereignty is purposed to defend His elect because the curse of the law is never satisfied until it is fully carried out. The only time that peace is present and established is when all opposition has be destroyed through the curse. This is why we spend years in pronouncing the curses so that we can experience the peace of God through strength. Until the opposition is destroyed we will always experience tribulation. Gods sovereign action is always to defend His purposes.
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