Tuesday, January 30, 2007

The Voice of the Lord

We can gain much knowledge from reading great men who have gone before us and have diligently studied the Scriptures and have imparted to us wisdom that they have received from the Lord. Although this is true, it does not substitute our own reading and studying of the Word of God. It is only within the last several years that I have developed an unquenchable hunger for the Word of God. When I read it, the pages seem to come alive right before my eyes! I have been reading the Psalms every morning, and I now know why Charles Spurgeon called his commentary, The Treasury of David, because the Psalms are just that, an amazing treasure that God has graciously given to mankind. Yesterday I was reading Psalm 29, and the words came alive again! I must share my insights from the Psalm.

1Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
2Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.

3The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the LORD, over many waters.
4The voice of the LORD is powerful;
the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.

5The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
6He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf,
and Sirion like a young wild ox.

7The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire.
8The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness;
the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

9The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth[c]
and strips the forests bare,
and in his temple all cry, "Glory!"

10The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;
the LORD sits enthroned as king forever.
11May the LORD give strength to his people!
May the LORD bless his people with peace!

Notice...the voice of the Lord is powerful and full of majesty, it breaks the cedars of Lebanon, flashes forth like flames of fire, shakes the wilderness, makes the deer give birth, strips the forest bare! The Voice of the Lord is a powerful voice! It was the voice of the Lord that created everything out of nothing! It was the voice of the Lord that breathed life into the dust and formed Man! It was the voice of the Lord that commanded the waters to flood the earth! It was the voice of the Lord that established His covenant with Abraham and with David! It was the Voice of the Lord that blessed Jacob over Esau! It was the voice of the Lord that told Moses exactly what to say to Pharaoh! It was the voice of the Lord that command Moses to lift his staff and that the Red Sea would split and the Israelites would cross on dry land! It was the voice of the Lord that thundered forth on Mount Sinai and gave the Ten Commandments! It was the voice of the Lord that revealed to the virgin Mary she would conceive a Son begotten by the Holy Spirit! It was the voice of the Lord that cleansed lepers, made the lame to walk, and the blind to see! It was the voice of the Lord that called to Lazarus, saying,"Lazarus, Come forth!" It was the voice of the Lord that cried from the cross making the payment for sin, crying, "It is finished!"

Reader, was it none other than the voice of the Lord that revealed to you your sin? Was it not the voice of the Lord that called you into adoption to be called a Child of God!? Most Certainly, it was the voice of the Lord that thundered forth and called you by name into his eternal kingdom! Is the voice of the Lord any less powerful today? Some make the voice of the Lord to be pleading with men yet failing in His efforts. My friend, the voice of the Lord that breaks the cedars of Lebanon is the voice of the Lord that changes the stony heart to a heart of flesh and that powerfully and effectively calls you into the family of God! May we Ascribe to the Lord the glory that is due His name and may our praises be sweet in His ear as he sits enthroned as King forever! Be Blessed!

1 comment:

Gordan said...

Hmm, you were reading Psalm 29 on the 29th day of the month? Coincidence?

Or do you follow that plan where you read the Psalm that matches the number of the day and then keep adding 30, so that every day you read five Psalms and finish the book in a typical month?

That has been a very helpful plan for me to follow, and has caused my love for the Psalter to increase dramatically over the years.