"Give unto the LORD the glory due His name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness" (Psalm 29:2).
Like the men who built the tower of Babel as a monument to their own achievement, the rulers and princes in the day of David proudly opposed the Lord, exalting themselves instead of humbly ascribing glory due the Lord. In Psalm 29, David rebuked such wickedness by exhorting these mighty ones to worship God according to His holiness and to submit to His authority. He then recited how God’s power is manifested in His creation. He concluded this tribute to the Lord by calling Him King—a king who reveals His authority not only in governing the creation but by giving strength to His people and blessing them with peace.
Humility is a foreign concept to the natural man. Rebellion and pride stem from a heart that stands in opposition to the authority of God. Adam stepped into the trap of pride when he exerted His will over the will of God, imagining that he had the power to be as God. How foolish this thought is, that a creature of finite value, of lowliness of stature, would endeavor to exalt himself to a station reserved for the King of heaven. God is infinite, omnipotent, the very word of His mouth is powerful and majestic. “The voice of the LORD divides the flames of fire. The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness. The voice of the LORD … strips the forests bare” (Psalm 29:7–9). Such are the descriptions David uses to illustrate the power of God. How awed we are when we witness the effects of a powerful hurricane or a driving flood. Yet, while the natural man fears such things, he gives no account of God, ignoring the fact that God’s power is infinitely greater than the gales of a hurricane.
David rebukes such men and “commands them to give strength unto Jehovah, because, deluded by their treacherous imaginations, they think that the power which they possess is supplied to them from some other quarter than from heaven. In short, he exhorts them to lay aside their haughtiness, and their false opinion about their own strength, and to glorify God as He deserves,” Calvin said. How true this must be not only in the world but especially in the church. Our response to God’s power should be one of humility, “in His temple all cry, ‘Glory!’ ” God is worthy of our praise, worship, and obedience because He is the King of all forever and ever.
How often we witness the power and awesome strength of God in displays of nature. The next time you witness a thunderstorm, a gale, a blizzard, or whatever phenomenon your location offers, give glory to God. Use such storms as an opportunity to engage acquaintances in spiritual discussion.
