The Mountain Is Not Yet Ascended: The King And His People As The Nations Rage In Psalms 25–33 (Part 6)—Psalm 29 And The Lord’s Voice

by on October 17, 2026 | Comment

It often seems like chaos and busyness dominate every second of our lives. We feel the bustle and pressure of living in a hectic society. Even more, we may feel the anxiety caused by distressing events around the world as we watch the news. Yet, if you were to view a photograph of Earth from outer space, you would see just a peaceful-looking orb of oceans and landmasses where you know people have built homes and cultures thrive. The point is that the right perspective changes how we feel about our situation.

Psalm 29 is about the perspective we need to find peace while living in the world. It recognizes that the perspective we need to overcome our fears and burdens is not about us. Rather, we need to firmly fix our sights on God in his glory. If we view the details around us from a heavenly perspective, we find reasons for great peace even amid the chaos around us.

Throughout the Psalms, we have seen a developing pattern regarding the tension in the Christian life. On one hand, we have the fears and trials of life in this fallen age as the nations rage. On the other hand, we have God’s faithfulness and grand promises about how his king will rule over the nations. How do we navigate life when both sides of this tension remain part of our experience?

Psalm 29 answers this question as an important contribution to the Psalter’s developing message. This book is telling a unified story about God’s king and about how to live the Christian life well. Psalms 1–2 show that the Psalter is about the law and the gospel. Psalms 3–14 are about experiencing the hardship of the nations raging even though God has promised that his Son will reign as king. Psalms 15–24 tell the story of the incarnate Christ as the righteous one able to ascend the hill of the Lord and bring us with him.

Psalms 25–34 drop us back into the hardship of life for and with God’s king as the nations rage against him. Yet these prayers show us how the king endures and how we should pray in situations of continual challenge and persecution. Psalm 25 cried that God would not put the psalmist to shame, Psalm 26 asked for vindication, Psalm 27 stated confidence in God, and Psalm 28 asked for judgment on relentless enemies.

Now, Psalm 29 develops Psalm 28:8, which asserts that the Lord is the strength of his people.1 Psalms 25–28 were prayers that seem to have been written around the same time against the backdrop of false accusations.2 Psalm 29 is not a prayer like the surrounding psalms. Rather, it exhorts heavenly beings to glorify God.3 It is the culmination of Psalms 25–28 in the quest for 4 The hope in Psalm 28 for judgment on David’s enemies culminates in confidence in Psalm 29 with God’s just power.5

Psalm 29 shapes our discipleship by showing us where we need to look for the answer to our prayers. I recently planted some grass seed to cover a dirt patch in our yard. Most days, I go out and inspect it closely to see if any change has occurred, if there are any results with little grass sprouts. We often take the same approach with our prayers, inspecting a situation to see if there are any effects yet. Rather, we need to turn our eyes away from the situation to look to the Lord in his glory. He is the hope for answered prayer. We need less use of a magnifying glass to view the chaos of the world and more use of a telescope to see the globe from the skies. From the heavenly view, we see things peacefully again. This post argues that God’s voice is strong for his people.

Perspective

Psalm 29 is a song of praise with nothing but praise.6 It differs in this respect from so many of the psalms around it where David cries out for help amid trial. It also differs in its posture toward the issues. The prayers surrounding it are defensive, asserting what David needed God to do, calling to the Lord for it to happen.

Psalm 29 is an attack against the nations, specifically a confrontation with the false gods of the nations. Take note of the mention of Lebanon in verse 5–6 and of Kadesh in verse 8. Both are places north of Israel in the territory of Baal. Some infer that David adapted Psalm 29 from an older song in Ugaritic written for the god Baal.8

We should not think of this psalm as a Canaanite song repurposed for the true God.8 Rather, David composed it with specific purpose to show that the true God prevails over the false god Baal.9 Psalm 29 puts on display that God, the true God, has the voice that is truly powerful.

The events are like a storm moving across the northern territory from Lebanon to Kadesh, eventually turning into a flood.10 In verse 3, God’s voice is over the waters, and his glory thunders. In verse 5, his voice breaks the cedars of Lebanon more forcefully than the wind that brings down all those branches, leaving us without power during storm season. In verse 7, God’s voice streaks fire like lightning flashes. In verse 9, his voice strips the forest bare like the storm that clears the ground across the plains.

What is the point? God is more powerful than all the nations serving false gods as they rage against God’s king and God’s people. Whatever the troubles that have come in the preceding psalms, God still reigns high above and has power to defeat them. Against the odds, David holds confidence that God will provide all that he needs. This psalm pulls us back to the heavens to see our trials from heaven’s perspective of the triumphant God.

Power

How should we apply Psalm 29 to our lives? The psalm opens by calling heavenly beings to ascribe glory to God. David exhorts them to acknowledge God’s greatness—his glory, strength, name, and holy splendor. Those who see the full scope of world affairs praise God because, from heaven’s perspective, the earth is at peace. When viewed in light of God’s power to bring peace, the trials and struggles that loom before us fade.

The next section, verses 3–9, explains why we should ascribe glory to God.11 These are the demonstrations of his power. The unifying feature in every demonstration is the power of God’s voice.

We learn that we apply this psalm as we see where God’s power lies. The other supposed gods must fight and bring chaos. Their resources include strong timber for fortifications and powerful animals. But God has his voice, which is all he needs.

We can look for our comfort in worldly things. We trust God when we think we have the upper hand. But we are not really trusting in God but in our earthly tools.

The final verses state the point of the psalm:

The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;

the LORD sits enthroned as king forever.

May the LORD give strength to his people!

May the LORD bless his people with peace! (vv. 10–11)

In other words, God’s power is why we should have peace.12 But God wields his power by his Word. Where do we look when we are fearful? To the Lord as he reigns by his Word. When we are troubled by the chaos of this world and its burdens, we need our focus to be on God.

When life feels heavy, one of the best things you can do is pause to praise God. Find a way to dwell on God’s power rather than on your plight. We need a grander perspective of the Lord’s goodness and reign. When we contemplate God, we are reminded that his power is greater than the troubles facing us. We are renewed in confidence that he can overcome our challenges. God’s power is our sure source of hope as he defends his people.

Peace

How does Psalm 29 point us to Christ? What are the gospel realities revealed here? Psalm 29 is about God’s voice as his power to defeat David’s enemies.

God’s Word is still his power in the gospel. Hebrews 1:1–2 says, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” Today, God speaks plainly in the Son, and his message of rescue is still powerful. It is the message that Christ has defeated our sin, that God’s king reigns in grace for all who trust in him. This power of his Word is still unexpected, grounded in his promises, and is not obvious if we judge it by the world’s standards.

Christ won victory to inherit the nations by coming to secure our salvation. He lived a righteous life to secure our entry into his kingdom. His death seemed like defeat, and yet it was the way he conquered death for all who belong to him. The Romans had all the might of empire, but Christ died and still won. We know this is true because he rose from the grave, the champion of his people. The risen Christ is the voice of God announcing salvation from sin for all who receive him as their Savior by faith alone.

The Lord is enthroned over the flood and will be forever. He is enthroned over the trials and troubles of this age. He will be enthroned when Christ comes again in judgment. He gives strength to his people as we walk with him in dependence on his grace.

He has given peace. Most importantly, he has given peace by making his enemies into his friends. He has brought us near to him through all that Christ has done. When we were rebels against him, he quieted our hearts to see his goodness. When we were condemned in sin, Christ satisfied our penalty to reconcile us to God. When we are weak, he is our provider. The Lord is our peace, and in him we find our protection.

Notes

  1. Christopher Ash, The Psalms: A Christ-Centered Commentary (Crossway, 2024), 2:340.
  2. James M. Hamilton Jr., Psalms, Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary (Lexham Academic, 2021), 1:322.
  3. Hamilton, Psalms, 1:341.
  4. Hamilton, Psalms, 1:341.
  5. Hamilton, Psalms, 1:336.
  6. Bruce K. Waltke and Fred G. Zaspel, How to Read and Understand the Psalms (Crossway, 2023), 168; and Allen P. Ross, A Commentary on the Psalms (Kregel Academic, 2011–16), 1:652.
  7. Waltke and Zaspel, How to Read and Understand the Psalms, 166, 191–92; and Ross, Psalms, 1:652–53.
  8. Dale Ralph Davis, In the Presence of My Enemies: Psalms 25–37 (Christian Focus, 2020), 83–84.
  9. Waltke and Zaspel, How to Read and Understand the Psalms, 166, 191–92; and Ross, Psalms, 1:652–53.
  10. Ross, Psalms, 1:653; Ash, Psalms, 2:339–41; and Hamilton, Psalms, 1:341–42.
  11. Ross, Psalms, 1:657.
  12. Ross, Psalms, 1:339–40.

© Harrison Perkins. All Rights Reserved.

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