Romans 13:7 says, “Give everyone what you owe
him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then
respect; if honor, then honor.” (NIV) That
is the attitude that starts our Psalm 29 in regard to God. No matter who you are, angel above or person
below, give God what is due Him.
“Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength … the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of
holiness.”
It is good and right to recognize, verbally
and intellectually, that God is glorious.
It is good to be in awe before Him and admit it. Sometimes we call this attitude “worship,”
but I want to be careful with that word.
Properly defined, “worship,” means to ascribe worth to something, much
as we are urged to ascribe glory, strength, etc. to the LORD in this psalm. God is worthy, glorious, strong, etc. even if
we do not ascribe it to Him. We are only
acknowledging what is truly there already.
So when we “worship” what are we doing?
The original text commands us to bow down before the LORD. We prostrate ourselves in recognition of God’s
majesty.
And make no mistake; God is majestic!
Luther once commented, “People think: If I
could hear God speaking in His own Person, I would run so fast to hear Him that
my feet would bleed.” He goes on to say
that hearing God’s voice would get them running alright, but they would be
running away instead of toward God. Hear
again what the psalmist says of God’s voice:
The voice of the LORD thunders, is powerful and full of majesty, breaks cedars, makes mountains
(like Sirion) quake, flashes forth flames, shakes the wilderness and strips the
forests bare.
Do you still think you would run toward
that? No indeed! When God spoke from Mr. Sinai to the children
of Israel in Exodus they begged to not have to hear God’s voice. “Let God speak to Moses, and then Moses can
speak to us! Just don’t make us hear God’s
voice!”
God’s glory leaves us terrified. It strips us bare. It shines light on all our secrets and leaves
us ashamed. It shows all our
un-holiness. How can we possibly endure
God’s voice?
It is only possible in Christ.
God the Son took on human flesh to dwell
among us so that we could behold His glory – glory veiled in human flesh. He came to make God known and to speak the
Father’s words to us. Indeed, Jesus is
God’s Word and proclamation to us of the salvation He has prepared for us. When Jesus was lifted up on the cross, God’s
hidden glory was there for us to behold as God Himself – God the Son – bore our
sins to death to reconcile us to God – the Father, Son & Holy Spirit.
Incredibly, we can hear God’s voice
today. It tickles our ears every time
the Scriptures are read. It echoes in
sermons, Bible studies, and times of teaching.
We hear it in the absolution when the pastor says, “By Jesus’ authority,
I forgive you.” It calls out in the Lord’s
Supper and Baptism saying, “You are Mine, and I have made you holy.”
The LORD gives us strength and blesses us by
His Word, and that too displays His glory and might.
Father, You are mighty, but you use Your might to bless me. Help me to trust you in Jesus. Amen.
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