Ps 28-29
Key Verse: 29:4

    Thank God that through the word of God, we can have direction in life on how to solve problems. Through God's mercy, we can live a new life and depend on the power of God. Today's first Psalm contrasts a sincere godly life with a life lived before men's eyes. He concludes that God is the strength of his people and the source of salvation. Today's second Psalm declares that the voice of the LORD is powerful and majestic. The voice of the LORD can shake nature and accomplish the Creator's will. The word of God is very powerful and can change even very stubborn people.

1. The LORD Is My Strength And My Shield (Ps 28)
    King David wrote so many songs and Psalms, praising God. May the words of these Psalms influence us and our way of thinking. Verses 28:1-2 say, "To you I call, O LORD my Rock; do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you remain silent, I will be like those who have gone down to the pit. Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place." The LORD his Rock refers to a rocky summit where he could climb up to a secure place. He called to God. He yearned for God's mercy and God's help. David longed to worship God and go deeper in a relationship with God based on God's mercy. We may have many things to overcome like failures, sins, bad influence, misunderstandings based on things like human tradition, our human situation, and so on. God can deliver his mercy to the fallen sons of Adam.

    Verse 28:3 says, "Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who do evil, who speak cordially with their neighbors but harbor malice in their hearts." In those times David identified a specific problem: superficial relationships. In his words the "wicked" "speak cordially"; they sound friendly, but hold harmful intentions ("harbor malice"). God's people must learn to speak truthfully and be a "real" people that can love consistently, even in private. Wicked people just say things to please people and to look good before the eyes of men. God's people must be different than worldly people and have sincere love. Verses 28:4-5 tell us that God can't bless a life with a pattern of fake love. How can we overcome this? According to verse 28:5 it is by showing regard for the works of the LORD.

    Verse 28:6 says, "Praise be to the LORD, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song." Faith in God seems intangible and impractical. We reinforce our relationship with God when we praise him. We can do this through messages, through our testimony or through song. God receives the glory and praise. Human systems failed when people glorified things and people in the place of God.

    Our relationship with God is the source of strength for God's people. Verses 28:8-9 say, "The LORD is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one. Save your people and bless your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever." May God help us to depend on him.

2. The Voice Of The LORD Is Powerful (Ps 29)
    In this Psalm David speaks about the power of the voice of the LORD. In verses 29:1-2 he writes, "Ascribe to the LORD, O mighty ones, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness." Here "ascribe" can mean to acknowledge, to write about, or give to. He says, "Ascribe to the LORD, O mighty ones." "Mighty ones", which literally mean "sons of God", refers to mighty heavenly beings, or spiritual people. God created man in his image and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. As a result people can have a glorious life as a mighty one. Peter wrote that through God's promises, we can participate in the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). When we repent of our sins and invite Jesus into our hearts, we can be like the mighty ones. He calls the mighty ones to acknowledge and give God the glory due of his name.

    Verse 29:3 says, "The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD thunders over the mighty waters." In Genesis 1 it says that the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. The voice of God spoke and God created the world. The voice of God spoke, and God created light. God's power thundered over the mighty waters like a sonic boom. God's word is not like man's word. Man changes his word, and his word has no weight. In the fairy tale "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" a shepherd boy watched a flock. He cried "Wolf!" and villagers came to his aid, even though there was no wolf. On the third time when an actual wolf attacked his sheep, he cried "Wolf!" again, but nobody responded. Likewise, man's sinful nature reduced the weight of his word. God's word is mighty and his power thunders.

    Verse 29:4 says, "The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic." The voice of God has strong power to change people from within. The voice of God can change cultures and individuals. Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." We have God's word in the Bible. Jesus saw a man paralyzed for 38 years at the pool of Bethesda. He lost power and became a slave of complaining and powerlessness. No doctor or psychologist could help him, and he became superstitious about getting healed. He heard the voice of God in Jesus, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." Because of the voice of God in Jesus, he picked up his mat and walked. The voice of the LORD is majestic.

    Verse 29:5 says, "The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon." Cedars are giant redwood trees. Solomon built the first temple out of the logs of cedars from Lebanon. Cedar is an exotic tree with hard wood in a deep red color and an aromatic scent. The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars. Normally we need big chainsaws and husky lumberjacks and large tractor trailers. The Bible says the voice of the LORD breaks the cedars. Jeremiah 23:29 says, " 'Is not my word like fire,' declares the LORD, 'and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?' " Through the voice of the LORD, impossible things become possible. The Israelites had turned away to worship a false god Baal, which gave them false hopes and did not solve the basic sin problem. The word of God can break up human pride. The word of God can give us a living hope in the kingdom of God.

    The word of God can change culture. Apostle Paul went to the Greek city of Corinth. Corinth was not known for scholars or important people. It was a city of trading, shipping, and it was not known for pure living. Paul went to Corinth anyway and preached the gospel of Jesus, and many people were transformed through hearing the word of God. 1 Corinthians 1:28-29 says, "He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him." Through this, the word of God spread powerfully and changed cultures. If the word of God can change nature, it can move the most stubborn sinner. Alan Wolff was in Chicago UBF ministry since the late 1970s. From high school he liked to do intellectual things like play chess. He went to Northwestern University. When he came to UBF Bible study, he adamantly declared that he was an atheist, but liked to come to UBF to eat some food occasionally. He studied the Bible for years without repenting, but he listened to the word of God. He thought he was smarter than the Bible. At this stage in his life he was academically dismissed Northwestern, because of his poor grades. He kept studying the Bible in UBF and accepted the word of God and repented and believed in Jesus. The voice of the LORD worked powerfully and changed him from a stubborn person. He ended up in Washington UBF where I met him and became his roommate. He finished his bachelors degree and went back to Chicago. Later he went back to Northwestern first as an employee, then re-entered into a masters program and later got a PhD from Northwestern University. They said that probably no one at Northwestern University was academically dismissed from a bachelors program for poor grades and later returned and earned a PhD.

    Verse 29:7 says, "He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the LORD strikes with flashes of lightning." One lightning bolt typically has about 100 million volts of electricity. The voice of God strikes like multiple flashes of lightning. Some people claim Bible study is boring. It is because the sinful nature made them love sinful things, and they didn't want to live a holy life.

    Verse 29:8 says, "The voice of the LORD shakes the desert; the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh." So far we saw that God's word is over the waters, and breaking trees on land. Here it says that the LORD shakes the desert. Nature is under God's control. Verse 29:10 says God rules over floods as well. God uses nature to reveal his glory. May Jesus' word shake the Gobi Desert and Mongolian people.

    Verse 29:9 says, "The voice of the LORD twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, 'Glory!' " Oak is a very hard and strong wood. The Bible says that God can twist oaks. God's people cry, "Glory!" It is a picture of the Creator God getting the glory that he deserves. Verse 29:10 concludes, "The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace." Praise God that the voice of the LORD is so powerful and can do mighty things. May he bless his people with peace.