The voice of the Beloved is upon the waters; Love’s voice echoes over the oceans and seas. The voice of Love is powerful, majestic is the heart of Love. The mercy of the Beloved breaks the bonds of oppression, shatters the chains of injustice. Love invites all to the dance of freedom to sing the Beloved’s song of truth. (Nan C. Merrill Psalm 29)
Reflection:
Psalm 29 is one of the oldest psalms and can be traced back to the Canaanite religion as a song about Baal. The psalmist simply replaced Baal with YHWH. Today, we might say ‘it’s giving colonizer’ when we talk about how this enthronement psalm came to be in our psalter. It’s a little icky. The change from Baal to YHWH happened because the psalmist was showing the Israelites that they didn’t need to worship other gods (like Baal) because the God of Israel was more than capable of creating order out of chaos in all things, including the natural world (which was thought to be Baal’s domain, especially storms and rain as they were associated with growing crops and fertility). The psalmist is saying YHWH is God not Baal. And, some Christians may say that the entire Hebrew Bible is actually pointing to Jesus, which can also feel icky, especially in inter-faith work.
Christians use this psalm for the Sunday in which Christians celebrate the Baptism of Jesus (a water event) when the voice of God is heard saying, ‘this is my son’. The Holy Spirit descended like a dove on Jesus in the moment the voice of God was heard. So, Christians didn’t exactly replace YHWH (who replaced Baal in Psalm 29) but shifted to understand a triune God (traditionally, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). For Christians, combining this psalm with Jesus’ baptism is a way of solidifying the belief that Jesus is God’s son and he is in control over the waters of chaos.
To be honest, a lot of the sources I’ve consulted have a ‘my god is the best god’ feel to them and that feels icky to me. When I come across the icky stuff in the tradition I participate in, I try to look for what is good and true about God that all of us can hold onto (no matter which God we may think this psalm is about). For me, that means seeing in Psalm 29 the God who chooses to use power to strengthen the weak and to bring peace. That’s why I love Nan Merrill’s versions of the psalms. Her use of inclusive language and the way she gets at the heart of the meaning of the psalm really speaks to me. In Psalm 29, she captures the power of God’s love, which works to free all from oppression and injustice, and invites all of us to join in that great work of Love.
I began writing Psalm reflections during Lent of 2020 shortly after we decided to close the church building, work from home, and worship via zoom. It is a practice I have continued since. Many churches use the Revised Common Lectionary (RLC) that rotates scripture on a three-year cycle (A, B, and C). Starting in Advent 2019, Third Church decided to worship with the texts from Year D, which is still not circulated as are years A, B, and C. Year D was created with the goal of including scriptures that were left out or not used as frequently as others. While we were using Psalms in year D, most other lectionary followers were using Year A. In Advent of 2020 we rejoined those who use the lectionary in year B. Advent of 2021 year C. Advent of 2022 year A. Advent of 2023 year B.
I use the Vanderbilt Divinity Library’s resource for lectionary readings to make text selections.
Year B Psalms
Advent – Transfiguration: 1st Sunday in Advent Psalm 80, 2nd Sunday in Advent Psalm 85, 3rdSunday in Advent Psalm 126, 4th Sunday in Advent Psalm 89, Christmas Eve or Christmas Day Psalm 96, Psalm 97, Psalm 98, 1st Sunday after Christmas, Psalm 148, New Year’s Day Psalm 8, Epiphany Psalm 72, 1st Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 29, 2nd Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 139, 3rd Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 62, 4th Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 111, 5th Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 147, Transfiguration Sunday (Sunday before Lent) Psalm 50
Lent: Ash Wednesday Psalm 51, 1st Sunday in Lent Psalm 25, 2nd Sunday in Lent Psalm 22, 3rdSunday in Lent Psalm 19, 4th Sunday in Lent Psalm 107, 5th Sunday in Lent Psalm 51 or Psalm 119:9-16, 6th Sunday in Lent (Palm or Passion Sunday) Psalm 118 or 31
Holy Week: Monday Psalm 36, Tuesday Psalm 71, Wednesday Psalm 70, Maundy Thursday Psalm 116, Good Friday Psalm 22, Holy Saturday Psalm 31
Easter: Easter Psalm 118 or 114, 2nd Sunday of Easter Psalm 133, 3rd Sunday of Easter Psalm 4, 4th Sunday of Easter Psalm 23, 5th Sunday of Easter Psalm 22, 6th Sunday of Easter Psalm 98, Ascension Psalm 47 or Psalm 93, 7th Sunday of Easter Psalm 1, Day of Pentecost Psalm 104
Season After Pentecost (Ordinary Time): 1st Sunday after Pentecost (Trinity Sunday) Psalm 29, 2nd Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 139 or Psalm 81, 3rd Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 138 or Psalm 130, 4th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 20 or Psalm 92, 5th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 9or Psalm 133 or Psalm 107, 6th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 130 or Psalm 30, 7th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 48 or Psalm 123, 8th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 24 or Psalm 85, 9th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 89 or Psalm 23, 10th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 14 or Psalm 145, 11thSunday after Pentecost Psalm 51 or Psalm 78, 12th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 130 or Psalm 34, 13th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 111 or Psalm 34, 14th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 84 or Psalm 34, 15th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 45 or Psalm 15, 16th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 125 or Psalm 146, 17th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 19 or Psalm 116, 18th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 1 or Psalm 54, 19th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 124 or Psalm 19, 20th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 26 or Psalm 8, 21st Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 22 or Psalm 90, 22ndSunday after Pentecost Psalm 104 or Psalm 91, 23rd Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 34 or Psalm 126, 24th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 146 or 119, 25th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 127 or Psalm 146, 26th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 16, 27th Sunday after Pentecost (Christ the King) Psalm 132 or Psalm 93.
Sources and notes:
“Psalm 29 is an Old Testament doxology in praise of the LORD as sovereign of the universe. The kingdom, power, and glory are its themes.” Mays p. 135
“…everyone in the temple, both the heavenly palace and the earthly sanctuary, is saying “Glory” in recognition of what the proclamation means (v. 9).” Mays p. 136
“The voice of the LORD is the active agent that produces every effect described in the proclamation; it is heard, seen, and felt.” Mays p. 136
“Psalm 29 is the only text in the Old Testament in which the glory of the LORD is so extensively and directly said to be manifested in what we moderns call natural phenomena.” Mays p. 137
“In the history of Hebrew religion, it is clear that one of the hard lessons for the Hebrews to learn was that their God was not only Lord of History, but also Lord of Nature. The prophets constantly harangued their people for resorting to the religion of Baal (e.g. Hos 1-3), and such deviations from the path of religion reflected a deeper lack of faith concerning the Lord’s real control of the world of nature, specifically of the forces of storm and rain which were so fundamental to harvest and survival.” WBC p. 249
“Psalm 29 is one of the most distinctive affirmations in the Bible, not only that God was Lord of Nature, but also that all the forces of nature so commonly attributed to Baal by the persons living in and around the Promised Land were actually attributes of the Lord. The language and imagery of the psalm not only transfer all attributes of weather control from Baal to the Lord, but also by implication mock the supposed powers attributed to Baal.” WBC p. 249
“Psalm 29 is most often thought to be a very old hymn that was originally a hymn of praise to the Canaanite god, Baal. Only now, in its Israelite context, the divine name has been altered to YHWH. As a result, this hymn of praise to YHWH is at once an affirmation of YHWH and a polemic agains Baal: a determined effort to displace the name and marking of Baal with the name and marking of YHWH. In a context of fierce contestation (which is where the church most often lives), hymns may be vigorous assertive polemical acts to insist on this God and this faith claim against all other competitors. In this light, the singing of praise is never innocent–it is always deeply fraught, heavily contested.” Brueggemann, Walter. 2014. From Whom No Secrets Are Hid: Introducing the Psalms. Edited by Brent A. Strawn. 1st ed. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press. p. 37
“Psalm 29 concludes in verse 11 with an edict from the newly enthroned God who declares that the people who worship YHWH (Israel!) will live with strength and well-being in a zone of shalom. Worship ends in shalom when the rule of YHWH is established and acknowledged. The psalm is thus a lyrical performance of the way in which the theological claim of HYWH contracts and construes an order world of stability and well-being. The implicit polemic is that Baal–or any other rival–has no capacity to do such world making. Psalm 29 exhibits the way in which Israel’s liturgical imagination can utilize the old Canaanite lyric for its own conventional world making.” Brueggemann, Walter. 2014. From Whom No Secrets Are Hid: Introducing the Psalms. Edited by Brent A. Strawn. 1st ed. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press. p. 39
“This psalm, more clearly than Psalm 114, is an enthronement psalm. It utilizes a very different set of metaphors. Here there is nothing to connect hte poem to the saving recital of Israel’s creed. Indeed, it is the scholarly consensus that this an older Canaanite psalm, taken over by Israel, wherein only the name of the deity has been changed. Thus it reflects Canaanite mythology and rhetorical structures. This may therefore be one of the oldest of the psalms, showing Israel most directly related to the religious articulations of its cultural context.” Brueggemann, Walter. (1984). The Message of the Psalms: A Theological Commentary. Minneapolis: Augsburg. p. 142
“These two psalms together (Israel’s faith memory in Psalm 114; Israel’s common inheritance among the nations in Psalm 29) provide the basis for new life and for hope in the governance of God. The new life is based in the new kingship of Yahweh, wrought either over the historical enemies of Egypt or over the chaotic threats present in creation. As a liturgical piece, Psalm 29 is a concrete enactment of kingship. The new order requires the honoring of God, but it also requires the capacity and power to reorder life. That is the cause for singing, on earth, as in heaven.” Brueggemann, Walter. (1984). The Message of the Psalms: A Theological Commentary. Minneapolis: Augsburg. p. 143
This reflection comes from Spong, M. (Ed.). (2020). The words of her mouth: Psalms for the struggle. Cleveland, OH: The Pilgrim Press.
The reflection for Psalm 29 is by Katie Mulligan.
Over the murmur of the stream, over the crashing of the ocean, over the shattered scatter of the rain, over the stillness of the morning lake before the wind:the wind, the Spirit. Over the rushing of blood through my body, thudding my head, breaking my heart, aching my feet: the voice of the LORD over the waters, stirring up trouble, calling my name. I hold my hands over my ears, I play music to drown the voice, I shut the doors and windows on the hottest day, I crawl under the blanket and curl into myself, and still the voice of the Lord calls over the waters, whispering to my trembling, hidden self, a shivering lump wrapped in my grandmother’s quilt. They say, “Come child, let us play.” From under the quilt I worship the Lord in holy splendor. They have given me strength! They have blessed me with Peace! Glory!
This reflection comes from: DAFLER, J. (2021). PSOBRIETY: A journey of recovery through the psalms. Louisville, KY: WESTMINSTER JOHN KNOX. p. 35
3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord, over mighty waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
For much of my life, I had a belief in a powerless god, when I had any belief at all. I believed that this god might have been the source of the Big Bang that set the universe in motion, but he was otherwise a “hands-off” god who played no further role in the world of human affairs. Having arrived at a concept of a god who exercised no power, it was easy for me to ignore him altogether and grant myself license to try to control my life and those of the people around me.
Psalm 29 sings praise to an all-powerful God, different from the one many of us may have imagined. This is the God who speaks like thunder and rules over the mighty forces of nature. This is the God who gives his people strength and peace. This is also the God who hears our simple cry fro help when our disease has stripped us of all other hope.
This God who “shakes the wilderness” (v.8) hears our plea and answers our prayers! He removes from us our obsession oath alcohol or drugs and sets us on a new path. This path of sobriety–God’s path–brings us ever more hope, freedom, and joy.
The God of Psalm 29 is the God of miracles, the Higher Power who has the strength to save us from death and destruction . Let us stand alongside his children in the temple and shout, “Glory!”
Glory be to you, oh God, who causes the mountains to tremble and saves us from our long suffering! Please use your mighty power to keep us sober today.
Altar, Robert. 2007. The Book of Psalms: A Translation with Commentary New York: W. W. Norton & Company
WBC Allen, Leslie C. 1983. Word Biblical Commentary: Psalms 101-150. Vol. 21. Waco, TX: Word Books, Publisher.
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. 1974. Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible. 8th ed. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Press.
Bourgeault, C. (2006). Chanting the psalms: A practical guide Audio Book. New Seeds.
Brueggemann, Walter. 2007. Praying the Psalms: Engaging Scripture and the Life of the Spirit. 2nd ed. Eugene, OR: Cascade.
Brueggemann Brueggemann, Walter. 2014. From Whom No Secrets Are Hid: Introducing the Psalms. Edited by Brent A. Strawn. 1st ed. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.
Brueggemann, Walter. Davis Hanskins, Editor. 2022. Our Hearts Wait: Worshiping Through Praise and Lament in the Psalms Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville KY.
Brueggemann, Walter. (2002). Spirituality of the psalms. Augsburg Pub. House.
Brueggemann, Walter. (1984). The Message of the Psalms: A Theological Commentary. Minneapolis: Augsburg.
Chilson, Richard, ed. You Shall Not Want: A Spiritual Journey Based on the Psalms. Ave Maria Press, 2009.
Chittister Chittister, Joan. (2011). Songs of the heart: reflections on the psalms. John Garratt Publishing.
Cudjoe-Wilkes, G., Wilkes, A. J., & Moss, O. (2022). Psalms for black lives: Reflections for the work of Liberation. Upper Room Books.
WBC Craigie, Peter C. 1983. Psalms 1-50–Word Biblical Commentary. Vol. 19. Waco, TX: Word Books.
Creach Creach, Jerome Frederick Davis. 1998. Psalms: Interpretation Bible Studies. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.
DAFLER, J. (2021). PSOBRIETY: A journey of recovery through the psalms. Louisville, KY: WESTMINSTER JOHN KNOX.
W de Claisse-Walford, Nancy L. WISDOM COMMENTARY: Psalms Bks. 4-5. Edited by Barbara E. Reid. Vol. 22. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 2020.
Green, Barbara. 1997. Like a Tree Planted: An Exploration of Psalms and Parables Through Metaphor. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press.
W Hopkins, Denise Dombkowski. WISDOM COMMENTARY: Psalms Bks. 2-3. Edited by Barbara E. Reid. Vol. 21. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 2016.
NIB Keck, Leander E. 2015. The New Interpreters Bible Commentary. Vol. 3. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.
Lewis, C. S. (2017). Reflections on the Psalms. Harper One, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers.
Mays Mays, James Luther. 1994. Psalms. Louisville, KY: John Knox Press.
McCann McCann, J. C. (1993). A theological introduction to the book of Psalms: The Psalms as Torah. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.
McCann, J. C., & Howell, J. C. 2001. Preaching the Psalms. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.
Merrill, N. C. (2020). Psalms for praying an invitation to wholeness (10th Anniversary Edition ed.). London, England: Bloomsbury Publishing.
Miller Miller, Patrick D. 1986. Interpreting the Psalms. Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press.
Morgan, Michael. 2010. The Psalter for Christian Worship Revised Edition. Westminster John Knox Press.
Schlimm Schlimm, Matthew Richard. 2018. 70 Hebrew Words Every Christian Should Know.Nashville, TN: Abington Press.
Spong Spong, M. (Ed.). (2020). The words of her mouth: Psalms for the struggle. Cleveland, OH: The Pilgrim Press.
WBC Tate, Marvin E. 1990. Word Biblical Commentary: Psalms 51-100. Edited by David Allan. Hubbard and Glenn W. Barker. Vol. 20. Waco, TX: Word.
Weems, Ann. 1995. Psalm of Lament. Westminster John Knox Pres
OTL Weiser, Artur. 1998. Old Testament Library: Psalms. Translated by Herbert Hartwell. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Manchester University Press.
Period Pastor Pad 