Laura Adams- Psalm 29

12/3/09- "Ascribe to the Lord"
"Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness. The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD, over many waters. The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty. The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon....The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire. The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness....The voice of the LORD...strips the forests bare, and in his temple all cry, 'Glory!'"
-Psalm 29:1-9
This is not the entire passage, but I want to talk about this particular part with which I am the most familiar. The words of this Psalm, written by Israel's King David of old, brings to mind things in nature. The effect of the words used to indicate God's power and glory is tremendous. David combines (mental) imagery with words to show God's authority over nature.
Van der Leeuw's idea is that the Word and the Image are connected with God the Son. This may at first seem odd, considering that one might think the Psalmist is speaking of God the Father. However, in Christian belief, God the Father and God the Son are one. Therefore, the passage refers just as much to Jesus as to God the Father.
It is interesting to note that God is glorified in words/images that are nature-oriented. If God is more powerful than his creation, why would natural terms be used to describe him? This question may be answered by the verse Romans 1:20- "For [God's] invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made." Thus David wrote of God's greatness by referencing what God has created.