“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. He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire. The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare, and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”” -Psalm 29:3–9
The expression, “The voice of the Lord,” is used seven times in this psalm. While we should always be careful not to overextend the meaning of numbers in the Scripture, it’s not surprising to find biblical numerology showing up in poetry. Here the use of the number seven to demonstrated completion, fulness, or perfection seems very likely.
David has noted in other psalms that God’s creation declares his glory and is heard worldwide. There is no place where man has not heard it (Psalm 19). And Elihu says God’s voice is heard throughout the cosmos (Job 37:1-5ff).
Note the various ways God’s voice is heard in David’s Psalm:
- It thunders over the waters…
- It is powerful…
- It is full of majesty…
- It breaks the cedars…
- It flashes forth flames of fire…
- It shakes the wilderness…
- It makes the animals give birth, strips the forests bare, and makes mankind cry, Glory!
Jeremiah says of God’s word, “Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” -Jeremiah 23:29
Yet, in all its power and glory Gods word comes to us like a still small voice…(1 Kings 19:12)