The Baptism of our Lord
Title: “Not everything in “secular,” culture needs to be rejected.”
January 13,2002 Psalm 29
The Voice of God in a Great Storm
A Psalm of David.
1 Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. 2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory of his name;
worship the LORD in holy splendor.
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.
5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
and Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire.
8 The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness;
the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the LORD causes the oaks to whirl,
and strips the forest bare;
and in his temple all say, "Glory!"
10 The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;
the LORD sits enthroned as king forever.
11 May the LORD give strength to his people!
May the LORD bless his people with peace!
This psalm, one of the oldest in the Psalter, may have been borrowed from or written in imitation of a Canaanite hymn to Baal, the Canaanite god of thunderstorms. When the Israelites came into the Promised Land they found the Canaanites already there with their culture and mythology in place. They could not help but be affected by it, as it was superior to theirs at the time. In adapting to the new environment there was always the temptation to adapt too much and unconsciously. Syncretism is just that. It is going too far in accepting cultural beliefs and practices, considering everything culturally acceptable to be religiously permissible and blending belief and culture indiscriminately. The prophets frequently complained about this. The people easily succumbed to syncretistic tendencies and worshiped other gods to get their natural needs met. They easily saw Yahweh as the Lord of their very own history, who saved them from the slavery of Egypt and brought them to this new land. They did not so easily see him as the God of Nature. So, they worshipped nature or, more correctly, these gods of nature, in a kind of eclectic “salad” of sanctity.
Psalm 29 is an example of a good adaptation of culture to religion. This hymn to Baal or, at least, some hymnic thoughts about Baal was re-cast and applied to Yahweh as Lord, not only of the storm but of all creation and of all history. It is a successful blend of a Canaanite cultural masterpiece with authentic religious celebration. In itself, mythological and polytheistic, it is now adapted for the Israelite liturgy. It is not clear whether this Psalm influenced the way the Sinai theophany was described, with its thunder, lightning and earthquakes, or the other way around, but it is almost certain that the description of the Pentecost event in Acts 2 was influenced by this Psalm. In fact, in the Talmud, Psalm 29 is assigned for the end of the celebration of the Jewish Feast of Pentecost or Weeks, the wheat harvest, which later also commemorated the giving of the Law on Sinai. The LXX assigns it to the Feast of Tabernacles, the autumnal harvest of grapes and olives. Now, all that could be said of Baal is applied to Yahweh and then some.
This hymn uses repetition to makes its point. “Yahweh,” “voice,” and “glory” are repeated in staccato and drumlike fashion to produce the effect of climbing a staircase and repeating with each ascent or singing the notes of the scale ever louder. It avoids monotony by its movement from heaven to earth to heaven again, by describing the path of the storm and by resolving the “uproar” of the storm into a rainbow of peace. Yahweh appears; his glory radiates forth. His voice resounds; he makes heaven and earth quake. To him all powers on earth and in heaven must bow and serve.
The psalm has an easily discernible structure: in verses one and two, the invitation to praise Yahweh is given to the “heavenly beings;” verses three to nine, the power of Yahweh’s “voice” is praised; and verses ten to eleven, the reign of Yahweh is recognized as the source of human welfare.
In verse one, you heavenly beings: As used by Canaanites and other polytheistic cultures this term would refer to the pantheon of lesser gods, sitting in a council meeting, with the “most high god,” presiding. Though subordinate in some ways to the chief god, they would have some independent power. The details in mythology typically remain fuzzy and overlap. Myth is not consistently logical. It preserves mystery and prevents religion from becoming overly rational, analytical and rigid. These ”beings,” could be stars, the Romans believed that the stars were gods, angels, spirits that inhabit natural phenomena, etc. As used by the Hebrews, they would be ministering spirits, angels, who do God’s bidding. The point here is that the earthly, human assembly, aware that humans and human language are inadequate to praise God, call on the heavenly host to join them and enhance their inadequate praise. Catholics, Anglicans and Lutherans do this in the Preface of the Mass just before singing the refrain from Isaiah 6:3: Holy, holy, holy, etc. give to the Lord glory and might: Clearly “give,” means recognize and praise him for. Another translation is “ascribe to.” It means to “give God credit for having…” It acknowledges God’s supremacy over heaven, earth and all beings.
In verses three to nine, the storm and its path is described from the viewpoint of one standing in the center of Palestine. It pushes in from the Mediterranean Sea on the west, through Lebanon on the north, down the whole length of Canaan-Palestine. When it reaches the Arabian desert in the east it cuts directly south and then makes a turn toward the west and the Mediterranean Sea. In encircling Palestine geographically, the storm represents the encompassing presence and power of Yahweh. In describing this powerful presence as the “voice of the Lord,” the author connects his power to his “Word.” The “word or voice” is always there whether felt or not, vocal or nor, visible or not. God is omnipresent and omnipotent. His “Word,” is both sign and proof of that.
In verse three, over the mighty waters, this refers to any flood, but especially the one during Noah’s time, the primeval waters representing chaos.
“Voice of the Lord,” Thunderclaps were interpreted as the speech of the gods, especially in anger. This is transformed to refer to the “word,” of God with its power to both destroy and to create.
In verse five, the cedars of Lebanon, used to build David’s palace and Solomon’s Temple, cedars were regarded as proverbial symbols of stability, grandeur, majesty and might. The prince of trees, the cedar stood high and was deeply rooted. Yet, even that tree could not compare to the power of God who could crack it in a word or whisper.
In verse six, Lebanon leap like a calf, Syria was dominated by two mountain ranges, the Lebanese and the Anti-Lebanese, a hundred miles long and as high as 10,000 feet. Sirion was the Phoenician name for Mt. Hermon in the far north of Lebanon, visible from the Sea of Galilee. The cartoonish image of these ranges jumping and leaping like frightened animals at the sound of God’s presence or voice or thunder reinforces the point of his awesome power.
In verse seven, fiery flame, a poetic description for lightning. The concurrence of fire, mighty wind and voice of the Lord, “tongues” in Acts, reminds Christians of the experience at Pentecost in Acts 2:1-4.
In verse eight, the desert of Kadesh, “Kadesh” is the Hebrew word for “holy,” and the desert was considered an awesome, fearful place where criminals fled the law and evil spirits lurked waiting to pounce upon the defenseless. It was re-interpreted to also refer to the place in the southern Arabian desert in the Negeb on the way from Egypt to Canaan where the Israelites encamped. Thus it elicited a memory of God’s saving power as it described his potentially destructive power in the storm.
In verse nine, strips the forest bare, this continues the theme of the destructive power of the “voice.” Another reading renders this verse as “brings kids early to birth,” referring to the “voice’s” effect on animals giving birth prematurely out of fright.
All in his palace say, ”Glory.” The palace would be the Temple in Jerusalem as well as the heavenly temple of which Jerusalem was a reflection.
In verse eleven, may the Lord give might…peace. The psalm ends with a petition that the Lord grant his power to his people. Peace is the opposite of chaos and more powerful than it, though it is the “calm,” way God expresses his might. The psalm opened with “Glory to God in the highest,” see Luke 2:14, and ends with “on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” The angelic song “heavenly beings” of verse one, motivates God to grant peace on earth rather than the chaos of the “mighty waters.”
Sermon
The psalmist knows that God can exercise his power with a force exceeding the most violent natural phenomena, like thunderstorms, hurricanes and earthquakes. Indeed, his power is the source of theirs. However, he also knows that God’s decided preference is to wield his power peacefully. He should not need to show off to convince anyone of the obvious.
This psalm shows that not everything in “secular,” culture needs to be rejected. Some of it can be “baptized” and some can be re-cast and adapted in accordance with what God has revealed about himself. Thus this psalm is an adaptation of something originally pagan. Because great masterpieces of art –literary, pictorial, architectural, sculptural, etc.- are beautiful they necessarily reveal something of God. Liturgy and life can learn from and adapt these forms to express the essence of God. Just because there are many examples where cultural achievements are worshiped as though they were divine in themselves is no reason to reject all. We must be careful. The real danger is not in the culture that we consciously and deliberately adapt to and adopt, but what we unconsciously and uncritically accept.
It is impossible to hear and read of the “voice of the Lord,” without making the connection with the “word of the Lord.” God’s word is even more powerful than his thundering voice. Though it is more often revealed in peace than in thunder, nonetheless the power to change things, to shake the unshakable, to shatter the unbreakable is still there. We should not confuse the outer appearance of the word with its inner strength or lack of it. Whether in wind or whisper, in war or peace, in the desert or forest, mountain or valley, the word is still the “word of the Lord.” To only notice it in extreme circumstances is to miss its most frequent occurrences and ways of revealing itself.
The Jewish people expected to find the divinely appointed Messiah in a conquering warrior, scaring the wits out of his weaker opponents. Instead, he came in peace, not riding a horse or skipping over mountainous barriers, wielding a sword like lightning, shouting in the streets like a thunderclap. Instead he came and spoke quietly, using the power of persuasion rather than the persuasion of power. He turned out to be- in the long run- stronger and more majestic in his humility. The Suffering Servant of the Lord, chosen and beloved by God, emerged from the waters of chaos after his baptism in the Jordan as the truly victorious one. From on high he heard God’s voice and in his “lowly,” way brought the peace for which God’s faithful people hoped and prayed. That mighty wind, the Spirit of God, split the heavens like a storm splits a cedar tree, and the creative word of God speaks to and of his Son, the new order of the new creation. To which we say “Amen” or “Glory, “ which means the same thing; it shall be so.
If God, with his incomparable might, chooses to exercise his power in peaceful and productive ways, then humans need to use their power, not really their power as such but their share in God’s power, similarly. Oh, yes, God can destroy as well as create, but he does not. Even the great storms and earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes, floods and fires are not exactly examples of God’s destructive use of his power. They may seem like it at the moment, but over time we come to learn that they are steps in a process that leads to an even more productive outcome. That truth, long-term truth, is also the case with human suffering. The Suffering Servant of the Book of Isaiah, the one who suffers now innocently so that his people may enjoy peace and pardon later, is but an example on the human level of what we see on the natural level. We do not have to worry about how God uses his power, but we do have to be concerned about how we use ours, that share of God’s power entrusted to our care and for the good of others. When we use that power as God uses his, we say really do, “Amen,” seconding God’s motion, and his otherwise hidden presence comes to the fore, that is, his ‘glory,” for all to see by making it so.
Natural phenomena reveal God. Praise of God is simply recognition of his presence and activity, not obvious to humans until they are pointed out.
Singing psalms and songs of praise slows down our racing minds and allows us to concentrate on detail.
The forces of nature were created for peaceful purposes; when they rage, it reveals to humans how human anger and hate can do even greater damage.
Imagery: The typical human mind is bombarded with a cacophony of images just about moment-by-moment. It requires effort to concentrate, to delete images from our mental computer screens or to minimize some in order to focus on others. Some folks have seemingly never disciplined their minds. Many need to learn to control their thoughts, not let the mind run wild. They run rabid throughout a typical day and the image that gets the attention is always the one that makes the most noise, is the most colorful, or offers the most excitement. Many have the habit of always entertaining some form of attack thoughts and have made it such a strong habit it is very hard to break without the help of the Lord. Some folks remain at the attention span of infancy or early childhood. Yet, even if we do discipline our minds and choose what we will focus upon, that is, what images will get our sustained attention, we still end up with a variety of competing images. Even if we close our eyes and admit no more visual images into our minds, we still are flooded with a barrage of imagery, all competing for our attention. No wonder we must sleep a third of our lives away! We humans have the rather strange experience of thinking thoughts and entertaining images without even being aware that we are! When humans first appeared on the earthly scene there was no such thing as writing or reading. As these two phenomenally important arts were developed, humans had two great aids to disciplining the otherwise raw and unbridled power of the human mind. Slowing down to write and sitting down to read what another had written opened doors of the human mind that the untrained reactor had no idea were there. With reading and writing humans could concentrate on a single topic or issue and begin to solve puzzles they formerly thought were insoluble and to enjoy looking at reality from several points of view. Yet, for all its advantages, literacy is still a relatively unused and under-appreciated tool. Even today, despite all the effort expended to learn to read and write, many adults do very little of either. The result is a society that can concentrate for but a few minutes or seconds and only on the unusual or bizarre. To sit still and read a poem or psalm that concentrates on ordinary phenomena like oaks, trees, forests, thunder and lightning, mountains and hills, in order to contact their creator and appreciate his presence and power, seems to the modern mind so unsophisticated and old- fashioned. Yet, what is really happening is that more and more people are becoming less and less capable of thought, leaving the thinking to a relatively few people. If this continues the world will be ruled by the intelligent and mentally-disciplined few, while the masses will be controlled by their manipulation of the human mind, rather than the chaining of the human body as in days of old. They will place manufactured imagery upon the screens of computers, TVs, etc. and simply control the minds of those who did not do the hard work to discipline their own minds. The imagery that the human mind is bombarded with cannot be sifted or evaluated by an undisciplined person. Only people who can sit still and make their minds focus on one thing for an extended period of time have any chance of escaping mental manipulation.
When one stops and looks at the sale of homosexuality by the entertainment industry, as being normal and that the mass of people have, accepted it as such, we can see that very few people today really think for themselves. We are slowly worn down by what Hollywood is selling until we become to believe it to be normal, we need to look at God’s word which says in Roman’s very clearly that it is a sin.
When we pray the psalms or read Scripture we are making ourselves focus on what God is saying to us and how God sees things, values things and people, and what God would like to see us do. Unless we can sift through the hodge-podge of competing images in our minds and get to what is worthwhile and lasting we will condemn ourselves to use what little powers we have in a helter-skelter way, indeed, destructively. When a person can take a work of art, the work of another more gifted person, and appropriate it to himself or herself, change it to fit new circumstances and make it say more than even originally it was intended to say, such a person is exercising a God-given power, the power to be creative, in a God-approved way. The images used in this process are expressions of an underlying substance, unlike the imagery for imagery sake of the advertising and computer world. Without reflection there will only be destruction of all that is good and holy. Psalm 29 helps us to reflect on what God is, as does all Scripture reveal what God wants his chosen ones in Christ to do. Amen.
