I live in a part of my country where very strong thunderstorms often occur, along with plenty of tornados. From mid-spring, throughout the summer, and into early fall we will see plenty of them come through. My son Albert and I enjoy watching these storms from our front porch, though my daughter Lucy prefers to sit them through indoors. I enjoy watching the lightning, hearing the thunderclaps, and watching the storm clouds pass by overhead. David was familiar with strong storms, and our psalm for this week describes just such an event.
Regardless of where you live, you are likely to live through and witness some type of weather-related storms. Now you may not like to sit out on a covered porch to watch them like I do. You may be more like my daughter Lucy, and prefer to be indoors while the rain pours and the thunder roars. Many storms are quite loud, with the heavy rainfall battering upon the roof. If the rainstorm brings hail, that is even louder! And often the crash of thunder will make you jump! Rather than scare David, he looked on the sounds of the many storms he witnessed as the Voice of the Lord God.
In prior centuries many people greatly feared storms. Without any modern weather forecasting equipment, these storms would often catch them by surprise. When the storms were strong, with a lot of lightning and thunder, they were afraid, and would plead to their gods for deliverance. They looked at the lightning, thunder, hail, and wind as coming from their pagan gods. Many ancient cultures worshiped storm gods. The Canaanite god Baal was a storm god. The Greeks had Zeus, and the Romans later had Jupiter, both who were worshiped as gods of storms and sky. Norse and Germanic pagan culture worshiped the false god Thor who they believed controlled thunder and lightning. David knew that the Lord God is the Creator. He knew that Yahweh has complete control over all the forces of nature, not any pagan gods.
God’s voice is frequently associated with thunder. We read in I Samuel 7:10, of a time when the armies of the Philistines were coming against God’s people. Yahweh then thundered with a loud thunder, and the Philistine army was confused and terrified, and they were defeated by the Israelites. Job recognized that thunder was the majestic voice of God (Job 37:4-5).
Psalm 18:13 tells us that thunder, hail, and the fires caused by lightning are all part of God’s voice. Every bolt of lightning is at the control of Yahweh. Lightning bolts can contain up to 1 billion volts of electricity. They travel around 200,000 mph, and can heat the air five times hotter than the surface of the sun. God controls the lightning, and His Voice speaks to us through it.
David describes the power of God shown through the storms. Have you ever heard when a bolt of lightning strikes a tree? It is loud with the sound of the splintering of wood, loud pops and cracks. David must have witnessed this at least once, as he described God splintering one of the giant cedars of Lebanon (vs. 5). The cedars of Lebanon can grow to 120’ tall, and 30’ in circumference. A voice that could break them must be a powerful Voice! He described storms from the far north by Mt. Sirion, which is the Phoenician name for Mt. Hermon in the far north of Israel (vs. 6), all the way to the wilderness of Kadesh, which is in the deserts of far southern Israel (vs. 8).
The glory of the Lord is revealed in the majesty and power of His Voice. It is a Voice that breaks cedar trees and shakes the wilderness. It makes nations and mountains shudder, and strips forests bare. Throughout history God has shown His power through mighty acts of nature. That power is there to come to the aid of His Blood-bought children. The next time you witness a powerful storm, maybe even this summer, rather than being afraid, see it as the powerful Voice of God. Give God glory for His power, and trust in His love and protection for you.
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