A manual of the book of Psalms · Martin Luther
PSALM XXIX.
_David exhorteth princes to give glory to God, by reason of his power, and protection of his people._ A Psalm of David. Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength. Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. The voice of the LORD _is_ upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters. The voice of the LORD _is_ powerful; the voice of the LORD _is_ full of majesty. The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn. The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire. The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of _his_ glory. The LORD sitteth upon the flood: yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever. The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace. This is a prophecy concerning the spread of the gospel throughout the whole world, and concerning the preaching of the name of Christ before kings and nations, and the children of Israel.
“Give unto the Lord, ye mighty;” that is, ye kings, ye rulers, and ye wise and rich ones of the world, ye Pharisees and rabbi, acknowledge your wisdom, righteousness, and all your excellent political virtues, your works of the law, and all that is high and excellent before men, to be abomination in the sight of God; repent ye and believe the gospel, that ye may quit yourselves under that one King and Lord, Christ, and his church and kingdom, and, by faith and the wisdom of God, acknowledge Christ, this son of God, to be God; for God, by a manifest work of his power, in the beginning sent a flood upon the whole world, and destroyed all flesh; and the same God, by his gospel and by baptism, will drown and mortify the flesh, that is, the old fleshly Adam, by a new and spiritual baptism: that as many as are baptized into Christ, being crucified according to the old Adam, may be raised up together with the second Adam, and become new men and new creatures. He calls, by a figure, the kingdoms, nations, and powerful cities of this world, forests; the wilderness of Kadesh, confused places of many waters, places for hinds to calve, &c. These confused places the Lord has revealed and discovered, and brought to the light of the gospel. This Psalm refers to the third precept, and to the second petition of the Lord’s Prayer.
Ideas discussed in this chapter
Text from Project Gutenberg, public domain in the United States.