Overview: NET, In this hymn of praise the psalmist calls upon the heavenly assembly to acknowledge the royal splendor of the Lord. He describes the Lord’s devastating power as revealed in the thunderstorm and affirms that the Lord exerts this awesome might on behalf of his people. In its original context the psalm was a bold polemic against the Canaanite storm god Baal, for it affirms that the Lord is the real king who controls the elements of the storm, contrary to pagan belief.
The repeated phrase in this psalm is, "the LORD's shout" which means, "the thunder that accompanies a violent storm. The psalm depicts the LORD in the role of a warrior-king, so the thunder is his battle cry, as it were." (NET)
The shout was described as the powerful tool that can breaks the large trees v.4-5, and God was so powerful that He could even made the high mountains skip like a young animal v.6. NET, The thunderous shout of the Lord is so powerful, one can see the very mountains shake on the horizon.
The shouting is related to the fact that God is the king who grants strength and security to His people v.10-11. That helps us to understand the relationship between the king and the strength/protection. When Saul was selected by the people they liked him because he was higher than most people. In other words, physical strength proves that he would be a good warrior in the war and thus brought military success to the country. On the other hand, David was a totally different type of warrior. He was not big (see the encounter with Goliath in 1 Sam 17), but David trusted in the strength of the LORD.
Reflection: When we acknowledge that God is my king that means I am powerless and I trust in God to be my warrior in the war. Whatever battle we are fighting today acknowledge our weakness and trust Him is our king and will fight for us. In other words, we are always humble before God. Pray for all the challenges before you and put them before our King.
Audrey
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