This nature hymn praises God as the Lord of the storm. If we can imagine the most violent storm we have ever witnessed (wind, thunder, lightning, torrential rains) we will have a fuller appreciations of these words.
The psalm has three parts. The first (vss. 1, 2) pictures God in heaven, surrounded by “heavenly beings” (RSV). The second (vss. 3-9) describes a violent storm coming in from the Mediterranean and battering the land of Israel. The last scene (vss. 10, 11) again describes the Lord in heaven, dwelling in peace above the tumult of the elements.
These words have sustained many believers over the centuries, as these promises have been accepted by faith.
Several features make this psalm particularly interesting. There is an impressive use of parallelism, evident with “ascribe to the Lord” and “glory” in verses 1 and 2. It the central section the “voice of the Lord” occurs seven times. This has led some to dub the psalm the “seven thunderclaps of God.” It has even been suggested that the Hebrew for “the voice of the Lord,” when pronounced with proper emphasis, resembles the sound of the thunder. The term Yahweh (translated “Lord”) is found eighteen times, making it quite clear what the true center of the psalm is.
Certain elements of the psalm employ the same imagery found in Canaanite psalms. But here the language has been taken from its pagan background and turned to the service of Yahweh. The attributes of Baal, the Canaanite weather god, are seen to really be attributes of the Lord. The Lord, not Baal, is the controller of nature.
We do not know the occasion for which the psalm was originally composed, nor how it was used in Israel. One author sees the storm as symbolizing victory which God gives his people. A more likely supposition is that the words celebrate the coming of the rains after the long dry season. This would place the psalm in the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles. The superscription to the psalm in the Septuagint seems to support this conjecture.
The worshipers call upon the heavenly beings to praise God, as if his glory must be celebrated by more than human adoration. Thus earth and heaven unite in this anthem. “Heavenly beings” is, literally, “sons of gods.” Outside Israel this expression described a polytheistic pantheon, but here God reigns alone, and the “sons of gods” are pictured as lesser beings surrounding his throne. This heavenly court exists to praise Yahweh.
“Glory” sounds a note which is repeated in verses 2, 3 and 9. In the last case glory is in explicit reaction to the storm.
“Holy array” suggests special garments appropriate to a praising situation. Probably the expression does not refer to literal garments, since we know of no such attire demanded of worshipers in Israel. The idea, then, is that the praise of God is the holiest of tasks and should be approached with consumate reverence.
Here begins the description of the storm. The psalmist sees it rising over the Mediterranean. It moves inland, gathering strength, till it hits the land with devastating force. The brunt of the fury comes against the northern part of Canaan. “Waters” often symbolize chaos, here defeated and thrust back by Yahweh. So the text may not just say God controls the elements of the storm but that he is the God who drives chaos away and brings order.
“The voice of the Lord” indicates the Lord’s mastery of weather but it also says these elements are not just wind and water but are God himself speaking. The reader is bidden to listen to what he says. It is not just a storm but God himself before whom one is brought.
The storm, over the sea and seen from afar, moves landward. The distant sound of thunder and flash of lightning augur the comning violence.
The storm reaches land and breaks against the mountains of Lebanon. The cedars of Lebanon and the mountains upon whose flanks they grow were two of earth’s strongest elements. But God’s power breaks the cedars. The fury of the storm is such that, with audacious imagery, the mountains are described as skipping like young animals. Some even suggest an earthquake, though that would seem an intrusive element in the description of a storm.
Sirion is Mount Hermon, the highest mountain in that region.
Verse 7, shorter than those verses surrounding it, describes the lightning. “Kadesh” in verse 8 is a southern location. If that was the region to which the psalm refers, the idea may be that the storm swept from the north to the south. Others suggest a second Kadesh in the north in keeping with the northern location indicated by Lebanon and Sirion. Yet another view is that the storm even attacks the wilderness, usually a place of stillness. Thus wilderness is the central idea, and Kadesh is only mentioned because that area was familiar to the readers. Kadesh was typical of any wilderness area.
The whirling oaks (RSV) suggest the sturdy trees being forced to move like wild dancers before the mighty winds. All foliage is stripped from their branches. An alternate translation, “makes the hinds to calve,” suggests that the drop in barometric pressure led to the premature birth of the calves. This phenomenon has been demonstrated, so that this translation is possible. However “oaks” seems more in harmony with the other descriptions of inanimate nature (mountains, cedars, wilderness).
The concluding word about the story is “glory,” bringing the reader back to a theme of verses 1-3. There are various ways to see a storm, but this is how the psalmist bids Israel to see it.
The scene returns to heaven. While the tumult rages below, God sits enthroned above it. The storm only rages temporarily. God is king forever. The contrast between frightful fury on earth and divine serenity in heaven is striking. Those amidst the storm can remember that it is under the control of a God who is above its ravages.
The word translated “flood” is the same word used to describe the flood in Noah’s day (Gen. 6-9), and it is probable the psalm means to suggest that deluge. This would imply themes of judgment and deliverance to the minds of readers and hearers of the psalm.
The last verse describes two great blessings for which the God of the storm is petitioned. The first asks strength. This is one of the references which could suggest the idea of victory given the people by God (suggested earlier). If one doubts the magnitude and reality of this strength, one only need reread the preceding words of the psalm, or reflect on storms one has witnessed.
The second blessing invoked was peace. God dwells in peace above the storm. His people, thought caught amidst the wind and rain, can share the higher perspective of peace. The storm is not ultimate. It will pass. God’s peace remains.
Devotional Applications
Humans may never have a complete explanation in this life of why God allows nature to act as violently as she does. But they can be assured of God’s immeasurable power when they witness the violence of nature. This psalm describes that which is terrifying. But it also given comfort in the knowledge that even that terror is not beyond God’s control. Whatever the perilous forces that surround, there is peace in the one who controls all terror and chaos.
Title: "Lord of the Storm"
Author: Dr. Tony Ash
Publication Date: February 24, 2002
Lord of the Storm
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