Text: “And
it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and
lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet
exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.”
Exodus 19:16.
Good
morning, God-fearing Christian! You and
I fear God with a godly fear; a humble reverence; a full and total respect for
His Person and the power of His Holy Presence.
Thus, fearing the Lord God in this reverent manner, we have nothing else
to fear upon this old earth. Our Father
God is in full control of every aspect of our lives and being. Praise and all worship to His glorious and
wonderful Name! Amen.
“The
Lord is my light and my Salvation: whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom
shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1)
Thunder
and lightning storms are, truly, something to bring us down to our knees; a
phenomenon that humbles the mightiest hearts and reminds us of just how puny we
are in comparison to such Heavenly powers unleashed. Flash!
The lightning lights up the sky.
Then, boom! The peal of thunder
blasts its cry throughout the skies.
However,
as Spiritually regenerate Christian believers, we have nothing to fear when the
lightning flashes and the thunder peals its explosive noise throughout the
world - for this is the voice of our Heavenly Father, and our Heavenly Father
loves us very dearly.
“He/she
that dwelleth (dwells, and continues to dwell) in the secret place (in Christ
Jesus) of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and
my fortress; my God; in Him will I trust.”
(Psalm 91:1-2)
Yet,
the ungodly, the unredeemed, cannot claim this Divine promise, for the Lord has
spoken in His Word revealing that the power of His Holy Presence is a terror to
them.
“The
Lord also thundered in the Heavens, and the Highest gave His voice; hail stones
and coals of fire. Yea, He sent out His
arrows (lightning) and scattered them; and He shot out lightnings, and
discomfited them. Then the channels of
waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at Thy
rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of Thy nostrils.” (Psalm 18:13-15)
Verse 6. “He maketh them also to
skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn. The
voice of our dying Lord rent the rocks and opened the graves; His living voice
still works the like wonders.” (C.H.
Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 142)
I
cannot help but read Psalm 29: in the context of a violent thunder and
lightning storm - each verse builds in crescendo to the next, the lightning
flashes across our minds, and the thunder of God’s Almighty voice proclaims His
Divine and Sovereign truths.
Verse 7. “The voice of the Lord
divideth the flames of fire. The same power of God goeth forth by His Word, ‘quick
and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword,’ penetrating, melting,
enlightening, and inflaming the hearts of men.”
(George Horne 1730-1792)
When
the lightning flashes, can we not hear the voice of the Lord, as spoken by John
the Baptist, declaring what is to come?
“I
indeed baptise you with water (total immersion) unto repentance; but He (Christ
Jesus) that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to
bear; He shall baptise you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire; Whose fan is in
His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the
garner; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:11-12)
Verse 7. “The voice of the
Lord. The voice of Jehovah sendeth out divided flames of
fire. This is very descriptive of the
Divine action at Pentecost, sending forth ‘divided flames’, in the tongues of
fire which were divided off from one Heavenly source or fountain of flame, and
sat upon the heads of the apostles, and which filled them with the fire of Holy
zeal and love.” (Christopher Wordsworth 1807-1887
)
Boom!
The Word of God is heard in our hearts like the peal of thunder. Flash! the extreme light of His truth
suddenly enlightens our darkened hearts of sin! Then, ‘…faith cometh by hearing,
and hearing by the Word of God…’, and we are quickened by the Holy Ghost and
saved.
Spiritual
regeneration is often performed by Almighty God during a great inner turmoil of
the human soul, akin to the unleashing of a powerful thunder and lightning storm. And after the storm, we find Divinely granted
peace.
“Peace
I leave with you, My peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I
unto you. Let not your heart be
troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
(John 14:27)
Verse 7. “The voice of the Lord
divideth (or controls) the flames of fire.”
The Living Lord, the
Creator of all things, is in full Sovereign control of all things He has
Created. Thus, His Word divides the
‘sheep’ from the ‘goats’ - He grants faith only to ‘…all those that the Father
hath given unto Him…’; and His elect souls are Eternally saved. (John 6:37)
‘Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth…’
Amen.
Thought: In the storms of life - let us listen
carefully for ‘…the voice of the Lord…’!
He will encourage us and direct our paths towards His peace.
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