The world is a masterpiece. That is something all mankind agrees upon. Any human being, on his one-way journey from birth to end, is impressed by what he sees. And if not, just bring him over here and show him the wild beauty we are surrounded by in the Fraser Valley. It’s a masterpiece.

But who is the Master behind the work? The Bible states it is the one true God. Behind creation, you have to hear the voice of the Lord, the Master’s voice. One day He said, “Let there be light.” And there was light.

And the Lord had more to say than just that grand opening. He had words for earth, wind, and water, for animals and humans. The voice of the Master had the right frequency to start atoms vibrating. The voice of the Master had enough volume to show the seas their place and the mountains too. The voice of the Master was tender enough to call mankind into being, male and female. A masterpiece.

The Bible tells us that we see the hand of the Master and that we hear the voice of the Master through his work of creation and preservation. But people today take a different view. They say the awe comes from within ourselves. They say it is only human to be impressed by the world surrounding you. The story of the beauty of the world is not the story of a Creator, they say. The creation story, in their opinion, is only an invention of the human mind. The beauty of the world is in the eye of the beholder – and that’s it.

Psalm 29 was given by the Holy Spirit in a world in which people did not think the awe they felt was just something they imagined. They knew their fear at the powers of nature came from without. But from whom or what?

The answer of the nations inhabiting and surrounding the Promised Land was that there must be countless powers behind every occurrence of the might of nature. In, with, and under the natural phenomena, you sense the power of the gods. There is the god of the sun, there is the goddess of spring – you name it!

In the days when the Holy Spirit moved David to write Psalm 29, the most revered god was Baal, the lord of thunder. What is as awesome as a dark sky when a thunderstorm draws near? What is as frightening as lightning when it strikes near you? What is as threatening as the thunder rolling in the mountains of the Promised Land? It is not a surprise that the god who governs the storms and the rains became number one in the circle of gods in the not-yet-holy land. Everybody knew of him, and if not, the wild and dangerous songs and dances of the priests of Baal made him known.

But then the Holy Spirit inspires David to write Psalm 29. In the name of God, David proclaims the domain of the Lord: “Ascribe to the Lord, O mighty ones, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.”

What “mighty ones”? Mighty men? Maybe, but not likely. Mighty heavenly forces, angels, then? It’s possible. But I think that when David mentions the mighty ones, he basically becomes “a heathen to the heathens.” He says, “What if there were a circle of all the gods, of Baal and the like. Who, if such a round table existed, would be the Master amidst his non-peers?”

I would not be surprised if one day a clay tablet was found, inscribed with a song of Baal, and opening like this, “Ascribe to Baal glory and strength…” But David, through the Holy Spirit, shouts out: “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name.” The Lord Yahweh is Master, not Baal!

So that is the message of this psalm: Creation is a masterpiece of the Lord. And no, we still do not all agree. Three thousand years ago, people believed in the power of Baal. But David says, “Give honour to the Lord!” Nowadays, people believe that the beginning and existence of all is just a coincidence. But we say, “Give honour to the Lord!”

This world is a masterpiece, brought forth by the one Master Himself. Even today, it is in need of being carried by God’s voice and power and love. That is the claim of Psalm 29, be it in a world of a multitude of gods, or in a world without any god. Glory to the Lord!