Seder 102: Psalm 29---Praising God and His 7 Thunders 18 Times

 Psalm 29 is a song of praise.  Commentators mention that it is written in the style of the Ugaritic Baal Cycle and propose that it was written to emphasize that the God of Israel is the real "storm god", not the Canaanite deity Baal.

With its mention of the voice of God shaking the wilderness in verse 8, this psalm has been associated with God's Sinai revelation and with the festival of Shavuot/Pentecost.  At Sinai God was said to have been accompanied by his heavenly host, which is encouraged in verse 1 to praise him.  Rashi's interpretation of Psalm 29 reflects an association with Sinai and Pentecost.

On the other hand, the superscription for this psalm in the Septuagint reads, "A psalm of David commemorating the feast of Exodus, of the temple" (Lexham English Septuagint).  The "feast of Exodus" here is the Feast of Tabernacles, the Feast associated with Israel's wilderness sojourn.  At the Temple the recitation of this Psalm accompanied sacrifices on Yom Teruah and at the Feast of Tabernacles, according to the Talmud (b. Rosh HaShanah 30b; Sukkah 55a).  One can see how the references to rain and storms in the psalm would go with the prayers for rain that were part of Sukkot celebration during the Second Temple period.  Scholar Bert Polman points out that the sevenfold reference to the voice of God in the psalm could go well with the seven trips around the altar taken by the water libation procession on the seventh day of the Feast.   

There is an interesting midrash on Psalm 29 which builds on the fact that the name of the God of Israel is mentioned 18 times in the psalm, the same as the number of sections in the Jewish Amidah prayer.  The midrash says that David wrote the psalm as a sort of "call and response" song, basing this interpretation on Deuteronomy 32:3:  "For I will proclaim the name of the LORD; ascribe greatness to our God!"  Every time the psalm praises the name of God, the congregation is to respond with its own praise in the form of the corresponding section of the Amidah.

Esther Menn and David Sandmel give a good explanation of the midrash in an article from a book giving a variety of perspectives on Psalm 29.  

This book describes a number of interpretations and traditions related to the psalm.  A chapter on patristic exegesis explains that early church fathers saw in verse 3 a reference to the voice that came from heaven when Jesus was baptized as the power of the Holy Spirit descended on him (Mt 3:16-17 and parallels).  

Some traditions are associated with the seven times that the "voice of the Lord" sounds in the psalm:  For example:

• The seven thunders of Revelation 10:2-4 often have been seen as a reference to them.
• Roman Catholics have related them to the seven sacraments.
• Protestants have associated them with gifts of the Spirit.

Seder 7: Isaiah 42---The Servant of God, Collective and Individual

 A major figure in Isaiah 41-53 is God's Servant.  In some places Isaiah uses this term collectively, to refer to the Israelites as the people of God.  For example, in Isaiah 41:8, God speaks to "Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend."  When the term is used collectively, God may be pointing out Israel's shortcomings in carrying out its calling, as in Isaiah 42:19:  "Who is blind but my servant, or deaf as my messenger whom I send?  Who is blind as my dedicated one, or blind as the servant of the Lord?" 

There are also places where the term is used for a special individual, an ideal representative of Israel, as in Isaiah 42:1:  "Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations."  

Isaiah 42:1-6 has often been interpreted messianically, as we see in the Gospels.  For example, Matthew 12:15-21 applies this passage to Jesus.  The divine voice at Jesus' baptism references Isaiah 42:1 (Mt 3:17). 

Isaiah 42:6 is also applied corporately to the work of the apostles in Acts 13:46-48.  The apostles indeed were furthering Israel's mission to be a light to the nations.