Psalm 29: Above All Powers

In the Old Testament, God’s people struggled with fidelity to the Lord. They were often tempted to put their trust in the foreign gods worshipped by the nations around them. One such deity was Baal, who was believed to govern weather and therefore the harvest on which the people depended. When fearful of a drought and the scarcity they produce, the Israelites would sometimes offer prayers and sacrifices to Baal—a betrayal of YHWH that Israel’s prophets would regularly ridicule and condemn.