Psalm 29 speaks of the glory and holiness of the Lord. Verse 2 directs our worship “in the beauty of holiness.” “In his temple doth everyone speak of his glory” (Psalm 29:9). Inscribed in each temple are the words, “Holiness to the Lord, The House of the Lord.”
The focus of this post will be verse 10: “The Lord sitteth upon the flood; yea, the Lord sitteth King forever.” The Lord has power over the waters of chaos. This is a major Creation theme and temple theme. The Lord can have power in our chaotic lives. He is the ultimate King.
I have covered this before. Water running uncontrollably causes destruction. We have seen much of this recently with severe weather patterns. This is a recurring theme in the Psalms. Here are some examples:
“He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap.” (Psalm 33:7)
“I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.” (Psalm 69:2).
“I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint.” (Psalm 22:14)
“Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters.” (Psalm 74:13)
“Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.” (Psalm 89:9)
“The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.” (Psalm 93:4)
“The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee; they were afraid: the depths also were troubled.” (Psalm 77:16)
Jacob said Reuben was “unstable as water” for sinning with Bilhah (Genesis 49:4), but Moses was told he would be “made stronger than many waters; for they shall obey thy command as if thou wert God.” (Moses 1:25).
But there is another important aspect of God placing His throne on top of the chaotic waters, and it has major temple connections. Jewish tradition holds that when the waters receded, the first spot of land that emerged was what Jews call “The Foundation Stone.” I’m posting this video again. This spot was considered the navel of the earth and the center of the world. Jews believe this is where God began His Creation of the earth. This “foundation stone” sits directly beneath the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. It marks the center of the continents of Asia, Europe, and Africa (the known world in Biblical times), the center of Israel, the center of Jerusalem, and the sacred center of the temple. It is believed that the Holy of Holies in Solomon’s Temple was built upon this rock.
The temple is a model of the heavenly city described in Revelation 21. The Apostle John said, “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” The heavenly city was a perfect cube, like the Holy of Holies in Solomon’s Temple. It had three gates on each side, similar to the three partitions of the veil in the tabernacle. And it had the precious stones found in the Garden of Eden and matching the high priest’s breastplate.
The Book of Mormon describes the American continent by saying, “After the waters had receded from off the face of this land it became a choice land above all other lands, a chosen land of the Lord; wherefore the Lord would have that all men should serve him who dwell upon the face thereof; And that it was the place of the New Jerusalem, which should come down out of heaven, and the holy sanctuary of the Lord” (Ether 13:2-3). Moroni foretells the gathering of the house of Israel to “the Jerusalem from whence Lehi should come” and “that a New Jerusalem should be built up upon this land, unto the remnant of the seed of Joseph, for which things there has been a type.” Moroni said that this would fulfill “the covenant which God made with their father, Abraham.”
The Lord placing His throne on the spot where He conquered the waters of chaos is significant. The mercy seat (or “atonement” seat in Hebrew) is the golden covering of the Ark of the Covenant and was regarded as the Throne of God. The Ark was in the Holy of Holies, which was supposedly built on that very Foundation Stone.