Study Scripture: Exodus 15: 11 – 21

Background Scripture: Exodus 1: 8 – 14; 15: 1 – 27

Lesson 1      September 4, 2021

Key Verse

… Who is like You among the gods, Lord? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders. Exodus 15:11

INTRODUCTION

Our Study Lesson examines the theme of salvation. Salvation it will be noted rests on the will of God, His ability, His mighty strength, and His mercy, which led Him to guide His people and to redeem them.

It is to be also noted that we are looking at the fulfillments which flowed from the original promise made in Genesis 3: 15. In every case deliverance and salvation was involved together.

We should remind ourselves about the great wonders involved in salvation when we contemplate.

-The deliverance of the people of God in the Flood.

-The deliverance of the people of Israel from bondage in Egypt and guiding them through the Red Sea-

– The bringing to power of David and his kingdom with the resulting messianic promise to him that Messiah Saviour would come from his loins

-The deliverance of the Jews from captivity and the return to their Land” based on the promise made in prophecy.

Deliverance and salvation give rise to a human expression of thanks for what God has done on behalf of His people.

This is what we call “grace” for this word means that there is an expression of approval and admiration for what has been done.

The wording involves acclamation.

In Hebrew the word means addressing in a loud tone.

In the Bible the word praise when expressed always means to glorify God and in the adulation attribute perfections to Him.

Our study in this chapter highlights the fact that when praise is involved there is singing. There is therefore an intense expression of appreciation which is best made in song. Our chapter 15 therefore can very well be called the chapter of the Song of Moses because this song was first sung, if not written by Moses. So verse 1 tells us that Moses sung and the children of Israel joined with Moses singing unto the Lord with Moses leading the singing and Israel joining in singing

There are several amazing elements shown in the Study chapter for the song is not only a song of praise and thanksgiving for what God has done in the present, but it is also a song containing prophecies of the future which no person in Israel could have known apart from God’s revelation. Moses was therefore clearly a prophet of God and His prophecy was revealed to Moses.

Moses had a song in Deuteronomy 32 and another one recorded in Psalm 90, but this song is clearly very special.

This song of Moses in this chapter is the song recorded in Revelation 15 that was song in heaven when the entire congregation sings praises to God for His destruction of the enemies of the people of God, and  the salvation of His people. The apostle John named this song, The song of Moses and of the Lamb.

So if you belong to a congregation of God it would be a good thing for you to make this Song and its ideas yours for you would definitely understand the victory over sin that you have in the Lord Jesus Christ.

One writer asks us and states:

“Do you see that our victory over sin in Christ was typified in Israel’s salvation at the Red Sea? Then as the Israel sang, so must we”.

In addition the apostle Paul in giving us an illustration of divine truth tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:1;

“Moreover, brethren I would not that ye should be ignorant how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea,

All were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink.

For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them and that Rock was Christ.

And verse 11, “Now all these things happened to them for ensamples (for types), and they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come”.

Interestingly, we notice that the Chapter with Moses’ Song deals with a Song of Victory,

then a Song of Praise,

and then a Song of Faith.

Israel had been given the victory and so victory is the keynote of the Song.

Why is this so necessary? What kind of God is it that Israel served and that we serve today?

Does the kind of God that we serve tell us that fear should not be an issue for us believers?

Does this kind of God tell us that we should live a life of constant praise and thanksgiving?

So that we have no misconceptions of the God we are dealing with one writer comments;

“Victory implies War. This song also speaks of war. In verse 3 we read, “the Lord is a man of war”. How we need to be reminded of this! War characterizes God. He is not merely one will go to war, who will defend His cause. Rather, God is a Warrior. He will certainly go on the defensive for His cause and on behalf of His people. If we should ever oppose God’s cause, we must know that God will war against us.

Why is God called here a “man of war”? The emphasis does not fall on the word man-for we know that God is not a human. Rather, the emphasis is on the word “war”, -the Lord is a warring God. His entire Being is one of valor and courage and strength. We would speak this way to a person whom we are encouraging in a battle. “Be a man. Be taught. Be strong”. The Lord is a courageous warrior, that is the sense”.

The people of God from the very beginning of the human race have had occasion to Sing the Praise of God. Even in his most dire moment, the time of man’s first disobedience, the promise of the ‘seed of the woman’ that would crush the serpent’s head was occasion to praise the merciful God.

Soon after this lowest point in human history, the patriarchal period began and the earliest sketches of God’s redemption plan began to appear in His personal relationships and Covenant with the patriarchs.

It is to be remembered that there has always been people who followed after God and kept communion with Him. All followers of God have had to learn the lesson as they went on their spiritual journey that there are tests, trials, and unexpected events that bring them experiences of sometimes extreme discomfort, with all of these unpleasant experiences forcing them to depend on Him and to come to Him to get healthy.

Of course the pagans of and secularists of yesterday and today also have their victory songs which normally focus on the greatness of a human monarch, ruler, or thinker. But our Text looks at a song that places the spotlight squarely on God’s character and His mighty works.

The question that we should now ask yourself is what kind of songs do you really sing? Do you sing the world songs? One writer reminds us:

“The world’s songs are not victory songs. Some of their songs are filled despair and gloom, and speak of the hopelessness of the godless life. These songs we ought not sing now who have been redeemed from the power of sin. Other songs of the world speak of a hope and victory, but it is not one which is found in Christ. Again, the child of God says of those songs, “They are not victory songs”. The world does have its class of songs. At college basketball and football games, the bands play their fight songs and victory songs. But also the victory of which these songs speak is so trivial compared to the victory that we have in Jesus Christ”.

Note also that most of the romantic songs that you hear on the radio or on TV seem to dwell a lot on broken hearts, infidelity, unmet need and longings, unfulfilled sexual passion and all the things that God warns against as being “no good”.

The ‘Songs’ of God are a big part of the inspiration for the ever popular Book of the Psalms that has always played a foundational role in Jewish and Christian worship and in that Book there is a clear picture of a God of Wonders.

Everyone who have been caught in the grips of sin and made a slave to the ‘flesh’ and then have the marvellous experience of being delivered by God can understand the joy and gratitude felt by all those that have had similar experiences. So we can readily appreciate the joy and gratitude felt by Israel when they experienced the mighty works of God on their behalf.

But it is to be borne in mind that many times after the joy of deliverance and the celebration, dancing and singing that come with it, there can be bitter disappointment when the journey of life takes an unpalatable turn and people so easily forget the blessings that they have had. Today as we look at the various events in the life of the people of Israel let us learn how God works and what He does in order to mature us and bring us to the place of perfection.

The next major milestone in the unfolding plan of redemption and founded in the covenant with the patriarchs was the formation of a nation that would be God’s peculiar people and through whom His grand plan of redemption would find fruition.

At the time of our Text the Israelites were slaves in Egypt and heavily oppressed by the Egyptians. The events recorded in chapters 12 to 14 of Exodus are the first planks in the building of the nation of Israel by their God. These pivotal and enduring events which were the common experience of all the people, united what was up to that time a loose tribal based people and we begin to see the emergence of a nation. The instituted Feast of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Ex.12 & 13)distinguished the Israelites from the Egyptians and started the formation of national institutions.

Moses’ request to the Pharaoh for the release and departure of the Israelites from Egypt drew this arrogant response, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey him and let Israel go”? And then defiantly “I do not know the LORD and I will not let Israel go” (Ex.5:2).

Ten devastating plagues later Pharaoh and the Egyptians knew who the God of the Israelites was, particularly after the night of ‘Passover’ when the firstborn of man and beast in every Egyptian home was killed by the ‘destroying angel’ (Ex.12).This event convinced heart-hardened Pharaoh and his people that they should let the Israelites leave Egypt, however and sadly for the Egyptians, their education was not yet over.

Notice that Egypt was practically destroyed by the plagues but it showed God’s mercy and grace for it was a gracious decision of God to allow Pharaoh and the Egyptians even to survive. God allowed Pharaoh to remain to show the power and glory of Almighty God so that the world of that day would see and understand that there was only one God. This news of what had happened to the most powerful nation on earth would go out all over the world. Every nation would fear.

The nations will hear and tremble; anguish will grip the people of Philistia. The chiefs of Edom will be terrified, the leaders of Moab will be seized with trembling, the people of Canaan will melt away; terror and dread will fall upon them, (Ex.15:14-16).

Soon after the Israelites left Egypt, Pharaoh and his officials had second thoughts about the departure. It appears they received a report that the Israelites were wandering about, lost in the wilderness, making them a ready-made prey for recapture or destruction. The Egyptians then pursued them to the Red Sea. The Israelites for their part choose a route that put them in the most vulnerable of positions; their only options being the Red Sea on one side and Pharaoh’s vastly superior army on the next.

This set the stage for arguably the greatest Old Testament miracle, if not in the entire Bible. The Israelites miraculously crossed the Red Sea on dry land, while the Egyptian forces were completely destroyed in the Red Sea (Exod.13:17–14:31). The crossing of the Red Sea separated and physically moved Israel from Egypt and set them on the road to the Promised Land.

It was the single event salvation of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage and the people’s response to this wonderful deliverance that is the focus of our Study Scripture. Israel had seen, and they too had learned. Unfortunately they forgot the blessings that God had given them when they encountered a hard trial.

Exodus 15 records that the people responded to this stupendous miracle with a Song of Triumph. Note that this was a Song of Victory and the Song of the Over-comers, winners. It is the Song of those that are more than conquerors. Interestingly there is no record of the Israelites singing while they were in Egypt, even during the plagues, which clearly distinguished the Israelites from the Egyptians

(Psalm 37).

This response was Israel’s first great affirmation of faith. They celebrated the event at the Red Sea as a great military victory by God (Ex.15:1-12) and continued to do so for generations (Ps.106:7-8). The first part of the Song (vs.1-12) looks back on God’s destruction of the Egyptian soldiers, and the second part (vs.13-18) predicts Israel’s entrance into the Promised Land.

If the Israelites thought it was going to be easy street from here on, especially with the elation of the Egyptian defeat in their minds, the final verses of the chapter records a hard bump on the road to Canaan. Their freshly confessed faith in God and His ‘servant’ Moses would soon be put to the test. 

Beyond the historical record there is much we can learn about our own salvation from this Text. 

We will observe that the Israelites were in a completely hopeless and helpless situation as the Egyptian forces closed in on them (14:8-12)and this is a true picture of the sinner before he is saved. Their salvation or rescue or deliverance was altogether the work of God, though they demonstrated some faith in obeying Moses command to go forward and they are commended for this act of faith by the writer of Hebrews, (11:29). Thus we see a demonstration of the grace of God in salvation and faith as the means through which grace works. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God, (Eph.2:8).

A hard lesson for many to accept but one that is clearly shown in this Text, is that God is glorified in executing judgment as He is in the exercise of His mercy. The destruction of the Egyptian army will equally bring glory to God as will His deliverance of Israel. “…But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD…”  (Ex.14:4).

As we consider our Study Text, the triumph in the song of Moses strikes a sharp contrast to the failure of faith a few days later. We must be duly warned that in the midst of triumph failure lurks. It is all of God and about God.

THE TEXT

The chapter begins, Then Moses and the children… and it almost sounds as if they brokeout inspontaneous singing, though it is assumed Moses wrote the song, (Deut.32; Psalm 90).

…I will sing… the song was sung by the whole throng as their expression of praise and thanksgiving for their deliverance, however the first person pronoun give personal expression from each person.

It was directed to God and He is portrayed as the victorious protagonist in the conflict with the Egyptians.

God’s effortless disposal of the Egyptian army described poetically as “…the horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea…” speaks to His character and attributes; important considerations going forward. (See verses 4 – 8).  In the eyes of the people God exalted Himself in His glorious defeat of the enemy.

Verse 2 continues the praise of God and here the praise is seen in the personal relationship and the expression of that relationship: my strength and song, my salvation, my God.

My father’s God speaks to the covenant with the patriarchs and God is praised on all these fronts.

…my salvation is a glorious phrase; we cannot save ourselves, but God must become our salvation.  “Salvation is of the Lord” (2 Tim.1:9).

Thus verse 2 elevates the praise of verse 1 for God’s rescue of the Israelites and their safe passage through the Red Sea, (Psalm.118:14; Isa.12:2). God was deserving of honor for acting on behalf of the Israelites to prevent their destruction or recapture by the Egyptians.

The people were trapped and they had been terrified when God surprised them by how He worked and delivered them. They would sing that He belonged to them in a special sense and that He belonged to their fathers, who believed in God; trusted, obeyed and had faith in Him. God was wonderful and so was their salvation.

The Song exalts the Lord as a mighty man of war after the display of His military prowess in the defeat of the then most feared army. It is estimated by scholars that the Egyptians had approximately 100,000 chariots. Their army was feared. But God’s obvious strength and power in overthrowing the Egyptians marked Him as invincible and implicitly shamed the gods of Egypt as impotent. The idea and rightly so is that no one better understands how to fight and defeat the enemy in battle.

One writer notes: He is depicted as commanding the hosts of heaven and earth from His throne room. There is an underlying assurance that despite the age-old battle between good and evil, the righteous remnant is preserved from all threats from the enemy. The Israelites respectfully gave God the credit for defeating the forces of the Egyptians.

…man of war…this event showed the Israelites a new dimension of the nature of their God. They now saw Him as a warrior fighting on their behalf, (Josh.5:13-14). This was an important concept for the people to grasp, though later on several occasions they forgot that God was their defender.

Moses used dramatic poetic language to describe the events of Israel crossing the Red Sea. God is portrayed as using the forces of nature as one would use a weapon to bring about the miraculous events, which are then seen as God’s personal victory over the Egyptians.

The Lord is said to have ‘hurled the Egyptians into the sea’ (v. 4). They sank to the depths ‘like a stone’ (v. 5). The winds are described as coming from the ‘nostrils of God’ (v. 8). The waters ‘congealed’ so as to ‘pile up like a wall’ (v. 8).

God’s sovereignty over the natural forces (e.g. the winds), are now clearly understood by the Israelites and proclaimed in the Song and by His ability as the Creator to manipulate nature (water piled up like a wall). As well His sovereignty over humans is seen in the defeat of the arrogant, confident and powerful Egyptian army, (vs.9-10).

Thus the crossing of the Red Sea was a revelation of God’s nature and character and crystallized in the minds of the Israelites God’s awesome power and faithfulness to His people expressed in verse 11 and onwards

Verse 11. “Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods?

Who is like You, glorious in holiness,

Fearful in praises, doing wonders?

We clearly are now looking at an incomparable God. He is not to be compared to other pagan gods. The  maximum our language can say is that He is completely superior to them. But the idea is that God is incomparable.

God is such a God and His attributes are at such a level of magnificence that He is able to do everything that He pleases. His power is matchless. Everything He does are wonderful and the wonders that He does show His power. God strategy in having the children of Israel appear to be stuck between the armies of Pharaoh and the Red Sea might have seen foolish but in fact what might seem foolish to us is perfectly fine and perfectly sensible for God is a God of incomparable power. His ways are far above the ways of men.

The words of this Song imply that when children of Israel were in bondage in Egypt they might have come to think that the gods of Egypt were actually more powerful than their God Yahweh. Or they might have thought that Yahweh might have forgotten them.

So now Israel is confessing in view of the wonders of God that Yahweh was the only God and the only powerful God for Pharaoh’s gods were powerless to deliver his army from the Red Sea. God was the only One that had the power to redeem His people.

God is therefore majestic, which means that he has “impressive beauty or dignity. He is very beautiful and dignified. In the Bible this word is used to say that God has sovereign power, authority, or dignity.

The word holiness really signifies “separateness” from that which is not holy or that which is profane. In the original sense it means “clean” and “pure”, free from defilement in a ritual sense. One Dictionary states:

“The profoundest sense of holiness is proper to God, absolute holiness consisting in His “otherness” or His uncreated transcendence and majesty, a meaning related to His glory”.

In this absolute sense used by God and His sanctity all else is unholy. So 1 Samuel 6:20 will say, “Who shall be able to stand before the Lord, this holy God”.

“In comparison to God therefore none is holy, neither angels nor men... God’s holiness can be considered at His infinite omnipotence manifesting itself exteriorly in glory.

“Deliver us by your wonders, and bring glory to your name, O Lord”.  States Deuteronomy 3:43 to show us some of the nature of God.

So the God of Israel is God is awesome. He is to be feared for He is extremely impressive and He is greatly admired. What He does is imposing, amazing and breathtaking. It is extraordinary. It would bring apprehension.

Verse 12. In this expression which is called an anthropomorphism, God is represented as having a hand, so that in a sense what He does can be understood. He assumes the attributes or human characteristic to make it easier to picture the behaviour of God. It makes God seem humanlike so that we can understand better. Therefore in verse 6 God is represented as having power and it is said “Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power”.

In this expression the hand is regarded as an instrument of power, and since the right hand is generally regarded as more powerful than the left, the expression speaks of God’s power. But God’s power and His anger against His enemies is such that He stretches out His right hand and the Earth simply swallows His enemies. Egypt willingly decided to war against God with all the power that the nation had. That nation had a heart bent on destroying the people of Jehovah, and Jehovah Himself. In their pride and arrogance they claimed that they were stronger and better than Yahweh despite the previous lesson taught them by the plagues and so God had to teach them a final lesson which the nations around them would understand and fear. The Egyptian enemy had said,

“I will pursue, I will overtake,

I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have the fill of them.

I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them”.

So God had to laugh at them and He stretched out His right hand and the earth swallowed them and they sank down into the sea like lead.

Verse 13. But Pharaoh did not understand that God loved the seed of Abraham. The pagans could not understand His love was steadfast and loyal love and so God would not forget them. He would redeem them and He would lead them by His strength and place them into the Land that He had promised the patriarchs.

The people in the world did not understand that God loves His creation and they therefore could not understand that God has mercy for His people. The world has so twisted the meaning of love by its lusts and passions that they cannot understand the concept of a holy love until they have been brought to salvation by the work of the Holy Spirit.

We should always remember that God especially loves His people and is faithful in His mercy toward them for that is an attribute of God. He has compassion because of His love and pities His people when they are in distress, and affliction. He spared the children of Israel from the plagues especially the last plague of the destruction of the first born, opened a path in the Red Sea and let them through it, covered the Egyptian over with water in order to manifest His mercy and His compassion. This was clearly then worthy of praise.

Verse 14-15. Note that God acted in mercy toward the nations for God knew that the nations would hearr what had happened and they would be afraid when they heard what God had done for Israel. This should have led them to behave like Rahab and turn to the God of Israel for help. Instead of wasting their money trying to use the witchcraft promoted Balaam who thought he could destroy Israel, they should have sought another way to come to God. But instead the chiefs of Edom, the mighty men of Moab, and the leaders of the nations in Canaan and their people were dismayed and trembling with fear.

It is to be noted however that some of the people in Canaan responded with God fear but most did not.

Verse 16. In fact, terror and dread was their experience because they now saw the demonstration of the greatness of the arm of God. They froze and became as still or ultimately helpless as stone.

Israel passed by them. The emphasis again is that God had purchased or redeemed His people. They belonged to Him. The nations knew that God liberated the nation of Israel from Egypt but they also knew that other pagan nations would try to stop Israel from possessing the land of Canaan which the Lord had promised to them. They would worry that their gods would not be able to overthrow or stop Israel’s passage into the Land.

Verse 17. In the Song the thought was clearly expressed that the certain hope of the people was that God would lead the Israelites and establish them into the Promised Land. They would be established and be planted in the mountain of God. His sanctuary would be right there among them. God would live with the people of Israel in His sanctuary.

Verse 18. We are now squarely into the section of the Song which is the Song of Faith. They had personally accepted that the promises of God would be fulfilled and that God would reign forever and ever among them.

They knew their inheritance was guaranteed. God had delivered them from Egypt and so He would complete their salvation.

So they would declare in this Song

You in Your mercy have led forth

The people whom You have redeemed;

You have guided them in Your strength

To Your holy habitation.

As the Israelites reflected on the victory over the Egyptians they could see its effects on the enemies they would encounter on their way to and in the land of Canaan. News of the Red Sea crossing would cause terror, fear and panic to engulf those nations (Josh.2:9) and at the moment they could see taking possession of the Promised Land by means of military conquest. Israel’s hope for the future was clearly rooted in their miraculous deliverance at the Red Sea. These were heady days for the fledging nation basking in the worship of their covenant-keeping God.

There are also allusions to the Abrahamic covenant in verses 13 and 17 and the people saw God’s deliverance at the Red Sea and their ultimate conquest of Canaan within the framework of that covenant.

“The LORD shall reign forever and ever” (v.18)is a confident affirmation of their faith in God and the realization of His ultimate purpose.

One writer in part provides the following thoughts on the “Song of the Sea’:

It served as a vehicle by means of which they could praise God. It also provided the mechanism for recording and recalling God’s great act of deliverance at the Red Sea. It directed Israel’s attention on the character of God, and it produced hope and confidence in God’s future protection and blessing.

It is important at this stage to examine the purposes of the Song before the people of Israel continued on their long journey. One writer advises:

“It was a source of encouragement, a reminder that God had rescued them in the past and would do so again.

Singing it would have promoted faith and helped to keep them focused on their destination.

It also provided a way to pass along the story of their deliverance to future generations…..

Perhaps Caleb was humming it when he first scouted the land and then returned to announce to his brethren, “We can do this!”  (Numbers 13: 30). Undoubtedly it helped sustain many of the people during the wilderness years.

For the young people who learned it as children, it would have helped them catch the vision of their special calling and destiny. It would have taught them something about God’s greatness and helped give them the courage to take over the land”.

But of course the writer makes this additional of observation warning us that praising God by itself has limitations and we have to do more than that:

“Of course the song by itself was no guarantee against apostasy. Many in the older generation of Israelites, especially, were scarred by deep rooted fears and idolatrous habits absorbed during a lifetime of slavery. Shortly after the crossing of the Red Sea, the people began to complain about a lack of drinking water.(Exodus 15:22-24).

This was the first of many bouts of grumbling and complaining. A few months later at Mount Sinai, they lapsed into idolatry in Moses absence (Exodus 32). Eventually their lack of faith affected them for forty years of wandering in the wilderness (Numbers 14:26-35). With the exception of Joshua and Caleb, none of the adult male Israelites crossed the Red Sea live to see the Promised Land”.

Verse 19.  It appearsverses 19 and 20 are prose, rather than the poetry of the preceding verses, though they may still be part of the song.

This verse succinctly captures the supernatural event that occurred at the Red Sea. The mighty Egyptian army in full battle array went into the sea, following the path of the Israelites only to be inundated and drowned when the waters regained its natural properties. Meanwhile, the Israelites walked on dry land through the middle of the sea.

Verses 20-21. Miriam, the sister of Moses now led the woman in worship and singing. She led the female choir. She was obviously over 90 years of age and she was clearly regarded as a prophetess.

Scripture tells us she took up her timbrel and the other ladies followed her example and the ladies went out with her singing and dancing. Her words recall the experience of the nation encouraging and answering them

“Sing to the LORD (the covenant keeping name for God)

For He has triumphed gloriously!

The horse and its rider

He has thrown into the sea!

One writer notes: When the supply fails, our faith is soon gone. .. In three days they had forgotten God’s miracles at the Red Sea, much less the plagues. This should prove that miracles do not result in great faith. Rather great faith comes from a settled conviction that God is trustworthy.

CONCLUSION

It is very interesting to note that in Revelation 15:1-4 the Song of Moses is called the Song of the lamb. It was used there to invite the nations to worship the Lord.

The people of Israel declared that they had been purchased by God and the Apostle Paul uses the very idea in 1 Corinthians 6: 20 and 7:23 to remind believers of the fact that they had been bought with a price, the price being the blood of Christ.

The “Song of the Sea” (vs.1-21) warns us that the affirmation of faith we so frequently make in our worship must match with the application of that same faith in our daily walk. Israel had just proclaimed her faith in God as her warrior and deliverer. Though God had just executed a wondrous miracle by taking them through the Red Sea and destroying Pharaoh’s army, they would not always trust Him to deal with problems they encountered. We are warned thereby.

So remember redemption and expect victory. God is pointing you to a New Promised Land and invites you to envision eternity and remember that there is a larger story that you should wonder about.

God promised Israel and He promised you a new glorious future. So spend more time joyfully singing and exalting the Lord who has saved us from our terror, passed that by us, and promised us a glorious future.

Exalt and praise the Lord for His mighty actions. He is our salvation. He is the covenant keeping God. He is a warrior.

But remember that His anger burns against rebellious sinners and especially those who are enemies of His people.

God works wonders. He guides the people that He has chosen for Himself to His holy habitation.

He has given His people a great inheritance, and on top of that He has told us that He will live with His people as He reigns forever and ever.

So sing joyfully His praises. Singing about God’s salvation should be joyful. It should come with energy from the love coming from a renewed heart which is overflowing with love.

God is love and His people should have that divine love and joy in Him. The mighty works of God should always amaze us and we should remember that these mighty works are here for us.

Jesus has given us new life.

We need the waters of life in order to have abundant life and we will only find this in constant communion with Jesus for He alone has life-giving water. We should not simply want a temporary fixing of the bitter pools we encounter for that will bring no lasting refreshment. If we are thirsty let us listen to the voice of God and obey. Obedience would bring the blessings of God and not the curses of God.

We must apply in our daily walk those truths which we affirm in our worship. Just as God led the Israelites to the waters of Marah, so He leads us in such a way as to give us ample opportunity to apply our faith but too often it is our lack of faith that is revealed.

God is the One that keeps covenant and reiterates this often in His self identification as the God of the Patriarchs. In so doing, He calls those in covenant with Himself to hold Him to His promises. All that God has promised to us He will do as demonstrated with the Israelites and the unchanging God will do no less for Christians.

Sadly, a particular way in which many Christians identify with the Israelites of Moses’ day, was in their lack of faith in God. The Israelites showed a penchant for despair at every difficulty, rather than trust God to honor the clear promises He made to them.

The Israelites might offer the poor excuse that the patriarchs were dead for over four hundred years and their interaction with Yahweh was still in its infancy. Christians however have no excuse. We have the record of Scripture and the indwelling presence of Holy Spirit. Yet often our faith in God is lacking in our times of testing and God is not glorified in our lives. The fact is God will be glorified but we will be the poorer for not showing faith in Him.

Israel’s hope regarding the future (15:13-21) was rooted in their recent experiences, through the plagues and their passing through the Red Sea. So, too, our future hope is based on God’s word and His past actions in both our experience, and in the experiences of His people that preceded us. Thus we are assured of what God can do, based on His word and our knowledge of what He has already done.

Israel came to know God in a greater way as a result of the trials and testing that they experienced in Egypt and in the wilderness. We too are invited to come to know God more intimately and more fully in the midst of the trials through which He leads us. And when we “pass through” these trials, we look to the future fulfillment of God’s promises as even more certain, having experienced His faithfulness in the tough times of our lives.

But in the meantime let us sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs glorifying God and making melody in our hearts instead of giving way to gloom.

Praising God is the greatest of Medicine.