28 A SONG OF PRAISE

We have looked at the complete victory of Israel over the Egyptians and now will consider how it was celebrated. It was right for the Israelites to hold their peace and remain quiet while God was accomplishing their deliverance by Himself. They had been told to do that in Exodus 14:14, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” But it would not be appropriate to remain quiet now. The less they had to do, then the more they had to do now. If God accomplishes deliverance by His own immediate power, it dramatically increases the glory He receives as we contemplate the results. Moses was probably divinely inspired in writing this song and taught it to the children of Israel to be sung before they moved on from where they very recently actually saw the Egyptians dead on the shore. Verse 1 begins with “Then . . .” They expressed their joy in God and thankfulness to him by singing. It is very natural to want to sing when we celebrate. It helps us express our joy and the deeper feelings of our spirit. It is interesting that singing, as an act of religious worship, was used by God’s congregation before the giving of the ceremonial and civil laws. The laws stand separately from singing praise. Singing praise is not abolished though the laws may be. Singing is as much the language of holy joy as praying is of holy desire. Moses, who may have led the way and gone before them through the sea, goes before them now in the song and composes it for them. Those who are active in public services should show an equal interest and enthusiasm for public praises. When the miraculous deliverance was fresh, and they were filled with the impact of it, then they spontaneously sang this song. When we have received special mercy from God, we ought to be quick and speedy to reciprocate in our return of praise to Him. Let’s act immediately, before time and the deceitfulness of our own hearts reduce or dull the good impressions we have just received. David also sang his triumphant song when the Lord delivered him as expressed in 2 Samuel 22:1, “David sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.” This song follows hard on the heels of their believing in God and Moses as a result of what they had just witnessed. The last verse of the previous chapter says, “And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.” It was then that they sang this song. It was a song of faith. It is proper to connect belief and singing praise, as Psalms 106 does, “Then they believed his promises and sang his praise.” If from our hearts we believe it is appropriate to express it in song.

This is probably the most ancient song of praise we have. It sets a very high and admirable standard. The style is lofty and magnificent, the images lively and proper, and the whole of it touches the emotions in a very moving way. It is a holy song, consecrated to the honor of God, and intended to exalt His name and celebrate His praise; to His praise only and not in the least to magnify any man. It is a typical song. The triumphs in the downfall of the enemies of the congregations of God are expressed in the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb put together, which evidently will be sung beside the sea of glass recorded in Revelation 15:2 and 3 just as this song was sung beside the Red Sea. “And I saw what looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name. They held harps given them by God and sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb: ‘Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the nations.’”

Moses gives glory to God, and triumphs in Him; this is his first intention as verse 1 makes clear, “Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord: ‘I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver He has hurled into the sea.’” All our joy must terminate in God and all our praises offered to Him, the Father of lights and Father of mercies because He has triumphed. All that love God triumph in His triumphs; what is His honor should be our joy. Israel rejoiced in God, as their own God, and therefore their strength, song, and salvation as verse 2 expresses, “The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” Happy therefore the people whose God is the Lord; they need no more than that to make them happy. They have work to do, temptations with which to grapple, afflictions to bear, and are weak in themselves, but He strengthens them: and His grace is their strength. They are often in sorrow, for many various reasons, but in Him they have comfort. He is their song. Sin, death, and hell, threaten them, but He is, and will be, their salvation as Isaiah 12 also says, “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.” God is their fathers’ God. They mention this because, being conscious of their own unworthiness, they had reason to think that what God had now done for them was consistent with their spiritual heritage, not so much based on them being worthy of such good treatment. God is a God of infinite power as verse 3 says, “The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name.” If the Lord is a warrior, He is well able to deal with all humans and devils that strive with their Maker, and will certainly be too hard for them. He has no equal, no match in a contest. He is a God of matchless and incomparable perfection according to verse ll, “Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?” This is expressed generally, “Who is like you?” This is pure praise, and a high expression of humble adoration. It is a challenge to all other gods to compare with him: “Let them stand forth, and pretend their utmost; none of them dare make the comparison.” Egypt was notorious for the multitude of its gods, but the God of the Hebrews was too hard for them and baffled them all, Deuteronomy 32:39 says, “See now that I myself am he! There is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand.” The princes and kings of the world are called gods, but they are weak and mortal, none of them are comparable to Jehovah, the almighty and eternal God. Moses’ song is also a confession of God’s infinite perfection, as existing independently Himself and unparalleled. God is to be worshipped and adored as a being of such infinite perfection that there is none like him, as one that in all things has and must have the preeminence. So God is generally superior as Psalm 89:6 also confirms, “For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord? Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings?” But more particularly, God is majestic in holiness; (in verse 11)  His holiness is His glory. It is that attribute which angels adore as recorded in Isaiah 6:3, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” His holiness appeared in the destruction of Pharaoh, His hatred of sin, and His wrath against obstinate sinners. It appeared in the deliverance of Israel, His delight in the holy people, and His faithfulness to His own promise. God is rich in mercy—this is His treasure, glorious in holiness—this is His honor. Let us always give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness. He is fearful (awesome) in praises. The matter of our praise, though it is joyful to the servants of God, is dreadful and very terrible to His enemies. God’s holiness directs us in the manner of our praising God; we should praise Him with a humble holy awe, and serve the Lord with fear. Even our spiritual joy and triumph must be balanced with a religious fear. He is doing wonders, wondrous to all, being above the power and out of the common course of nature; especially wondrous to us, in whose behalf miracles are worked since the miracles are actually done for us who are so unworthy that we had little reason to expect them. They were wonders of power and wonders of grace; in both, God was to be humbly adored.

Moses’ song describes the deliverance in which they were now triumphing, but the song was intended not only to express and excite their thankfulness for the present in their time, but to preserve and perpetuate the remembrance of this work of wonder to include us in our generation.

The destruction of the enemy and the dividing of the waters are celebrated. Verse 8 says, “By the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up. The surging waters stood up like a wall; the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea.” The waters were divided and stood up as a solid wall. Pharaoh and all his hosts were buried in the waters. Can we see some symbolism here? God makes a path through our problems, a way when there is no way, and defeats the problems and then covers them just as the Egyptian army is destroyed and covered.  See your problems in that light. The Egyptians’ sins had made them hard like a stone, and now they justly sink like stones. The earth swallowed them according to verse 12 “You stretch out your right hand, and the earth swallows your enemies.” Their dead bodies “sank” into the sands on which they were thrown by the waves, which sucked them in. All creation fights against anyone against whom the Creator fights. All this was the Lord’s doing and His only. It was an act of His power. Verse 6 says it was done by God’s right hand. The entire drama was an instance of God’s independent and over-arching superior power. Verse 7 says, “In the greatness of your majesty you threw down those who opposed you. You unleashed your burning anger; it consumed them like stubble.” This destruction of the Egyptians was made the more interesting by their pride and erroneous assurance of success, as verse 9 says, “The enemy boasted,‘I will pursue, I will overtake them. I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them. I will draw my sword and my hand will destroy  them.’” The enemy had great confidence. When they pursue, they do not question but that they will overtake; and, when they overtake, they do not question but that they will overcome and obtain so decisive a victory as to divide the spoil. It is possible for men to be most elevated with the hope of success when they are actually on the brink of ruin, which makes their ruin so much more disappointing. James says not to boast of what we will accomplish, but to remember it may happen if the Lord wills it. In addition to misplaced confidence, we also notice great cruelty—nothing but killing, and slaying, and destroying. Would this satisfy Egypt’s lust; a barbarous lust that so much blood must be the satisfaction of it? Through the centuries and even today we can see that it is a cruel hatred with which God’s people are hated. God’s enemies are bloody men. This story shows that God resists the proud and delights to humble those who lift themselves up. He that says, “I will do this and I will do that whether God wants it or not,” will be made to know that he deals proudly and that God is above all those matters in which he is foolishly boasting. Those who thirst for blood will have enough of it. Those who love to destroy will be destroyed because we know God has said, Vengeance is mine, I will repay.

The protection and guidance of Israel is recorded in verse 13, “In your unfailing love you will lead

the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling.” God led them out of the bondage of Egypt and out of the perils of the Red Sea, as verse 19 says, “When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots and horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought the waters of the sea back over them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground.” This destruction of the wicked serves as an intentionally and deliberately setup situation designed to reveal the salvation of God’s people and to make it even more dramatic and glorious.

So great and miraculous is this victory that nearby nations will hear of it. Verse 14 - 16 mentions several nations specifically and the story of Israel’s entry into Canaan verifies that what Moses said here happened exactly as stated here. “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 on them. By the power of your arm they will be as still as a stone—until your people pass by, Lord, until the people you bought pass by.” The very report of the overthrow of the Egyptians would be only the beginning of the overthrowing of all their other enemies; it would sink their courage and spirits, which would go a long ways towards the sinking of their powers and interests. The Philistines, Moabites, Edomites, and Canaanites, all the nations with which Israel was to grapple, would be alarmed by it. They would be fearful and would conclude it was in vain to fight against Israel when a God of such power fought for them. It had this effect; the Edomites were afraid of them, so were the Moabites, and the Canaanites. In this way God sent His fear before them and cut off the courage of the leaders of those nations. This great victory was such a beginning of God’s favor to them that it could give them a foretaste of His willingness to fight for them, if they could just remember this. This was in order to do something further as God progresses from stage to stage and phase to phase in His work. If God could bring unworthy slaves out of Egypt, He could and would also bring them in to Canaan. Verse 17 says, “You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of your inheritance—the place, Lord, you made for your dwelling, the sanctuary, Lord, your hands established.” In bringing them out, He has started and in bringing them in, He will finish it. Our experiences of God’s power and favor should support of our expectations. “You have brought them out which shows you can bring them out and we trust that you will bring them in.  You did, You can and You will. This is a good logical and reasonable argument when we are talking about God.

And to what does He bring us in? It is good to dwell where God dwells, in His congregation on earth as David says, in Psalm 27:4, “One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.”

Notice the great grounds of the encouragement which they draw from this work of wonder is found in verse 18, “The Lord reigns for ever and ever.” They had now seen an end of Pharaoh’s reign; but time can never put a period to God’s reign. God’s reign, like Himself, is eternal, and not subject to change. It is the unspeakable comfort of all God’s faithful subjects that God reigns universally, with incontestable sovereignty, and eternally. There shall be no end of His dominion and therefore no end to the joy we will have when we get to where He is leading us. Israel came out (of Egypt) that they could go in (to Canaan). We too, have come out (of the world) so that we may go in (to heaven).

Christian leader, a song of praise is a good response to God’s miracles. Let’s do that!