Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Exodus 15:1
Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spoke, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
1a. Then sang, &c.] cf. Num 21:17. (In Jdg 5:1 the Heb. is simply, And.)
1b. Exordium. The poet bids himself sing (cf. Jdg 5:3); and briefly, but forcibly, announces his theme (cf. v. 21).
hath triumphed gloriously ] This fine paraphrase is based upon the triumphando magnifice egit of Seb. Mnster, in his Latin version of the O.T. (1534 5). A more lit. rendering would be hath risen up (see, for the rare word, Job 8:11; Job 10:16, Eze 47:5) majestically or proudly: the root idea of the word is to rise up loftily; but derivatives have generally the fig. senses of majesty or pride (see e.g. v. 7, Psa 96:1).
The horse, &c.] Thus briefly, but completely, is the ruin of the Pharaoh’s army described: its chariots and horses, the mainstay of its strength, are, by Divine might, cast irretrievably into the sea.
and his rider ] means both to ride a horse, and to ride in a chariot (Jer 51:21 ‘the horse and his rider, and the chariot and its rider ’; similarly Hag 2:22): hence, as the Egyptians at this time has no cavalry (on Exo 14:9), if the verse is contemporary with the Exodus, either ‘rider’ must be understood of the rider in the chariot, or (as the pron. rather distinctly connects the ‘rider’ with the horse: cf. Gen 49:17, and Jer. l.c.) we may read for either (so LXX.), i.e. ‘The horse and the rider ’ (viz. in the chariot), or (Haupt) , i.e. ‘The horse and the chariot ’ (Exo 14:9).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
With the deliverance of Israel is associated the development of the national poetry, which finds its first and perfect expression in this magnificent hymn. It was sung by Moses and the people, an expression which evidently points to him as the author. That it was written at the time is an assertion expressly made in the text, and it is supported by the strongest internal evidence. In every age this song gave the tone to the poetry of Israel; especially at great critical epochs of deliverance: and in the book of Revelation Exo 15:3 it is associated with the final triumph of the Church.
The division of the song into three parts is distinctly marked: Exo 15:1-5; Exo 15:6-10; Exo 15:11-18 : each begins with an ascription of praise to God; each increases in length and varied imagery unto the triumphant close.
Exo 15:1
He hath triumphed gloriously – Literally, He is gloriously glorious.
The horse and his rider – The word rider may include horseman, but applies properly to the charioteer.
Exo 15:2
The Lord is my strength and song – My strength and song is Jah. See Psa 68:4. The name was chosen here by Moses to draw attention to the promise ratified by the name I am.
I will prepare Him an habitation – I will glorify Him. Our Authorized Version is open to serious objection, as suggesting a thought (namely, of erecting a temple) which could hardly have been in the mind of Moses at that time, and unsuited to the occasion.
Exo 15:3
A man of war – Compare Psa 24:8. The name has on this occasion a special fitness: man had no part in the victory; the battle was the Lords.
The Lord is his name – Jah is His name. See Exo 15:2.
Exo 15:4
Hath He cast – Hurled, as from a sling. See Exo 14:27.
His chosen captains – See Exo 14:7 note.
Exo 15:5
As a stone – The warriors in chariots are always represented on the monuments with heavy coats of mail; the corslets of chosen captains consisted of plates of highly tempered bronze, with sleeves reaching nearly to the elbow, covering the whole body and the thighs nearly to the knee. The wearers must have sunk at once like a stone, or as we read in Exo 5:10, like lumps of lead.
Exo 15:7
Thy wrath – Literally, Thy burning, i. e. the fire of Thy wrath, a word chosen expressly with reference to the effect.
Exo 15:8
The blast of Gods nostrils corresponds to the natural agency, the east wind Exo 14:21, which drove the waters back: on the north the waters rose high, overhanging the sands, but kept back by the strongwind: on the south they laid in massive rollers, kept down by the same agency in the deep bed of the Red Sea.
Exo 15:9
The enemy said – The abrupt, gasping utterances; the haste, cupidity and ferocity of the Egyptians; the confusion and disorder of their thoughts, belong to the highest order of poetry. They enable us to realize the feelings which induced Pharaoh and his host to pursue the Israelites over the treacherous sandbanks.
Exo 15:10
Thou didst blow with thy wind – Notice the solemn majesty of these few words, in immediate contrast with the tumult and confusion of the preceding verse. In Exo 14:28, we read only, the waters returned, here we are told that it was because the wind blew. A sudden change in the direction of the wind would bring back at once the masses of water heaped up on the north.
They sank as lead – See the note at Exo 15:5.
Exo 15:11
Among the gods – Compare Psa 86:8; Deu 32:16-17. A Hebrew just leaving the land in which polytheism attained its highest development, with gigantic statues and temples of incomparable grandeur, might well on such an occasion dwell upon this consummation of the long series of triumphs by which the greatness beyond compare of Yahweh was once for all established.
Exo 15:13
Thy holy habitation – Either Palestine, regarded as the land of promise, sanctified by manifestations of God to the Patriarchs, and destined to be both the home of Gods people, and the place where His glory and purposes were to be perfectly revealed: or Mount Moriah.
Exo 15:14
The inhabitants of Palestina – i. e. the country of the Philistines. They were the first who would expect an invasion, and the first whose district would have been invaded but for the faintheartedness of the Israelites.
Exo 15:15
The dukes of Edom – See Gen 36:15. It denotes the chieftains, not the kings of Edom.
The mighty men of Moab – The physical strength and great stature of the Moabites are noted in other passages: see Jer 48:29, Jer 48:41.
Canaan – The name in this, as in many passages of Genesis, designates the whole of Palestine: and is used of course with reference to the promise to Abraham. It was known to the Egyptians, and occurs frequently on the monuments as Pa-kanana, which applies, if not to the whole of Palestine, yet to the northern district under Lebanon, which the Phoenicians occupied and called Canaan.
Exo 15:17
In the mountain of thine inheritance – See Exo 15:13.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Exo 15:1
Then sang Moses and the Children of Israel.
The Song of Moses at the Red Sea
Unwonted interest attaches to this song–the earliest on record of all the sacred odes, and the very foremost in the annals of Hebrew anthology. To the Jewish people themselves, it is what they have long called it, The Song; a designation to which it is entitled, alike from its inherent pre-eminence and its unrivalled associations.
1. It is Israels natal song. For, in crossing the Red Sea, they passed through the birth-throes of their national existence, and from this epoch dates a new chronology in Israels calendar. The oppressed tribes have become a commonwealth; and a commonwealth of the free.
2. It is Israels emancipation song, or song of liberty. It signalises a triple deliverance; marking the supreme moment of rescue from the threefold evils of domestic slavery, political bondage, and religious thraldom.
3. It is Israels first National Anthem and Te Deum in one. The Exodus was not a mere effort on the part of the Hebrew race to achieve their independence and realize their aspirations after a separate nationality. The spirit of even this idea had yet to be created within them; but everything depended on their being first delivered from the corrupting influences of Egyptian fetichism and idolatry, no less than from the yoke of Egyptian bondage. Not that the mass of them could at all appreciate the full meaning of the grand event as a mighty religious movement, repeating on a larger scale the migration of Abraham from Ur of the Chaldees, and breaking away from idolatrous and debasing superstitions, to find a home for the free development of a higher creed and worship. But the eye of their great leader descried this Divine purpose; and he had gone with this first tentative proposal to Pharaoh from God Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness. It is Israels Te Deum, or song of thanks and praise to God. An overwhelming sense of the Divine interposition is the predominant sentiment in the song from first to last. It is no mere secular ode; no mere war-song or outburst of patriotic triumph; no exultant shriek of insult over a fallen foe; but an anthem of blessing and gratitude for a great deliverance, a devout and solemn psalm before God, to whom, of whom, and for whom it is sung. This high and sacred intent keeps it from degenerating into a wild strain of vindictiveness or vainglory.
4. It is Israels Church-song; the type of all songs of redemption and salvation. The very words redemption and salvation are first introduced in connection with this great deliverance. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm; and again, Fear ye not; stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord. The people had become unified into a worshipping assembly. It is Israels triumph-song of deliverance. The note is that of joy and victory; and is prophetic of the success of every battle and struggle for the Lords cause and kingdom, fought in the Lords name and in His strength. This triumph is the precursor especially of that final and glorious one at the end of the ages, when the spiritual Israel, which no man can number, from every people, and tribe and language, having gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, shall take up a position like their prototypes of old not, however, by the shore of the Red Sea, with the mere emblem of Gods presence before them–but as John saw them in apocalyptic vision, standing by the sea of glass mingled with fire; no longer led merely by Miriam and her chorus, but all of them having the harp of God in their hand, singing, not only the Song of Moses, the servant of God, but the Song of the Lamb.
I. Introduction: or the triple aim of the song (verses 1, 2). Thus the song is, first of all, inscribed and offered to the Lord. He also is its great theme or subject; and it is His exaltation that constitutes its one and expressly avowed aim. To God, of God, for God–these are the three pivot-thoughts regulating and determining the movement of the opening strophe, and, indeed, of the entire hymn. Here, as not infrequently with later psalms, we have the whole song concentrated in the first verse. The occasion of the song, its subject, its design, are all indicated. First, there is here a singing to the Lord. The simplest idea we can attach to the opening words, I will sing to the Lord, is this–I will bring myself into the immediate and felt presence of Jehovah, and will address and offer my song to Him! How near has He been to us during the eventful and stupendous transactions of the night! Under a realizing sense of that Dearness I will direct my song to Him. To what a pitch of solemnity this conception raises the singer I But, while this idea of singing to the Lord is expressive of the singers attitude as immediately before the very face of the Supreme, it no less indicates that the song is an acceptable offering and oblation to the Lord. It is no self-pleasing exercise of gift and faculty, but a sacrifice to the Lord, the fruit of the lips. Singing, says one, is as much the language of holy joy as prayer is the language of holy desire. How sublime a sight! The whole of a people singing before the one invisible God, and consciously realizing more or less their direct relation to the Eternal, under no outward form or image or material symbol! Secondly, the Lord is the subject or theme of the song. Underlying all is the sense of the Divine personality. Nothing but this could have kindled the soul to song. If God is to be the subject of hymning praise, it must needs be the thought of a living, personal One, to evoke the spirit of glorying in and praising His name. Thirdly, there is here a singing, not only to the Lord and of the Lord, but for the Lord. To extol and exalt the Lord is declared to be the ultimate end and aim of this song. And indeed this is the highest reach and the final purpose of all praise–to manifest and express the Divine character, the Divine working and ways, the Divine glory and honour. We are taught to pray for God as well as to Him; and to put this ever in the foreground of our prayers, as of all things the first, the best, the supremely desirable. Hallowed be Thy name: Thy kingdom come: Thy will be done–these petitions have the precedence over any for either ourselves or others. But not only to do this, but also to express it and set forth our purpose to do it–this is the special aim and function of praise, of which Doxology, or the ascription of power, blessing, dominion, and every excellency, is the highest climax. It is the very anticipation of heaven itself and of all its worship.
II. The body, or subject-matter of the song (verses 3-13). The third verse seems to be designed for a great chorus–probably meant to be re-echoed by a body of deep-voiced warriors. It marks a transition from the declarative style of the introduction, to the alternation of recitative and ascriptive portions in the main body of the song. It forms also a suitable link between the two, being a fit climax to what precedes, because it sets forth why and in what character the Lord is to be exalted–the Lord is a Man of War–and a fit index to what follows, because it suggests, so strikingly, the nature of His triumph which is now about to be celebrated; a triumph involving struggle and conflict. He is a Man of War in accordance always with His sublime and sacred name Jehovah. The song proceeds to develop the three great qualities of the Jehovah-warrior, the Warrior who is Divine.
1. He is in power resistless. This power is seen first in the magnitude of the scale on which it operates–the sense of this being enhanced by the detail of particulars in verse 4. Pharaohs chariots, and his host, and his chosen captains. Then, again, in the ease with which it effects its object as He casts them into the sea–it is as if He had caught up the whole host in His hand, and slung it like a stone into the deep; and finally, in the completeness of the overthrow and the irreversible and irretrievable nature of the result. Having thus signalized the catastrophe, the poets inspiration seems to catch a new afflatus. The style suddenly changes in verses 6, 7, and 8; it ceases to be merely descriptive, and becomes directly ascriptive. The tone is now lofty and devout, God being addressed immediately in the second person, and the whole event being attributed to the interposition and miraculous operation of His power alone.
2. He is in equity and righteousness unchallengeable. The equity and righteousness is as manifest as the power. We are taught in verse 7 to regard the whole situation as intended for a display of the Divine excellency: so true, so timely, and so exemplary it is in its manifestation. With consummate ease, but with no less consummate justice, the dread penalty is enacted; to show how He is glorious in holiness and fearful in praises while doing wonders. For it is intimated that Egypt, in what it was doing, was not only the enemy of Israel, but it was of them that rose up against Thee; fighting against the Almighty and violating the first principles of Divine justice, truth, and mercy. The victims of the catastrophe were the fit subjects of a retributive and self-vindicating economy. Moreover, it was so well-timed. They were taken, as it were, red-handed, in the very act; at the very moment they were anticipating their revenge and gloating in its gratification. While they were intoxicated with insolence and pride: while they were breathing out threatening and cruelty, the Lord speaks to them in wrath; the Lord holds them in derision.
3. Yet, finally, He is in mercy plenteous. We have to note the goodness, no less than the severity, of God here. The reiteration in verse 12 of what has been said before, seems designedly made to enhance the sublime and suggestive contrast.
III. The threefold issues (verses 14-18). In this third and last wave of the anthem, the Divine mercy in the redemption of Israel is illustrated. The song becomes prophetic; and three grand issues are described and anticipated, an immediate, an intermediate, and a final one.
1. The immediate influence of the Exodus and passage of the Red Sea, on the tribes and peoples around, verses 14-16. A striking gradation is observed in describing the various effects: there is first a widespread panic and commotion in general, then the chiefs or phylarchs of Edom are paralyzed with terror; the mighty men of Moab tremble with uncontrollable fear; and finally the Canaanites melt away in despair.
2. There is an intermediate or remoter influence on the ultimate settlement and final destiny of Israel. So great an initial triumph was a happy augury and a sure prognostication of coming success. It was to be accepted as a Divine pledge of all needful aid and succour, until at length they should be firmly established in the promised land, as a nation, a race or family, and a Church. For in verse 17 we have a climax with three particulars, in which Israel is presented in three aspects, and their land is set forth in the triple character of an inheritance, a home, and a sanctuary, awakening the chords of patriotism, ancestry, and worship.
3. There is the last great issue of all, The Lord shall reign for ever and ever. The prophecy of this song reaches thus onward to the end of all things; for the deliverance of Israel was not merely typical of, but actually a part and instalment of, the final redemption. And therefore, this song of Moses is not only the key-note and inspiration of the songs of the Old Testament Church, but a song of the Church in every age, celebrating as it does an event and deliverance not only pledging but vitally contributing to the last great acts in the onward triumph of Christs complete redemption. (A. H. Drysdale, M. A.)
The Song of Moses
I. The history which the song celebrates.
II. The reflections which the history thus celebrated suggests.
1. The history affords an awful instance of persevering rebellion against God, notwithstanding the infliction of repeated and awakening chastisements.
2. The tendency of the human mind to forget past mercies, when we are involved in present afflictions.
3. The duty of yielding obedience to God, even when His commands seem to be opposed to our interests and our happiness.
4. The certainty that God will appear on behalf of His people, however long His interposition may be delayed.
5. The history reminds us of a nobler deliverance which God has effected for His people by Jesus Christ.
6. We may learn from the history with what grateful joy the disciples of Christ will celebrate His power and grace, when they have crossed the river of death. (J. Alexander.)
Jubilate
I. It will be instructive to notice the time of the singing of this song. To everything there is a season: there is a time of the singing of birds, and there is a time for the singing of saints. Then sang Moses.
1. It was first of all at the moment of realized salvation. When we doubt our salvation we suspend our singing; but when we realize it, when we see clearly the great work that God has done for us, then we sing unto the Lord who hath for us also triumphed gloriously. How can our joy of heart any longer be pent up?
2. So is it also in times of distinct consecration. I would remind you that the apostle assures us that all Israel were baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea. That passage through the Red Sea was the type of their death, their burial, and their resurrection to a new life; it was their national baptism unto God: and therefore they sang as it were a new song. It is the happiest thing that can ever happen to a mortal man, to be dedicated to God.
3. It was also a day of the manifest display of Gods power.
4. But this song may be sung at all times throughout the life of faith. Let your hearts begin to ring all their bells, and let not their sweet chimes cease for evermore.
II. The tone of this song.
1. Note, first, that the tone is enthusiastic.
2. The tone is also congregational, being intended for every Israelite to join in it. Though Moses began by saying, I will sing unto the Lord, yet Miriam concluded with, Sing ye to the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously. This is a hymn for every child of God, for all that have come out of Egypt. Let the song be enthusiastic and unanimous.
3. Yet please to notice how very distinctly personal it is. I will sing unto the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously. The Lord is my strength and song, and He is become my salvation; He is my God, and I will prepare Him an habitation; my fathers God, and I will exalt Him. Do not lose yourself in the throng.
4. Note, again, the tone of this song is exceeding confident. There is not a shadow of doubt in it: it is all the way through most positive in its ascriptions of praise.
5. And this song is exceeding comprehensive. It sings of what God has done, and then of what God will do in bringing His people into the Promised Land; nor does it finish till it rises to that loftiest strain of all: The Lord shall reign for ever and ever.
6. Note, too, all through, that this song is immeasurably joyous. The Israelites were slaves enjoying new liberty; children let out to play. They did not know how to be glad enough. Let us give to God our unlimited joy.
7. Yet I must say, however enthusiastic that song was, and however full of joy it was, it was only such a song as was due unto the Lord.
III. The first clauses of this song. The Lord is my strength and my song, etc.
1. Notice, the song is all of God: there is not a word about Moses. Let us forget men, forget earth, forget time, forget self, forget this mortal life, and only think of our God.
2. Observe, the song dwells upon what God has done: The horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea. Let us trace all the mercies we get to our God, for He hath wrought all our works in us; He hath chosen us, He hath redeemed us, He hath called us, He hath quickened us, He hath preserved us, He hath sanctified us, and He will perfect us in Christ Jesus. The glory is all His.
3. The song also declares what the Lord will yet do. We shall conquer yet in the great name of Jehovah. Take up the first note: The Lord is my strength. What a noble utterance! Poor Israel had no strength! She had cried out by reason of her sore bondage, making bricks without straw: The Lord is my strength when I have no strength of my own. It is well to say, The Lord is my strength when we are weak and the enemy is strong; but we must mind that we say the same when we are strong and our enemies are routed. The next is, The Lord is my song, that is to say, the Lord is the giver of our songs; He breathes the music into the hearts of His people; He is the Creator of their joy. The Lord is also the subject of their songs: they sing of Him and of all that He does on their behalf. The Lord is, moreover, the object of their song: they sing unto the Lord. Their praise is meant for Him alone. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The Song of triumph
The Song of Moses has never been surpassed for the poetical beauty of its imagery and its expressions. It is, besides, so full of holiness and adoration, as to render it incomparable.
I. Let us recount all the causes for gratitude which are enumerated in it.
1. The Israelites had been delivered from a terrible danger. The enemy had said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.
2. They had been delivered from inevitable danger. None could save them but God only. Before them was the sea; behind them were Pharaoh and his host.
3. They had been delivered from universal danger. Not the lives of a thousand only, or even of ten thousand, among them had been threatened; all, old and young together, were to have been slain.
4. They had been delivered by most glorious miracles; the strong east wind, the pillar of light, the sea changed, as it were, into walls of ice.
5. They bad been delivered notwithstanding their sins. Oh, what an example of the free grace of God! They had scorned His words, had murmured; it was, so to speak, in spite of themselves that God had saved them.
6. They had been delivered altogether, not one was missing, not one had perished, not even the youngest child. No mourning marred their triumph, as often happens to the nations of the earth when they are celebrating a great victory.
7. They had been saved by the power of God alone. It was not their work, it was that of the Lord, who had said to them, Stand still, and ye shall see the salvation of the Lord; the Lord shall fight for you.
8. Lastly, their deliverance was accompanied by promises for the future. God had brought them out of Egypt, but it was to lead them to Canaan.
II. If we are true believers, and if Jesus is our Saviour, we have the same reasons that the Israelites had for singing the song of praise.
1. Like them, we have been delivered from a terrible danger. It was the danger of death,–not of the body, for that is comparatively nothing, as our Lord has said, but of the soul; that is to say, condemnation, alienation from God, a whole eternity passed in outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.
2. Like the Israelites, we have been delivered from inevitable danger. There is no way of escape–no salvation in any other than in the Lord Jesus Christ.
3. We have been delivered from a universal danger. Indeed, we are all by nature under condemnation. There is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.
4. We have been delivered by most glorious marvels. Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God, exclaims the apostle John. These things are so sublime, that the angels desire to look into them.
5. We have been delivered notwithstanding our sins; for God commendeth His love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
6. Like Israel, we have been delivered altogether. Not one of the chosen people of God will be missing; the youngest child, the most despised, the most forgotten of men, if he has put his trust in the Lord, will not perish.
7. God has saved us without any strength of our own, for we were incapable of doing anything. I have trodden the winepress alone, saith the Saviour by the mouth of Isaiah. He obeyed for us, He has borne our sins, He has accomplished all the work of our salvation.
8. Lastly, our deliverance has been accompanied, like that of the Israelites, with glorious promises. The Lord will guide us with His counsel, and afterwards He will receive us to glory. He will be our strength, because He has been our Saviour. (Prof. Gaussen.)
Manly gratitude
Among the mass of men how little there is of that frank, manly gratitude, that openly, and in the sight of a scoffing world, acknowledges the delivering, saving hand of God. Amid such wide-spread forgetfulness of the hand of an overruling Providence, it is a satisfaction to record the case of a thankful British seaman, a fine young man in the naval service on board Her Majestys ship, Queen. They were cruising off Cape Finisterre. The hands had been turned up to reef top sails for the night; the work was just finished, when the young captain of the mizzen top overbalanced himself and fell. He came down a distance of a hundred feet or more, and would have fallen on the deck, where no doubt he would have been instantly killed or seriously injured; but as he fell he clutched the foot-brail of the mizzen–this threw him against the sail, which broke his fall, and he was saved! And as he touched the deck he knelt down in the sight of the throng of officers and men who composed the crew, and offered up his thanks to Almighty God for his safe deliverance, during which time the silence and discipline was such one might have heard a pin drop on the deck.
After deliverance there should come a song
Gratitude is an imperative duty; and one of its first and finest forms is a hymn of thanksgiving and praise. It is true that it will not be worth much if it expends itself only in song; but wherever the psalm is sincere, it will communicate its melody also to the life. Too often, however, it does not even give a song. You remember how only one of the ten lepers returned to thank the Lord for His cleansing; and, perhaps, we should not be far wrong if we were to affirm that a similar proportion prevails to-day between the thankful and the ungrateful. Yet it would be wrong if we were to leave the impression that such gratitude as this of Moses is almost unknown. On the contrary, the pages of our hymn-books are covered with songs which have been born, like this one, out of deliverance. Many of the finest of Davids psalms are the utterances of his heart in thanksgiving for mercies similar to those which Moses celebrated; and some of the noblest lyrics of Watts and Wesley, of Montgomery and Lyre, have had a similar origin. Nor is this all; we can see that in all times of great national revival there has been an outburst of song. At the Reformation, no result of Luthers work was more remarkable than the stimulus it gave to the hymnology of the Fatherland. In fact, that may be said to have been as good as created by the Reformation; and in our own country each successive revival of religion has had its own special hymn. But we have not all the genius of Wesley, or the inspiration of Moses, or of David; and what shall we do then? We can at least appropriate the lyrics of those who have gone before us, and use them in so far as they meet our case; and I can conceive no more pleasant or profitable occupation for the household than the singing of those hymns which have become dear to us because of the personal experiences which we can read between the lines. But we can do better still than that; for we can set our daily deeds to the music of a grateful heart, and seek to round our lives into a hymn–the melody of which will be recognized by all who come into contact with us, and the power of which shall not be evanescent, like the voice of the singer, but perennial, like the music of the spheres. To this hymnology of life let me incite you; for only they who carry this music in their hearts shall sing at last on the shore of the heavenly land, that song of pure concert for which John could find no better description than that it was the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb. But to sing of deliverance, you must accept deliverance. Open your hearts, therefore, for the reception of salvation. (W. M. Taylor, D. D.)
The Lord is my strength and my song.—
The citadel and the temple
I. What the Lord is to his people.
1. The Lord is my strength, sang the enraptured host, when they saw how He had triumphed gloriously for them–and this has ever been the song of Gods people as they have passed through dangers and tribulations in their way to the heavenly Canaan (Isa 26:4).
2. But if the Lord be the strength of His people, it must imply that they themselves are weak.
3. But the Lord is our strength; and if the Church be likened unto things which are weak, the figurative language of the Bible is equally strong in setting forth the Lord as her strength (Pro 28:10; Psa 18:2). The Lord Jesus is called the Captain of her salvation, her Deliverer, Governor, Guide.
4. But the Lord is not only the strength of His people, but also their song. He is a very present help in trouble, and He sometimes raises the head, and cheers the heart, even in the midst of sorrows and trials (Hab 3:17-19).
5. The Lord is also the salvation of His people. He sometimes saves them, in a miraculous manner, from temporal evils.
6. He is their God: and this is everything. Infinite power, wisdom, mercy, goodness, love, pity, truth, justice, are all exerted in their behalf; for, in one delightful word, He is their God–yea, and He will be their God for ever and ever, and their Guide even unto death.
II. The resolutions which a sense of His goodness leads them to make.
1. I will prepare Him an habitation, alluding, probably, to the Temple which the Jews afterwards built. But it is in the humble, contrite heart that the Lord delights to dwell; and we prepare Him a habitation when we open our hearts to receive Him, when we devote them entirely to Him, and when we make Him the principal object of our desires.
2. My fathers God–the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and of all our pious ancestors–and I will exalt Him. With my tongue will I praise His name, and my soul shall exalt in Him. (B. Bailey.)
My fathers God.—
The pathos of theology
A song is the proper conclusion of a victory. Fasting is the worship of sorrow; singing is the worship of joy. The words specially chosen for meditation show that the victory did not end in itself; it touched the holy past; it consummated the promises and hopes of ages.
I. My fathers God. Then religion was no new thing to them. They were not surprised when they heard the name of God associated with their victory. Religion should not be an originality to us; it should not be a novel sensation; it should be the common breath of our daily life, and the mention of the name of God in the relation of our experience sought to excite no mere amazement.
II. My fathers God. Then their fathers religion was not concealed from them. They knew that their father had a God. It is possible not to suspect that a man has any regard for God until we see his name announced in connection with some religions event. We cannot read this holy book without being impressed with the fact that the men who made the history of the world were men who lived in continual communion with the spiritual and unseen.
III. My fathers God. Yet it does not follow that the father and the child must have the same God. You have power deliberately to serve the connection between yourself and the God of your fathers. It is a terrible power!
IV. My fathers God. Then we are debtors to the religious past. There are some results of goodness we inherit independently of our own will. This age inherits the civilization of the past. The child is the better for his fathers temperance. Mephibosheth received honours for Jonathans sake. The processes of God are not always consummated in the age with which they begin. Generations may pass away, and then the full blessing may come. Practical questions:
1. Your father was a Christian,–are you so much wiser than your father that you can afford to set aside his example? There are some things in which you are bound to improve upon the actions of your father; but are you quite sure that the worship of the God of heaven is one of them?
2. Your father was a holy man–will you undertake to break the line of a holy succession? Ought not the fame of his holiness to awaken your own religious concern?
3. Your father was deeply religious,–will you inherit all he has given you in name, in reputation, in social position, and throw away all the religious elements which made him what he was?
4. Your father could not live without God,–can you? (J. Parker, D. D.)
A noble ancestry and a glorious resolution
I. A noble ancestry. My fathers God. Who are the men who have the most illustrious ancestry? The men who honoured, served, and trusted the one true and living God. The same God does for all ages; His character commends itself to the adoration of all souls. It is natural to value anything our loving fathers love. We value their favourite books, but how much more their God, the totality of goodness, the fountain of all blessedness?
II. A glorious resolution. I will exalt Him. How can we exalt Him? Enthrone Him in our affections as Lord of lords, and King of kings, ruling all thoughts, animating and directing all activities. (Homilist.)
The living God
I. Who was the God of our fathers?
1. A pure Being, not the chance of the atheist.
2. A conscious Being, not the mere law of the deist.
3. A personal Being, not the all of the pantheist.
4. A perfect Being, as revealed in the Bible.
5. An emotional Being, as manifested in Christ.
6. A communicative Being, as imparted by the Holy Spirit.
II. What is it to exalt Him?
1. Not by tall spires.
2. Not by gorgeous ritual.
3. To adore Him as the object of our worship.
4. To give Him the chief place in our affections. (W. W. Wythe.)
My mothers God
At a fashionable party a young physician present spoke of one of his patients, whose case he considered a very critical one. He said he was very sorry to lose him, for be was a noble young man, but very unnecessarily concerned about his soul, and Christians increased his agitation by talking with him and praying for him. He wished Christians would let his patients alone. Death was but an endless sleep, the religion of Christ a delusion, and its followers were not persons of the highest culture or intelligence. A young lady sitting near, and one of the gayest of that company, said, Pardon me, doctor, but I cannot hear you talk thus and remain silent. I am not a professor of religion; I never knew anything about it experimentally, but my mother was a Christian. Times without number she has taken me with her to her room, and with her hand upon my head, she has prayed that God would give her grace to train me for the skies. Two years ago my precious mother died, and the religion she loved through life sustained her in her dying hour. She called us to her bedside, and with her face shining with glory, asked us to meet her in heaven, and I promised to do so. And now, said the young lady, displaying deep emotion, can I believe that this is all a delusion? that my mother sleeps an eternal sleep? that she will never waken again in the morning of the resurrection, and that I shall see her no more? No, I cannot, I will not believe it. Her brother tried to quiet her, for by this time she had the attention of all present. No! said she. Brother, let me alone; I must defend my mothers God, my religion. The physician made no reply, and soon left the room. He was found shortly afterwards pacing the floor of an adjoining room, in great agitation and distress of spirit. What is the matter? a friend inquired. Oh, said he, that young lady is right. Her words have pierced my soul like an arrow. I too must have the religion I have despised, or I am lost for ever. And the result of the convictions thus awakened was that both the young lady and the physician were converted to Christ, and are useful and influential members of the Church of God.
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
CHAPTER XV
Moses and the Israelites sing a song of praise to God for their
late deliverance, in which they celebrate the power of God,
gloriously manifested in the destruction of Pharaoh and his host, 1;
express their confidence in him as their strength and protector, 2, 3;
detail the chief circumstances in the overthrow of the Egyptians, 4-8;
and relate the purposes they had formed for the destruction of God’s
people, 9,
and how he destroyed them in the imaginations of their hearts, 10.
Jehovah is celebrated for the perfections of his nature and his
wondrous works, 11-13.
A prediction of the effect which the account of the destruction
of the Egyptians should have on the Edomites, Moabites, and
Canaanites, 14-16.
A prediction of the establishment of Israel in the promised land, 17.
The full chorus of praise, 18.
Recapitulation of the destruction of the Egyptians, and the
deliverance of Israel, 19.
Miriam and the women join in and prolong the chorus, 20, 21.
The people travel three days in the wilderness of Shur, and find no
water, 22.
Coming to Marah, and finding bitter waters, they murmur against
Moses, 23, 24.
In answer to the prayer of Moses, God shows him a tree by which the
waters are sweetened, 25.
God gives them statutes and gracious promises, 26.
They come to Elim, where they find twelve wells of water and
seventy palm trees, and there they encamp, 27.
NOTES ON CHAP. XV
Verse 1. Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song] POETRY has been cultivated in all ages and among all people, from the most refined to the most barbarous; and to it principally, under the kind providence of God, we are indebted for most of the original accounts we have of the ancient nations of the universe. Equally measured lines, with a harmonious collocation of expressive, sonorous, and sometimes highly metaphorical terms, the alternate lines either answering to each other in sense, or ending with similar sounds, were easily committed to memory, and easily retained. As these were often accompanied with a pleasing air or tune, the subject being a concatenation of striking and interesting events, histories formed thus became the amusement of youth, the softeners of the tedium of labour, and even the solace of age. In such a way the histories of most nations have been preserved. The interesting events celebrated, the rhythm or metre, and the accompanying tune or recitativo air, rendered them easily transmissible to posterity; and by means of tradition they passed safely from father to son through the times of comparative darkness, till they arrived at those ages in which the pen and the press have given them a sort of deathless duration and permanent stability, by multiplying the copies. Many of the ancient historic and heroic British tales are continued by tradition among the aboriginal inhabitants of Ireland to the present day; and the repetition of them constitutes the chief amusement of the winter evenings. Even the prose histories, which were written on the ground of the poetic, copied closely their exemplars, and the historians themselves were obliged to study all the beauties and ornaments of style, that their works might become popular; and to this circumstance we owe not a small measure of what is termed refinement of language. How observable is this in the history of Herodotus, who appears to have closely copied the ancient poetic records in his inimitable and harmonious prose; and, that his books might bear as near a resemblance as possible to the ancient and popular originals, he divided them into nine, and dedicated each to one of the muses! His work therefore seems to occupy the same place between the ancient poetic compositions and mere prosaic histories, as the polype does between plants and animals. Much even of our sacred records is written in poetry, which God has thus consecrated to be the faithful transmitter of remote and important events; and of this the song before the reader is a proof in point. Though this is not the first specimen of poetry we have met with in the Pentateuch, (see Lamech’s speech to his wives, Ge 4:23-24; Noah’s prophecy concerning his sons, Ge 9:25-27; and Jacob’s blessing to the twelve patriarchs, Ge 49:2-27, and the notes there,) yet it is the first regular ode of any considerable length, having but one subject; and it is all written in hemistichs, or half lines, the usual form in Hebrew poetry; and though this form frequently occurs, it is not attended to in our common printed Hebrew Bibles, except in this and three other places, (De 32:1-43; Jdg 5:1-31; and 2Sa 22:1-51), all of which shall be noticed as they occur. But in Dr. Kennicott’s edition of the Hebrew Bible, all the poetry, wheresoever it occurs, is printed in its own hemistich form.
After what has been said it is perhaps scarcely necessary to observe, that as such ancient poetic histories commemorated great and extraordinary displays of providence, courage, strength, fidelity, heroism, and piety; hence the origin of EPIC poems, of which the song in this chapter is the earliest specimen. And on the principle of preserving the memory of such events, most nations have had their epic poets, who have generally taken for their subject the most splendid or most remote events of their country’s history, which either referred to the formation or extension of their empire, the exploits of their ancestors, or the establishment of their religion. Hence the ancient HEBREWS had their Shir Mosheh, the piece in question: the GREEKS, their Ilias; the HINDOOS, their Mahabarat; the ROMANS, their AEneis; the NORWEGIANS, their Edda; the IRISH and SCOTCH, their Fingal and Chronological poems; the WELSH, their Taliessin and his Triads; the ARABS, their Nebiun-Nameh (exploits of Mohammed) and Hamleh Heedry, (exploits of Aly;) the PERSIANS, their SHAH Nameh, (book of kings;) the ITALIANS, their Gerusalemme Liberata; the PORTUGUESE, their Lusiad; the ENGLISH, their Paradise Lost; and, in humble imitation of all the rest, (etsi non passibus aequis,) the FRENCH, their Henriade.
The song of Moses has been in the highest repute in the Church of God from the beginning; the author of the Book of Wisdom attributes it in a particular manner to the wisdom of God, and says that on this occasion God opened the mouth of the dumb, and made the tongues of infants eloquent; Wisdom 10:21. As if he had said, Every person felt an interest in the great events which had taken place, and all laboured to give Jehovah that praise which was due to his name. “With this song of victory over Pharaoh,” says Mr. Ainsworth, “the Holy Ghost compares the song of those who have gotten the victory over the spiritual Pharaoh, the beast, (Antichrist), when they stand by the sea of glass mingled with fire, (as Israel stood here by the Red Sea,) having the harps of God, (as the women here had timbrels, Ex 15:20), and they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, the Son of God,” Re 15:2-4.
I will sing unto the Lord] Moses begins the song, and in the two first hemistichs states the subject of it; and these two first lines became the grand chorus of the piece, as we may learn from Ex 15:21. See Dr. Kennicott’s arrangement and translation of this piece at the end of this chapter. See Clarke on Ex 15:26.
Triumphed gloriously] ki gaoh gaah, he is exceedingly exalted, rendered by the Septuagint, , He is gloriously glorified; and surely this was one of the most signal displays of the glorious majesty of God ever exhibited since the creation of the world. And when it is considered that the whole of this transaction shadowed out the redemption of the human race from the thraldom and power of sin and iniquity by the Lord Jesus, and the final triumph of the Church of God over all its enemies, we may also join in the song, and celebrate Him who has triumphed so gloriously, having conquered death, and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Moses composed the song, and he, together with the Israelites, sung it, unto the honour and praise of God.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
1. Then sang Moses and the childrenof IsraelThe scene of this thanksgiving song is supposed tohave been at the landing place on the eastern shore of the Red Sea,at Ayoun Musa, “the fountains of Moses.” They are situatedsomewhat farther northward along the shore than the opposite pointfrom which the Israelites set out. But the line of the people wouldbe extended during the passage, and one extremity of it would reachas far north as these fountains, which would supply them with wateron landing. The time when it was sung is supposed to have been themorning after the passage. This song is, by some hundred years, theoldest poem in the world. There is a sublimity and beauty in thelanguage that is unexampled. But its unrivalled superiority arisesnot solely from the splendor of the diction. Its poeticalexcellencies have often drawn forth the admiration of the bestjudges, while the character of the event commemorated, and its beingprompted by divine inspiration, contribute to give it an interest andsublimity peculiar to itself.
I will sing unto the Lord,for he hath triumphed gloriouslyConsidering the state ofservitude in which they had been born and bred, and the rude featuresof character which their subsequent history often displays, it cannotbe supposed that the children of Israel generally were qualified tocommit to memory or to appreciate the beauties of this inimitablesong. But they might perfectly understand its pervading strain ofsentiment; and, with the view of suitably improving the occasion, itwas thought necessary that all, old and young, should join theirunited voices in the rehearsal of its words. As every individual hadcause, so every individual gave utterance to his feelings ofgratitude.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord,…. Which is the first song recorded in Scripture, though no doubt before this time songs of praise were sung to the Lord; the people of God having occasion in all ages more or less to sing his praises. The Jews n speak of ten songs, the first of which was sung by Adam, when his sins were forgiven him, and this song of Moses is the second; though sometimes they say o, from the creation of the world to the standing of Israel by the Red sea, we do not find that ever any man sung a song but Israel; God created the first man, but he sang no song: however, this is the first on record, and is a typical one; Moses the composer of it, and who bore a principal part in it, and was the deliverer of the people of Israel, was a type of Christ, the Redeemer of his church: and Israel that joined with him in it, and were the persons delivered, were typical of the spiritual Israel of God redeemed by Christ; and the deliverance here celebrated bore a great resemblance to the redemption wrought out by him; and Christ, the Angel of the Lord, that went before the Israelites through the Red sea, and fought for them, is the principal person concerned in it, and who is meant by the Lord throughout the whole of it, and to whom it is sung; and a song upon a similar occasion to this will be sung in the latter day, upon the destruction of spiritual Egypt, or antichrist, and is called the song of Moses and the Lamb in allusion to it, Re 15:3 The Jews p say, this shall be sung at the time, when the wicked shall perish out of the world, and observe that it is not written , “then sung”, but
, “then shall sing”, c. Moses had reason to sing, since God had heard his prayer, and had done him honour before the people, and he was both an instrument of and a sharer in the salvation wrought and the children of Israel had reason to sing, inasmuch as they were a people chosen of God, and distinguished by him; were redeemed from bondage, called out of Egypt, and now saved out of the hands of their enemies, who were all destroyed, and they brought safely through the Red sea, and landed on firm ground. And the time when they sung this song was then, when they had passed through the sea on dry land; and when they had seen the Egyptians their enemies dead on the sea shore; and when they were in a proper frame of spirit to sing, when they had taken notice of and considered what great and wonderful things the Lord had done for them, and their minds were suitably impressed with a sense of them; when they were in the exercise of the graces of the fear of God, and faith in him, and which is necessary to the performance of all religious duties, and particularly this of singing the praises of God:
and spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord: that went before them in a pillar of cloud and fire; who had led them safely through the Red sea, and troubled and destroyed the host of the Egyptians; even the same Jehovah, who has undertook the salvation of his people, is become the author of it, and to whom the song of redeeming grace is due:
for he hath triumphed gloriously; over Pharaoh and all the Egyptians, the enemies of Israel, as Christ has over sin, in the destruction of it by his sacrifice, and over Satan, and his principalities and powers, when he spoiled them on the cross, and over death the last enemy, and all others; over whom he has made his people more than conquerors, through himself: or, “in excelling he excels” q; all the angels of heaven, in his name, and nature, relation, and office; and all the sons of men, even the greatest among them, being King of kings, and Lord of lords; in the wonderful things done by him, no such achievements having ever been wrought by any of them: or, “in magnifying, he is magnified” r; appears to be what he is, great in his nature, perfections, and works; and to be magnified, or declared to be great, and extolled as such by all that know and fear him;
the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea; the horses and horsemen of Pharaoh; and which is not amiss allegorically applied, by Tertullian s, to the world and the devil; the world is the horse, and the rider the devil; that being under his power and direction, he being the god of it, and working effectually in it; spurring and exciting the men of it to every sinful lust and pleasure; and may be put for all the spiritual enemies of God’s people, especially their sins; which are cast by the Lord into the midst of the sea, never to be seen and remembered any more, and which is to them matter of a song of praise and thanksgiving.
n Targum in Cant. i. 1. o Shemot Rabba, sect. 23. fol. 107. 3. p Tikkune Zohar, correct. 10. fol. 20. 2. q “excellendo excelluit”, Piscator. r “Magnificando magnificatus est”, Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus. s Contr. Marcion, l. 4. c. 20.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
In the song of praise which Moses and the children of Israel sang at the Red Sea, in celebration of the wonderful works of Jehovah, the congregation of Israel commemorated the fact of its deliverance and its exaltation into the nation of God. By their glorious deliverance from the slave-house of Egypt, Jehovah had practically exalted the seed of Abraham into His own nation; and in the destruction of Pharaoh and his host, He had glorified Himself as God of the gods and King of the heathen, whom no power on earth could defy with impunity. As the fact of Israel’s deliverance from the power of its oppressors is of everlasting importance to the Church of the Lord in its conflict with the ungodly powers of the world, in which the Lord continually overthrows the enemies of His kingdom, as He overthrew Pharaoh and his horsemen in the depths of the sea: so Moses’ song at the Red Sea furnishes the Church of the Lord with the materials for its songs of praise in all the great conflicts which it has to sustain, during its onward course, with the powers of the world. Hence not only does the key-note of this song resound through all Israel’s songs, in praise of the glorious works of Jehovah for the good of His people (see especially Isa 12:1-6), but the song of Moses the servant of God will also be sung, along with the song of the Lamb, by the conquerors who stand upon the “sea of glass,” and have gained the victory over the beast and his image (Rev 15:3).
The substance of this song, which is entirely devoted to the praise and adoration of Jehovah, is the judgment inflicted upon the heathen power of the world in the fall of Pharaoh, and the salvation which flowed from this judgment to Israel. Although Moses is not expressly mentioned as the author of the song, its authenticity, or Mosaic authorship, is placed beyond all doubt by both the contents and the form. The song is composed of three gradually increasing strophes, each of which commences with the praise of Jehovah, and ends with a description of the overthrow of the Egyptian host (Exo 15:2-5, Exo 15:6-10, Exo 15:11-18). The theme announced in the introduction in Exo 15:1 is thus treated in three different ways; and whilst the omnipotence of God, displayed in the destruction of the enemy, is the prominent topic in the first two strophes, the third depicts with prophetic confidence the fruit of this glorious event in the establishment of Israel, as a kingdom of Jehovah, in the promised inheritance. Modern criticism, it is true, has taken offence at this prophetic insight into the future, and rejected the song of Moses, just because the wonders of God are carried forward in Exo 15:16, Exo 15:17, beyond the Mosaic times. But it was so natural a thing that, after the miraculous deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt, they should turn their eyes to Canaan, and, looking forward with certainty to the possession of the promised land, should anticipate with believing confidence the foundation of a sanctuary there, in which their God would dwell with them, that none but those who altogether reject the divine mission of Moses, and set down the mighty works of God in Egypt as myths, could ever deny to Moses this anticipation and prospect. Even Ewald admits that this grand song of praise “was probably the immediate effect of first enthusiasm in the Mosaic age,” though he also ignores the prophetic character of the song, and denies the reality of any of the supernatural wonders of the Old Testament. There is nothing to prevent our understanding words, “then sang Moses,” as meaning that Moses not only sang this song with the Israelites, but composed it for the congregation to the praise of Jehovah.
Exo 15:1-5 Introduction and first strophe. – The introduction, which contains the theme of the song, “ Sing will I to the Lord, for highly exalted is He, horse and his rider He hath thrown into the sea, ” was repeated, when sung, as an anti-strophe by a chorus of women, with Miriam at their head (cf. Exo 15:20, Exo 15:21); whether after every verse, or only at the close of the longer strophes, cannot be determined. to arise, to grow up, trop. to show oneself exalted; connected with an inf. abs. to give still further emphasis. Jehovah had displayed His superiority to all earthly power by casting horses and riders, the proud army of the haughty Pharaoh, into the sea. This had filled His people with rejoicing: (Exo 15:2), “ My strength and song is Jah, He became my salvation; He is my God, whom I extol, my father’s God, whom I exalt.” strength, might, not praise or glory, even in Psa 8:2. , an old poetic form for , from , primarily to hum; thence , to play music, or sing with a musical accompaniment. Jah, the concentration of Jehovah, the God of salvation ruling the course of history with absolute freedom, has passed from this song into the Psalms, but is restricted to the higher style of poetry. “ For He became salvation to me, granted me deliverance and salvation: ” on the use of vav consec. in explanatory clauses, see Gen 26:12. This clause is taken from our song, and introduced in Isa 12:2; Psa 118:14. : this Jah, such an one is my God. : Hiphil of , related to , , to be lovely, delightful, Hiph. to extol, to praise, , glorificabo (lxx, Vulg.). “ The God of my father: ” i.e., of Abraham as the ancestor of Israel, or, as in Exo 3:6, of the three patriarchs combined. What He promised them (Gen 15:14; Gen 46:3-4) He had now fulfilled.
Exo 15:3-4 “ Jehovah is a man of war: ” one who knows how to make war, and possesses the power to destroy His foes. “ Jehovah is His name: ” i.e., He has just proved Himself to be the God who rules with unlimited might. For (Exo 15:4) “ Pharaoh’s chariots and his might (his military force) He cast into the sea, and the choice (the chosen ones) of his knights ( shelishim, see Exo 14:7) were drowned in the Red Sea.”
Exo 15:5 “ Floods cover them ( , defectively written for = , and the suffix for , only used here); they go down into the deep like stone, ” which never appears again.
Exo 15:6-10 Jehovah had not only proved Himself to be a true man of war in destroying the Egyptians, but also as the glorious and strong one, who overthrows His enemies at the very moment when they think they are able to destroy His people.
Exo 15:6-7 “ Thy right hand, Jehovah, glorified in power (gloriously equipped with power: on the Yod in , see Gen 31:39; the form is masc., and , which is of common gender, is first of all construed as a masculine, as in Pro 27:16, and then as a feminine), “ Thy right hand dashes in pieces the enemy.” = : only used here, and in Jdg 10:8. The thought it quite a general one: the right hand of Jehovah smites every foe. This thought is deduced from the proof just seen of the power of God, and is still further expanded in Exo 15:7, “ In the fulness of Thy majesty Thou pullest down Thine opponents.” generally applied to the pulling down of buildings; then used figuratively for the destruction of foes, who seek to destroy the building (the work) of God; in this sense here and Psa 28:5. : those that rise up in hostility against a man (Deu 33:11; Psa 18:40, etc.). “ Thou lettest out Thy burning heat, it devours them like stubble.” , the burning breath of the wrath of God, which Jehovah causes to stream out like fire (Eze 7:3), was probably a play upon the fiery look cast upon the Egyptians from the pillar of cloud (cf. Isa 9:18; Isa 10:17; and on the last words, Isa 5:24; Nah 1:10).
Exo 15:8-10 Thus had Jehovah annihilated the Egyptians. “ And by the breath of Thy nostrils (i.e., the strong east wind sent by God, which is described as the blast of the breath of His nostrils; cf. Psa 18:16) the waters heaped themselves up (piled themselves up, so that it was possible to go between them like walls); the flowing ones stood like a heap ” ( cumulus ; it occurs in Jos 3:13, Jos 3:16, and Psa 33:7; Psa 78:13, where it is borrowed from this passage. : the running, flowing ones; a poetic epithet applied to waves, rivers, or brooks, Psa 78:16, Psa 78:44; Isa 44:3). “ The waves congealed in the heart of the sea: ” a poetical description of the piling up of the waves like solid masses.
Exo 15:9 “ The enemy said: I pursue, overtake, divide spoil, my soul becomes full of them; I draw my sword, my hand will root them out.” By these short clauses following one another without any copula, the confidence of the Egyptian as he pursued them breathing vengeance is very strikingly depicted. : the soul as the seat of desire, i.e., of fury, which sought to take vengeance on the enemy, “to cool itself on them.” : to drive from their possession, to exterminate (cf. Num 14:12).
Exo 15:10 “ Thou didst blow with Thy breath: the sea covered them, they sank as lead in the mighty waters.” One breath of God was sufficient to sink the proud foe in the waves of the sea. The waters are called , because of the mighty proof of the Creator’s glory which is furnished by the waves as they rush majestically along.
Exo 15:11-18 Third strophe. On the ground of this glorious act of God, the song rises in the third strophe into firm assurance, that in His incomparable exaltation above all gods Jehovah will finish the word of salvation, already begun, fill all the enemies of Israel with terror at the greatness of His arm, bring His people to His holy dwelling-place, and plant them on the mountain of His inheritance. What the Lord had done thus far, the singer regarded as a pledge of the future.
Exo 15:11-12 “ Who is like unto Thee among the gods, O Jehovah ( : not strong ones, but gods, Elohim, Psa 86:8, because none of the many so-called gods could perform such deeds), who is like unto Thee, glorified in holiness? ” God had glorified Himself in holiness through the redemption of His people and the destruction of His foes; so that Asaph could sing, “Thy way, O God, is in holiness” (Psa 78:13). , holiness, is the sublime and incomparable majesty of God, exalted above all the imperfections and blemishes of the finite creature (vid., Exo 19:6). “ Fearful for praises, doing wonders.” The bold expression conveys more than summe venerandus, s. colendus laudibus , and signifies terrible to praise, terribilis laudibus . As His rule among men is fearful (Psa 66:5), because He performs fearful miracles, so it is only with fear and trembling that man can sing songs of praise worthy of His wondrous works. Omnium enim laudantium vires, linguas et mentes superant ideoque magno cum timore et tremore eum laudant omnes angeli et sancti ( C. a Lap.). “ Thou stretchest out Thy hand, the earth swallows them.” With these words the singer passes in survey all the mighty acts of the Lord, which were wrapt up in this miraculous overthrow of the Egyptians. The words no longer refer to the destruction of Pharaoh and his host. What Egypt had experienced would come upon all the enemies of the Lord and His people. Neither the idea of the earth swallowing them, nor the use of the imperfect, is applicable to the destruction of the Egyptians (see Exo 15:1, Exo 15:4, Exo 15:5, Exo 15:10, Exo 15:19, where the perfect is applied to it as already accomplished).
Exo 15:13 “ Thou leadest through Thy mercy the people whom Thou redeemest; Thou guidest them through Thy might to Thy holy habitation.” The deliverance from Egypt and guidance through the Red Sea were a pledge to the redeemed people of their entrance into the promised land. The holy habitation of God was Canaan (Psa 78:54), which had been consecrated as a sacred abode for Jehovah in the midst of His people by the revelations made to the patriarchs there, and especially by the appearance of God at Bethel (Gen 28:16., Exo 31:13; Exo 35:7).
Exo 15:14 “ People hear, they are afraid; trembling seizes the inhabitants of Philistia.”
Exo 15:15 “ Then are the princes (alluphim, see Gen 36:15) of Edom confounded; the mighty men of Moab, trembling seizes them; all the inhabitants of Canaan despair.” , like in 2Ki 24:15, scriptio plena for , strong, powerful ones. As soon as these nations should hear of the miraculous guidance of Israel through the Red Sea, and Pharaoh’s destruction, they would be thrown into despair from anxiety and alarm, and would not oppose the march of Israel through their land.
Exo 15:16 “ Fear and dread fall upon them; for the greatness of Thine arm (the adjective placed as a substantive before the noun) they are dumb ( from ) as stones, till Thy people pass through, Jehovah, till the people which Thou hast purchased pass through.” Israel was still on its march to Canaan, an evident proof that Exo 15:13-15 do not describe what was past, but that future events were foreseen in spirit, and are represented by the use of perfects as being quite as certain as if they had already happened. The singer mentions not only Edom and Moab, but Philistia also, and the inhabitants of Canaan, as enemies who are so paralyzed with terror, as to offer no resistance to the passage of Israel through their territory; whereas the history shows that Edom did oppose their passing through its land, and they were obliged to go round in consequence (Num 20:18.; Deu 2:3, Deu 2:8), whilst Moab attempted to destroy them through the power of Balaam’s curse (Num 22:2.); and what the inhabitants of Philistia and Canaan had to fear, was not their passing through, but their conquest of the land.
(Note: The fact that the inhabitants of Philistia and Canaan are described in the same terms as Edom and Moab, is an unquestionable proof that this song was composed at a time when the command to exterminate the Canaanites had not yet been given, and the boundary of the territory to be captured by the Israelites was not yet fixed; in other words, that it was sung by Moses and the Israelites after the passage through the Red Sea. In the words in Exo 15:16, there is by no means the allusion to, or play upon, the passage through the Jordan, which Knobel introduces.)
We learn, however, from Jos 2:9-10 and Jos 9:9, that the report of Israel’s miraculous passage through the Red Sea had reached to Canaan, and filled its inhabitants with terror.
Exo 15:17-18 “ Thou wilt bring and plant them in the mountain of Thine inheritance, the place which Thou hast made for Thy dwelling-place, Jehovah, for the sanctuary, Lord, which Thy hands prepared.” On the dagesh dirim. in , see Exo 2:3. The futures are not to be taken as expressive of wishes, but as simple predictions, and are not to be twisted into preterites, as they have been by Knobel. The “ mountain of Jehovah’s inheritance ” was not the hill country of Canaan (Deu 3:25), but the mountain which Jehovah had prepared for a sanctuary (Psa 78:54), and chosen as a dwelling-place through the sacrifice of Isaac. The planting of Israel upon this mountain does not signify the introduction of the Israelites into the promised land, but the planting of the people of God in the house of the Lord (Psa 92:14), in the future sanctuary, where Jehovah would perfect His fellowship with His people, and where the people would show themselves by their sacrifices to be the “people of possession,” and would serve Him for ever as their King. This was the goal, to which the redemption from Egypt pointed, and to which the prophetic foresight of Moses raised both himself and his people in this song, as he beholds in spirit and ardently desires the kingdom of Jehovah in its ultimate completion.
(Note: Auberlen’s remarks in the Jahrb.f. d. Theol. iii. p. 793, are quite to the point: “In spirit Moses already saw the people brought to Canaan, which Jehovah had described, in the promise given to the fathers and repeated to him, as His own dwelling-place where He would abide in the midst of His people in holy separation from the nations of the world. When the first stage had been so gloriously finished, he could already see the termination of the journey.”…“The nation was so entirely devoted to Jehovah, that its own dwelling-place fell into the shade beside that of its God, and assumed the appearance of a sojourning around the sanctuary of Jehovah, for God went up before the people in the pillar of cloud and fire. The fact that a mountain is mentioned in Exo 15:17 as the dwelling-place of Jehovah is no proof of a vaticinium post eventum , but is a true prophecy, having its natural side, however, in the fact that mountains were generally the sites chosen for divine worship and for temples; a fact with which Moses was already acquainted (Gen 22:2; Exo 3:1, Exo 3:12; compare such passages as Num 22:41; Num 33:52; Mic 4:1-2). In the actual fulfilment its was Mount Zion upon which Jehovah was enthroned as King in the midst of his People.)
The song closes in Exo 15:18 with an inspiring prospect of the time, when “ Jehovah will be King (of His people) for ever and ever; ” and in Exo 15:19, it is dovetailed into the historical narrative by the repetition of the fact to which it owed its origin, and by the explanatory “for,” which points back to the opening verse.
Exo 15:19-21 In the words “ Pharaoh’s horse, with his chariots and horsemen, ” Pharaoh, riding upon his horse as the leader of the army, is placed at the head of the enemies destroyed by Jehovah. In Exo 15:20, Miriam is called “ the prophetess, ” not ob poeticam et musicam facultatem ( Ros.), but because of her prophetic gift, which may serve to explain her subsequent opposition to Moses (Num 11:1, Num 11:6); and “ the sister of Aaron, ” though she was Moses’ sister as well, and had been his deliverer in his infancy, not “because Aaron had his own independent spiritual standing by the side of Moses” ( Baumg.), but to point out the position which she was afterwards to occupy in the congregation of Israel, namely, as ranking, not with Moses, but with Aaron, and like him subordinate to Moses, who had been placed at the head of Israel as the mediator of the Old Covenant, and as such was Aaron’s god (Exo 4:16, Kurtz). As prophetess and sister of Aaron she led the chorus of women, who replied to the male chorus with timbrels and dancing, and by taking up the first strophe of the song, and in this way took part in the festival; a custom that was kept up in after times in the celebration of victories (Jdg 11:34; 1Sa 18:6-7; 1Sa 21:12; 1Sa 29:5), possibly in imitation of an Egyptian model (see my Archologie, 137, note 8).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| Triumphant Song of the Israelites. | B. C. 1491. |
1 Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. 2 The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him. 3 The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name. 4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea. 5 The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone. 6 Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy. 7 And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble. 8 And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea. 9 The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them. 10 Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters. 11 Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? 12 Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them. 13 Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation. 14 The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina. 15 Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away. 16 Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O LORD, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased. 17 Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established. 18 The LORD shall reign for ever and ever. 19 For the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought again the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea. 20 And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. 21 And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
Having read how that complete victory of Israel over the Egyptians was obtained, here we are told how it was celebrated; those that were to hold their peace while the deliverance was in working (ch. xiv. 14) must not hold their peace now that it was wrought; the less they had to do then the more they had to do now. If God accomplishes deliverance by his own immediate power, it redounds so much the more to his glory. Moses, no doubt by divine inspiration, indited this song, and delivered it to the children of Israel, to be sung before they stirred from the place where they saw the Egyptians dead upon the shore. Observe, 1. They expressed their joy in God, and thankfulness to him, by singing; it is almost natural to us thus to give vent to our joy and the exultations of our spirit. By this instance it appears that the singing of psalms, as an act of religious worship, was used in the church of Christ before the giving of the ceremonial law, and therefore was no part of it, nor abolished with it. Singing is as much the language of holy joy as praying is of holy desire. 2. Moses, who had gone before them through the sea, goes before them in the song, and composes it for them. Note, Those that are active in public services should not be neuters in public praises. 3. When the mercy was fresh, and they were much affected with it, then they sang this song. Note, When we have received special mercy from God, we ought to be quick and speedy in our returns of praise to him, before time and the deceitfulness of our own hearts efface the good impressions that have been made. David sang his triumphant song in the day that the Lord delivered him, 2 Sam. xxii. 1. Bis dat qui cito dat–He gives twice who gives quickly. 4. When they believed the Lord (ch. xiv. 31) then they sang this song: it was a song of faith; this connection is observed (Ps. cvi. 12): Then believed they his words, they sang his praise. If with the heart man believes, thus confession must be made. Here is,
I. The song itself; and,
1. We may observe respecting this song, that it is, (1.) An ancient song, the most ancient that we know of. (2.) A most admirable composition, the style lofty and magnificent, the images lively and proper, and the whole very moving. (3.) It is a holy song, consecrated to the honour of God, and intended to exalt his name and celebrate his praise, and his only, not in the least to magnify any man: holiness to the Lord is engraven in it, and to him they made melody in the singing of it. (4.) It is a typical song. The triumphs of the gospel church, in the downfall of its enemies, are expressed in the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb put together, which are said to be sung upon a sea of glass, as this was upon the Red Sea, Rev 15:2; Rev 15:3.
2. Let us observe what Moses chiefly aims at in this song.
(1.) He gives glory to God, and triumphs in him; this is first in his intention (v. 1): I will sing unto the Lord. Note, All our joy must terminate in God, and all our praises be offered up to him, the Father of lights and Father of mercies, for he hath triumphed. Note, All that love God triumph in his triumphs; what is his honour should be our joy. Israel rejoiced in God, [1.] As their own God, and therefore their strength, song, and salvation, v. 2. Happy therefore the people whose God is the Lord; they need no more to make them happy. They have work to do, temptations to grapple with, and afflictions to bear, and are weak in themselves; but he strengthens them: his grace is their strength. They are often in sorrow, upon many accounts, but in him they have comfort, he is their song; sin, and death, and hell, threaten them, but he is, and will be, their salvation: See Isa. xii. 2. [2.] As their fathers’ God. This they take notice of, because, being conscious to themselves of their own unworthiness and provocations, they had reason to think that what God had now done for them was for their fathers’ sake, Deut. iv. 37. Note, The children of the covenant ought to improve their fathers’ relation to God as their God for comfort, for caution, and for quickening. [3.] As a God of infinite power (v. 3): The Lord is a man of war, that is, well able to deal with all those that strive with their Maker, and will certainly be too hard for them. [4.] As a God of matchless and incomparable perfection, v. 11. This is expressed, First, More generally: Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods! 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, Num 38:4; Deu 32:23-39. The princes and potentates of the world are called gods, but they are feeble and mortal, none of them all comparable to Jehovah, the almighty and eternal God.–It is confession of his infinite perfection, as transcendent and unparalleled. Note, God is to be worshipped and adored as a being of such infinite perfection that there is none like him, nor any to be compared with him, as one that in all things has and must have the pre-eminence, Ps. lxxxix. 6. Secondly, More particularly, 1. He is glorious in holiness; his holiness is his glory. It is that attribute which angels adore, Isa. vi. 3. 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 seed, and his faithfulness to his own promise. God is rich in mercy–this is his treasure, glorious in holiness–this is his honour. Let us always give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. 2. He is fearful in praises. That which is the matter of our praise, though it is joyful to the servants of God, is dreadful and very terrible to his enemies, Ps. lxvi. 1-3. Or it 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. 3. 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 favour they are wrought, 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.
(2.) He describes the deliverance they were now triumphing in, because the song was intended, not only to express and excite their thankfulness for the present, but to preserve and perpetuate the remembrance of this work of wonder to after-ages. Two things were to be taken notice of:–
[1.] The destruction of the enemy; the waters were divided, v. 8. The floods stood upright as a heap. Pharaoh and all his hosts were buried in the waters. The horse and his rider could not escape (v. 1), the chariots, and the chosen captains (v. 4); they themselves went into the sea, and they were overwhelmed, v. 19. The depths, the sea, covered them, and the proud waters went over the proud sinners; they sank like a stone, like lead (Exo 15:5; Exo 15:10), under the weight of their own guilt and God’s wrath. Their sin had made them hard like a stone, and now they justly sink like a stone. Nay, the earth itself swallowed them (v. 12); their dead bodies sank into the sands upon which they were thrown up, which sucked them in. Those whom the Creator fights against the whole creation is at war with. All this was the Lord’s doing, and his only. It was an act of his power: Thy right hand, O Lord, not ours, has dashed in pieces the enemy, v. 6. It was with the blast of thy nostrils (v. 8), and thy wind (v. 10), and the stretching out of thy right hand, v. 12. It was an instance of his transcendent power–in the greatness of thy excellency; and it was the execution of his justice: Thou sentest forth thy wrath, v. 7. This destruction of the Egyptians was made the more remarkable by their pride and insolence, and their strange assurance of success: The enemy said, I will pursue, v. 9. Here is, First, Great confidence. When they pursue, they do not question but they shall overtake; and, when they overtake, they do not question but they shall overcome, and obtain so decisive a victory as to divide the spoil. Note, It is common for men to be most elevated with the hope of success when they are upon the brink of ruin, which makes their ruin so much the sorer. See Isa 37:24; Isa 37:25. Secondly, Great cruelty–nothing but killing, and slaying, and destroying, and this will satisfy his lust; and a barbarous lust that is which so much blood must be the satisfaction of. Note, It is a cruel hatred with which the church is hated; its enemies are bloody men. This is taken notice of here to show, 1. That God resists the proud, and delights to humble those who lift up themselves; he that says, “I will, and I will, whether God will or no,” shall be made to know that wherein he deals proudly God is above him. 2. That those who thirst for blood shall have enough of it. Those who love to be destroying shall be destroyed; for we know who has said, Vengeance is mine, I will repay.
[2.] The protection and guidance of Israel (v. 13): Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people, led them forth out of the bondage Egypt, led them forth out of the perils of the Red Sea, v. 19. But the children of Israel went on dry land. Note, The destruction of the wicked serves for a foil to set off the salvation of Israel, and to make it the more illustrious, Isa. xlv. 13-15.
(3.) He sets himself to improve this wonderful appearance of God for them. [1.] In order to quicken them to serve God: in consideration of this, I will prepare him habitation, v. 2. God having preserved them, and prepared a covert for them under which they had been safe and easy, they resolve to spare no cost nor pains for the erecting of a tabernacle to his honour, and there they will exalt him, and mention, to his praise, the honour he had got upon Pharaoh. God had now exalted them, making them great and high, and therefore they will exalt him, by speaking of his infinite height and grandeur. Note, Our constant endeavour should be, by praising his name and serving his interests, to exalt God; and it is an advancement to us to be so employed. [2.] In order to encourage them to trust in God. So confident is this Psalmist of the happy issue of the salvation which was so gloriously begun that he looks upon it as in effect finished already: “Thou hast guided them to thy holy habitation, v. 13. Thou hast thus put them into the way to it, and wilt in due time bring them to the end of that way,” for God’s work is perfect; or, “Thou hast guided them to attend thy holy habitation in heaven with their praises.” Note, Those whom God takes under his direction he will guide to his holy habitation in faith now, and in fruition shortly. Two ways this great deliverance was encouraging:–First, It was such an instance of God’s power as would terrify their enemies, and quite dishearten them, v. 14-16. The very report of the overthrow of the Egyptians would be more than half the over throw of all their other enemies; it would sink their spirits, which would go far towards the sinking of their powers and interests; he Philistines, Moabites, Edomites, and Canaanites (with each of which nations Israel was to grapple), would be alarmed by it, would be quite dispirited, 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 (Deut. ii. 4), so were the Moabites (Num. xxii. 3), and the Canaanites, Jos 2:9; Jos 2:10; Jos 5:1. Thus God sent his fear before them (ch. xxiii. 27), and cut off the spirit of princes. Secondly, It was such a beginning of God’s favour to them as gave them an earnest of he perfection of his kindness. This was but in order to something further: Thou shalt bring them in, v. 17. If he thus bring them out of Egypt, notwithstanding their unworthiness, and the difficulties that lay in the way of their escape, doubtless he will bring them into Canaan; for has he begun (so begun), and will he not make an end? Note, Our experiences of God’s power and favour should be improved for the support of our expectations. “Thou hast, therefore, not only thou canst, but we trust thou wilt,” is good arguing. Thou wilt plant them in the place which thou has made for thee to dwell in. Note, It is good dwelling where God dwells, in his church on earth (Ps. xxvii. 4), in his church in heaven, John xvii. 24. Where he says, “This is my rest for ever,” we should say, “Let it be ours.” Lastly, The great ground of the encouragement which they draw from this work of wonder is, The Lord shall reign for ever and ever, v. 18. They had now seen an end of Pharaoh’s reign; but time itself shall not put a period to Jehovah’s reign, which, like himself, is eternal, and not subject to change. Note, It is the unspeakable comfort of all God’s faithful subjects, not only that he does reign universally and with an incontestable sovereignty, but that he will reign eternally, and there shall be no end of his dominion.
II. The solemn singing of this song, Exo 15:20; Exo 15:21. Miriam (or Mary, it is the same name) presided in an assembly of the women, who (according to the softness of their sex, and the common usage of those times for expressing joy, with timbrels and dances) sang this song. Moses led the psalm, and gave it out for the men, and then Miriam for the women. Famous victories were wont to be applauded by the daughters of Israel (1Sa 18:6; 1Sa 18:7); so was this. When God brought Israel out of Egypt, it is said (Micah vi. 4), He sent before them Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, though we read not of any thing memorable that Miriam did but this. But those are to be reckoned great blessings to a people who assist them, and go before them, in praising God.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
EXODUS – CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Verses 1-5:
Moses and the children of Israel sang a song of praise and. gratitude to Jehovah for their deliverance, and the utter defeat of their foes.
Verse 4 notes the “Red Sea.” The Hebrew text is Yam Suph, literally “Sea of Reeds.” Red Sea would be Yam Adam or Yam Edom. Some downplay the significance of the Red Sea passage by contending this was a marshy area in the northern region of the Red Sea, and that Israel merely waded across in the shallow waters. Then, when Pharaoh’s chariots pursued them, they became mired in the mud and perished.
It is true that “Yam Suph” is the name in the Hebrew text. However, it is also true that there was enough water in this “sea” to form a “wall” on either side of Israel, and then to drown both horses and warriors when the passage closed. Also, Israel did not “wade” through a marsh; they went over on “dry ground” (Ex 14:16). –
Jehovah is the God of mercy, love, and peace. But He is also the God of War, who fights on behalf of His people.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
1. Then sang Moses. Moses introduced this song not only in testimony of his gratitude, but also in confirmation of the history; for the song which he dictated to the Israelites was not concerning an unknown event, but he brought them forward as eye-witnesses, that all ages might know that nothing thus far had been written which had not openly been declared by 600,000 men, besides their wives and children. Moses, therefore, set the example in accordance with his office, whilst the people, by singing with him, testified their approbation in a manner which admits of no contradiction. For’ to whom could they have lied, since they were each other’s witnesses, and the song was listened to by no strangers? Moses seems to mark their confidence by the repetition in the Hebrew, they “spoke, saying.” On this account, too, their confession, pronounced by all their mouths, deserves more credit, because the greater part of them soon after yielded to ingratitude: from whence we gather that it was only on compulsion that they gave God glory. But, although Moses was the author of the song, yet he does not say “I will sing” in his own person, but prescribes to all what each individual ought heartily to do.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
ISRAELS BONDAGE. MOSES AND THE EXODUS
Exo 1:1 to Exo 15:21.
DR. J. M. Grays five rules for Bible reading: Read the Book, Read the Book Continuously, Read the Book Repeatedly, Read the Book Independently, Read the Book Prayerfully, are all excellent; but the one upon which I would lay emphasis in this study of Exodus is the second of those rules, or, Read the Book Continuously. It is doubtful if there is any Book in the Bible which comes so nearly containing an outline, at least, of all revelation, as does the Book of Exodus. There is scarcely a doctrine in the New Testament, or a truth in the Old, which may not be traced in fair delineation in these forty chapters.
God speaks in this Book out of the burning bush. Sin, with its baneful effects, has a prominent place in its pages; and Salvation, for all them that trust in Him, with judgment for their opposers, is a conspicuous doctrine in this Old Testament document. God, Sin, Salvation, and Judgmentthese are great words! The Book that reveals each of them in fair outline is a great Book indeed, and its study will well repay the man of serious mind.
Exodus is a Book of bold outlines also! Its author, like a certain school of modern painters, draws his picture quickly and with but few strokes, and yet the product of his work approaches perfection. How much of time and history is put into these three verses:
And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already. And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation. And the Children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them (Exo 1:5-7).
These three verses contain 215 years of time, and all the events that crowded into that period would, if they were recorded, fill volumes without end. And, while there are instances of delineation in detail in the Book of Exodus, the greater part of the volume is given to the bolder outlines which sweep much history into single sentences.
In looking into these fifteen chapters, I have been engaged with the question of such arrangement as would best meet the demands of memory, and thereby make the lesson of this hour a permanent article in our mental furniture. Possibly, to do that, we must seize upon a few of the greater subjects that characterize these chapters, and so phrase them as to provide mental promontories from which to survey the field of our present study. Surely, The Bondage of Israel, The Rise of Moses, and the Exodus from Egypt, are such fundamentals.
THE BONDAGE OF ISRAEL.
The bondage of Israel, like her growth, requires but a few sentences for its expression.
Now, there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the Children of Israel are more and mightier than we; Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land. Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pit horn and Raamses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the Children of Israel. And the Egyptians made the Children of Israel to serve with rigour: And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour (Exo 1:8-22).
There are several features in Egypts conduct in effecting the bondage of Israel which characterize the conduct of all imperial nations.
The bondage began with injustice. Israel was in Egypt by invitation. When they came, Pharaoh welcomed them, and set apart for their use the fat of the land. The record is,
Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Raamses, as Pharaoh had commanded (Gen 47:11).
There they flourished until a king arose which knew not Joseph. Then a tax was laid upon them; eventually taskmasters were set over them, and those who came in response to Pharaohs invitation, Come unto me and I will give you the good of the, land of Egypt, and ye shall eat of the fat of the land, were compelled by his successors to take the place of slaves. It seems as difficult for a nation as it is for an individual to refrain from the abuse of power. A writer says, Revolution is caused by seeking to substitute expediency for justice, and that is exactly what the King of Egypt and his confederates attempted in the instance of these Israelites. It would seem that the result of that endeavor ought to be a lesson to the times in which we live, and to the nations entrusted with power. Injustice toward a supposedly weaker people is one of those offences against God which do not go unpunished, and its very practice always provokes a rebellion which converts a profitable people into powerful enemies.
It ought never to be forgotten either that injustice easily leads to oppression. We may suppose the tax at first imposed upon this people was comparatively slight, and honorable Egyptians found for it a satisfactory excuse, hardly expecting that the time would ever come when the Israelites should be regarded chattel-slaves. But he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. It is doubtful if there is any wrong in mans moral relations which blinds him so quickly and so effectually as the exercise of power against weakness.
Joseph Parker, in speaking of the combat between Moses and the Egyptian, says, Every honorable-minded man is a trustee of social justice and common fair play. We have nothing to do with the petty quarrels that fret society, but we certainly have to do with every controversysocial, imperial, or internationalwhich violates human right and impairs the claims of Divine honor. We must all fight for the right. We feel safer by so much if we know there are amongst us men who will not be silent in the presence of wrong, and will lift up a testimony in the name of righteousness, though there be none to cheer them with one word of encouragement.
It is only a step from enslaving to slaughter. That step was speedily taken, for Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river (Exo 1:22). Unquestionably there is a two-fold thought in this fact. Primarily this, whom the tyrant cannot control to his profit, he will slay to his pleasure; and then, in its deeper and more spiritual significance, it is Satans effort to bring an end to the people of God. The same serpent that effected the downfall of Adam and Eve whispered into Cains ear, Murder Abel; and into the ears of the Patriarchs, Put Joseph out of the way; and to Herod, Throttle all the male children of the land; and to the Pharisee and Roman soldier, Crucify Jesus of Nazareth. It remains for us of more modern times to learn that the slaughter of the weak may be accomplished in other ways than by the knife, the Nile, or the Cross. It was no worse to send a sword against a feeble people, than, for the sake of filthy lucre, to plant among them the accursed saloon. Benjamin Harrison, in a notable address before the Ecumenical Missionary Conference held in the City of New York years ago, said, The men who, like Paul, have gone to heathen lands with the message, We seek not yours but you, have been hindered by those who, coming after, have reversed the message. Rum and other corrupting agencies come in with our boasted civilization, and the feeble races wither before the breath of the white mans vices.
Egypt sought to take away from Israel the physical life which Egypt feared; but God has forewarned us against a greater enemy when He said, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. * * Fear Him, which after He hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear Him. If in this hour of almost universal disturbance the sword cannot be sheathed, let us praise God that our Congress and Senate have removed the saloona slaughter-house from the midst of our soldiers, and our amended Constitution has swept it from the land.
THE RISE OF MOSES.
I do not know whether you have ever been impressed in studying this Book of Exodus with what is so evidently a Divine ordering of events. It is when the slaughter is on that we expect the Saviour to come. And that God who sits beside the dying sparrow never overlooks the affliction of His people. When an edict goes forth against them, then it is that He brings their deliverer to the birth; hence we read, And there went a man of the house of Levi and took to wife a daughter of the house of Levi, and the woman conceived and bare a son (Exo 2:1-2),
That is Moses; that is Gods man! It is no chance element that brings him to the kingdom at such a time as this. It is no mere happening that he is bred in Pharaohs house, and instructed by Jochebed. It is no accident that he is taught in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. It is all in perfect consequence of the fact that God is looking upon the Children of Israel, and is having respect unto them.
Against Pharaohs injustice He sets Moses keen sense of right. When Moses sees an Egyptian slay an oppressed Israelite, he cannot withhold his hand. And, when after forty years in the wilderness he comes back to behold afresh the affliction of his people, he chooses to suffer with them rather than enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. God never does a better thing for a nation than when He raises up in it such a man. We have heard a great deal of Socrates wisdom, but it is not in the science of philosophy alone that that ancient shines; for when Athens was governed by thirty tyrants, who one day summoned him to the Senate House, and ordered him to go with others named to seize Leon, a man of rank and fortune, whose life was to be sacrificed that these rulers might enjoy his estate, the great philosopher flatly refused, saying, I will not willingly assist in an unjust act. Thereupon Chericles sharply asked, Dost thou think, Socrates, to talk in this high tone and not to suffer? Far from it, replied the philosopher, I expect to suffer a thousand ills, but none so great as to do unjustly. That day Socrates was a statesman of the very sort that would have saved Athens had his ideas of righteousness obtained.
Against Pharaohs oppression He sets Moses Divine appointment. There were many times when Moses was tempted to falter, but Gods commission constrained his service. When Moses said, Who am I that I should go unto Pharaoh? God answered, Surely I will be with thee. When Moses feared his own people who would not believe in his commission, God answered, Thus shalt thou say unto the Children of Israel, I AM hath sent you. When Moses feared that the Israelites would doubt his Divine appointment, God turned the rod in his hand into a worker of wonders. And, when Moses excused himself on the ground of no eloquence, God replied, Go, and I will be with thy mouth and teach thee what thou shalt say. With any man, a conviction of Divine appointment is a power, but for him who would be a saviour of his fellows, it is an absolute essential.
Pastor Stalker, speaking to the subject of a Divine call to the service of soul-winning, said, Enthusiasm for humanity is a noble passion and sheds a beautiful glow over the first efforts of an unselfish life, but it is hardly stern enough for the uses of the world. There come hours of despair when men seem hardly worth our devotion. * * Worse still is the sickening consciousness that we have but little to give; perhaps we have mistaken our vocation; it is a world out of joint, but were we born to put it right? This is where a sterner motive is needed than love for men. Our retreating zeal requires to be rallied by the command of God. It is His work; these souls are His; He has committed them to our care, and at the judgment-seat He will demand an account of them. All Prophets and Apostles who have dealt with men for God have been driven on by this impulse which has recovered them in hours of weakness and enabled them to face the opposition of the world. * * This command came to Moses in the wilderness and drove him into public life in spite of strong resistance; and it bore him through the unparalleled trials of his subsequent career. How many times he would have surrendered the battle and left his fellows to suffer under Pharaohs heels, but for the sound of that voice which Joan of Arc heard, saying to him as it said to her, Go on! Go on!
Against Pharaohs slaughter God set up Moses as a Saviour. History has recorded the salvation of his people to many a man, who, either by his counsels in the time of peace or his valor in the time of war, has brought abiding victory. But where in annals, secular or sacred, can you find a philosopher who had such grave difficulties to deal with as Moses met in lifting his people from chattel slaves to a ruling nation? And where so many enemies to be fought as Moses faced in his journey from the place of the Pyramids to Pisgahs Heights?
Titus Flaminius freed the Grecians from the bondage with which they had long been oppressed. When the herald proclaimed the Articles of Peace, and the Greeks understood perfectly what Flaminius had accomplished for them, they cried out for joy, A Saviour! a Saviour! till the Heavens rang with their acclamations.
But Moses was worthy of greater honor because his was a more difficult deed. I dont know, but I suppose one reason why Moses name is coupled with that of the Lamb in the Oratorio of the Heavens, is because he saved Israel out of a bondage which was a mighty symbol of Satans power, and led them by a journey, which is the best type of the pilgrims wanderings in this world, and brought them at last to the borders of Canaan, which has always been regarded as representative of the rest that remaineth for the people of God.
THE EXODUS FROM EGYPT
involves some items of the deepest interest.
The ten plagues prepare for it. The river is turned into blood; frogs literally cover the land; the dust is changed to lice; flies swarm until all the houses are filled; the beasts are smitten with murrain; boils and blains, hail, locusts and darkness do their worst, and the death of the first-born furnishes the climax of Egyptian affliction, and compels the haughty Pharaoh to bow in humility and grief before the will of the Most High God (chaps. 7-12).
There is one feature of these plagues that ought never to be forgotten. Without exception, they spake in thunder tones against Egyptian idolatry. The Nile River had long been an object of their adoration. In a long poem dedicated to the Nile, these lines are found:
Oh, Nile, hymns are sung to thee on the harp,
Offerings are made to thee: oxen are slain to thee;
Great festivals are kept for thee;
Fowls are sacrificed to thee.
But when the waters of that river were turned to blood, the Egyptians supposed Typhon, the God of Evil, with whom blood had always been associated, had conquered over their bountiful and beautiful Osiristhe name under which the Nile was worshiped.
The second plague was no less a stroke at their hope of a resurrection, for a frog had long symbolized to them the subject of life coming out of death. The soil also they had worshiped, and now to see the dust of it turned suddenly into living pests, was to suffer under the very power from which they had hoped to receive greatest success. The flies that came in clouds were not all of one kind, but their countless myriads, according to the Hebrew word used, included winged pests of every sort, even the scarabaeus, or sacred beetle. Heretofore, it had been to them the emblem of the creative principle; but now God makes it the instrument of destruction instead. When the murrain came upon the beasts, the sacred cow and the sacred ox-Apis were humbled. And ~when the ashes from the furnace smote the skin of the Egyptians, they could not forget that they had often sprinkled ashes toward Heaven, believing that thus to throw the ashes of their sacrifices into the wind would be to avert evil from every part of the land whither they were blown. Geikie says that the seventh plague brought these devout worshipers of false gods to see that the waters, the earth and the air, the growth of the fields, the cattle, and even their own persons, all under the care of a host of divinities, were yet in succession smitten by a power against which these protectors were impotent. When the clouds of locusts had devoured the land, there remained another stroke to their idolatry more severe still, and that was to see the Sun, the supreme god of Egypt, veil his face and leave his worshipers in total darkness. It is no wonder that Pharaoh then called to Moses and said, Go ye, serve the Lord; but it is an amazing thing that even yet his greed of gain goads him on to claim their flocks and their herds as an indemnity against the exodus of the people. There remained nothing, therefore, for God to do but lift His hand again, and lo, death succeeded darkness, and Pharaoh himself became the subject of suffering, and the greatest idol of the nation was humbled to the dust, for the king was the supreme object of worship.
He is a foolish man who sets himself up to oppose the Almighty God. And that is a foolish people who think to afflict Gods faithful ones without feeling the mighty hand of that Father who never forgets His own.
One day I was talking with a woman whose husband formerly followed the habit of gambling. By this means he had amassed considerable wealth, and when she was converted and desired to unite with the church, he employed every power to prevent it, and even denied her the privilege of church attendance. One morning he awoke to find that he was a defeated man; his money had fled in the night, and in the humiliation of his losses, he begged his wifes pardon for ever having opposed her spirit of devotion. Since that time, though living in comparative poverty, she has been privileged to serve God as she pleased; and, as she said to me, finds in that service a daily joy such as she at one time feared she would never feel again. Gods plagues are always preparing the way for an exodus on the part of Gods oppressed.
The Passover interpreted this exodus. That greatest of all Jewish feasts stands as a memorial of Israels flight from Egypt as a symbol of Gods salvation for His own, and as an illustration of the saving power of the Blood of the Lamb.
The opponents of the exodus perished. Our study concludes with Israels Song of Deliverance, beginning, The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation, and concluding in the words of Miriam, Sing ye to the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea. See Exo 15:1-21. Such will ever be the end of those who oppress Gods people and oppose the Divine will.
When one studies the symbolism in all of this, and sees how Israel typifies Gods present-day people, and Moses, their deliverer, Jesus our Saviour, and defeated Pharaoh, the enemy of our souls, destined to be overthrown, he feels like joining in the same song of deliverance, changing the words only so far as to ascribe the greater praise to Him who gave His life a deliverance for all men; and with James Montgomery sing:
Hail to the Lords Anointed
Great Davids greater Son
Who, in the time appointed,
His reign on earth begun.
He comes to break oppression,
To set the captive free,
To take away transgression,
And rule in equity.
He comes, with succor speedy,
To those who suffer wrong;
To help the poor and needy,
And bid the weak be strong;
To give them songs for sighing,
Their darkness turn to light,
Whose souls, condemned and dying.
Were precious in His sight.
Fuente: The Bible of the Expositor and the Evangelist by Riley
CRITICAL NOTES.
Exo. 15:1. This Song.]In order fully to appreciate the exquisite beauties of this Song, several conditions must be observed; among them we may name the following:
(1.) The existence of parallelisms should be made evident to the eye:
(Exo. 15:6.)
THY RIGHT HAND, Jehovah!
THY RIGHT HAND, Jehovah!
has become famous in vigour:
dashes in pieces the foe.
(2.) The vivid sequence of the two Hebrew tenses, the Perfect and the Imperfect, should be noticed:
(Exo. 15:5.)
ROARING DEEPS cover1 them.
They have gone down2 into the raging depths like a stone.
(1Imp. the act of covering passes before the eye.)
(2Perfect: result, they are not to be found.)
(Exo. 15:12.)
Thou hast stretched forth thine hand.
Earth swallows them up.
(Completed act.)
(Sequel: abruptly thrown in, as next following.)
(Exo. 15:14.)
Peoples have heard,they tremble.
(How much vividness in a single line.)
(3.) Rapid changes of arrangement, adding immensely to the life and movement of the poem, should be observed:
(Exo. 15:15.)
| Then have been amazed || the chiefs of Edom.
| The mighty ones of Moab || there has seized thema quaking!
| They have melted away || all the dwellers in Canaan.
(Verb first: then nominative.
(Object first, abruptly set alone, with great boldness; then verb, with objective pronoun; then subject last.
(Same as first line.)
(4.) The force of particular terms, giving a poetical colouring to the composition, should be noted; as, Exo. 15:5. , roaring deeps; , raging depths; Exo. 15:10, they sank, rather, , they rolled, like lead, they were bowled in from the Egyptian side, clean down into the sea, the verb tzalal strikes the ear with the roll.
(5.) Special beauties remain, too numerous to be named. Conspicuous among them is the breathless haste with which stroke follows stroke in Exo. 15:9.
Said the foe: I will pursue! overtake! divide spoil!
(6.) The prophetic element of the poem fitly crowns the whole. It has always appeared to me, says Dr. Margoliouth, on Exo. 15:17 (Poetry of the Hebrew Pentateuch, p. 72), that this is the verse from which we may most clearly discover the inspiration of the ode. Very splendid and very striking is the description of the past scene, but this vision of the future it is which stamps the composition as Divine. I know of nothing equal to it in the whole range of poetry. The contrast is so beautiful and yet so natural. Amidst the outpouring of gratitude and triumph, hope and faith are kept in view. And from the consideration of what had been achieved, the poet feels assured that the Holy One would not suffer his truth to fail. No wonder that determined rationalism should stumble against this prophetic rock. The language implies, says Dr. S. Davidson (On a Fresh Revision of the English Old Testament, pp. 1201), that the passage across the Jordan had taken place, that Jerusalem was occupied by the Israelites, and Solomons Temple built. The verbs refer to things done; and the poem, Jehovistic in its present form, is much later than Moses. Alas! that weak faith should choose the harder side! With sad satisfaction we leave our English scholar to the German-Jewish scholar Kalisch, who saysWe must call attention to the prophetic instinct, with which the poet, just at this moment, when the Israelitish nation happened to be between Egypt and Palestine, both as regards time and place, when they left the land of their ignominy with mixed feelings of joy and apprehension, and impatiently longed to reach the promised abode of their future glory, that he just then described that double relation with so firm a hand and such characteristic traits. And thus has that which many critics consider as a historical anticipation, carrying us into the times of David and Solomon, been enobled into a poetic beauty by the sanctity of prophetic inspiration.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Exo. 15:1-22
THE SONG OF THE SOUL AFTER A TIMELY DELIVERANCE FROM DANGER
We can almost realise the scene which this chapter brings before us. There are warriors and their horses struggling in the midst of the returning waters. But soon all is over. The dead are washed by the swelling tide to the feet of the rejoicing Israelites. God is victorious. His people are free. They sing His praise. The mercy of God should always awaken the soul to jubilant song.
I. The Deliverance of Israel. The Israelites had been in great and alarming danger. They were encamped against Pi-hahiroth. Mountains were on each side of them. The Egyptians were pursuing behind them. The sea was before them. They had, humanly speaking, no method of escape. The foe was proud and determined. They had not courage or the means of war. God came to their aid in this extremity, and delivered them in wondrous fashion. He is the best Helper of the good in the hour of perplexity. His mercy is rich. His power is great. It is not the way of God to leave His people to their fate when they are exposed to terrible dangers. He might have told the Israelites to give battle to their enemies. He might have intimated that they should help themselves out of their difficulty. He had brought them out of Egypt, and was it not right that henceforth they should protect themselves? It is ever the way of Heaven to help the defenceless out of the hand of their fierce foe. This deliverance was wondrous. The Israelites were brought on dry land through the midst of the sea. This was the last way of escape they would have expected. They would as soon have expected to see the mountains levelled to a plain, to have seen the hosts of Pharaoh vanish into air. God is never at a loss for a method whereby to deliver the good out of the hand of their enemies. He can do it in the most unexpected manner. All the agencies of nature are ready to aid His Divine purpose. Has He not many times in your life made a way for your feet through the sea? This deliverance was joyous. Who can imagine the feelings of the Israelites as they went down into the path opened for them in the waters. Their first steps would probably be taken in fear, but they would soon gain courage, and each heart would feel the presence of God. And when they saw their enemies dead on the banks of the river a sense of glad relief would rise in each heart. We all know the joy of deliverance from a great danger. This deliverance was effective. Pharaohs chariots and his hosts hath He cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red Sea. The depths have covered them; they sank into the bottom as a stone. God never works for His people a questionable deliverance. Their foes shall never trouble them again if He takes them in hand. This deliverance was awe-inspiring. When the Israelites reflected on their march through the sea, and on the scene of panic and death which they had witnessed, we can conceive how reverent would be their feeling; they would fear that God who had wrought all this destruction. They would feel that if He had been merciful to them He had likewise treated His enemies with terrible justice. Surely Israel would learn a lesson here never to be forgotten. And all our deliverances from danger should tend to give us clear views of the character of God, and should lead us to reverence the Divine name.
II. The Song of Israel. Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song. This song was dictated by the Infinite Spirit. It was not only sung to the Lord, but it was composed by the Lord. The grandeur and beauty of its construction exceed beyond comparison the greatest intellect of man. The song is descriptive. It is historic. It is prophetic. It will never die away from human lips; the Song of Moses and the Lamb will continue in heaven. It is the first of inspired celebrations, and it will be the last. How sweet will be the heavenly song when all the foes of the soul are for ever defeated! This song is composed of many parts; it combines vengeance and grace, destruction and deliverance. It sets forth Gods final victory over all enemies. His power shall triumph over the pride and presumption of man. This victory shall be celebrated by all the redeemed. The world sings not hymns like these It is well to express gratitude in song. The Israelites did not thanklessly or indolently receive the deliverance which God had wronght out for them. They gave thanks for it (Gen. 14:18; Jdg. 5:2). The healed cripple praised God (Act. 3:8). It is well for the soul to sing the praises of God. It is well to celebrate His name in verse. Verse is more expressive. It is more inspiring. It embodies deeper pathos. It is better remembered. It is more tuneful. The mercy of God fills the soul with poetic emotion. It renders song spontaneous. The Israelites sang this hymn immediately after their deliverance. They permitted no delay. In this they acted wisely. There should be no delay in praising God. The song should go up to Him while the deliverance is had in lively remembrance, and when the heart is hot with gratitude. We should sing quickly after mercy. Delay will render the music of the soul less sweet. The individuality of the song, I will sing unto the Lord. Each Israelite sang this hymn, he did not loose his sense of individuality in the great congregation. Each heart uttered its own gratitude. Others cannot give thanks to God for me. The reality of the song. The Israelites did not merely utter the words here recorded, but intensely felt them. They sang with the spirit. They felt the gratitude they expressed. This song ascribes all the praise to God for the wondrous deliverance wrought for Israel. I will sing unto the Lord. This is the chief feature of the hymn. God is the best theme of spiritual song. The Israelites did not praise Moses their noble leader; they did not celebrate their own energy or fortune; but God alone. All our praise is due to the Divine name. They celebrated the holiness, power, glory, mercy, and supremacy of God. This song is expressive of love to God. The Lord is my strength, my salvation, my God, my fathers God. Here is faith, relationship, hope, love, pathos; these elements should be found in all the songs of the soul. This song recognises the duties of the soul. I will prepare him a habitation. I will exalt him. Song is not enough; it must be followed by activity and by a holy life. We must exalt God in the life as well as in the hymn. LESSONS:
1. Let no deliverance pass without praise.
2. Let all the praise of the soul be directed to God.
3. The Divine character should be celebrated by the Church.
4. Make life a constant hymn.
SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES
Exo. 15:1. The ministers of God should lead the praise of the Church.
Permanent resolutions of praising Jehovah are becoming His Church.
The exceeding excellency of God in Himself is the true subject of praise.
The judgment of God on persecuting powers must be celebrated by the Church.
Exo. 15:2-3. The Living God.
My Fathers God, and I will exalt Him.
I. Who was the God of our Fathers?
1. A pure Beingnot the chance of the atheist.
2. A conscious Being, not the mere law of the deist.
3. A personal Being, not the all of the pantheist.
4. A perfect Being, as revealed in the Bible.
5. An emotional
Being, as manifested in Christ.
6. A communicative Being, as imparted by the Holy Spirit.
II. What is it to exalt Him?
1. Not by tall spires.
2. Not by gorgeous ritual.
3. To adore Him as the object of our worship.
4. To give Him the chief place in our affections.
(W. W. Wythe.)
THE PATHOS OF THEOLOGY
My Fathers God.
I. My Fathers God.Then religion was no new thing to them. They were not surprised when they heard the name of God associated with their victory. Religion should not be an originality to us; it should not be a novel sensation; it should be the common breath of our daily life, and the mention of the name of God ought to excite no amazement.
II. My Fathers God.Then their fathers religion was not concealed from them. They knew that their fathers had a God. We know nothing of the religion of some men until we are informed of it by public advertisement. We cannot read this book without being impressed with the fact that the men who made the worlds history were men who lived in communion with the Unseen. Is it possible that your child is unaware that you have a God?
III. My Fathers God.Yet it does not follow that the father and the child must have the same God. Religion is not hereditary. You have the power to sever the connection between yourself and the God of your fathers. You may shut God out from your heart.
IV. My Fathers God.Then we are debtors to the religion past. There are some results of goodness we inherit independently of our own will. The age inherits the civilisation of the past. The child is the better for his fathers temperance. To-day we are inheriting the results of martyrdoms, which stretch far back into the grey past of history. (City Temple.)
Jehovahs relation to the good:
1. Near.
2. Sweet.
3. Joyful.
4. Saving.
5. Faithful.
Praise to God:
1. Cheerful.
2. Grateful.
3. Mighty.
4. United.
The best answer of Israels relation to God is to make a habitation for Him.
High praises from the Church to Jehovah are suitable to His exalted mercies.
Jehovah alone is the mighty warrior for His Church in the world.
Exo. 15:4-8. The right hand of Jehovah is glorious in saving Israel.
The same enemies that rise against Israel rise against God.
Wicked persecutors are as stubble, Gods wrath as fire.
Such great things hath God done and will do for Israels deliverance.
Exo. 15:9-10. The pride of persecutors makes them utter their boastings in defiance of God.
Madness and folly makes wicked enemies to threaten what they cannot do.
The blast of Gods mouth defeats all the boastings of enemies.
Irrecoverably can God destroy all enemies that seek to destroy His Israel.
Exo. 15:11-13. Gods future providence as well as past deliverance is matter of praise.
Mercy is the rule of all Gods conduct to His Church here below.
God has saved and will redeem His Israel out of all their troubles.
Gods holy habitation is the destiny of all providential guidance.
Gods strength secures the conduct of the Church to His holy habitation.
Exo. 15:14-16. Tidings of Gods appearance for His Church against enemies will make nations fear.
Princes and powers shall be astonished at Gods vindicating His Israel.
Trembling shall hold fast mighty enemies when God sends word of vengeance.
Gods possession of His Church is the ground of all His appearance against enemies for them.
Exo. 15:17. Israels Lord alone makes and establishes their place of rest for them.
Israels last rest is Gods mountain of inheritance, His own sanctuary.
Gods mercy is to make His dwelling with Israel.
Exo. 15:18-19. The eternity of Jehovahs kingdom in Christ is a most undoubted truth.
The everlastingness of Christs Government must be the burden of the song of the Church.
God, by His judgments, makes known His kinghood.
Exo. 15:20. Women also have their place and work in the spiritual worship of God.
The Old Testament had its peculiar rites in service not to be followed now.
Exo. 15:21-22. After worship done in memory of mercies, the Church must go on in its pilgrimage.
From Red Sea deliverances to wilderness travels is Israels motion.
Hard travels and piercing thirst is sometimes the lot of the Church.
ILLUSTRATIONS
BY
REV. WM. ADAMSON
Red Sea! Exo. 15:1-22. One dark and stormy night, a vessel was wrecked on a rocky island off the coast of Scotland. The crew had watched with terror the white waves as they dashed on the stately cliffs, and felt that to be driven upon those rocks was to seal their doom. The cabin was filled with water, and the captains wife was drowned. The sailors climbed into the rigging and prayed as they never had before, that God would have mercy upon them. But the cruel waves drove the vessel on and on, till the very foot of the awful cliff was reached. Oh! if they could only reach its top! There would be safety, and, no doubt, friendly hands to help them. But how was the top to be gained. Alas! there they werefated and doomed to perish. Despair had fastened hard upon themtheir escape was hopeless. See! their attention has been aroused to something on the face of the cliff. It is a slender rope ladder, up which they climbed in succession as rapidly as their benumbed fingers would permit. Israels escape seemed as hopeless: when the Lord showed them the path through a crystal gallery with a blood-red gate.
With limbs that falter, and with hearts that swell,
Down, down they pass, a steep and slippery dell.
Pathway! Exo. 15:19. Israels way through the Red Sea has been called a crystal gallery with a blood-red gate. The gate was the Paschal Feast. It is through the gateway of the Lamb of Gods bleeding sacrifice that believers pass ere they can enter upon the crystal pathway of spiritual baptism. Both are supernaturalDivine. Some have supposed that Israel crossed the fords near the head waters of the sea at low tide, and that Pharaoh and his hosts were overwhelmed by the returning tide. But this is untrue. An English gentleman and author who had committed himself publicly to the defence of this theory, on examining the ground, abandoned it as utterly untenable and absurd. Dr. Aiton says that Napoleon at Suez attempted to establish this by crossing the waters at ebb tide. In regard to his effort in this way, it has been remarked by the author of Eothen that Napoleon and his horsemen managed the matter more after the failure of the Egyptians than the success of the Israelites. It is said that Napoleon fell from his horse into the sea, and was only dragged out by the assistance of the natives on shore. True or untrue, it is clear that Napoleon was wrong. No ebb tide was this dividing of the waters; but, as in 15:31, the power of the Great Hand. It was the Great Hand of God which had done this; as the dukes of Edom and the mighty men of Moab, and all the inhabitants of Canaan realised, as
Far over the sea,
In its melody,
The shout of the free
Sounded merrily!
Freedom! Exo. 15:2. I have seen the caged eagle boating violently against the iron bare of his prisonhis plumes soiled and torn, his strong wings drooping, the light of his glorious eye dammed, the pulse of his proud heart panting in vain for conflict with the careering clouds and mountain blasts. At first Israel demurred to freedom when Jehovah proffered it by Moses, but gradually longings for freedom sprang up, and they struggled hard to be free. And as the eagle when the bars are broken, or the links are shivered, springs into the air, rejoicing in the freedom of his mountain home, so Israel was glad when their hosts marched forth from Egyptian bondage,like the proud denizen of the air
Clasping the crag with hooked hands,
Close to the sun in lonely lands.
Sea! Exo. 15:10. Some ideafaint, we admitmay be formed of the effect of the sea suddenly plunging back into a channel ten or twelve miles broad, by comparing it with that of the stupendous Falls of Niagara,one of the wonders of the world. This cataract, whose name signifies the thunder of the waters, is divided by an island into two distinct falls; and more than 113,000,000 of gallons of water are precipitated down these falls in one minute. Little in comparison with this mighty waterfall upon Pharaoh. Never had such a scene been witnessed since that awful time when all the fountains of the great deep were broken up at the Deluge! Down on the warriors of Egyptdown upon chariots and horsemenfell the accumulated heaps of crushing waters, foaming, roaring, sweeping away the pomp and pride of the mighty, as straws are swept whirling down the rushing cascade. The magnificent display of power more than justifies Exo. 15:10-11.
Lord! list to the voice
Of those that rejoice,
Ascribing to Thee
All the victory!
Chariots! Exo. 15:9-10. What a contrast between the gilded car of Pharaoh and the golden chariot of Elijah. Its circling wheels woke no echos amongst the rocks, and left no impression on the sands. It came from heaven, and heaven was its bourne. Not a drop of the chilly waters of the grave dimmed its brilliant surface. It was the chariot of devotion, as was Pharaohs that of ambition. The spirit of devotion descends from heaven; it is sent by our God to bear His servants upwards towards Him. Not all the waters of death shall quench or dim its glory. His people are safe.
They onward tread; the circling waves retreat,
In hoarse deep murmurs from their holy feet.
DeliveranceJoy! Exo. 15:11-13. On the last day of April 1687, ten thousand French and twelve thousand Sardinian troops pursued the Vaudois of the Valleys until they had hemmed them, to all appearances hopelessly, in the Balsille. The French General De Catinat burned to revenge previous defeats of his troops, and vowed complete extermination of the fugitives:Every one of them shall be hanged in the evening. So burned Pharaoh as he pursued after Israel, and hemmed their host in upon the sea. But by and by came to Pignerol the tidings that twenty thousand of the choicest chivalry of France and Sardinia, with their destructive artillery, had been unable to injure as much as one of the Vandois fugitives. Whilst the broken and shattered columns fled,their labours frustrated, their schemes disconcerted, their valour mocked and insulted; the little band of Waldensians, with heads uncovered and hands clasped towards heaven, chaunted in strains of deep and thrilling melody their triumph of praise. Every rock and mountain echoed back the wild glad chorus
Supported by our living Head,
And by the God of battles led
To life and victory!
Timbrels! Exo. 15:20. These were a kind of tambourine, called by Kalisch, hand-drums. It consists of a hoop of wood or metal, of about one handsbreadth, and covered over with leather. It is still a very favourite instrument in the East on festive and sacred occasions. Dancing invariably accompanied their use. Miriam seems to have been the leader; as appears to have been the case with David hundreds of years afterwards. MCheyne mentions that this is done in Poland to this day; and he himself witnessed, on one occasion, a venerable Jewish Rabbi lead off a whole company of Jewish devotees in this fashion in the procession of the law. He began his dance with the words, Speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward. Lady Montague, in her letters, mentions the same of Jewish females, stating that the great lady leads the dance, and is followed by a troop of young girls who imitate her steps. If she sings, they make up the chorus. And, as Hamilton remarks, perhaps there never was a gush of purer gratitude than poured from the lips of all as Miriams timbrel led the dance. As one after another the swell bore helpless to their feet the steed in gorgeous hausings, or his stiff and stalwart panoplied rider, the exultation leaped up a-new, Shout, Israel! for the Lord hath triumphed.
How solemn and sweet,
As the waters meet,
Was pealing along
The triumphing song!
Music-influences! Exo. 15:21. Despondent soldiers on the march have been known to stop and listen to music stealing far over the waters. and to be aroused to vigorous effort in the march. Travellers, hearing strains floating from the windows of some palace or mansion, have been cheered to increase their pace homeward. So, saints, as they war or journey, listen to the exultant symphonies poured over the walls and battlements of heaven, and, setting their feet to the measure of the eternal hymn, press onwards towards the city, within whose fadeless palace halls shall be sung the everlasting jubilee.
Hark! how th adoring hosts above
With songs surround the throne,
Ten thousand thousand are their tongues,
But all their hearts are one.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
THE TEXT OF EXODUS
TRANSLATION
15 Then sang Mo-ses and the children of Is-ra-el this song unto Je-ho-vah, and spake, saying,
I will sing unto Je-ho-vah, for he hath triumphed gloriously:
The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
(2)
Je-ho-vah is my strength and song, And he is become my salvation: This is my God, and I will praise him; My fathers God, and I will exalt him.
(3)
Je-ho-vah is a man of war: Je-ho-vah is his name.
(4)
Pha-raohs chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea; And his chosen captains are sunk in the Red Sea.
(5)
The deeps cover them: They went down into the depths like a stone.
(6)
Thy right hand, O Je-ho-vah, is glorious in power, Thy right hand, O Je-ho-vah, dasheth in pieces the enemy.
(7)
And in the greatness of thine excellency thou overthrowest them that rise up against thee: thou sendest forth thy wrath, it consumeth them as stubble.
(8)
And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were piled up, The floods stood upright as a heap; The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea.
(9)
The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; My desire shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.
(10)
Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: They sank as lead in the mighty waters.
(11)
Who is like unto thee, O Je-ho-vah, among the gods? Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders?
(12)
Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, The earth swallowed them.
(13)
Thou in thy lovingkindness hast led the people that thou hast redeemed: Thou hast guided them in thy strength to thy holy habitation.
(14)
The peoples have heard, they tremble: Pangs have taken hold on the inhabitants of Phi-Iis-ti-a.
(15)
Then were the chiefs of E-dom dismayed; The mighty men of Moab, trembling taketh hold upon them: All the inhabitants of Ca-naan are melted away.
(16)
Terror and dread falleth upon them; By the greatness of thine arm they are as still as a stone; Till thy people pass over, O Je-ho-vah, Till the people pass over that thou hast purchased.
(17)
Thou wilt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, The Place, O Je-ho-vah, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, The sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established.
(18)
Je-ho-vah shall reign for ever and ever.
(19) For the horses of Pha-raoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and Je-ho-vah brought back the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Is-ra-el walked on dry land in the midst of the sea. (20) And Mir-i-am the prophetess, the sister of Aar-on, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. (21)
And Mir-i-am answered them,
Sing ye to Je-ho-vah, for he
hath triumphed gloriously;
The horse and his rider hath he
thrown into the sea.
(22) And Mo-ses led Is-ra-el onward from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. (23) And when they came to Ma-rah, they could not drink of the waters of Ma-rah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Ma-rah. (24) And the people murmured against Mo-ses, saying, What shall we drink? (25) And he cried unto Je-ho-vah; and Je-ho-vah showed him a tree, and he cast it into the waters, and the waters were made sweet. There he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them; (26) and he said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of Je-ho-vah thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his eyes, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases upon thee, which I have put upon the E-gyp-tians: for I am Je-ho-vah that healeth thee.
(27) And they came to E-Iim, where were twelve springs of water, and threescore and ten palm-trees: and they encamped there by the waters.
EXPLORING EXODUS: CHAPTER FIFTEEN
QUESTIONS ANSWERABLE FROM THE BIBLE
1.
After careful reading, propose a topic for Exodus chapter 15.
2.
Specifically, who sang the song in Exodus 15? (Exo. 15:1)
3.
Why did Israel sing to the LORD? (Exo. 15:1)
4.
What had the LORD become unto Israel? (Exo. 15:2)
5.
What significance was there in Gods name being the LORD? (Exo. 15:3; Compare Exo. 6:2; Exo. 6:7)
6.
Exactly who drowned in the Red Sea? (Exo. 15:4)
7.
How had the waters reacted at the blast of Gods nostrils? (Exo. 15:8)
8.
What had Israels enemies said they would do to Israel? (Exo. 15:9)
9.
What had the Egyptians sank like? (Exo. 15:10)
10.
According to Exo. 15:13, what three things had God done for His people?
11.
How did the various nearby nations react to Israels crossing the Red Sea? (Exo. 15:14-16)
12.
What confidence did the song express about Israels future occupation of the land? (Exo. 15:16-17)
13.
How does Exo. 15:18 relate to the verse immediately preceding it?
14.
What office did Miriam have? (Exo. 15:20)
15.
What did Miriam take into her hand? (Exo. 15:20)
16.
In what act did Miriam lead the women? (Exo. 15:20-21)
17.
Into what wilderness (or desert) did Israel come after crossing the Red Sea? (Exo. 15:22; Compare Num. 33:8)
18.
How long did they journey without finding water? (Exo. 15:22)
19.
What was the water at Marah like? (Exo. 15:23)
20.
What does the name Marah mean? (Exo. 15:23; Rth. 1:20)
21.
By what means were the bitter waters sweetened? (Exo. 15:25)
22.
What statute did God make at Marah? (Exo. 15:25-26)
23.
What conditional promise did God make at Marah? (Exo. 15:26)
24.
By what title did God call himself at Marah? (Exo. 15:26)
25.
What was found at Elim? (Exo. 15:27)
EXODUS FIFTEEN: FROM TRIUMPH TO TESTING
1.
Songs of triumph; Exo. 15:1-21.
2.
Situations of testing; Exo. 15:22-26.
(Often Gods children experience severe testing shortly after times of spiritual triumph. Even Jesus went from His baptism to his temptations in the wilderness.)
EXODUS FIFTEEN: FROM SONG TO BITTERNESS
1.
Songs by the Red Sea; Exo. 15:1-21.
2.
Bitterness at Marah; Exo. 15:22-26.
THE SONG OF MOSES (Exo. 15:1-17)
1.
Triumph of the LORD; (Exo. 15:1-3)
2.
Tragedy of Egypt; (Exo. 15:4-12)
3.
Terror of the Canaanites; (Exo. 15:13-16)
4.
Transition (and transfer) of the Israelites; (Exo. 15:17-18)
THE SONG OF REDEMPTION (Exo. 15:1-17)
1.
The LORDS part: Divinity and decisive action: (Exo. 15:1-3)
2.
The enemies part: Destruction (Exo. 15:4-13) and dismay (Exo. 15:14-16)
3.
Israels part: Direction and destination; (Exo. 15:17-18)
MY LORD AND I (Exo. 15:2-3)
1.
My strength.
2.
My song.
3.
My salvation.
4.
My God.
THE LORDS RIGHT HAND (Exo. 15:6)
1.
Glorious in saving Israel.
2.
Fearsome in destroying the enemy.
THE PRIDE OF PERSECUTORS (Exo. 15:9-10)
1.
Makes them cruel.
2.
Makes them boastful.
3.
Brings them to destruction.
GODS WORK FOR HIS PEOPLE (Exo. 15:13)
1.
Redeeming.
2.
Leading.
THE LORDS ETERNAL REIGN (Exo. 15:18)
1.
His past triumphs guarantee it.
2.
His promises declare it.
EXPERIENCES SHARED BY GODS PEOPLE (Exo. 15:22-26)
1.
Lack of lifes necessities; Exo. 15:22-23.
2.
Temptations to murmur; Exo. 15:24.
3.
Opportunity to pray; Exo. 15:25.
4.
The Lords help and healing; Exo. 15:25-26.
GODS TEST FOR HIS PEOPLE (Exo. 15:25)
(Check your score on this examination!)
1.
Do you trust me during hardships? (Exo. 15:22-23)
2.
Do you pray? (Exo. 15:25)
3.
Do you hearken to my commandments? (Exo. 15:26)
THE LORD OUR HEALER (Exo. 15:26)
1.
Heals those that hearken.
2.
Heals those who keep His statutes.
EXPLORING EXODUS: NOTES ON CHAPTER FIFTEEN
1.
What is in chapter fifteen?
The chapter contains the following sections:
(1) The song of Moses and the children of Israel (Exo. 15:1-18). (They sang this after they crossed the Red Sea.) One verse of prose connects this song to the song that follows it (Exo. 15:19).
(2) The song of Miriam and the women (Exo. 15:20-21). (This was probably a response to the song of Moses.)
(3) The record of Israels travels from the Red Sea, through Marah, to Elim (Exo. 15:22-27).
We entitle this chapter FROM TRIUMPH TO TESTING. It starts with the song of Gods triumph and closes with bitter complaining because of the testing they endured at the bitter Marah waters. This transition from triumph to testing is a common experience in the lives of many of Gods people.
2.
How is the song of Moses divided?
The song is not divided so clearly that interpreters agree about its divisions. Some interpreters divide it up into stanzas (strophes) on the basis of the repeated phrases in Exo. 15:6 and Exo. 15:11. Using these verses as dividing points, we could outline the strophes thus:
(1) The triumph of the Lord; Exo. 15:1-6.
(2) The tragedy of the Egyptians; Exo. 15:7-11 (or 12)
(3) The transfer (or transition) of Israel; Exo. 15:13-17.
We prefer to divide the song into sections on the basis of its thought divisions, somewhat as follows:
(1) What the LORD Isa. 15:1-3.
(2) What the LORD DID; Exo. 15:4-16 a.
(3) What the LORD WILL DO; Exo. 15:16 b Exo. 15:18.
3.
What is the purpose of the Song in Exodus 15?
It is to declare the greatness of the Lord Jehovah in bringing Israel across the Red Sea. In times of great emotions joy or sorrow men turn to poetry and music. Ordinary prose cannot convey the volume of feeling. Redemption and salvation set the heart to singing.
In pagan songs of triumph the glory of victory is ascribed to the conquering king. But here there is not a word of praise or glory given to Moses. These are rendered to the LORD alone.[245]
[245] Cassuto, op. cit., p. 174.
Exodus fifteen is so highly esteemed by the Jews that Jewish literature speaks of it as The Song, and the Sabbath on which it is read as the Sabbath of the Song. Many other passages in the scriptures contain poetic sections about Israels deliverance at the Red Sea. See Neh. 9:9 ff; Psa. 78:11 ff; Psa. 77:16 ff; Psalms 105; Psa. 106:7 ff; Hab. 3:8 ff. Probably in our Christian hymn singing we should incorporate more allusions to Gods victory at the Red Sea than we generally use.
As Moses and Miriam led in praise, ministers of God should still lead the church in praise.
From Exo. 15:20-21 it appears that there was musical accompaniment to this song. Male and female choruses sang antiphonally. Note that Exo. 15:21 is almost identical to Exo. 15:1. The women may have repeated the words of Exo. 15:21 after each line or stanza of Mosess song, or just after the whole song.
The song is full of brief, bold, strong thoughts. Its language contains very archaic Hebrew expressions. The English translations cannot reflect the majestic rhythm and dramatic diction of the original poem.
4.
What sort of triumph had the Lord had? (Exo. 15:1)
He had triumphed triumphantly! The Hebrew quite literally reads, I shall sing to Jehovah, Because triumphing he has triumphed. The word triumph means to rise up (like a river; Eze. 47:5), to swell, increase, be great, exalted. Gods triumph on this occasion was His work of casting Egypts horse and his chariot into the sea. This brought honor to God, as God had predicted (Exo. 14:4; Exo. 14:17).
5.
What had God become to Israel? (Exo. 15:2-3)
a. He was their strength and song. (This expression recurs in Psa. 118:14 and Isa. 12:2.)
b. He has become to me (for) a salvation. (This word salvation has strong spiritual overtones.)
c. This is my God, and I will praise (adore) Him.
d. My fathers God and I will exalt him.
e. Jehovah is a man of war. (Exo. 15:3)
The Hebrew word for LORD (Jehovah) in Exo. 15:2 is YAH (or Jah), which is a shortened form of the name Jehovah (Yahweh), here used for the first time in the Bible, but found later in poetic passages (Psa. 77:11; Psa. 89:8; Psa. 94:7). Yah is the last syllable in Hallelujah, meaning Praise ye JAH! The name carries the idea of being. See notes on Exo. 4:14-15.
How powerful and beautiful it is to read that Yahweh (the LORD) is His name! God had declared (in Exo. 3:15) that this name was His name forever. God had desired that Israel know His name. Now they do know it, and know the meaning associated with the name. Compare Psa. 83:18.
Note the continuity of faith implied in the phrase my fathers God. The word fathers is singular. See notes on Exo. 3:6 and Exo. 18:4.
The King James translation (of Exo. 15:2) I will prepare him an habitation is probably not as good a translation as the A.S.V., which has I will praise him. The KJV reading does not correspond to the parallel thought of the next line (I will praise him). Hebrew poetry often has successive lines parallel in thought in some way. The reading I will build thee a sanctuary first appeared in the Targum of Onkelos, and then in later rabbis.[246]
[246] The reason for the translation I will build him a sanctuary lies in the double meaning of the Hebrew verb nawah, which may mean to dwell, abide, or rest; its congnate nown naweh means dwelling or habitation, and refers to the temple in 1Sa. 15:25. However, nawah (in Hiphil, as here) also means to make beautiful, or adorn. This is something that can be done to God only by praising Him. This seems to be its correct meaning here.
God had promised that He would fight for Israel (Exo. 14:4), and now He is praised as a man of war.
6.
What had happened to Pharaohs host? (Exo. 15:4-5; Exo. 15:10)
God cast Pharaohs chariots and army into the sea. He cast them into the sea by impelling them to enter the sea bed (Exo. 14:17). His chosen captains (R.S.V. picked officers) were sunk (or drowned; the verb is passive) in the Red Sea (Yam Suph, the Sea of Weeds). See Introductory Study VII and notes on Exo. 3:18 concerning the Red Sea. Note that the stormy wind contributed to the Egyptians destruction (Exo. 15:10; Psa. 77:16-18).
The deeps (KJV depths) are covering them.[247] The word deeps suggest the deep sea waters, not a swampy marshy reedy area. Deeps is the plural of the deep referred to in Gen. 1:2.
[247] The Hebrew verb translated above are covering them is in the imperfect tense, as if indicating incomplete action, as if the event were taking place before the eyes of the singers. Mentally they were reliving this victorious experience.
Cole, op. cit., p. 124.
The Egyptian host went down into the depths like a stone. Perhaps their armor weighted them down. More probably the moving currents made swimming impossible, even without armor. At any rate, they sank like lead. Compare Neh. 9:10-11; Exo. 14:28.
7.
What is stated about Gods right hand? (Exo. 15:6-7)
Gods right hand is glorious in power, and dashes the enemy in pieces. Compare Exo. 15:12; Exo. 14:31; Exo. 3:20. (The Hebrew word for hand is translated work in Exo. 14:31.) The phrase right hand (of God) is common in Psalms, where it occurs over twenty times. Psa. 20:6; Psa. 118:15-16; Psa. 48:10. Inasmuch as the scripture uses such expressions in referring to God, we should not hesitate to use them, even though we know that God is spirit (Joh. 4:24), and fills heaven and earth (Jer. 23:23-24), and does not necessarily have hands like ours.
The word excellency (or majesty) in Exo. 15:7 is from the same root as triumphed in Exo. 15:1, and refers to Gods splendor, highness, and glory. Note the reference to Gods wrath in Exo. 15:7. Gods wrath consumes (or eats up) his enemies, like fire consumes stubble.
8.
What position had the sea waters taken? (Exo. 15:8)
They were piled up in a heap and were congealed. (Congeal means to thicken, or condense.) They were a wall (Exo. 14:22). The term heap is a word chiefly limited to descriptions of the Red Sea crossing and the crossing of Jordan (Psa. 78:13; Psa. 33:7; Jos. 3:13; Jos. 3:16). We agree with Cassuto that the word heap plainly suggests a miraculous piling up of the waters. We should not try to weaken its force by calling it a poetic anthropomorphism. See notes on Exo. 14:21-22.
9.
What had the enemy planned to do to Israel? (Exo. 15:9)
To pursue. To overtake. To divide the spoil. To destroy.
In the Hebrew reading the threats of Exo. 15:9 are short, crisp words, expressing the eagerness of the exultant foe and his assurance of complete victory. His threat My hand shall destroy them uses a word (yarash) often used later to refer to Israels expulsion of the Canaanites (See Exo. 34:24). It has a strong irony when applied here to Israel.
On Exo. 15:10, see notes on Exo. 15:4-5.
10.
Who is like unto the LORD? (Exo. 15:11)
No one! Not even any among the gods. The gods (or mighty ones) are probably the idols and false gods of the heathen. Whether the word gods (Hebrew, elim, plural of el) refers to mighty men (as in Eze. 32:21), or to mighty angels (as probably in Psa. 29:1), or to other supposedly-existing mighty gods, NO ONE is like the LORD.
Many Biblical references assert that there is no one like the LORD. See Deu. 3:24; Psa. 71:19; Psa. 86:8; Psa. 89:6; Psa. 89:8; Jer. 10:6; Mic. 7:18; 2Sa. 7:22; 1Ki. 8:23. Let us learn this truth for ourselves.
The LORD is glorious in holiness. Holiness means uniqueness, separation, distinction, and moral perfection. See Lev. 19:2.[248]
[248] The idea set forth in Broadman Bible Commentary, Vol. 1(1969) that moral perfection and righteousness were applications of the term holiness used only in centuries later than Moses is contradicted by its use in Leviticus, a book written by Moses. See Lev. 19:15. Of course, the skeptical critics affirm (without proof) that Leviticus was written during or after the Babylonian exile!
The Lord is fearsome, or wonderful, in praises. Probably this means that the praises justly given to the LORD are such as to create reverent fear in the beholder. See Rev. 4:8-11; Rev. 5:11-14; Isa. 6:2-3.
11.
Did the earth swallow the Egyptians, or the sea? (Exo. 15:12)
The earth swallowed them. Certainly they were swallowed up in the sea, but the sea is part of the earth.
The word earth in the literature of Semitic peoples living around the Israelites sometimes served as a designation for Sheol, the underworld.[249] This meaning makes good sense here.
[249] Cassuto, op. cit., p. 176.
Concerning Gods right hand, see notes on Exo. 15:6.
Exo. 15:12 probably is the end of stanza two (Exo. 15:7-12) of the song, a stanza dealing with the destruction of the Egyptians.
12.
What had God done for His redeemed people? (Exo. 15:13)
He had LED the people whom he had redeemed. Psa. 77:15; Psa. 77:20). He GUIDED them to his holy habitation. This verse could well be called the KEY VERSE in Exodus, because it sums up much of what is related in the book.
Concerning redeemed, see notes on Exo. 6:6.
Gods leading His redeemed people was an act of loving-kindness (or steadfast love; Heb. hesed). See Exo. 34:7. Hesed is the great covenant word of the O.T. to describe Gods unfailing attitude of love toward His people. In turn, this is what God expects from His people. See Hos. 6:6. Hesed has no exact equivalent in Greek or in English. It combines the ideas of loyalty, steadfastness, mercy and love. For uses of hesed see Psa. 5:1; Psa. 6:5; Gen. 19:19; Deu. 7:9; Deu. 7:12. The term generally refers to a covenantal type of love, an unfailing love based on pledged commitment.
Gods holy habitation referred to in Exo. 15:13 probably refers to the promised land of Canaan, as in Jer. 25:30. The term habitation in later literature frequently refers to the temple sanctuary at Jerusalem. See 2Sa. 15:25. Exo. 15:17 refers to the promised land as the mountain of thine inheritance. Since Gods people had not actually entered and inherited this land in Moses time, some scholars assume that Exo. 15:13-18 was written AFTER Israels occupation of Canaan. (For an example, see Broadman Bible Commentary, Vol. 1 [1969], p. 392.) But this is an unnecessary assumption. After all of Gods triumphs in Egypt and at the sea, why should not Moses speak of Gods promise to bring them into the land (see Exo. 6:8) as being as good as done? Faith gives substance to things hoped for.
The verb tenses in Exo. 15:13-15 shift back and forth, between perfect (indicating completed action) and imperfect (incomplete action). Led, guided, heard are in the perfect tense. However, tremble (KJV be afraid) in Exo. 15:14, and take hold in Exo. 15:15, and shall fall and be still in Exo. 15:16 are imperfect.
This shifting of the tenses when all of the verbs refer to the same series of events, shows that the time of the events was partly in the past, partly in process, and partly future. The past (or perfect) tenses also may be predictive perfects, which are used to refer to predicted future events as if they had already taken place. Faith in Gods promises and predictions can lead us to view the promises as already fulfilled.
13.
What effect did the crossing of the Red Sea have on nearby nations? (Exo. 15:14-16)
They had heard about it, and had become very fearful, realizing that if the Israelites and their God could overcome the mighty Egyptians, they could overcome them also. For similar thoughts, see Hab. 3:7; Jos. 2:9; Jos. 2:11; Jos. 2:24; Num. 22:3; 1Sa. 4:6-8.
Philistia was the area along the southern coast of the Mediterranean in Canaan. The major immigration of the Philistines into this area occurred about 1200 B.C., about 250 years after the exodus date. However, there had been groups of Philistines (or similar peoples) settle there from Crete and other Mediterranean islands as far back as Abrahams time (2000 B.C.). See Gen. 21:35. It is untrue to say, as many writers have, that the reference here to the Philistines is a historical error, or indicates that this verse in Exodus was written long after the time of the exodus, even after their settlement into Canaan. There is some archaeological evidence of Philistine presence in this area before 1200 B.C., as well as the Biblical testimony. See notes on Exo. 13:17.
Edom lay just SW of the Dead Sea, east of the Arabah valley joining the Dead Sea and the Red Sea gulf of Akabah, in a mountainous area called Mt. Seir. The title chiefs (or dukes; Heb. aluphim) of Edom seems to be a technical title for Edomite rulers. It is used in Gen. 36:15-19.
The phrase melt away in Exo. 15:15 is explained in the next line to mean that the people were in terror and dread of the approaching Israelites. Their courage and will to resist melted away. See Exo. 23:27.
The passing over of the people (Exo. 15:16) is explained to mean the entry of the people into the land of Canaan. Certainly they had to pass over Jordan to enter this land. (Jos. 3:17). Moses may not have been referring to passing over the Jordan, but he knew they would pass over the territory between Egypt and the promised land (Exo. 3:8; Num. 32:20-21; Num. 32:27).
The word purchased in Exo. 15:16 means to procure, buy, acquire, get, obtain. Truly God had obtained Israel as a people by His wondrous deeds. A participial form of the word translated purchase (qanah) is used in Gen. 14:22 as a title (possessor or maker) for God. Possibly therefore the meaning is that God created the people Israel, as well as purchased them.
14.
By what terms is Israels promised homeland called? (Exo. 15:17)
(1) The mountain of thine inheritance. (2) The place of thy dwelling. (3) The sanctuary. It is striking that each of these three titles asserts that this land was GODS land in a special way; it was Gods inheritance, Gods dwelling-place, and Gods sanctuary (or holy place). Why the land of Israel should be a place that God specially favored, we know not. But numerous passages confirm that this is so. See 2Ki. 17:25-26.
The term mountain is an interesting title for the land of Israel. Psa. 78:54 : He brought them to the border of his sanctuary, to this mountain which his right hand had gotten. Perhaps it was given this title of mountain because of its prominence among nations, like a mountain among hills. Compare Isa. 2:2 and Psa. 68:16.
The term sanctuary (holy place) seems to refer to all of the land of Canaan, and not just Jerusalem or the temple. Sanctuary in later times did often refer to the temple (Psa. 73:17). This fact causes some skeptical authors to assert that Exo. 15:17 was written after the time of Solomons temple. But even Martin Noth, a rather extreme critic, says that sanctuary here may mean the whole of the land and not just Jerusalem.
15.
What sublime spiritual thought closes the song? (Exo. 15:18)
Jehovah shall reign for ever and ever! Ramm correctly asserts that the whole exodus experience is a commentary on what the reign of God is. We must be cautious not to think of the reign of God as being totally in the future, either in a millennium or in heaven. The kingdom of God existed in Moses time (Exo. 19:6; 1Ch. 29:11), exists now as the church (Col. 1:13; Heb. 12:28; Rev. 1:9), and shall exist hereafter (2Pe. 1:11, 2Ti. 4:18).
16.
Why is the restatement of the Red Sea story placed after the Song?
Probably it is inserted to make the transition into the following prose narrative. It certainly also strengthens the assertion of Exo. 15:18 that Jehovah shall reign for ever. This verse has three clauses, each of which ends in Hebrew with the word sea.[250]
[250] Cassuto, op. cit., p. 181.
17.
How does the Song of Miriam relate to the Song of Moses? (Exo. 15:20-21)
The words of Miriams song are almost identical to Moses words in Exo. 15:1. Only the verb is changed from indicative to imperative. This similarity suggests that they sang antiphonally, Miriam and the women responding to the words of Moses and the sons of Israel. We do not know whether we have all or just part of Miriams song. We suspect it is only partly given.
Numerous speculations about the relation of Miriams song to Moses song have been made. One radical proposal is that Miriams song is the oldest part of Ex. fifteen, and was written by a different author than the writer of Exo. 15:1 ff.[251] Another writer (S, R. Driver) gives a contradictory, though equally radical view, saying that Exo. 15:19 is a later redactional addition, written AFTER Exo. 15:1-18.[252] Alan Cole proposes that Moses song was a theological expansion of Miriams song.[253] It is difficult to see how anyone could say that and still give credence to the plain statement of Exo. 15:1 that Moses and the children of Israel sang the song. The variations in these speculations show the futility and folly of mens judgments upon Gods word.
[251] Noth.op. cit., p. 121.
[252] An Introduction to the Literature of the O. T. (New York: World, 1965), p. 29.
[253] Op. cit., p. 123.
In Exo. 15:21 Miriam is mentioned for the first time by name and by title. She is called the prophetess. Compare Num. 12:2; Jdg. 4:4; 2Ki. 22:14; Isa. 8:3. She was a prophetess because of Gods divine gift, and not because of natural poetic and musical ability. Mic. 6:4 indicates that when the Lord delivered Israel out of Egypt, he sent before them Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. This suggests that she played a rather important role in these events.
Although Miriam is here referred to only as the sister of Aaron, Num. 26:59 specifically identifies her as also the sister of Moses. Miriam had watched over Moses as a babe in the river (Exo. 2:4). She would have been about ninety years old at this time.
A timbrel is a small hand drum, similar to a Salvation Army tambourine (without the jingling metal pieces). See Psa. 81:2; Psa. 68:25; Psa. 149:3. Its Hebrew name (toph!) resembles its sound (thump!).
The Hebrew women and men danced on occasions of victory (1Sa. 18:6) and on special religious holidays (Jdg. 21:21; Psa. 30:11; Psa. 150:4; 2Sa. 6:14). These dances seem to have been practiced by each sex alone, and hardly resemble our modern social dancing, which is more like the evil dancing referred to in Job. 21:7; Job. 21:11, and is spoken of in the New Testament as revelling (Gal. 5:21; 1Pe. 4:3).
18.
What area did Israel enter after crossing the Red Sea? (Exo. 15:22)
They entered the Wilderness of Shur. The part of the Wilderness of Shur they entered was also called the Wilderness of Etham (Num. 33:8). Shur means wall. It may have acquired this name from the abrupt wall-like rise in the land ten to twelve miles east of the Red Sea and the Suez Canal line. The Wilderness of Shur lies in the NW part of the Sinai peninsula, south of Mediterranean coastline, between the present Suez canal and the River of Egypt (Wadi el-Arish). The direct route from Egypt to Canaan runs through Shur. Its southward extension ran along the Red Sea east coast almost to Marah.
It is about thirty-seven miles from Israels crossing place to Marah.
There are springs (called the Ayun Musa, or Springs of Moses) lying about one and a half miles from the east shore of the Red Sea, just east of the point where we think Israel crossed the sea. The scripture makes no mention of these springs. S. C. Bartlett[254] found them to be in a hillock some sixteen feet above the level of the surrounding plain, containing a basin twelve to fifteen feet in diameter, surrounded by a rocky rim. Their water is brackish and disagreeable because of mineral salts in it. Different travelers have described these springs differently, because the flow of water differs from year to year, and sandstorms choke up the springs in different patterns.
[254] We have found Bartletts book From Egypt to Palestine (New York: Harper, 1879) particularly helpful in its descriptions of the places in Israels journeys. Bartlett was a very careful observer and recorder. Also he was thoroughly acquainted with the reports of other travellers; and he visited the area before modern roads and oil wells altered so much of it.
The surface from the Red Sea to Marah is hard compacted sand, sprinkled with gravel and some boulders scattered about. Sharp flints are occasionally seen on the surface, such as that used by Zipporah in circumcising her son (Exo. 4:25).
We must remember that Israel passed through this area in springtime, the most delightful time of year. S. C. Bartlett reported that when he passed through in February, the temperature some days dropped to the freezing point at night, and then shot up to 98 degrees in the sun at noon. The heat would certainly have continued up into March/April when Israel passed through. Little wonder the Israelites were dreadfully distressed when they reached Marah and found no good water.
Between the place of Israels crossing and Marah are at least two dozen smaller or larger depressions (valleys, or wadies) to be crossed. All of these have lines of vegetation along their courses. These would have had new spring vegetation in them as Israel passed through. The area is NOT good pasture land, but there was some pasture for Israels flocks in transit.
19.
What did Israel find at Marah? (Exo. 15:23)
They found a spring of bitter water. The name Marah means bitter, or bitterness (Pro. 14:10). Most of the flowing springs in Sinai are bitter and unpleasant because of mineral salts dissolved in the water.
Marah is generally identified with the spring Ain Hawwarah[255] Bartlett[256] reported it as being in the center of a low, flat-topped mound, which was largely a calcareous deposit. The water was in a hole five or six feet in circumference and was some two feet deep. The mineral deposit suggests that the flow of the spring was formerly larger. The water is so bitter that men cannot drink it unless they are very thirsty.
[255] Other identifications of Marah include the Springs of Moses (Ayun Musa); BirHuwara, about 47 mi. SE of the Springs of Moses and seven miles from the coast; or El-Churkudah, a fountain of brackish water ten mi. SE of the town of Suez and fifty miles from Lake Timsah, We definitely prefer the Ain Hawwarah location as being the actual site.
[256] Op. cit., p. 199.
Besides its bitterness, it has laxative qualities, resembling those of Epsom Salts. Its bitterness varies from year to year, depending on the amount of rainfall and the volume of its flow. There are other springs in the immediate vicinity, which would furnish additional water, and may be included in the name Marah.
Exo. 15:23 says literally, He called its name Marah. This suggests that Moses named it. However, this wording probably should be taken indefinitely to mean It was called Marah.
20.
How did Israel respond to the bitter waters? (Exo. 15:24).
They murmured. In murmuring against Moses, they actually murmured against God himself. This was their second murmuring: they murmured before at the Red Sea (Exo. 14:11). There are over a dozen passages in the story of Israels wanderings where murmuring is mentioned. It was characteristic of them. Psa. 106:13 : They soon forgot his works: they waited not for his counsel. But in their murmurings they were, sadly, a picture of all humanity; and their punishments are a warning to us (1Co. 10:11).
21.
How were the waters sweetened? (Exo. 15:25)
By casting a certain tree into the water. No known tree can instantly (or even gradually) sweeten spring water. Hence, this was a miracle. Compare 2Ki. 2:19-22.
Medieval commentators on Exodus delighted in seeing in this tree a reference to the cross of Christ, by which the bitterest of lifes waters are sweetened. As an illustration it is edifying; but the comparison cannot be called an exegesis of the Biblical text.
Moses received the instructions to cast in the tree as an answer to his cry (prayer) to the LORD. We admire Moses action of turning to prayer, rather than to rebuke and contention with the unreasonable people.
The fact that the LORD showed Moses the tree was Gods method of teaching Israel that they constantly needed divine guidance and instruction. This awareness of their need for instruction prepared the people spiritually for their acceptance of the law at Mt. Sinai.
This experience at Marah was a testing for Israel. There God proved them. Similarly he tested them again soon after this by the manna (Exo. 16:4), as to whether they would walk in his law (torah) or not.
At Marah God made for them a statute (or law) and an ordinance (or judgment). Possibly the words of God in Exo. 15:26 constitute the law and ordinance. If so, the ordinance is extremely general in nature. If Exo. 15:26 is not the ordinance referred to, then we simply do not know what the ordinance was. Possibly Gods act of sweetening the water was in itself the ordinance, since there was a message from God implied in the miracle: Thou shalt always trust the LORD and seek His deliverance in thine every affliction.
22.
What did God promise Israel if they obeyed His commandments? (Exo. 15:26)
God would put none of the diseases which He had brought upon the Egyptians upon them.
Deu. 7:15 extended this promise into the time after Israel entered and occupied Canaan. Deu. 28:58 warned that they would get plagues in Canaan if they were disobedient there.
Why are the words about Jehovah being their healer inserted here? It may have been a broader application of the healing of the bitter waters of Marah. God would heal ALL their bitter diseases, just as He had sweetened the Marah waters. Also it may have been a warning to the Israelites as they journeyed: they were not morally superior to the Egyptians. They could suffer diseases like those which killed Egypts firstborn. See Psa. 78:49-50. See notes on Exo. 12:29. A redeemed people must be a holy, spiritual people.
23.
What happened to Israel at Elim? (Exo. 15:27)
They camped there by the waters from twelve springs, in an area graced by seventy palm trees. The specific details about these numbers sound like the record of an eyewitness.
It is about seven miles from Marah to Elim, an easy days journey. S. C. Bartlett found much shrubbery between Marah and Elim.
Elim in generally considered to be the Wady Gharandel. This wady (or winter-flowing brook channel) has water issuing from it in several spots, forming brisk rivulets, flowing several barrels a minute. Several considerable pools of water overgrown with rushes lie by the wady channel.
The water of Elim is as good as that of the Nile, and nowhere in the Sinai peninsula, except in the wadi Feiran, is it so abundant.
Elim can be an illustration of the Lords Day, a time of refreshment amidst the toils of lifes journey.
Elim! Sweet foretaste of rest and blessing:
Soon must be left for the lengthening way.
But it is well that the pilgrims may gather
Courage and strength for the wearisome day.[257]
[257] From Preachers Homiletic Commentary, Vol. II, p. 293.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
XV.
THE SONG OF MOSES.
(1) Then sang Moses and the children of Israel.With his usual modesty, Moses does not say that he composed the magnificent ode which follows; but it is scarcely conceivable that it can have had any other author. It bears a close resemblance to the Egyptian religious poetry, with which Mosesand probably no other Israelite of the timewould have been familiar from his early training; and it breathes the elevated tone of religious sentiment that was scarcely shared with Moses by any contemporary. The prophetic statements in the latter verses of the hymn have led some to assign to it a date later than Joshua; but the vagueness of these statements stands in a remarkable contrast with the definiteness and graphic power of the descriptive portion, and points to the time of Moses for the composition. The poetic genius shown in the composition is, no doubt, very considerable; but the statement that it transcends all later Hebrew poesy would not have been made by any critic whose judgment was not biased by his theories. The ode is distinguished from later similar compositions by greater simplicity in the language, and greater freedom in the rhythmical arrangement. There is the usual parallelism of clauses, with its three varieties of antithetic, synthetic, and synonymous; but the regular cadence is interrupted with unusual frequency by triplet stanzas, and the parallelism is less exact than that of later times.
The ode divides itself into two portions (Exo. 15:1-12 and Exo. 15:13-18): the first retrospective, the second prospective. Part II. has no sub-divisions; but Part I. Consists of three, or perhaps we should say of four, portions. First comes the burden, or refrain (Exo. 15:1), which was repeated at the close of each sub-division by Miriam and her choir of women (Exo. 15:21). Then we have the first stanza, or strophe, reaching from Exo. 15:2 to Exo. 15:5. Next we have stanza or strophe 2, extending from Exo. 15:6 to Exo. 15:10. After this, stanza or strophe 3, comprising Exo. 15:11-12. These shorter, and as it were tentative, efforts are followed by the grand burst of prophetic song which constitutes Part II., and extends from Exo. 15:13 to Exo. 15:18, terminating with the sublime utterance, beyond which no thought of man can go, The Lord shall reign for ever and ever.
I will sing.It may convey to the ordinary reader some idea of the rhythm of the ode to transcribe into Roman characters and accentuate this opening passage, which is as follows :
Ashirah layhovh ki gah gah,
Sus vrokebo ramh bayym.
He hath triumphed gloriously.Heb., he hath glorified himself gloriously ( , LXX.). The main idea implied in the verb gh is exaltation.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
SONG OF MOSES AND MIRIAM, Exo 15:1-21.
1. Most glorious That is, perhaps, as well as our English can do with the terse, alliterative , which swelled like a thousand trumpets in every repetition of the chorus .
The horse and his rider To be taken collectively, cavalry and chariotry .
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Exodus 15 The Aftermath of the Battle Between Yahweh and Pharaoh’s Army.
As a result of Egypt’s defeat a song was composed. There is no good reason for denying that it was written at the time. Songs of a similar genre were found at Ugarit, where some of the ideas are also paralleled, although not with the same significance. Such were no doubt familiar to the patriarchal tribes as they moved around Canaan and in Aram. It may have been written by Moses (who wrote a song (see Deu 31:22) in one day, the song being found in Deuteronomy 32), by Miriam, or by some unknown songwriter.
While the second part looks with triumph towards the successful defeat of their future enemies and their settlement in the land this simply expresses the confidence and belief that has filled their hearts. It is in a sense seen as already accomplished now that they have crossed out of Egypt into Yahweh’s territory. The singer can now see that triumph is assured, and so speaks of it as already theirs.
The Worship of Moses and of the Children of Israel, and the Song of Miriam ( Exo 15:1-21 ).
Exo 15:1
‘Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song to Yahweh, and spoke saying.’
It was quite normal for a great victory to be celebrated in verse, and as happens with poetry it is in picturesque language not always to be taken literally. We are not told who wrote it (it is not described as ‘the Song of Moses, although he sang it), and here it was put to music to enhance the people’s worship. This song must therefore be seen as later sung at a great gathering of worship after it had been composed shortly after the victory and as becoming part of the regular worship of the children of Israel.
Its finalisation may have awaited Mount Sinai (Exo 15:13) although it could well be that the wilderness as a whole, which they have now reached, was seen as ‘Yahweh’s abode’. That is where He had met Moses and that is where they had previously stated their intention of going to worship Him.
Reference to the inhabitants of Philistia, Edom, Moab and the inhabitants of Canaan as future foes (Exo 15:14-15) confirm its early date. He sees them as quivering at the approach of people for whom Yahweh has done such great things, for what has happened in Egypt would not have passed unnoticed. When the reality occurred they were not quivering because too much time had passed due to Israel’s disobedience. They certainly did not stand there petrified like stone. No later writer would quite have written like this. It evidenced early faith.
Reference to Philistia may be an updating by a later scribe, but its inhabitants are spoken of as separate from the inhabitants of Canaan. The name or its equivalent was applied to and known in the area around Gerar in the time of Abraham, Genesis claims (compare Gen 21:32-34; Gen 26:1; Gen 26:8; Gen 26:14-15). Thus it may be these trading cities that are in mind rather than there being an updating to take into account the later Philistines. The song in fact suggests that the inhabitants of Philistia are seen as separate from the inhabitants of Canaan and are nearer to them.
Note the parallelism in the song, the second line of each sentence either carrying forward the idea of the first, or repeating it in a slightly different way. This is a characteristic of Hebrew poetry.
Exo 15:1-2 (1b-2)
“I will sing to Yahweh, for he has triumphed gloriously (or is highly exalted),
The horse and his rider (or ‘driver’) he has thrown into the sea.
Yah is my strength and song,
And he has become my deliverance.
This is my God and I will praise him,
My father’s God and I will exalt him.
The song is a celebration of Yahweh’s great victory at the sea of reeds. He has gloriously defeated the Egyptians and destroyed their elite chariot force. Thus the One Who has been, and still is, their strength, and the One they sing about, (how differently they see Yahweh now), has also become their Deliverer, and the result is their praise and worship. He is their God and their father’s God. Note the suggestion of looking back to the promises made to ‘their father’.
“Yah.” A shortened form of Yahweh. (Compare ‘hallelu Yah’ – ‘praise Yah’ – the opening to Psalms 146-150). Yah is also used in Exo 17:16
“My father” s God.’ Probably looking back to Jacob. Each ‘child of Israel’ would see Jacob as a father, and himself as within the covenant God made with Jacob.
Exo 15:3-7
“Yahweh is a man of war,
Yahweh is his name.
Pharaoh’s chariots and his host he has cast into the sea.
And his chosen captains are sunk in the sea of reeds.
The deeps cover them,
They went down into the depths like a stone.
Your right hand, Oh Yahweh, is glorious in power,
Your right hand, Oh Yahweh, dashes the enemy in pieces.
And in the greatness of your excellency you overthrow those who rise up against you,
You send out your wrath, it consumes them as stubble.”
The song declares Yahweh to be a competent soldier, revealed by nature as ‘The One Who is there to act’. Now they know indeed that His name is Yahweh. His excellency is revealed in what He has done to Pharaoh’s chariots, (the ‘host’ probably refers to the six hundred strong force), and to his commanders by drowning them in the sea. So has He demonstrated the victorious power of His right hand, and shown that He is able to deal with all Who rise against Him. When His anger is roused they are consumed like stubble burnt in the fields.
“Yahweh is a man of war.” Compare Psa 24:8; Isa 42:13. The man of war was needed for protection from one’s enemies.
“Yahweh is His name.” This is what He is and has revealed Himself to be, ‘the One Who is there to act.’ They have seen the fullness of His name in what He has done.
“His chosen captains.” The same word for ‘captains’ is as in Exo 14:7 (stressing the unity of the narrative). They are more than just captains, they are his champions and commanders.
“They went down into the depths like a stone.” Poetic licence. While the sea was deep enough to drown them it would probably not have been all that deep. But in their chariot armour, bronze plates sewn on a linen base, they would certainly sink like a stone. The vivid description suggests an eyewitness.
“Your right hand.” The main fighting hand.
“You send out Your wrath.” Having passed His judgment on sin and wrongdoing He exacts the penalty.
“It consumes them as stubble.” A vivid picture taken from agriculture of the burning of stubble in the fields once its usefulness was over.
Exo 15:8-11
“And with the blast of your nostrils the waters were piled up,
The floods stood upright as a heap, the deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea.
The enemy said, ‘I will pursue,
I will overtake, I will divide the spoil,
My bloodlust will be satisfied on them,
I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.’
You blew with your wind, the sea covered them,
They sank as lead in the mighty waters.
Who is like you, Oh Yahweh, among the gods?
Who is like you, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?”
Yahweh had blown with His east wind, ‘the blast of His nostrils’, on the waters and prepared a pathway for the children of Israel. Then the enemy, filled with bloodlust, boasted about what they would do to them (their nostrils were blasting too). So Yahweh blew again and they were destroyed in the waters. Thus was He revealed as superior to all ‘elohim’ (here the poetic form ‘elim’), to all that is supernatural.
“With the blast of your nostrils.” A vivid connecting of the strong east wind (Exo 14:21) with Yahweh.
“The floods stood upright as a heap.” Poetic licence demonstrating Yahweh’s power. The waters obeyed His will. It is not necessarily a literal description but taking up the metaphor of the seas as a wall (Exo 14:29).
“The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea.” Again poetic licence. The idea would seem to be that they became solid so that the children of Israel could walk on them, or alternately that they became thickened and stopped flowing.
“The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, my bloodlust will be satisfied on them, I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.” This is a vivid picture of soldiers fired up with bloodlust and greed for spoil as they career towards the enemy. The people who were before them were an easy target.
“You blew with your wind, the sea covered them. They sank as lead in the mighty waters.” Here was the magnificent anticlimax. Even while they yelled their war-cries the bloodthirsty warriors were blown away by Yahweh’s wind and waves, by His mighty breath, and sank like lead into the waters.
“Who is like you among the gods.” Yahweh is superior to all supernatural beings. He is unique and incomparable. In a vague way they recognised that in men’s eyes there was a world of gods (they were not philosophers) but those gods were helpless and powerless and as nothing before Yahweh. Yahweh was far above all. He stood alone and none compared with Him.
“Glorious in holiness.” Holiness is that which sets God off as apart from man, and from any other ‘gods’, His purity and ‘otherness’ (unlikeness to anything earthly). He is unique and different in nature. Thus when anything on earth is made holy it shares that uniqueness and is untouchable except by what is holy.
“Fearful in praises, doing wonders.” What Yahweh has done in the face of the gods of Egypt is clearly in mind. By His wonders He has demonstrated that they are helpless and powerless. Here He is seen as praised for His fearsome acts.
Exo 15:13
“You in your mercy have led your people whom you have redeemed.
You have guided them in your strength to your holy habitation.”
The idea here may well be that having passed through the waters on the border of Egypt they have reached the wilderness where they were to serve Yahweh. This in itself was to them a major achievement. They have crossed the sea and are, as it were, in Yahweh’s domain, where they are to worship Him at His mountain, His holy habitation, away from Egypt. Reaching the wilderness to worship Yahweh had constantly been their aim.
“Whom you have redeemed.” Deliverance by the payment of a price. The deliverance is not seen as without cost to Yahweh. He has expended His power in bringing it about.
“Your holy habitation.” Initially the wilderness where Moses met Him, and where they were to serve Him. Then it could apply to Mount Sinai where He would reveal Himself in fire and make His covenant with them. Then it applied to the land. And finally it would apply to the Tabernacle wherever it was set up, and the Temple. Each generation would interpret it differently according to their conditions and their experience of God.
Exo 15:14-16 a
“The peoples have heard, they tremble,
Pangs have taken hold of the inhabitants of Philistia,
Then were the chiefs of Edom amazed,
Trembling takes hold of the mighty men of Moab,
All the inhabitants of Canaan are melted away.
Terror and dread falls on them,
By the greatness of your arm they are as still as a stone.”
The song now looks forward to what lies ahead and depicts the future foes as waiting in terror. The children of Israel know now that they need not fear, for what God has done in Egypt will have petrified them and they will be still as a stone. This is again poetic licence.
The possible prominent foes are mentioned. Note that the inhabitants of Philistia come before Edom, Moab and the Canaanites. This may suggest that they are seen as the nearest, the first to be tackled, which would confirm that a smallish grouping in the South are in mind rather than the later Philistia. The name Philistia may be an updating, but archaeology may one day prove otherwise. If they were a smallish trading group in the South as in Gen 21:32-34; Gen 26:1; Gen 26:8; Gen 26:14-15, but still fierce, they would not tend to come to the notice of the great nations, but would be among the first to be reached by a traveller from Egypt.
We must recognise that the writer has no maps of what lies to the North. He speaks of the peoples he has heard about, starting with the nearest. Little was he to know how they would affect the progress of the children of Israel. (That they were not later quite so terrified when approached is evidence of the early date of the song).
“The mighty men of Moab.” Literally ‘the rams of Moab’. The men of Moab are seen in terms of powerful rams. Compare Isa 14:9 where the chief ones are described as ‘he-goats’.
“By the greatness of your arm they are still as stone.” As they consider the powerful arm of Yahweh these people freeze and become, as it were, literally petrified.
Exo 15:16-18 (16b-18)
“Until your people pass through, Oh Yahweh,
Until the people pass through whom you have obtained.
You will bring them in and plant them in the mountain of your inheritance,
The place, Oh Yahweh, which you have made for yourself to dwell in,
The sanctuary, Oh Lord, which your hands have established.
Yahweh shall reign for ever and ever.”
The other peoples will be terror-stricken and petrified until the children of Israel have passed through, something still in the future. And then they, the people whom God had ‘obtained’, will arrive at and be planted in ‘the mountain of your inheritance’. A similar phrase is used of Baal’s dwelling-place in Ugaritic literature (16th century BC). Thus this refers to Yahweh’s dwelling place. But as it is the place where the people are to ‘be planted’ this probably refers to the whole promised land, along with its mountains, seen as ‘the mountain of God’, the dwelling place of God, a special land prepared for His people through whom the whole world will be blessed. It is a visionary picture of a hoped for ideal, the new Eden, where God will dwell with His people.
It is in other words God’s inheritance to His people (see Exo 6:6-8), the place which God has made for Himself to dwell in and the sanctuary which He has established, seen as the whole promised land (Psa 114:2). It is the prospective kingdom of God.
“You have obtained.” That is, obtained by redemption.
“Plant them.” The word is usually used of planting vegetation and trees. But compare 2Sa 7:10: ‘I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them that they may dwell in their own place’ (see also 1Ch 17:9; Psa 80:8; Psa 80:15; Jer 24:6). So the idea is of the people being permanently established in their own land.
“The mountain of your inheritance.” This probably refers to the whole of the mountain ranges together with the rest of the promised land seen as one. They are all seen as ‘God’s mountain’. This is His dwelling-place, given as an inheritance to His people (compare Exo 6:6-8 – although a different word for inheritance is used). For Yahweh dwells among His people and ‘His mountain’ is where they are planted.
Alternately it has been seen as meaning ‘the mountain that is Yours’, with the emphasis on the place where God dwells and God’s central sanctuary. Certainly mountains and hills were seen as symbols of eternal continuance and stability (Deu 33:15; Hab 3:6; Isa 54:10), so that worship was regularly offered on mountains (Gen 22:2; Exo 18:20; 1Ki 18:19; Mar 9:2). And it is true that the gods were often connected with mountains.
But if this be so the thought is not of any particular mountain. It is whichever particular hill or mountain God chooses to set His name on (Deu 12:5) at any particular time. It would be assumed that the sanctuary of God would be on such a raised place (contrast Deu 12:2). Thus it could be applied to any of the places where the worship of Yahweh would be centralised (e.g. Shechem (Jos 24:1 with 15:26), Shiloh (Jos 18:1 and often), and later Jerusalem), and around which His people would live (be planted). But note that if this be so the central emphasis is not on the hill or mountain as such, but on the setting up of the dwelling place of God among His people (compare Gen 28:16-17 with Gen 35:7). There His altar would be erected, and around it His people would be united (see Exo 23:19; Exo 34:26; Deu 12:5).
However, as the hope of the people is set at this stage on a future land where Yahweh will rule, given as a heritage to His people (Exo 6:6-8; Exo 3:8; Exo 13:5), rather than on the specific establishing of a sanctuary for God, and they are to be ‘planted’ there, it is probably the wider view that should be taken. The whole land where He has ‘planted’ His people is seen as ‘God’s mountain’ and God’s dwelling-place. It is His sanctuary.
“The sanctuary, Oh Lord, which your hands have established.” Psa 114:2 understands this of the land of Judah, and by inference (through parallelism) Israel. There it reads, “When Israel went forth out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language, Judah became His sanctuary, Israel His dominion.” Compare also Isa 8:14. Furthermore Zechariah also looks forward to when the whole land will be a sanctuary (Zec 14:20-21). This would seem to confirm that ‘the sanctuary’ and ‘the mountain’ and ‘the place’ all refer to the whole land.
“Yahweh will reign for ever and ever.” This is a declaration of the everlasting rule of Yahweh. The gods of Egypt have been shown to be as nothing. Yahweh is over all. The world lies at His feet. In the context the thought may well be that from His land, through His people, all the nations of the world will be blessed (compare ‘Yahweh reigns’ (Psa 97:1; Psa 99:1)). Here already is the idea of the everlasting kingdom.
Exo 15:19
“For the horses of Pharaoh went in with his chariots,
And with his horsemen (drivers) into the sea,
And Yahweh brought again the waters of the sea on them,
But the children of Israel walked on dry land in the middle of the sea.”
This is a summary note added to confirm the application of the song. This is why they sang, because of what God had done for the children of Israel in destroying the elite of the Egyptian army and providing a passage for the children of Israel through the sea. (Notice again how the suggestion that Pharaoh himself went in is avoided).
The Song of Miriam ( Exo 15:20-21 ).
Exo 15:20
‘And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.
“The prophetess.” There are few mentions of prophetesses in the Old Testament but one or two made a significant contribution. Deborah was a tribal leader, ‘a judge’ (Jdg 4:4), and she strengthened the hand of the war leader Barak. She too sang a song of victory (5:1). Huldah was consulted by important men to find the word of Yahweh (2Ki 22:14). Noadiah was unhelpful to Nehemiah when, along with some prophets, she tried to influence him wrongly (Neh 6:14). A prophetess was married to Isaiah (Isa 8:3). It is therefore clear that except when there were exceptional women like Deborah and Huldah they played a minor role, possibly mainly with women and in prophetic song.
“The sister of Aaron.” Aaron was the eldest son and probably head of the family. Thus Miriam would be known as the sister of Aaron. The description also kept her on the same level with Aaron and therefore inferior to Moses before God. It was possibly, but not necessarily, Miriam who had watched over the baby in the ark, and fetched his mother for the daughter of Pharaoh. If so she was very old.
“Timbrels.” These were kinds of tambourines held and struck with the hand. They appear to be used for worship and for joyous occasions and often to be associated with dancing (Psa 149:3; Psa 150:4).
“With dances.” Dancing was a common method of expressing joy, and praise and thanks (compare 2Sa 6:14; Psa 149:3; Psa 150:4).
Exo 15:21
‘And Miriam answered them, “Sing you to Yahweh, for he has triumphed gloriously (or ‘is highly exalted’). The horse and his rider has he thrown into the sea.’
This is expressed as a reply to the song sung by Moses and the children of Israel. It is like a chorus, repeating the first refrain. The two songs would be sung together, the latter following the former.
This song is of great importance. Its early provenance is accepted by most scholars, and it contains within it much of the theology of Israel. It acknowledges the uniqueness of Yahweh (Exo 15:11), it stresses that Israel are the people whom He has redeemed (Exo 15:13; Exo 15:16), it declares that Yahweh is bringing them to His land (‘the mountain of Your inheritance’) which He has set apart for them as His Sanctuary (Exo 15:17), it clearly recognises the Holy War ahead (Exo 15:14-16), and it proclaims that Yahweh will be King over them ‘for ever’ (Exo 15:18). Note that here their father’s God is specifically said to be Yahweh (Exo 15:2) not El Shaddai.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The Songs of Moses and Miriam Exo 15:1-19 is popularly entitled “The Song of Moses,” and Exo 15:20-21 is called the “Song of Miriam.” A song is a powerful tool for teaching people, in that the words are memorized and taken to heart as they are sang. The prophetic song of Moses will serve as a reminder to generations of Israelites that God is faithful to redeem His people. In addition, God will remind backslidden Israel during the following centuries through His prophets of their deliverance from Egypt and of His unchanging love for them.
Exo 15:8 Word Study on “were gathered together” Strong says this Hebrew word ( ) (H6192) means, “to pile up, to gather together, to heap up, pile, be heaped up.” The Enhanced Strong says that this word is used only once in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV, “gathered together.”
Exo 15:8 Word Study on “stood upright” – Strong says this Hebrew ( ) (H5324) means, “to station.” This word is used 75 times in the Old Testament. The Enhanced Strong says that in the KJV this word is translated, “stand 34, set 12, officers 6, set up 7, upright 2, appointed 1, deputy 1, erected 1, establish 1, Huzzab 1, misc 9.” Note that this same Hebrew verb is used to describe the crossing of the Red Sea in Psa 78:13.
Psa 78:13, “He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters to stand as an heap.”
Exo 15:8 Word Study on “congealed” – Strong says this Hebrew ( ) (H7087) means, “to shrink, or to thicken (as unracked wine, curdled milk, clouded sky, frozen water), to congeal, to curdle.” It is used five times in the Old Testament. The Enhanced Strong says that in the KJV this word is translated, “congeal 1, settled 1, curdle 1, variant 1, dark 1.”
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
The Escape Thru the Red Sea Exo 13:17 to Exo 15:21 records the flight of Israel from Egypt through the Red Sea. This journey has strong symbolism of the Christian’s salvation experience and water baptism. The next passage of Scripture (Exo 15:22 to Exo 18:27) will symbolize a Christian’s early journey towards the phase of indoctrination as a part of discipleship, which is demanded of them at Mount Sinai.
1. Israel Journeys Through the Wilderness ( Exo 13:17-22 ) – Israel’s initial journey into the wilderness is characterized by God’s total provision for them. They did not have to do anything to walk in victory except follow Moses. This event could symbolize the Christian’s days immediately following the salvation experience. A new believer finds God at work in every aspect of his life, in his prayers, in miracles of deliverance, being provided everything he needs with little or no effort to exercise his faith.
2. Israel Crosses the Red Sea ( Exo 14:1-31 ) The crossing of the Red Sea could symbolize a Christian’s water baptism, a time when he feels deliverance from all bondages of sin. Water baptism confirms his commitment to follow Christ.
3. The Song of Moses ( Exo 15:1-19 ) and the Song of Miriam ( Exo 15:20-21 ) The songs of Moses and Miriam reflect joy that a new believer experiences by his cleansing from sin and guilt and bondages of this world. He is free and his joy is overflowing.
Illustration – I have known a number of people who were instantly delivered from addictions and illnesses at the time of salvation. One church member testified to us that he was delivered from cigarettes when he gave his life to the Lord. One day he started to buy a pack of cigarettes and the Lord spoke to him, “I delivered you the first time. You will have to deliver yourself the second time.”
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
The Song of Triumph
v. 1. Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, v. 2. The Lord is my Strength and Song, v. 3. The Lord is a man of war, v. 4. Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath He cast into the sea; his chosen captains, the choice of his officers, also are drowned in the Red Sea, v. 5. The depths have covered them, v. 6. Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power, v. 7. And in the greatness of Thine excellency, of Thy majesty, Thou hast overthrown them that rose up against Thee, v. 8. And with the blast of Thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, v. 9. The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them, v. 10. Thou didst blow with Thy wind, the sea covered them; they sank as lead in the mighty waters, v. 11. Who is like unto Thee, O Lord, among the gods, v. 12. Thou stretchedst out Thy right hand, the earth swallowed them. v. 13. Thou in Thy mercy hast led forth the people which Thou hast redeemed. v. 14. The people shall hear and be afraid, v. 15. Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed, v. 16. Fear and dread shall fall upon them, v. 17. Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of Thine inheritance, in the place, O Lord, which Thou hast made for Thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which Thy hands have established. v. 18. The Lord shall reign forever and ever.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
EXPOSITION
THE SONG OF MOSES. Full of gratitude, joy, and happinessburning with a desire to vent in devotional utterance of the most fitting kind, his intense and almost ecstatic feelings, Moses, who to his other extraordinary powers, added the sublime gift of poesy, composed, shortly after the passage, a hymn of praise, and sang it with a chorus of the people as a thanksgiving to the Almighty. The hymn itself is generally allowed to be one of transcendent beauty. Deriving probably the general outline of its form and character of its rhythm from the Egyptian poetry of the time, with which Moses had been familiar from his youth, it embodies ideas purely Hebrew, and remarkable for grandeur, simplicity, and depth. Naturally, as being the first outburst of the poetical genius of the nation, and also connected with the very commencement of the national life, it exerted the most important formative influence upon the later Hebrew poetic style, furnishing a pattern to the later lyric poets, from which they but rarely deviated. The “parallelism of the members,” which from the middle of the Last century has been acknowledged to be the only real rhythmical law of Hebrew poetry, with its three forms of “synonymous, antithetic, and synthetic (or verbal) parallelism” is here found almost us distinctly marked as in any of the later compositions. At the same time, a greater lyrical freedom is observable than was afterwards practised. The song divides itself primarily into two parts:the first (Exo 15:1-12) retrospective, celebrating the recent deliverance; the second (Exo 15:13-18) prospective, describing the effects that would flow from the deliverance in future time. The verbs indeed of the second part are at first grammatical preterites; but (as Kalisch observes) they are “according to the sense, futures”their past form denoting only that the prophet sees the events revealed to him as though they were already accomplished. Hence, after a time, he slides into the future (Exo 15:16). The second part is continuous, and has no marked break: the first sub-divides into three unequal portions, each commencing with an address to Jehovah, and each terminating with a statement of the great fact, that the Egyptians were swallowed up. These three portions are:
1. Exo 15:2-5, “The Lord is my strength,” to “They sank into the bottom as a stone.”
2. Exo 15:6-10,” Thy right hand, O Lord,” to “They sank like lead in the mighty waters.”
3. Exo 15:11-12, “Who is like unto Thee, O Lord,” to “The earth swallowed them.” The first verse stands separate from the whole, as an introduction, and at the same time as the refrain. Moses and a chorus of men commenced their chant with it, and probably proceeded to the end of Exo 15:5, when Miriam, with the Hebrew women, interposed with a repetition of the refrain (see Exo 15:21). The chant of the males was resumed and carried to the close of Exo 15:10, when again the refrain came in. It was further repeated after Exo 15:12; and once moral at the close of the whole “song.” Similar refrains, or burdens, are found in Egyptian melodies
Part I.
Exo 15:1
Then sang Moses and the children of Israel. It is in accordance with the general modesty of Moses, that he says nothing of the composition of the “song.” No serious doubt of his authorship has ever been entertained; but the general belief rests on the improbability of there having been among the Israelites a second literary genius of the highest order, without any mention being made of him. The joint-singing by Moses and “the children of Israel” implies the previous training of a choir, and would seem to show that the Israelites remained for some days encamped at the point which they had occupied on quitting the bed of the sea. He hath triumphed gloriously. Literally. He is gloriously glorious.” ( , LXX.) The horse and his rider. Rather, “The horse and his driver.” Chariots, not cavalry, are in the mind of the writer.
Exo 15:2
The Lord is my strength and song. Literally, “My strength and song is Jah.” The name Jah had not previously been used. It is commonly regarded as an abbreviated form of Jehovah, and was the form generally used in the termination of names, as Abijah, Ahaziah, Hezekiah, Zedekiah, Mount Moriah, etc. It takes the place of “Jehovah” here, probably on account of the rhythm. He is become my salvation. Literally, “He has been to me for salvation,” i.e; “He has delivered me out of the hand of Pharaoh and his host, and so saved me from destruction.” I will prepare him a habitation. This translation seems to have come originally from the Targum of Onkelos, who paraphrases the single word of the text by the phrase “I will build him a sanctuary.” The meaning is a possible one: but most modern commentators prefer to connect the verb used with a root meaning “beautiful,” and translate “I will glorify him.” (So Gesenius. Rosenmuller, Knobel, Kalisch, Cook. The LXX have . The Vulgate has glorificabo. The Syrian and Coptic versions agree, as do also the Targums of Jonathan and of Jerusalem.) The God of my father. See the comment on Exo 3:6.
Exo 15:3
A man of war. A strong anthropomorphism, but one that could scarcely be misunderstood”a man of war,” meaning commonly “a warrior,” or “one mighty in battle” (Psa 24:8). God’s might had just been proved, in that he alone had discomfited and destroyed the most potent armed force in the whole world. The Lord is his name. Jehovahthe alone-existing One “truly describes him,” before whom all other existence fades and falls into nothingness. On the full meaning of the name, see the comment on Exo 3:14.
Exo 15:4
Pharaoh’s chariots and his host. The “host” of this passage is not the “army” of Exo 14:9, though in the original the same word is used, but the whole multitude of those who rode in the chariots, and were drowned in the sea. Hath he cast. Or “hurled.” The verb commonly expresses the hurling of a javelin or the shooting of an arrow. His chosen captains. Compare Exo 14:7. Are drowned. Literally, “were submerged.” The word describes the act of drowning, not the state of lying drowned in the depths of the sea.
Exo 15:5
The depths have covered them. Rather “covered them.” Into the bottom. Literally, “into the abyss.” Like a stone. The warriors who fought in chariots commonly wore coats of mail, composed of bronze plates sewn on to a linen base, and overlapping one another. The coats covered the arms to the elbow, and descended nearly to the knee. They must have been exceedingly heavy: and the warrior who wore one must have sunk at once, without a struggle, like a stone or a lump of lead (Exo 15:10).
Exo 15:6-18
Between Exo 15:5 and Exo 15:6, Miriam’s chorus was probably interposed “Sing ye unto the Lord,” etc. Then began the second strophe or stanza of the ode. It is, in the main, expansive and exegetical of the preceding stanza, going into greater detail, and drawing a contrast between the antecedent pride and arrogance of the Egyptians and their subsequent miserable fall.
Exo 15:6
Thy right hand, O Lord. Another anthropomorphism, here used for the first time. Compare Exo 15:12; Deu 33:2; and the Psalms, passim. Is become glorious Or “is glorious. Kalisch rightly regards verses 6 and 7 as containing “a general description of God’s omnipotence and justice,” and notes that the poet only returns to the subject of the Egyptians in verse 8. So also Knobel. Hath dashed in pieces. Rather, “Will dash in pieces,” or “dashes in pieces”a general statement.
Exo 15:7
Thou hast overthrown, etc. Here again the verbs are future. Translate”thou wilt overthrow,” or “thou overthrowest them that rise up against thee; thou (wilt send) sendest forth thy wrath, which consumes them as stubble.” The metaphor in the last clause was one known to the Egyptians.
Exo 15:8
With the blast of thy nostril the waters were gathered together. Poetically, Moses describes the east wind which God set in motion as “the blast” or “breath of his nostrils.” By means of it, he says, the waters were “gathered together,” or “piled up;” then, growing bolder in his imagery, he represents the floods as “standing in a heap” on either side, and the depths as “congealed. No doubt, if these terms are meant to be taken literally, the miracle must have been one in which “the sea” (as Kalisch says) “giving up its nature, formed with its waves a firm wall, and instead of streaming like a fluid, congealed into a hard substance.” But the question is, are we justified in taking literally the strong expressions of a highly wrought poetical description?
Exo 15:9
The enemy said. This verse is important as giving the animus of the pursuit, showing what was in the thoughts of the soldiers who flocked to Pharaoh’s standard at his calla point which had not been previously touched. It is remarkable as a departure from the general stately order of Hebrew poesy, and for what has been called its “abrupt, gasping” style. The broken speech imitates the utterance of one at once eager and out of breath. I will divide the spoil. The Israelites, it must be remembered, had gone out of Egypt laden with ornaments of silver and of gold, and accompanied by flocks and herds of great value. Pharaoh’s soldiers regarded this wealth as legitimate plunder, and intended to appropriate it. My lust. Literally, “my soul.” Rage and hate were the passions to be satiated, rather than lust. My hand shall destroy them. So the Vulgate, Onkelos, Rosenmuller, Knobel, Kalisch, and others. The LXX. have , “acquire the lordship over them” But the drawn sword points to death rather than recapture.
Exo 15:10
Thou didst blow with thy wind. Here we have another fact not mentioned in the direct narrative, but entirely harmonising with it. The immediate cause of the return of the waters, as of their retirement, was a wind. This wind must have come from a new quarter, or its effects would not have been to bring the water back. We may reasonasbly suppose a wind to have arisen contrary to the former one, blowing from the north-west or the north, which would have driven the water of the Bitter LaMes southward, and thus produced the effect spoken of. The effect may, or may not, have been increased by the flow of the tide in the Red Sea They sank as lead. See the comment on Exo 15:5.
Exo 15:11, Exo 15:12
Contain the third stanza of the first division of the ode. It is short compared to the other two, containing merely a fresh ascription of praise to God, cast in anew form; and a repetition of the great fact which the poem commemoratesthe Egyptian overthrow. We conceive that Miriam’s chorus (Exo 15:21) was again interposed between Exo 15:10 and Exo 15:11.
Exo 15:11
Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? It was one great object of the whole series of miraculous visitations whereof Egypt had been the scene, that the true God, Jehovah, should be exalted far above all the gods of the heathen. (See Exo 7:5; Exo 14:4, Exo 14:18.) Moses therefore makes this one of his topics of praise; and at the same time notes three points in which God has no rival
1. Holiness;
2. Awfulness; and
3. Miraculous power.
Compare Psa 86:8; “Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like thy works.” Fearful in praisesi.e; “to be viewed with awe even when we praise Him.”
Exo 15:12
Thou stretchedst out thy right hand. Thou hadst only to stretch out an arm, and at once thy enemies perished. The earth swallowed them upi.e; the sea, which is a part of the earth.
Part II.
Exo 15:13
Thou in thy mercy hast led forth. Or “leadest forth.” See the Introduction to the chapter. Which thou hast redeemed. See the comment on Exo 6:6. Then hast guided. Or “thou guidest.” Thy holy habitation. By “God’s holy habitation” some understand Mount Sinai, others Canaan, others Mount Moriah, or even tile temple there to be built ultimately. That Sinai is not intended seems clear from Exo 6:14, Exo 6:15, where the nations mentioned are such as were untouched by the occupation of that mountain. Canaan might sufficiently answer the requirements of the present verse, but scarcely comes up to those of Exo 6:17. Altogether, it is clear that Moses knew there would be a place in the land of Canaan where God would “put his name” (Deu 12:5, Deu 12:11,Deu 12:14; Deu 14:23,Deu 14:24; Deu 16:6, Deu 16:11; Deu 26:2; etc.); and it would seem to be not unlikely that he may have known where the place would be by special revelation.
Exo 15:14
The people shall hear.Rather, “the peoples”i.e; the tribes, or nations, of these partsPhilistines, Amalekites, Edomites, Moabites, etc.will hear of the wonders done in Egypt, especially of the crowning wonder of allIsrael’s passage through the Red Sea and Egypt’s destruction in itand will in consequence tremble with fear when the Israelites approach them, and offer them no effectual opposition. Palestine. This is a Greek form. The Hebrew is Phelasheth, which would perhaps be best translated “Philistia.” (Compare Psa 60:8; Psa 87:4; Psa 108:9.) The Philistine country was a strip of territory extending along the coast of the Mediterranean from a little below Gaze on the south, nearly to Mount Carmel on the north. It is curious that the philistines are not mentioned under that name on any of the early Egyptian monuments. They may perhaps be the Purusaia of the time of Rameses III; whom some however identify with the Pelasgi.
Exo 15:15
The Dukes of Edom. Compare Gen 36:15. By the time that the Israelitesapproached the borders of Edom, the dukes had given place to kings (Num 20:14), and everything like abject fear of Israel had passed sway. The Edomites “came out against Moses with much people and with a strong hand,” and refused to allow the Israelites passage through their borders (Num 20:20, Num 20:21). The mighty men of Moab. The alarm of the Moabites was indicated by Balak’s efforts to induce Balaam to curse the Israelites (Numbers 22-24.). By their “mighty men” some understood men of unusual strength and stature (Cook); but the expression, which is very frequent both in the prophetical and the historical books, seems to be a mere periphrasis for “warriors.” All the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away. This prophecy received a remarkable accomplishment when “it came to pass that all the kings of the Cannanites heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, and their heart melted, neither was their spirit in them any more” (Jos 5:1).
Exo 15:16
Fear and dread shall fall upon them. Compare Deu 2:25; Deu 11:25. The Edomites of Mount Seir and the Moabites gave Israel a free passage through their borders (Deu 2:4-8, Deu 2:18, Deu 2:29), being afraid to oppose them. Till thy people pass over, O Lord. Some see in this an anticipation of the crossing of Jordan; but perhaps Moses meant no more than the crossing of the Canaanite frontier, in some place or other, which must take place if the urea was to be occupied. The event made the expression used peculiarly appropriate. When thou hast purchased. By bringing his people out of Egypt, their ownership had passed to him from the Egyptians, just as if he had bought them. (See Exo 6:6, Exo 6:7; Exo 19:5.)
Exo 15:17
Thou shalt bring them ini.e; give them possession of the laud. And plant themi.e; fix them firmly in itenable them to take root there. The mountain of thine inheritance. The land of Canaan, which is almost wholly mountainous, and which God had given as an inheritance to his people (Gen 15:7; Heb 11:8). The sanctuary. See the comment on Exo 15:13. Which thy hands have established. Moses sees in idea the sanctuary already set up, and God dwelling in it; and emphasises his conviction by using the past tense.
Exo 15:18
In terms most simple yet most grand, often imitated (Psa 10:16; Psa 29:10; Psa 146:10, etc.), but never surpassed, the poet gives the final result of all God’s providential and temporary arrangements, to wit, the eternal establishment of his most glorious kingdom. And here reaching the final consummation of all things (1Co 15:28), he will not weaken the impression made by adding another word, but ends his ode.
Exo 15:19-21
Sequel to the Song. The “sequel” treats of two quite separate masters.
1. It asserts, in verse 19, the historic groundwork of the song, reiterating in a condensed form the three principal facts of the presagealready recorded in ch. 14.
(a) Israel’s safe transit across the sea-bed;
(b) the pursuit attempted by the Egyptian chariot-force; end
(c) the return of the waters upon the pursuers by God’s providential action.
2. It relates, in verses 20 and 21, the part taken by Miriam in the recitation of the ode, which has been noticed in the “introduction” to the chapter.
Exo 15:19
The horse of Pharaoh, with his chariots, and with his horsemen. Rather, “with his chariots, and with his chariot men.” Compare Exo 14:23. The Lord brought again the waters of the sea upon them. See Exo 14:26, Exo 14:27; and Exo 15:10. The waters did not merely return to their natural place when the east wind ceased to blow, but were “brought back” by miraculous power, and with abnormal rapidity.
Exo 15:20
Miriam, the prophetess. Miriam is regarded by the prophet Mic 6:4, as having had a share in the deliverance of Israel, and claims the prophetic gift in Num 12:2. Her claim appears to be allowed both in the present passage, and in Num 12:6-8. where the degree of her inspiration is placed below that of Moses. She is the first woman whom the Bible honours with the title of “prophetess.” Prophetesses were common in Egypt at a much earlier date; and thus, that a woman should have the gift would have seemed no strange thing to the Hebrews. For examples of other prophetesses, see Jdg 4:4; 2Ki 22:14; Isa 8:3; Luk 2:36. The sister of Aaron. Compare Num 26:59. Miriam is generally regarded as the sister of Moses mentioned in Exo 2:4-8, whose name is not there given. If so, she was considerably older than either Moses or Aaron. Took a timbrel By “a timbrel” our translators meant what is now called “a tambourine.” Such instruments were common in Egypt, and in the representations are generally played by women. The separation of the men and women into distinct bands was an Egyptian custom; as likewise was the execution of dances by performers who accompanied their steps with music.
Exo 15:21
Miriam answered them. Miriam, with her chorus of women, answered the chorus of men, responding at the termination of each stanza or separate part of the ode with the refrain, “Sing ye to the Lord,” etc. (See the “Introduction” to this chapter.) While responding, the female chorus both danced and struck their tambourines. This use of dancing in a religious ceremonial, so contrary to Western ideas of decorum, is quite consonant with Oriental practice, both ancient and modern. Other examples of it in Scripture are David’s dancing before the ark (2Sa 6:16), the dancing of Jephthah’s daughter (Jdg 11:34), and that of the virgins of Shiloh (Jdg 21:21). It is also mentioned with approval in the Psalms (Psa 149:3; el. 4). Dancing was practised as a religious ceremony in Egypt, in Phrygia, in Thrace, by the Phoenicians, by the Syrians, by the Romans, and others. In the nature of things there is clearly nothing unfitting or indecorous in a dedication to religion of what has been called “the poetry of gesture.” But human infirmity has connected such terrible abuses with the practice that the purer religions have either discarded it or else denied it admission into their ceremonial. It still however lingers in Mohammedanism among those who are called “dancing dervishes,” whose extraordinary performances are regarded as acts of devotion.
HOMILETICS
Exo 15:1-18
The song of Moses a pattern thanksgiving.
There is nothing in the whole range of sacred or profane literature more fresh, more vigorous, more teeming with devotional thought than this wonderful poem. In rhythm it is grand and sonorous, in construction skilful and varied, in the quality of the thoughts lofty, in the mode of expression at once simple and sublime. Partly historic, partly prophetic, it describes the past with marvellous power, and gives with a few touches a glorious picture of the future. Throughout it breathes the warmest love of God, the deepest thankfulness to him, the strongest regard for his honour. We may well take it for our model when we have to thank God:
I. FOR A TEMPORAL DELIVERANCE; and observe
(1) its matter;
(2) its manner;
(3) its form.
(1) Its matter comprises
(a) distinct and repeated enunciation of the deliverance itself, with expatiation on its circumstances;
(b) anticipation of further advantages to flow from the deliverance in the future;
(c) transition from the particular mercy to the consideration of God’s power, greatness and goodness in the abstract; and
(d) glorification of God on all three accounts.
(2) Its manner comprises, among other points,
(a) beginning and ending with praise;
(b) intermixture of the praise with the grounds of praise;
(c) persistence and repetition, but with the introduction of new touches.
(3) Its form is
(a) poetic;
(b) discontinuous, or broken into stanzas;
(c) irregular.
Our thanksgivings for great national or even great personal deliverances may well, if our powers suffice, take a poetic shape. Poetry is more expressive than prose, more heart-stirring, more enthusiastic. It is also better remembered, and it is less diffuse.
II. FOR SPIRITUAL DELIVERANCE FROM THE EGYPT OF SIN. Each man’s deliverance will have its own peculiar features, which he will do well to note and make special subjects of thankfulness, not sparing repetition, that he may present the matter to himself in various lights, and see all God’s goodness in respect of it. Each deliverance will also lead naturally to prospective thoughts, extending beyond the wilderness of this life to the Canaan which is our inheritance. Each will profitably lead us to go beyond ourselves, and dwell for a while on the general attributes of God, whence proceed the mercies that we individually experience; and we shall do well to praise God on all these accounts. Manner and form are of less importance than matter, and admit of more variety without sensible loss; but even here “the song” furnishes a pattern on which it would be hard to improve. The grounds for preferring poetry to prose for such an outpouring of the heart as a thanksgiving have been already stated. The propriety of beginning and ending with praise is unquestionable. Repetition has a value as deepening impressions, and affording opportunity for remedying accidental coldness or inattention. In private devotion the actual repetition of the very same words has an occasional place, as we see by our Lord’s example in the garden of Gethsemane (Mat 26:44); but in a composition, phrases should be varied. Moses’s song may well guide us as to the extent and character of such variation (e.g; Exo 15:5, Exo 15:10, and Exo 15:12).
Exo 15:20, Exo 15:21
The aid which devout women can reader to the Church.
There are religions which exclude women from consideration altogether, express a doubt whether they have souls, and assign them no special Church work. But Judaism did not make this mistake, it utilised the services of women
I. AS PROPHETESSES. Miriam was a prophetess. So was Deborah, whose song is one of the most beautiful compositions in the Bible (Jdg 5:2-31). So was Huldah, who delivered God’s message to Hezekiah (2Ki 22:14-20). So was Anna (Luk 2:36), whom the tradition makes the virgin’s mother. God did not disdain to hold spiritual converse with women and enlighten them supernaturally; nor did the Israelites omit to take cognizance of the fact and give such persons their due honour.
II. AS NATIONAL DELIVERERS. Deborah “judged Israel” (Jdg 4:4), and it was she, rather than Barak, who delivered the Israelites from Jabin (Jdg 4:8, Jdg 4:14). Esther saved her people from the malice of Haman. Judith is said to have delivered them from Holofernes. Sex was no disqualification for high place among the Jews, any more titan among their neighbours, the Arabs. The queens of Judah obtain constant mention in Kings and Chronicles.
III. AS PARTICIPATORS IN RELIGIOUS CEREMONIALS. In the instance of Miriam we see how an important part of the thanksgiving service which Moses celebrated on the passage of the Red Sea was assigned to females. Apparently, on this occasion, half the chanting, and the whole of the instrumental music, was placed in their hands, Miriam acted as Choragus, or conductor, of the female chorus. Music is one of woman’s commonest gifts; and, though not eminent as composers, as renderers of the music of others, they have a fame exceeding that of men. They can do much for the glory of God in contributing to, and even sometimes superintending, the musical services of the sanctuary. In the Christian Church, there has been, equally from the first, a recognition of the services that may be rendered to religion by women. The apostles, after the ascension of our Lord, “continued with one accord in prayer and supplication with the women, and Mary, the mother of Jesus” (Act 1:14). Phoebe, who conveyed to Rome St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, was “a deaconess of the church that was at Cenchrea” (Rom 16:1); and an Order of deaconesses was generally recognised in the primitive Church, and believed to have been instituted by the apostles (Apost. Const. Rom 6:17). In all periods some church work, in many very important church work, has been assigned to women, with great advantage both to themselves and to the community. Though St. Paul forbade their speaking in the Church (1Co 14:35), and they thus cannot be ministers, subordinate employments of various kinds, suited to the nature of women, are everywhere open to them. The work of Sisters of Charity in various parts of tile world is above all praise. That of district visitors, teachers in Sunday schools, Scripture readers, etc; though less attracting the praise of men, is most valuable. Devout women, working under their ministers, can be the instruments of incalculable good, and so as much for the promotion of true religion as if they were men.
HOMILIES BY J. ORR
Exo 15:1-19
Moses’ Song.
The sublimity of this noble ode is universally admitted. It brings Moses before us in the new character of “poet.” Moses does not seem to have devoted himself largely to this species of composition; but the three specimens of his work which remain to usthis ode, his “Song” and “Blessing” in Deuteronomy, and Psa 90:1-17.show him to have possessed a poetical genius of the very highest order; to have been as great as poet, as we know him to have been as warrior, leader, statesman, legislator, historian, patriot, and saint. The grandest features of poetry belong to the thrilling piece before us. It is the magnificent outburst of the feeling of uncontrollable triumph, awakened by the sight of the overthrow of the Egyptians in the Red Sea, and by the sense of deliverance and safety thence resulting. The language quakes and thunders in keeping with the grandeur of the theme. The presentation of the ideas is in the highest degree picturesque. The strokes of imagery are masterpiecesthe whole scene of defeat and disaster being repeatedly revealed, as by lurid lightning-flashes, in single sentences, and even single words. The movement is rapid, rhythmical, inspiring. The art displayed in the minutiae of literary construction is very great, while in all, and through all, pervading, as its energising soul, every syllable and stanza of the composition, is the spirit of adoring awe and wonder, blending with gratitude, which ascribes all the greatness, and honour, and renown, of the victory to Jehovah. We have to touch at present, however, less on the literary beauties than on the religious teaching of the ode; and the nature of this, after what has been said on Psa 14:1-7; admits of being briefly indicated.
I. THE TRIUMPH CELEBRATED (Psa 14:1, Psa 14:2). This celebration of the deliverance at the Red Sea was
1. Natural. Adoring and exultant feeling naturally passes into song. It seeks expression. It tends to become rhythmical. It unites itself with music. Like mountain torrents, tearing down to the plain, and cutting their channels as they flow, pent-up emotion of this kind will not be denied utterance, and if suitable channels of rhythmical expression are not provided for it, will cut out channels for itself.
2. Appropriate. It was right that, having experienced this great deliverance, the children of Israel should give utterance, in strains of praise, to the feelings of wonder, gratitude, and adoration with which it inspired them. It was due to God, and it would be beneficial in its reactive effects upon themselves. The duty of praise for benefits received is one to which no religious mind can be indifferent. If God has gifted us with the faculty of song, it is right that the first use we make of it should be to extol his goodness. See the Psalms (Psa 92:1; Psa 98:1; Psa 105:1, Psa 105:2; Psa 111:1; etc.).
3. Elevating. The faculty of song is not merely one of the faculties of our nature. It is connected with that which is deepest in us. When the Psalmist bids his faculty of song awake, he speaks of it as his “glory.””Awake up, my glory” (Psa 57:8; cf. Psa 16:9; Psa 30:12). It is Carlyle who says”All deep things are musical.” Song, in its higher reaches, unites all the faculties of the soul in consentaneous exerciseheart, intellect, conscience, the religious nature, imagination, the artistic and tuneful sentiments, the social feelings. It arouses, elevates, fructifies, enkindles. It awakens the spirit to the sense of its own infinitude; fills it with scorn of what is base; attunes and harmonises it to what is noble. We do well, therefore, to cultivate the faculty of song; to exercise it in public and in private worship; to make it the daily vehicle of the expression of our religious feelings. “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns,” etc. (Eph 5:19). See that the melody is from the heart, yet with the understanding also (1Co 14:15).
II. THE TRIUMPH DESCRIBED (verses 3-13). The quick, abrupt, vivid language of the ode brings the whole scene of Pharaoh’s pursuit and destruction before us, almost as if it were transacting in our sight. The hot, breathless, intensely eager pursuit is depicted in verse 9, but it is chiefly the destruction that is dwelt on, and dwelt on in such terms, with the use of such similes, and in such relations of contrast to the proud monarch’s insolence and boasting, as limns it with photographic distinctness on the mental vision. The design in the description being to exalt and glorify God’s power in the overthrow, the points chiefly exhibited are these
1. The ease of this destruction. It is done in an instant, and without effort. In striking contrast with Pharaoh’s paraphernalia of war, with his savage exertions in pursuit, and with his elaborate drawing out of his purposes in verse 9″I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil,” etc.God simply blows with his wind, and the enemy is annihilated. “Thou didst blow with thy wind; the sea covered them; they sank as lead in the mighty waters” (verse 10). A movement of his hand, a blast of his nostrils, a solitary waft from the heat of his anger, suffices to destroy them.
2. The swiftness of it. This, which was a most impressive feature of the overthrow, is brought out in various images. “The depths have covered them; they sank to the bottom as a stone, they sank as lead in the mighty waters” (verses 5-10).
3. The fatality of it. The destruction was complete. There was no recovery from it. Horse and chariot and charioteer; the chosen captains; the whole array of Pharaoh’s military strengthall went down in one swift, fell swoop, to the sea-bottom. “Thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy” (verse 6). Pondering these images, we cannot but be impressed by the folly, the insanity, as well as the futility, of all attempts at contending with the Almighty.
III. THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD AS REVEALED IN THE TRIUMPH. These, naturally, are made conspicuous in the ode. It was Jehovah, not Israel, who had achieved the triumph; and to Jehovah, accordingly, was all the praise due. Further, the design in the transaction had been precisely this: to display the character of God as Jehovah, and give a new demonstration of his possession of the attributes denoted by the name Jah (verses 2, 3). The attributes of Jehovah specially extolled are
1. Power. “Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power” (verse 6). The greatness of this power is seen by its being measured against the military might of Pharaoh, which thereby becomes a foil to it: another measure being found in the might and fury of the elements which it controlswinds, mighty waters, etc. Its resistlessness is seen in the suddenness and decisiveness of the overthrow.
2. Supremacy (verses 11-18). This attribute, which is of the very essence of the Jehovah conception, was signally illustrated in the Red Sea catastrophe (Psa 135:6). Not only was God therein revealed as absolute Ruler in the domain of nature, but it was shown how Pharaoh himself, pursuing his own end, was yet bent to be an instrument in accomplishing God’s; how, when he thought he was freest, and most certain of victory, God had the hook in his jaws, and was leading all his host straight into the grave prepared for him; how, accordingly, God is Supreme Ruler in the moral as well as in the natural world, in the region of human wills as well as in that of natural causation.
3. Holiness. The holiness of God, burning like fire among stubble, and utterly consuming the hosts of the enemy, is justly celebrated in these verses (verse 7). God was revealed as “glorious in holiness” (verse 13); and because he was so, Israel was filled with awe in his presence (verse 13), and his habitation is spoken of as an “holy habitation” (verse 13), a sanctuary (verse 17).
4. Mercy. This is the other side of the transaction of the Red Seathe side of deliverance, as the former was of judgment, and mention is made of it in verses 2, 13. Here, then, is a wonderful constellation of Divine attributesexhibited, too, not in word, but in suitable action, in deeds which gave them embodiment, and impressive manifestation. They are the same attributes which have been at work all down history, operating for the good of the Church, and for the overthrow of evil.
IV. THE EFFECTS OF THE TRIUMPH (verses 13-18). It is viewed
1. As inspiring fear in the surrounding nations, in Edom, in Moab, among the Philistines, and other inhabitants of Canaan. Every powerful manifestation of God’s attributes is fitted to awaken terror among his enemies, and actually does so. Results similar to those here described will follow the great predicted judgments on the last representatives of Anti-christianism (Rev 11:13). The nations who heard of Israel’s deliverance would have reason to fear, for their position exposed them to risk of attack, and Canaan was actually the destination of the tribes. This may suggest to us that if Israel had gone up to conquer these tribes, at the time when God wished them, they would not have found the conquest so hard as their fears represented. The Philistines and Canaanites were “melted” with terror: they were paralysed by their fears, and “still as a stone” (verses 15, 16). Yet, through the unbelief and cowardice of the attacking force, this great opportunity was missed.
2. As a pledge that God would complete the work he had begun, and would ultimately “plant them in the mountain of his inheritance” (verses 13-17). In several of the expressions, the tenses are past, as though the thing prophesied were already as good as done. This also is an apostle’s mode of arguingGod who has done the greater, will not now fail to do the less, and perfect the work he has begun (Rom 5:9, Rom 5:10; Rom 8:32; Php 1:6). Mark in this ode the designation of Israel as a redeemed, a purchased people (verse 13)the Red Sea deliverance being viewed as a second purchasing of Israel by God to himself.J.O.
Exo 15:1-20, Exo 15:21
The song of Moses and of the Lamb.
We cannot fail to connect in our thoughts the circumstances of this magnificent triumph-celebration with that other scene, described in the Apocalypse, where they who have “gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over the number of his name, stand oni.e; on the margin ofthe sea of glass, having the harps of God,” and “sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb” (Rev 15:2). We do not enter into any elaborate explication of the Apocalyptic symbols. The beast and his followers obviously represent the Antichristian foes of the Churchthe worldly secular powers that resist, oppose, and persecute the true servants of Christ. God’s judgment on these hostile world-powers, already summarily depicted in Exo 14:19, Exo 14:20, is to be afterwards more fully described under the imagery of the seven last plagues. This vision of the multitudes on the sea of glass is anticipative, and represents the celebration by the Church of her own deliverance, and of the completion of judgment upon her enemies. The “sea of glass” has obvious reference to the Red Sea, made to roll back, and stand up like a sea of crystal (Exo 14:8), yet illuminated and filled with lurid radiance, by the fiery glow of the pillar which shone on Israel. The “sea” is the symbol (in this instance) of deliverance achieved, of victory won, of enemies judged and overwhelmedthe fire in the crystal pointing to the burning wrath which consumed them. But what we have immediately to do with is the fact that the saved multitudes sing the “song of Moses, and of the Lamb.” This plainly does not mean that they sing two songs; nor yet that the song which they sing is the song recorded here; for the terms of what they sing are subsequently given (Rev 15:3, Rev 15:4). The meaning is that the Church, having experienced a deliverance similar to that experienced by Israel at the Red Sea, but as much greater than that old deliverance, as Christ is greater than Moses, and his salvtion greater than the salvation from Egypt,the old song is re-cast, and its terms re-adapted, to express both victories at once, the lower and the higher. The old is taken up into the new and is celebrated along with it. No victory of God for his Church will ever pass out of remembrance. Each will be the theme of grateful celebration to all eternity. But type must merge in antitype, and be celebrated with it in a single strain. The song of the redeemed over the defeat of the Antichristian powers at the endover the defeat of all their enemiesis the true counterpart of this song of Moses, and the one (the latter) remains for ever the background of the other (the former), and is blended with it in the united celebration. Glancing at the two songs, this in Exodus, and that in the Revelation, we note
1. That the scope of both is the samethe defeat of hostile, pursuing, persecuting powers. And as the defeat of Pharaoh was the natural sequel to the exodus, and confirmed to Israel that redemption then achieved, so will the defeat of Christ’s enemies in the end appear as the appropriate sequel to his work upon the Cross, and will complete the deliverance of his Church from those that trouble her (2Th 1:6).
2. That the attributes of God extolled in both are the same. This of necessity, for the work being similar, so must be the attributes revealed in itholiness, power, unchallengeable supremacy, justice and truth, which here include mercy. “Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty,” etc. (Rev 15:3). The effects produced on the nations by this display of God’s attributes are also similar”who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name for all nations shall come and worship before thee.” A higher result this, however, than in the case of the type.
3. The singers in both cases are the samethose viz. who have experienced the deliverance which they celebrate. Would we join them? We, too, must be in Christ, and partakers with those who, in the strength which he gives, are overcoming the world (1Jn 4:4).J.O.
HOMILIES BY D. YOUNG
Exo 15:1-19
The song of triumph-God exalted in the lips of the people.
This song we may take as being in some measure the result and expression of the state of feeling mentioned in Exo 14:31. People who feared Jehovah and believed in him were very likely, in such a rush of feeling, to sing as did the Israelites here: at the same time we must be careful not to rest content with attributing this song merely to natural causes. There is no need to deny the presence of genius; if only we bear in mind at the same time, that it is genius elevated and sanctified by the inspiration which Jehovah alone can give. Who else than God himself can lead into a true acquaintance with him? and if they who thus know him would speak of him and sing of him, it must he with such an arrangement of thoughts and choice of expressions as he alone can supply. The history of hymnology makes it very evident that genius is not enough for distinction in this sacred service. Poems full of genius, and almost faultless in form, are yet worthless for praise. For in this as other matters God has taken the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty, lie puts the holy and eternal fire on lips that the world despises. They who have made the praises of the Church have not been the writers of epics; they are not found among the poets-laureate; and so here we must look for the power of God as much in the construction of this song, as in the production of the events it celebrates. We are called on to observe him who somehow makes men to utter even more than they know. It may be needful at the proper time to consider this as a contribution to Hebrew poetry; it is better still ever to remember it as a contribution to the worthy praise of God, that praise which while it celebrates him, instructs and ennobles the man who renders it. The question of authorship here, bear in mind, is not to be settled right off by saying that Moses composed it. He and the people sang it, but who composed it is quite another question. And that this point is left undetermined only throws us back more on the thought of God as the great agent in bringing this song into existence. As to the topics treated of in the song, the very fact that there have been so many different ways of dividing it, makes one more disposed to consider it in its unity, without any attempt to divide it into sections at all. Thus then let us notice in succession the dominant truths and convictions which run through the song. The first point is the exaltation of God amongst his people. This is the word with which the song begins. “I will sing unto Jehovah, for he is highly exalted.”
I. NOTICE THE FACT THAT THERE IS EXALTATION OF GOD. God, in ruling the composition of this song, takes care of this most important point. It was the very point that needed to be brought out in all its prominence, so that no man should be exalted instead of God. Men exalt one another. They are constituted so as to admire that which is great and powerful, and when they are not men of faith, able to comprehend the greatness of the invisible God, their admiration must needs expend itself on the visible man. All temptation of this kind is here kept out of the way. The feeling that Jehovah is exalted runs all through the song. Everything is ascribed to him. Moses himself makes no claim, expects no praise. The people do not gather round him and hail him as deliverer. The tone of the praise is thus in perfect harmony with the deed that has been done. God becomes practically everything and man nothing. For what had Israel done here? They had indeed walked down to the Red Sea, through it, and on to the other side, but no one who regards the proprieties of language would speak of this as contributing to their salvation. We do not praise a man for availing himself of the conditions of safety. Thus we have a type of the way in which God is exalted and glorified in spiritual salvation. When we consider what has to be done in saving a man from his sins; and when we consider also the manifestations, so abundant, so transcendent, of God’s power in doing so, then how plainly incongruous it is to begin praising man for that simple act of faith by which he avails himself of God’s goodness in Christ. The more we consider, the more we shall feel that whatever praise man may deserve is better left to God to express. By all means let us have brotherly appreciation for brotherly kindness; brotherly gratitude encouraging brotherly love. But God only can praise rightly. Though nothing is said of Moses in this song, God took ample care of the fame and reward of his faithful servant. We had better keep to that which God requires from us, namely, praise to himself. As he requires it, so we inky be sure he will fit us to render it.
II. THE EXALTATION OF JEHOVAH IS AN EXALTATION TO SUPREMACY. He is supreme over physical force in one of its most imposing forms. “The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.” Perhaps those who have had to meet a charge of cavalry in the battle-field can best appreciate this expression. Jehovah is a man of war, and he goes out with strange weapons against great kings and their chosen captains; weapons which they cannot understand and cannot meet. He does not meet sword with sword, and chariot with chariot; the elements of nature are at his instant and entire command. In his hand the mightiest are as nothing. What is the excellency of Pharaoh, even though he be king of Egypt, before the greatness of the excellency of Jehovah? The answer is that as stubble before the fire, so is opposing man before Almighty God. “What a wind that must be, that strong east wind which raises waters, even from the deep, and keeps them when they are raised!” So we imagine man speaking in his inevitable submission to the powers of nature when they are roused. But when God has to speak of the east wind, it is as of something which comes as easily as a blast from the nostrils. True, this expression is chiefly used to indicate his wrath; but it also indicates the easeif ease be a fitting word to use of Jehovahwith which his work is done. In Exo 14:9, man is represented as resolving and rushing forth in the utmost confidence; anticipating the end from the beginning; certain of his resources and certain of the result, and then as he advances in all his pride and ostentation, God meets him in equal simplicity and sublimity. “Thou didst blow with thy breath, the sea covered them; they sank as lead in the mighty waters.” One breath from God, and the mightiest fabric goes down like a house of cards! Man accumulates his resources, he strains with prodigious efforts, he gathers his forces without mercy and without scruple; and then when all is in array, God calmly lifts his right hand, and the earth swallows the preparation and the pride of years.
III. THERE IS THE EXALTATION OF GOD ABOVE ALL OTHER DEITIES WORSHIPPED BY MEN. “Who is like unto thee, O Jehovah, among the gods?” This, of course, is also an illustration of Jehovah’s exaltation to supremacy. Moses and the Israelites had not attained the feeling that all other deities than Jehovah were but empty and delusive names. That discovery was reserved in the wisdom of God for later and prepared generations. The feeling that the gods of the nations were real beings with terrible power, was very potent in the breasts of the Israelites, as was evidenced by their frequent and facile lapses into idolatry. Therefore this uplifting of Jehovah above the gods was most appropriate praise to put into the lips of Israel at this time. The gods of Egypt represented the strength of Egypt; the gods of Philistia the strength of Philistia; the gods of every country the strength of every country where they were worshipped. When the strength of a land was broken, it was like writing Ichabod on the statue of its presiding deity.
IV. THIS WAS AN EXALTATION IN SUPREMACY WHICH EXTENDED TO THE FUTURE. God, shown supreme in the midst of his people and over their enemies, will maintain and manifest that supremacy in all the time to come. The calamities of Egypt travelling, as it had done, in the path of ten humiliations, and now utterly overthrown, are to be made known in Philistia, in Edom, in Moab, and all through Canaan. Here we flint some explanation of the apprehension with which the progress of Israel was afterwards viewed, as by the Edomites and Balak. The Israelites came to be looked on to some extent as a peculiar foe. The utter destruction of a whole army in the Red Sea was not an event which could be kept in a corner. God had now done something for Israel which enemies might notice as a measure and an index of what would yet be done. Then from the mention of these typical enemies. Philistia, Moab, etc; we are led to consider the abiding enemies of God‘s abiding people, those invisible ones who are fully known only to God himself. They have some sense that what has been done by Jesus against them is the measure of what will yet be done. Just as the Philistines felt the sound of Pharaoh’s destruction echoing against their fastnesses, and even in the very echo, shaking them, so we may be sure the principalities and powers of evil felt the greatness of what had been achieved when Christ was raised from the dead. That great act of Jehovah has been far more appreciated in the invisible world, among the powers of evil, than it is among us. They cannot but feel what the end will be. What forgetting fools the Israelites were in after ages, to act in contradiction to this exultant song of praise, trembling and fleeing before the nations that were round about.Y.
Exo 15:1-19
The song of triumph.
The sense of Israel‘s obligation to Jehovah fully expressed. God, we have noticed, is lifted up in this song. We now proceed to observe how he is lifted up in the midst of his people, whom he encompasses with his protection, whom he cheers and illuminates with his favour. His destruction is not mere destruction; his supremacy is not only over his enemies, but also as the guide, the comforter, and the portion of his own. Hence we discover almost immediately on breaking into the song, how Israel is found expressing complete dependence on Jehovah.
I. THERE IS THE EXPRESSION OF INDEBTEDNESS. God has come to Israel in its suffering, need, and helplessness. Israel is weak, and God gives the strength it needs. Israel is sad-hearted, and God enables it to burst forth in songs of gladness. Israel is in peril, and God has interposed with effectual and abiding salvation. He has not only supplied some needs, but all needs wherein Israel was able to receive his aid. More needs would have been supplied, if more had been felt; more causes of gratitude given, if more could have been brought into operation. God is now felt to be a guide (Exo 15:13), and the land that was thought to fasten the people in, now takes its right place in the memory of the devout as an evident part of the highway of God’s holy ones. What expressions of indebtedness could be more complete? It was impossible to exaggerate the debt, and God took care that the words of the song should not fall short in acknowledging it. Thus let it ever be our aim to thank God for his goodness to us, in such words as he supplies, and fill his forms full with the devotion of meditative and observant hearts.
II. THIS EXPRESSION IS A PERSONAL ONE. The word “I” stands out prominently. The song was not only for a delivered nation, but for a nation in whose deliverance every individual was blessed. It was emphatically a song for every Israelite. God had done all this for Israel, not that he might have a nation for his own to be looked at in the mass, averaged over the whole, the good along with the bad; it was to be a nation made up of holy, obedient, and grateful individuals. Even already, God is indicating that his true people must be bound to him by personal attachment and service. Pharaoh had said in his haste and thoughtlessness, “I and my people are wicked” (Exo 9:27). Here Jehovah gives something for each one of his own people to say; and if each of them labours to say it with a feeling corresponding to the words, then indeed there will come an outburst from the nation such as could not in any other way be produced.
III. THIS EXPRESSION BEING PERSONAL, IS ALSO AN EXPRESSION AS TO THE SOURCE OF PERSONAL ABILITY. “The Lord is my strength.” The strength of a believer just amounts to that which God puts into him according to his need and according to his faith. Bring to God as many vessels as you will, and if it be wise to fill them, then God can fill them all. Learn that the natural strength of man, even at its best, is inadequate for some purposes and uncertain for any. It breaks down, often without warning and without recovery. Therefore it is a great matter for me to feel that “the Lord is my strength.” He himself comes in, not to supplement human efforts, nor to fill up human defects, but rather to make his presence felt with men in the choosing of right purposes, and the carrying of them out to a full and satisfying attainment. The Israelite had been nothing in himself; nothing as against the tyranny of Pharaoh in Egypt; nothing as against the pursuing chariots by the Red Sea. And now all at once he is able to sing as if he were a portion and a factor of Omnipotence.
IV. THIS EXPRESSION BEING PERSONAL IS ALSO AN EXPRESSION AS TO THE SOURCE OF PERSONAL GLADNESS. “The Lord is my song.” From him comes real and abiding gladness, such gladness as becomes man at his best estate. The world has its great singers, and what it reckons imperishable songs. Each nation has its own patriotic effusions, and excited and often half-drunken crowds will roar themselves hoarse over national anthems. There are love songs, drinking songs, war songs, and all that great number besides which elude classification. It would be foolish indeed of the Christian, in his haste, to despise these productions, for many of them are very beautiful, and they have an unquestionable and not astonishing hold on the general heart. But after all, we must escape into higher and holier associations, and dwell in them, if we would have gladness, such as will satisfy. The Lord must be our song. He, in his attributes, his actions, and the history of his dealings with the children of men, must be the topic of our praise. The great thing to make each of us glad must be that our minds are kept in perfect peace because they are stayed upon him. All other gladness, sweet as it may be in the beginning, will prove bitter, perhaps very bitter, in the end. Nor was Jehovah any less the song of every true Israelite here, because he was shown acting in such a stern, uncompromising way. The people had to praise God for an actual, present, and overwhelming mercy; and if they had to sing of destruction, that was a necessity not to be escaped. True, there is no word of pity all the way through this song for the destroyed host of Pharaoh, simply because it was not the place for such an expression. The thing to be here expressed and dwelt upon is praise to Jehovah, because of the greatness and completeness of the Divine action. And what an impressive contrast there is between the conduct of these Israelites when delivered and the conduct in the hour of victory, which only too many pages of history record, indeed, such conduct is not absent from the pages of the Old Testament itself. It was, of course, impossible, that any scene of butchery, pillage, and violation, could be presented to us here; but there is not even any tone of savage, revengeful ,exultation over the destroyed. Israel stands by the mighty waters, looks on the corpses of the Egyptians, and sends up this volume of undiluted, unqualified praise to Jehovah. Let us, for the moment, forget the personal unworthiness of the singers, their past unbelief, their future lapses into idolatry, rebellion, and self will. The words of praise here were the right words to speak; and at the time, we may be sure, many of them felt them. The words were true, the feeling real; the fault was that the singers did not continue to live so as to not the feeling more deeply in their breasts.
V. THIS EXPRESSION BEING PERSONAL, IS ALSO AN EXPRESSION AS TO THE SOURCE OF PERSONAL SAFETY. “He has become my salvation.” There is thus an experience to dwell on that peculiarly inspires grateful acknowledgment. We are grateful to those who provide for us, who instruct us, who supply us with comforts and pleasures; but there is a peculiar tie to him who saves us in any hour of peril. God himself cannot but look with peculiar interest to those whom he has delivered; and the delivered should look with peculiar devotion to him. If it is much to create men and to provide for them in their natural existence, it is more still to save them from death and to give them eternal life in Christ; and thus God must look in a special way on those who believe and are being saved. And so also, if it is much to be created and much to be provided for, it is even more to be saved; to have the sure feeling that beyond this changing, corruptible scene, there is the house of God, not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. There are untold millions who owe existence and all their power of enjoyment to God, yet not one syllable of real thankfulness has ever passed their lips. But as to those who are saved, if they be truly in process of salvation, thankfulness is part of their life. Of this be perfectly sure, no salvation is going on if thankfulness for it be not in the heart and some sort of praise on the lip and in the life.
VI. In view of all that has thus been considered, it will be seen as a fitting consequence that JEHOVAH SHOULD BE DISTINCTLY SET FORTH AS WORTHY OF ADORATION AND HONOR. “He is my God and I will glorify him, my father’s God and I will exalt him.” My father‘s God. Here is the response, more or less appreciative, to all declarations in which Jehovah speaks of himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. True praise of God takes in the great historic past, yes, and also the past which is not historic; a past none the less real, none the less contributory to the present, even though there be no record of it such as we can read. Jehovah was deliverer to Israel that day by the Red Sea, because of what he had been to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob centuries before. What God is to each of us to-day, is possible because of what he was to our fathers long ago. Explore then and discover how present blessings are rooted in the past. This will not only be an interesting study, but will increase gratitude, and fix it more surely in the regions of the understanding.Y.
Exo 15:11
Jehovah among the gods.
As long as these deitiesthe deities, say, of Egypt, Philistia, Edom, Moab, Canaanwere simply to be compared among themselves, there might be room for rivalries among them; there might be reasons for asserting superiority because of a more splendid worship and a larger host of worshippers. But, when Jehovah steps in upon the scene, all discussions as to the comparative excellences of other deities cease to have interest. The most renowned of them becomes of no more account than the most obscure. Even the temple of the great goddess Diana is then despised, and her magnificence destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth. At Ephesus, under the very shadow of the far famous building, Paul persuades and turns away much people, saying that they be no gods which are made with hands. Whether stars be of the first magnitude or not ceases to be a question of interest when the sun rises; for then they all vanish alike. “Who is like unto thee, Jehovah, among the gods?” Nor is this question left as a mere vague vociferation. It is pursued into instructive detail, and illustrated by the mention of three particular features of pre-eminence. These words are spoken with the signs of Jehovah’s glory right before the eyes of those who speak. Not mere symbolic signs, such as the burning bush, the rod changed to a serpent, and the leprous hand; but signs that were also great benefits and judgments. Fresh from the miraculous passage, and with the destruction of Pharaoh’s host scarcely faded from their eyes, these singers of praise very fitly ask, Who is like to Jehovah, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises doing wonders?
I. GLORIOUS IN HOLINESS. Some word is needed to indicate the distinction between deity and all lesser existence, and that word we find in “holiness.” Hence holiness and even some sort of glory in their holiness might be attributed to all the gods. All places and symbols associated with them would be approached with scrupulous veneration and only too often with abject terror. But who had such holiness as Jehovah possessed? We may take the question as running”Whose glory in holiness is like unto thine?” Then, standing in our position as Christians, with the light we thus enjoy, and considering all the conceptions of Deity which our present knowledge of the world, in all lands and through past ages, supplies, we can put this question with a richness of meaning which was not possible to Moses or to his brother Israelites. Consider the deities of the Grecian and Roman mythologyfor with that we are perhaps best acquaintedor any deities the wide world over, either among barbarous peoples or civilised; and then consider the Jehovah of the Hebrew Scriptures, the God who revealed himself more fully and in due time by his Son. Look how the worship of an idolater drags him down. Think of the unutterable prostitution and sensualities connected with certain idolatries. Think of those miserable parents in whom idolatry had so destroyed natural affection that they could cause their sons and daughters to pass through the fire to Moloch. Many are rigorous, fanatical and even furious in their religion, who yet show by their lives that they care nothing for great duties; their religion, alas! seems to make them worse instead of better. How great, then, is the privilege of him who has indeed come to perceive that Jehovah is glorious in holiness! He is light, and in him is no darkness at all. lie is lovesuch love as is set forth in Joh 3:16. His wrath is revealed against all unrighteousness of men. The very nation that he chose, sanctified and cherished, he made to be “scattered and peeled,” because it would not do righteousness according to his will. What a cheering and inspiring thing to turn from the inspection of our own hearts with its dismal results, and from our observation of the seething selfishness of the world, to think of the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ! For Christ moves before us in the beauty of holiness, a great, attractive, rebuking reality; and we know that as is the Son, so is the Father; as is the visible and Incarnate One, so is the invisible and purely spiritual Jehovah above. It is through the Son we know the Father; and it is everything to feel that he is not a mere imagination. He is drawing us to himself; so that as he is glorious in the holiness of the Uncreated and Pure, so we, even though sadly fallen, may become glorious in the holiness of the restored and the perfected. We have yet to sing the new song from those who are glorious in the holiness of matured sonship to him who is glorious in the holiness of our Father in heaven.
II. FEARFUL IN PRAISES. Though this expression is beyond exact definition, yet it is obvious that a certain way of understanding it is appropriate to the present occasion. Jehovah is a God to be praised for his terrible doings. It is part of his very holiness that he makes that holiness to be respected by his treatment of those who presumptuously despise it. If he he not approached with reverence and obeyed with promptitude, and from the heart, he can make the irreverent ones to feel the evil consequences. He is not one to make claims which he cannot authenticate and enforce. It was not as the priest of some foreign deity, with empty pomp, that Moses came forth before Pharaoh, trusting by a great show to terrify him into acquiescence. There is manifested power; power so widespread and various in its manifestations, so overwhelming in its concluding operations, that even the most ignorant can appreciate it. If God is not loved, he must be feared; if his good and perfect gifts are not accepted, then his visitations of perfect and holy wrath must take their place. The mercies for which Israel had now to praise Jehovah were such as could not be sung without recounting an awful story. Nor must we ever shrink from dwelling on such scenes when needed. We must praise God for his severity to the wicked, as much as for anything else. We could not truly praise him for his love, unless we were also able to praise him far his wrath.
III. DOING WONDERS. Here is another peculiar Divine prerogative. Jehovah does wonders such as none among the gods can do. One has almost forgotten the magicians, it is so long since they retreated into obscurity and shame. This is praise to Jehovah, which at once pushed aside all magicians and pretenders to the supernatural. The wonders they do would cease to be wonders, if they would only allow us to become a little better acquainted with them; and not only would they cease to be wonders, they would even become despicable, as we consider the lying with which they are supported, and the knavish ends for which they are produced. A conjurer’s tricks are only like common things hidden away; show us where they are hidden, and the mystery ceases. The mystery is in the concealment and nothing else. But Jehovah’s dealings, as in Egypt, are true wonders. They are brought out to the light so that all men can gaze on them and examine them, and the more they are examined the more mysterious they prove, it would not be good for usit would, indeed, be very bad, as starving a thing as could happen to our imagination and our highest capacities of enjoymentwere we to cease from wondering in the presence of God. Wonder must ever arise within us when we consider his operations, alike in nature and in grace.Y.
Exo 15:20, Exo 15:21
Woman’s part in the song of triumph.
In the history of Israel, we are called on to observe woman coming forward, not continuously, but every now and then, to show how real is her share in the lot of Israel She has had that share in suffering, being consumed with anxiety as to the fate of her offspring. (Exo 1:1-22.) She has had it in ministration,Jochebed, Miriam and Pharaoh’s daughter, being combined in the workun-conscious ministration towards the fitting of Moses for his great work. Whatever may be said of women speaking in the Church, we here behold them joining, in the most demonstrative way, in the public praises of Jehovah. The blessing by the lied Sea was one which went down to that common humanity which underlies the great distinction of sex. But it was also a very special blessing to women. Trials, such as had come to Jochebed when Moses was born, were to cease. Woman would have her own trials in the time to comethe pangs of childbirth, the cares of offspring, and all a mother’s peculiar solicitudes; but it was a great deal to have the special curse of bondage in Egypt removed. Then there would be deep thankfulness for the escape of the first-born; a feeling, too, of self-congratulation that they had been obedient in slaying the lamb and sprinkling the blood, and had thus escaped the blow which had fallen heavily on so many homes in Egypt. All these considerations would lead up to and prepare for the final outburst of praise and triumph. And so, if women consider still, they will be both astonished and profoundly grateful because of all that God in Christ Jesus has done for them. They have gained not only according to their simple share in humanity, but according to their peculiar relation towards man. If it be true, that Eve fell first, dreadfully have all her daughters suffered since. As belonging to this fallen world, woman is now in a double subjection. In her creation she was to be subordinate to man, and if she had stood, and he had stood, then what glory and blessedness would have come to both! But when man became the slave of sin, she became doubly slave, as being now linked to one who had himself the servile spirit. What had been subordination in Eden became servitude outside of it. He who is himself the abject slave of passion and selfishness makes woman his slave, so that in addition to all that comes through her own sin as a human being there is the misery that comes through her having got into a wrong relation to man. Hence the peculiar hideousness of a bad woman, a Jezebel or a Herodias. Hence, too, through the work of redemption we get the peculiar beauty of the good woman. Whence should we have got those types of saintly women which beam from the pages of Scripture and Christian biography, save for that great work one stage of which is celebrated in this song?Y.
HOMILIES BY H. T. ROBJOHNS
Exo 15:1-21
Song of Moses and the Lamb.
“And they sing the song of Moses,” etc. (Rev 15:3). It is quite impossible to sever in thought the song by the sea, and the reference in the Book of the Revelation. We therefore take for our text the words chosen, and in our homily keep ever in viewthe passage of the sea.
I. THE SINGERS. “They that have gotten the victory.” But conquerors must first have been soldiers. Here they are Christians who have become part of the Church militant by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Over what victorious’? As a matter of fact Christians are brought off more than conquerors over “the world, the flesh, and the devil.” But in Rev 15:2, only “the world” is referred to; and of it only two constituents are mentioned: “the beast” and” the image” or likeness “of the beast.” [On these and that “other beast” see Rev 13:1-18.; and for such exposition as is calculated to place the symbols in a reasonable light, see Porter’s” Christian Prophecy:” Maclehose, Glasgow; and “The Apocalypse” by Prof. Godwin: Hodder and Stoughton.] The enemies overcome were, and ever are:
1. Force: as directed against the Kingdom of God. The “beast” of Rev 13:1-18. is anti-theistic, or anti-Christian civil despotism, wherever found. Read Rev 13:1-10, with this idea in the mind, and the description is seen to be vividly true. Illustrations of battle and victory may be found in Egypt tyrannising over Israel, in early persecutions of the Christian Church. As soon as ever Christianity became a spiritual power conspicuous enough to attract attention, force set itself against it. So ever since down to martyr history in Madagascar. Note: there are instances now in which force, in varied forms, will set itself against the conscience. [The “mark” and “number” of the image are the signs, open or secret, of being identified with anti-theistic despotism.]
2. Opinion. That which resembler godless government, viz. godless opinion, the tone of society, etc. This power of society against the Divine Kingdom, this pressure of opinion must have been terrible in Egypt. Felt to-day, not only at the “club,” but in every workshop. One may add to this, not mentioned in Rev 15:1-8; but in Rev 13:1-18; “another beast,” viz.:
3. Fraud. Specially as associated with “Priestcraft,” whether of false religions, or of corrupted forms of Christianity. [For illustration of the despotism of Egyptian priestcraft, see Ebers’ “Uarda.”] This power seems mild as a lamb, with the speech of a dragon; rises out of the earth (does not descend from heaven); wields civil power for its own purpose (as in the case of Rome); pretends to miracle; gives power to anti-Christian public opinion; inflicts social wrong. How strong their enemies are, viz; anti-Christian government, anti-Christian public opinion, anti-Christian religion, every Christian comes sooner or later to know.
II. THEIR POSITION. “And I saw as it were a sea of glass,” etc. Here note:
1. The sea. A sea of crystal flaked with fire. Such as we may sometimes see under light of setting sun. The symbol of the experience of life, i.e; of mingled mercy and judgment (Psa 101:1).
2. The shore, i.e; the position of the victorious not in the sense of standing on the wave, but of an army encamped “upon the sea,” i.e; upon the shore.
3. The allusion. To Israel on the eastern shore of the Red Sea.
4. The reality in this symbol. The victorious redeemed Church, on the further side of the experience of life, singing the new and everlasting song.
III. THE SONG. It is “of Moses and of the Lamb” A song like that of old, springing out of similar circumstances, celebrating a like deliverance. Here observe:
1. The place of Moses in relation to Christ. Moses is “the servant,” etc. Incidental evidence of Christ’s superiority and Deity. Christ is not a servant, save as he voluntarily took that position (Php 2:7).
2. The central place of the Lamb throughout the Book of the Revelation. Argument for the transcendent import of the Atonement.
The song is
1. One. Not two.
2. Thankful. Some of the songs of earth are penitential, prayerful, plaintive.
3. Of the Saved. From guilt, sin, darkness, sorrow. [Go into detail.] What a song it will be!
4. Of the Free. The three despotisms of force, opinion, fraud, were left by Israel behind. So with the redeemed Church of God.
5. Of the New-born. A new departure for Israel; the unending life before the Church triumphant.
6. Of the Seers, who now see past all subordinate and second causespast Mosespast even the Mediator Jesus, to the First Origin of all, “great and marvellous Lord God Almighty.”
7. A song of review. This is the final verdict, “Just and true,” etc.
IV. LESSONS.
1. To Christians. Do not wait for the final song. Sing in the passage of the sea. Poetry and. music the natural expression of praise. Some can pour forth their own song, e.g; Keble and Watts, Wesley and Lyre. Others must adopt praise furnished to their lips. But for all there is the poetry and the musicthe sweet psalmof a pure and holy life.
2. To those not Christians. To sing the song of the saved, we must be saved.
“No lips untuned can sing that song
Or join the music there.”
R.
HOMILIES BY G. A. GOODHART
Exo 15:1-21
One of the first songs in the Biblethe first Jewish songwe may almost call it the tap-root whence springs the main stem of Jewish psalmody. The art of poetry and instruments of music were no doubt brought from Egypt; the land of slavery was yet the land of science. Such “spoils” were made all the more valuable, and appropriated all the more firmly by consecration (cf. Keble, Christian Year, 3rd Sunday in Lent). All the wealth of the world is at the disposal of God’s childrenfor the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereofthe problem which they have to solve is how to use it without abusing it (cf. 1Co 10:23-28). Turn to the song itself, and see what lessons it has to teach. Three stanzas (Exo 15:1-5, Exo 15:6-10, Exo 15:11-18)each begins with ascription of praise to Jehovah; each ends with a reference to Jehovah’s treatment of his foes. Notice:
I. PRESENT GRATITUDE. Exo 15:1-5.In the excitement of the great deliverance, words almost fail to express the praise. The name of the deliverer is repeated four times in eight lines. Yet not once is it a “vain repetition.” All the difference in the world between using God’s name to disguise an empty heart and using it to express the feelings of a full one. Here, “out of the fulness of the heart the mouth speaketh..” God loves such praise, the praise of a heart which cannot help praising. Some try to praise because they think God expects it of them; their hearts are like dry wells whilst yet, out of supposed respect to God, they keep on working the pump-handle! Fill the heart first and all such artificial efforts will be needless; the full heart is a springing well. “How fill?” By letting the thought of God’s great mercies pierce through to the heart’s deeps. If the thought of God and of his deeds comes home to us, our praise will soon flow forth freely.
II. PAST MERCIES THE CAUSE OF PRESENT GRATITUDE. Exo 15:6-10. This is what called forth the praise. All real, all genuine. Moses is not sending up his song to a “possible” God, but to one whom he believes in utterly as a living, present, powerful ruler. Notice
1. The reality of the enemy, No doubt about the tyranny in Egypt. Brickfields and scourges had left their mark upon the memory. No doubt either as to the late danger (Exo 15:9). The exasperated pursuers determined to repossess their prey.
2. The reality of the deliverance. Where were the pursuers now? The wreckage drifting within sight marked the spot where they had sunk for ever!
3. The reality of the deliverer. No doubt as to his existenceno doubt as to his goodnessin face of such overwhelming evidence. We also, if we would but realise it, have been as truly delivered from dangers just as real. If we but half believe in God, and offer him only a make-shift praise, it is not because he has done less for us; it is because we think less on the meaning of his mercies.
III. PAST MERCIES THE PLEDGE OF FUTURE TRIUMPHS. Exo 15:11-18.Moses was confident about the future because he had no doubt about the past. He was prepared to go “from strength to strength,” because he could start from a strong position. From what God has done, we may rightly infer what he will do. If he has made a way for his people through the sea of waters, he will also make a way for them through yet stormier and more perilous seas (Exo 15:16). The first deliverance is a pledge and prophecy of all future deliverances. Thus the song of Moses, strong in a present confidence, firmly based upon past mercies, finds its outcome in a good hope, inspiring men along the path of progress. If we would sing the song as it should be sung, we must learn from memory to praise truly; and true praise will soon quicken hope. To live for the future we must live upon the past. The song of the Lamb, the song which specially expresses the full satisfaction of all our hopes, can only be sung by those who have sung first this other song; the song which still feeds hope at the same time that it expresses gratitude.G.
HOMILIES BY J. URQUHART
Exo 15:1, Exo 15:2
The sacrifice of praise.
I. THE PLACE OF PRAISE. The first provision for God’s ransomed is a song. God’s hand must be recognised in the mercy, otherwise its blessing is missed. The place bright with God’s goodness is meant to be a meeting-place between the soul and himself.
II. THE REASONS FOR PRAISE.
1. The greatness of God’s deed. The chariots and the horses had been the reliance of Egypt, and the terror of Israel; and” the horse and his rider” had God cast in the sea.
2. He who had been their strength and their song had become their salvation, Their confidence had not been misplaced: he had not failed them in their need.
3. The individualising love of God: he is “my God.” God had appeared for each: not one had been lost.
4. The glory of God’s past deedshe was their fathers’ God. This was but one of many like judgments and deliverances, and their song was only swelling the mighty chorus of God’s unending praise.
III. THE RESOLVES OF PRAISE.
1. They will prepare a habitation for God. It is the work of God’s people in every age to prepare a dwelling-place for him where his character is made known, his voice heard, and his love and fear shed abroad.
2. To exalt God’s fame. He was their fathers’ God, and that was a call to make him known. He had given a fuller revelation of himself than even this great mercy contained. There were purposes and promises in that record which outran this mercy and themselves. Our praise must ever add, “these are but part of his ways,” and exalt God as the world’s refuge and help.U.
Exo 15:3-21
The results of deliverance to God’s people.
I. THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE MARVELLOUSNESS OF GOD‘S POWER (3-12).
1. The might of Egypt, when measured with the strength of God, was utter vanity (4, 5). The Lord’s right hand had dashed in pieces the enemy. What can make the heart afraid which knows the power of God?
2. The deadly malice of Egypt was extinguished in a moment like a spark beneath the heel. The picture of the foe’s deadly purpose
(9) set side by side with God’s deed: “Thou didst blow with thy windthey sank as lead in the mighty waters.”
II. CONFIDENCE FOE THE ONWARD WAY.
1. In his mercy and strength God will lead them to the rest he has promised (13).
2. This deliverance will fight for them (14-16). The heart of their foes will die within them. And when led into their land this fear of the Lord will be a wall between them and the nations round about. They shall not only be led in, but planted there in undisturbed security (17).
3. God will, as now, triumph through all the ages, and accomplish, no matter how his people may fear and his enemies may vaunt themselves, all his righteous will (18).U
Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary
Exo 15:1. Then sang Moses This is supposed to be the most ancient piece of genuine poetry extant in the world, if, perhaps, we except the Book of Job. The words of Lamech to his wives; the prophecy of Noah concerning his sons; the blessing of Jacob upon the twelve patriarchs, are all, as some learned writers have shewn, composed in regular metre; and therefore may so far be called more ancient pieces of poetry than the present. But this song of Moses has many other characteristics of poetry than mere metre: it abounds with sublime sentiments, lofty and nervous expressions; and, no doubt, was adapted to that sacred music which Miriam and the women sung to it. It is also applied to the true and original end of poetry; the praise of God, and this marvellous doings. There have been various conjectures concerning the metre of this song, but this is not a place to enter into the discussion of that subject. Adopting the ingenious opinions of Bishop Lowth, we refer the reader to his learned Prelections, p. 269, and elsewhere: a work which does honour to our nation, and in which will be found some fine and just criticisms on this song of Moses. We may observe, that, as an allusion is made, in the Book of Revelation, to the plagues of Egypt, in describing the prophetic plagues on the church; so those, who have gotten the victory over the beast, are represented as standing on a sea of glass, with harps in their hands, and singing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and of the lamb. Rev 15:2-3.
I will sing unto the Lord This was the grand chorus of the song, which was sung by the men and women, (see Exo 15:21.) and is, as it were, the great theme and subject of it. The song, I apprehend, like many other pieces of sacred poetry, was sung alternately: and it is observable throughout, that the latter clause is exegetical of the former. As, for instance, in this chorus:
I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously; The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
B.The song of triumph
Exo 15:1-21 1
1Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto Jehovah, and said:
I will sing unto Jehovah, for he is highly exalted;2
The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
2My strength and my song is Jah, and he hath become my salvation.
He is my God, and I will glorify him,
My fathers God, and I will exalt him.
3Jehovah is a man of war, Jehovah is his name.
4Pharaohs chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea;
And his choicest captains were plunged into the Red Sea.
5The floods cover3 them, they went down into the depths like a stone.
6Thy right hand, Jehovah, glorious in strength,
Thy right hand, Jehovah, dasheth4 enemies in pieces.
7And in the greatness of thy majesty thou overthrowest thy foes;
Thou sendest out thy wrath, it consumeth them as stubble.
8And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were heaped up;
Fixed like a dam were the waters,
The floods were congealed in the heart of the sea.
9Said the enemy: I will pursue, overtake, divide spoil;
My lust shall be sated with them;
I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.
10Thou blewest with thy breath, the sea covered them;
They sank like lead into the mighty waters.
11Who is like unto thee, Jehovah, among the gods?
Who is like unto the, glorious in holiness,
Fearful in praises, doing wonders?
12Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swalloweth them.
13Thou leddest forth in thy mercy the people that thou hast redeemed;
Thou guidedst them by thy power unto thy holy habitation.
14Peoples heard, they tremble;
Anguish took hold of the inhabitants of Philistia.
15Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed;
The mighty ones of Moabtrembling taketh hold of them;
All the inhabitants of Canaan melted away.
16Fear and dread fall upon them;
By the greatness of thine arm they are still as a stone;
Till thy people pass over, Jehovah,
Till the people pass over whom thou hast purchased.
17Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance,
The place which thou hast made for thy dwelling, Jehovah,
The sanctuary, Lord, which thy hands have established.
18Jehovah shall reign for ever and ever.
19For the horse [horses] of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and Jehovah brought again [back] the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea.
20And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a [the] timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. 21And Miriam answered [responded to] them, Sing ye to Jehovah, for he hath triumphed gloriously [is highly exalted]; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
TEXTUAL AND GRAMMATICAL
[Exo 15:1. There seems to be no warrant for the rendering of the A. V.: He hath triumphed gloriously. , in the other three passages (Job 8:11; Job 10:16; Eze 47:5) in which it is used, has clearly the meaning rise, grow large. The adjective means high, or high-minded, proud. The renderings of the LXX. and Vulg., are better than that of the A. V., viz., , and gloriose enim magnificatus est.Tr.].
[Exo 15:5. is a peculiar form, for (only here), and for , as not unfrequently in pause. The A. V. here as in several cases afterwards in this chapter, quite neglects the alternation of tenses. The Imperfect is best rendered by our present.Tr.].
[Exo 15:6. Here too the force and life of the original require the present tense; the statement is general rather than specific. , being without the article, may be understood collectively.Tr.].
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
A list of treatises on this theme is given by Knobel, p. 152. To it may be added the exhaustive monograph of K. H. Sack, Die Lieder in den historischen Bchern des Alten Testaments, p. 4164.
The passage through the Red Sea, as a fundamental fact of the typical kingdom of God, reaches in its relations through all the Holy Scriptures, referring backwards to the deluge, and forwards to Christian baptism, and finally to the last judgment; and so the echoes of this song of Moses extend through all the Scriptures. Preliminary to it are the poetic passages of Genesis and the blessing of Jacob; following it, after some epic passages, comes the parting song of Moses with his blessings, Deuteronomy 32, 33. Two grand companion-pieces, following this, Deborahs song of triumph, and Davids song of deliverance (2 Samuel 22; Psalms 18), introduce the poetry of the Psalms, in which the key-note, struck by Moses song, is heard again. Comp. Psalms 77, 78, 105, 106, 114. Finally mention is made again of the song of Moses at the close of the New Testament; its notes resound forward as the typical song of triumph of the people of God even into the next world, Rev 15:3.
As to the historical originality of the song in this place, three opinions may be specified. According to the older view, represented especially by Kurtz and Sack, the song is wholly Mosaic. According to the modern, critical view, represented especially by Knobel (Bunsen regards the song of Moses and Miriam as including Exo 15:1-3; V. 2, p. 147), the song belongs to a later period. He says that, according to Exo 15:17, it cannot have originated before the times of David and Solomon, for which view he adduces also the phrase , Exo 15:4; but adds that in its peculiarity it certainly belongs to an old period. This statement involves a rather distinct contradiction. Heek (Introd. I. p. 303) assumes that the song in its original form was genuinely Mosaic, i.e., that a genuinely Mosaic song lies at the foundation, but later, as used by the people, received some addition, or was in general somewhat worked over. This assumption does not contradict in principle the spirit of biblical theology; for the collection of the Psalms shows that within the sphere of revelation such reconstructions have taken place. Vid.Psalms 14; Psalms 53. Yet as to the facts in the case before us, we need to look more carefully. Even Exo 15:13, considered as a triumphant prophetic anticipation, may be regarded as original. The holy dwelling-place stands in Moses mind all complete, after the further shore of the Red Sea has been happily reached; whilst the scholastic spirit cannot see the holy dwelling-place till the tabernacle or even the temple is a finished fact. But letting this verse pass, without challenge, as an interpolation, and even also the second half of Exo 15:17, which as a whole seems even to contain contradictory elements, yet the following verses correspond excellently to the occasion. For fear of the Philistines the circuitous way through the Sinaitic desert was commanded; consequently it would accord with psychological laws that the Philistines next to the Egyptians should be first in the thoughts of the people. With this is connected the second thought. The direction now taken would bring them into collision with Edom and Moab, and finally with Canaan: to this fact corresponds the joyous presentiment that Jehovah, by this great fact, has prepared the way for the deliverance of His people to the end. It is characteristic that the scholastic spirit throws into the scale the questionable use of an archological term (), in opposition to the internal leading features of the song, which every way suits the Mosaic period. Thus, here nothing is said of Jehovahs righteousness, but the idea of His holiness here for the first time comes distinctly out, Exo 15:11. This accords with the demands of internal biblical sequence: first, the El-elyon [Most High God] of the primeval times and of Melchizedek; then the El-shaddai [God Almighty], the miracle-working God of Abraham; then Jehovah the Holy One in the age of Moses. Also the prayer in Exo 15:16 and, in part, Exo 15:17 [rendered by Lange jussively, Let fear fall, etc.], prove that Israel was still on the journey.
Analysis of the Song.The song may be divided into three strophes increasing successively in length, of which each one begins with the praise of Jehovah and ends with a description of the overthrow of the Egyptian host, Exo 15:2-18 (Keil). Knobel, however, makes the first strophe consist of Exo 15:1-3 (Jehovah as the lofty hero); the second, Exo 15:4-11 (as the highest God); the third, Exo 15:12-18 (as the King of Israel). Sack divides still differently. The festive, subjective mood which produces the song (the introduction or foundation) is properly set off by itself in Exo 15:2. Also Exo 15:3-8 may be taken together as a magnifying of Jehovahs heroism (which here makes up for Israels unfitness for warfare) as displayed against Pharaoh. Then comes the contrast presented in the enemys defiance and defeat, Exo 15:9-10. Thence follows the conclusion, that Jehovah is Israels God, exalted above all the gods (religions) of the heathen, Exo 15:11-13. To this is appended the celebration of the terrifying effect of this achievement of Jehovah on the heathen people; according to Sack, from Exo 15:14 to Exo 15:18. We regard Exo 15:17-18 as a concluding prayer belonging by itself.
Especially is to be noticed here the relation of the following words. Evidently Miriam here institutes the antiphony, and that in the simplest and most natural form. This moment might be called the birth of the theocratic antiphony. It corresponds to the position of females, that the song is very short, the refrain of the song of Moses, but ennobled by the sound of timbrel and by the dance, in which Miriam is the representative of the women, as Moses of the men.
Exo 15:1-2. Jehovahs exploit; Israels song. , Strength, might; not praise and glory (Keil). But that strength which the poet experiences, that which becomes in him a fountain of song, is his inspiration. Jah, concentration of the name Jehovah, perhaps a more familiar form of the awe-inspiring name.
Exo 15:3-8. Jehovah as a warlike hero in contrast with Pharaoh.A man of war.As such he had become Israels consolation and reliance by his annihilation of Egypts dreadful military power, which Israel alone could not have resisted. Thy right hand, Jehovah (Exo 15:6) does not form a contrast with what is said of Jehovah as a man of war, but is a further celebration of the warlike power of Jehovah as displayed against his foes.
Exo 15:9-10. Pharaoh, Jehovahs enemy, as the persecutor of His people, in his arrogance, in contrast with Jehovah.I will pursue.The spirit of the eager enemy is pictured in a masterly way by the incomplete sentences following one another without the copula.They sank (plunged). is translated by Knobel: they whirled. But lead falling upon water does anything but whirl around. Keil translates here sank into the depths, referring to and , the abyss of the sea, and alleging that lead cast into water can neither whir nor whirl. Yet it might cause the peculiar sound of water designated by the words dash, splash, etc. The question might be asked, whether a new picturesque expression would not be preferable to the repetition of the thought of Exo 15:5. But this is decided by the consideration that they did not fall upon the water, but the water came over them.
Exo 15:11-13. Jehovah therefore has shown Himself to be the God of His people Israel.Who is like unto thee.The germ of the name Michael. Jehovah appears here as the exalted God of Gods people, before whom the gods (the heathenand anti-Christianforms of religion) cannot stand.Who is like unto thee, again in fine repetition, for now Jehovah is celebrated as He who glorifies Himself (or is glorified) in holiness. He is made glorious by His holiness, by the august distinction of His personality from all hostile elements, of His people from the Egyptians by the waters of the Red Sea, of His light from darkness. The passage through the Red Sea has made manifest the holiness of Jehovah, who henceforward through His revelation will sanctify His people, as was first typically promised by the deluge; comp. Psa 77:14 [13].5Fearful in praises.The obscure expression means not only summe venerandus, but also that man, because God performs fearful miracles, can sing to Him praises worthy of his wonderful deeds only with fear and trembling (Keil). But can one sing praises with fear and trembling? Yet songs of praise themselves may disseminate fear and terror in the kingdom of darkness; at any rate, Jehovah can reveal His dreadfulness so as to call forth songs of praise from His people.Doing wonders.The notion of the miraculous likewise here first appears more marked, as that of something new and extraordinary, which through Gods creative power transcends the extraordinary phenomena of the ancient natural world.Only a stretching out of His hand, and the earth swallows them up. The words, says Keil, have nothing more to do with the Egyptians, but with the enemies of the Lord in general, since the Egyptians were swallowed by the sea. But the contrast is between Gods outstretched hand in heaven and the absolute subordination of the whole earth, which certainly includes the sea.In thy mercy.Here the notion of grace becomes more definite in connection with the typical deliverance.Unto thy holy habitation.See above. According to Knobel, this expression indicates that the song was composed at a later period. Noticeable is the expression . The Red Sea being the boundary-line between Egypt and Gods people, the region or pasture () of holiness began on the other shore of the sea. Keil refers the phrase to Canaan, the leading of the people into that land being now pledged to them, so that the expression, like many others, would have to be understood in a prophetic sense.
Exo 15:14-16. The terrifying effect of this exploit of Jehovah among the heathen.Even the singers at the Red Sea could proclaim this effect as an accomplished fact. Rumors of wars and victories even in the East circulate rapidly, and the facts, through the reports, assume an imposing form. Vid.Jos 2:9; Jos 9:9. The ramification of this effect is entirely in accordance with the plan of the journey, comp. Num 20:18 sqq.; Exo 21:4; Deu 2:3; Deu 2:8. See above.Still asa stone. may mean either to stand still, or to be rigid and silent. We regard the first sense as the more probable. As Israel must march among the stones of the wilderness, so he wishes also to march through the nations clean to his goal. To this refers also the two-fold [pass over], which Knobel refers to the crossing of the Jordana proof of the degree of senselessness to which modern criticism can attain in its prejudices.
Exo 15:17-18. Concluding prayer and doxology.A part of Exo 15:17, as an original conclusion, could not be at all dispensed with.Thou shalt bring them in.According to Knobel, the futures are preterites (!); according to Keil, they should not be read as wishes, but as simple predictions. Predictions in reference to Jehovahs actions!In the mountain of thine inheritance.According to Knobel, this is the mountain-region of Canaan; according to Keil, the mountain which Jehovah had chosen, by the offering of Isaac (Genesis 22), as his dwelling-place, his sanctuary, Psa 78:54. There is no ground for regarding this expression as a vaticinium post eventum; it seems, however, also very one-sided to refer the prophecy directly to the definite locality of the sanctuary on Moriah. How long the tabernacle first stood in Shiloh, how often the ark changed its place! In symbolical language a mountain is a secure height on which the people of Israel, Jehovahs possession, gained a firm lodgment. The centre of this mountain is, on the one hand, the dwelling-place of Jehovah; on the other, the sanctuary of the Lord () for His people. The brief concluding sentence forms a worthy close; a simple expression of unlimited confidence: Jehovah shall reign for ever and ever.
Exo 15:19-20. Transition to the antiphony of Miriam.The horses of Pharaoh.Keil understands that Pharaoh rode on his horse in front of the army. But this is neither ancient nor modern custom. Moreover, evidently refers to chariots and horsemen.The prophetess.Not ob poeticam et musicam facultatem (Rosenmller), but on account of her prophetic gifts (Keil). It is not well to distinguish the two kinds of endowment within the theocracy so sharply, in so far, that is, as the question of endowment is concerned.The sister of Aaron.So in Num 12:1-6, where, together with Aaron, she takes sides against Moses. According to Kurtz, she is so called because she was co-ordinate with Aaron, but subordinate to Moses. She stood, as the leader of Jewish women, appropriately by the side of the future conductor of the religious service. According to the New Testament, it was also customary to name younger children after the older ones (e.g. Judas of James).The timbrel in her hand.The taber, tambourine.And with dances.Here first appears the religious dance, introduced by Miriam with religious festivities, but probably not without Aarons influence. The frequent occurrence of this dance is seen from a concordance.6
Exo 15:21. Sing ye to Jehovah.From this derives the antiphony in the Old Testament and New Testament, e.g.Jdg 11:34; 1Sa 18:6; 1Sa 21:11; 1Sa 29:5. Is not the occasion great enough in itself, that the orgin of the antiphony should have been looked for in Egypt? For the rest, vid. on the ancient Egyptian female dancers with tambourines, Keil, Archologie, 137, Note 8.
Footnotes:
[1][For convenience sake the translation of this song is given without indicating in what particulars it differs from that of the A. V.Tr.].
[2][Exo 15:1. There seems to be no warrant for the rendering of the A. V.: He hath triumphed gloriously. , in the other three passages (Job 8:11; Job 10:16; Eze 47:5) in which it is used, has clearly the meaning rise, grow large. The adjective means high, or high-minded, proud. The renderings of the LXX. and Vulg., are better than that of the A. V., viz., , and gloriose enim magnificatus est.Tr.].
[3][Exo 15:5. is a peculiar form, for (only here), and for , as not unfrequently in pause. The A. V. here as in several cases afterwards in this chapter, quite neglects the alternation of tenses. The Imperfect is best rendered by our present.Tr.].
[4][Exo 15:6. Here too the force and life of the original require the present tense; the statement is general rather than specific. , being without the article, may be understood collectively.Tr.].
[5][Where , the same expression which in Exo 15:11 is rendered in holiness. is in the A. V. incorrectly rendered in the sanctuary.Tr.].
[6][According to some, the word here, rendered dances really denotes a musical instrument used in connection with dunces. So, e.g., Prof. Marks in Smiths Bible Dictionary, Am. Ed., p. 538.Tr.].
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
CONTENTS
This is a very memorable chapter, for it contains not only the most ancient of all holy songs, but that which, considered spiritually and with an eye to Jesus, is to be the most lasting. The Holy Ghost causeth the sacred writers of the Old Testament frequently to refer to it: and to leave the impression of it in strong characters on the minds of New Testament believers, it is again spoken of in the close of the canon of scripture as the Song 1-8. In this chapter we have the words of this song, and the joy of Israel in singing of it. Beside these: here is an account of Moses conducting Israel into the wilderness of Shur: their arrival at Marah: and at Elim.
Exo 15:1
I beg the Reader to admire with me, not only the piety, but the sublimity of this song. If it had been found in any other book but the Bible how lavish would have been the praises of some men upon it. But passing this by, let the Reader observe, the several precious things in this song. It is ascribed unto the Lord. God is the first cause and the final end of all mercy. Reader! It is a sweet thing to rejoice in God’s mercies. But far sweeter to rejoice in the God of our mercies. The scripture is full of this. Isa 61:10 ; Joe 2:23 ; Phi 4:4Phi 4:4 , etc.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Exo 15:2
Happy the heart that has learned to say my God! All religion is contained in that short expression, and all the blessedness that man or angel is capable of.
Thomas Erskine.
‘He is my God… my father’s God.’ Compare the early reflection of Dr. John G. Paton, the New Hebrides missionary, as he watched the piety of his old father in the home: ‘He walked with God; why may not I?’
Lord, I find my Saviour’s genealogy strangely chequered with four remarkable changes in four immediate generations:
1. Rehoboam begat Abijam: i.e. a bad father begat a bad son.
2. Abijam begat Asa: i.e. a bad father begat a good son.
3. Asa begat Jehoshaphat: i.e. a good father begat a good son.
4. Jehoshaphat begat Joram: i.e. a good father begat a bad son.
I see, Lord, from this that my father’s piety cannot be entailed: that is bad news for me. But I see also that actual impiety is not always hereditary: that is good news for my son.
Thomas Fuller.
References. XV. 2. R. E. Hutton, The Grown of Christ, vol. i. p. 53. XV. 2-13. A. Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture Exodus, etc., p. 61.
Exo 15:3
It may help us to understand the scrupulous regard for the rights of the God of War entertained by the Gauls, the Hebrews, and other nations of antiquity, if we look for a moment at the traces of this feeling which manifest themselves among the civilized nations of modern times: I need only allude to the singing of solemn Te Deums after victory, or to our praying in this country that our Queen ‘may be strengthened to vanquish and overcome all her enemies,’ and to our adorning our cathedrals with the tattered flags of the foreigner. That ‘the Lord is a Man of war’ is a sentiment by no means confined to the song of Moses; it is found to be still a natural one; and I need only remind you of the poet Wordsworth’s ode for the English thanksgiving on the morning of the 18th day of January, 1816, and more especially the following lines:
The fierce tornado sleeps within thy courts
He hears the word he flies
And navies perish in their ports;
For thou art angry with thine enemies.
Rhys, Celtic Heathenism, p. 52.
Anticipations of Faith
Exo 15:13-18
‘Thou in Thy mercy hast led forth the people which Thou hast redeemed.’ He had only led them forth a single night’s journey, but in that single night’s journey they saw the completion of the whole long journey they were to take. In the anticipation of faith victory is already obtained before the war has commenced.
I. When we come to ask ourselves the secret of this triumphant anticipation we shall find that it is all expressed in one single sentence ‘Thou hast redeemed ‘. The joyful confidence of the Israelites sprang not merely from the abstract consideration that the God Who had shown Himself so strong to save already, was capable of any further exhibition of strength that might be demanded of Him. Beyond all that there was the consideration that the deliverance of the present was a part of one grand purpose completed already in the mind of God; a purpose which had been indicated to them in the mission of Moses.
II. We too have been the subjects of a great deliverance, a deliverance as supernatural in its character and as astonishing in its conditions as ever was the deliverance of Israel from Egypt. This deliverance is also the product of redemption. We are saved in order that we may rise to the prize of our high calling, and become inheritors of our true Land of Promise; and the first great deliverance is with us also surely an earnest and a pledge of all that is to follow.
III. Instead of joyous anticipation, how common a thing it is to meet with gloomy forebodings on the part of the newborn children of God, fresh from the cross of Christ, just rising, as we may say, spiritually out of the waters of the Red Sea.
How common a thing it is to meet with young Christians who seem indeed to be on the right side of the Red Sea, but who appear to be more inclined to wring their hands in terror than to ‘sound the loud timbrel’ in exultation!
And thus our anticipations of coming disaster take all the bloom off our early joy, and mar our triumph before it has well begun. And thus we pave the way for failure; for if we begin by doubting the God who has redeemed us, at the very outset of our Christian life, when the great fact of deliverance lies fresh before our view, how can we expect to trust Him better when the actual struggle has begun? and not to trust Him is to ensure necessary defeat and failure.
Now all this dismal apprehension, this cowardly misgiving, comes of our not sufficiently realizing what it is that is contained in redemption. We do not see that our justification is not only a fact of the present, but a pledge for the future.
We forget that we have passed from nature into grace, and now we have to count upon Divine resources. We forget that Christ is the First and the Last; that as He is the Alpha, so He is also the Omega, and that He is all the alphabet between the Alpha and Omega.
W. Hay M. H. Aitken, The Highway of Holiness, p. 63.
Exo 15:14-15
Dr. Chalmers used to quote these verses as an illustration of verbal suggestiveness: ‘I have often felt, in reading Milton and Thomson, a strong poetical effect in the bare enumeration of different countries, and this strongly enhanced by the statement of some common and prevailing emotion, which passed from one to another.’
Reference. XV. 17. A. Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture Exodus, etc., p. 63.
Exo 15:20
In the seventh letter of Time and Tide Ruskin describes a monotonous, twitching, girl’s dance which he once witnessed in the theatre. ‘While this was going on, there was a Bible text repeating itself over and over again in my head, whether I would or no,’ viz., this verse of Exodus. ‘The going forth of the women of Israel after Miriam with timbrels and with dances was, as you doubtless remember, their expression of passionate triumph and thankfulness, after the full accomplishment of their deliverance from the Egyptians. That deliverance had been by the utter death of their enemies, and accompanied by stupendous miracle; no human creature could, in an hour of triumph, be surrounded by circumstances more solemn. Consider only for yourself what that “seeing of the Egyptians dead upon the seashore” meant to every soul that saw it. And then reflect that these intense emotions of mingled horror, triumph and gratitude were expressed, in the visible presence of the Deity, by music and dancing… both music and dancing being, among all ancient nations, an appointed and very principal part of the worship of the gods, and that very theatrical entertainment at which I sate thinking on these things for you that pantomime, which depended throughout for its success on our appeal to the vices of the lower London populace, was, in itself, nothing but a corrupt remnant of the religious ceremonies which guided the most serious faiths of the Greek mind.’
References. XV. 20. J. Vickery, Ideals of Life, p. 271. J. G. Stevenson, Christian World Pulpit, vol. lvii. 1905, p. 38. XV. 22-26. Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xxxix. No. 2301.
Exo 15:23-24
The enthusiasm with which men of all classes had welcomed William to London at Christmas had greatly abated before the close of February. The new king had, at the very moment at which his fame and fortune reached the highest point, predicted the coming reaction. That reaction might, indeed, have been predicted by a less sagacious observer of human affairs. For it is to be chiefly ascribed to a law as certain as the laws which regulate the succession of the seasons and the course of the trade winds. It is the nature of man to overrate present evil, and to underrate present good; to long for what he has not, and to be dissatisfied with what he has. This propensity, as it appears in individuals, has often been noticed both by laughing and by weeping philosophers. It was a favourite theme of Horace and of Pascal, of Voltaire and of Johnson. To its influence on the fate of great communities may be ascribed most of the revolutions and counter revolutions recorded in history. A hundred generations have passed away since the first great national emancipation of which an account has come down to us. We read in the most ancient of books that a people bowed to the dust under a cruel yoke, scourged to toil by hard taskmasters, not supplied with straw, yet compelled to furnish the daily tale of bricks, became sick of life, and raised such a cry of misery as pierced the heavens. The slaves were wonderfully set free; at the moment of their liberation they raised a song of gratitude and triumph; but in a few hours they began to regret their slavery, and to reproach the leader who had decoyed them away from the savoury fare of the house of bondage to the dreary waste which still separated them from the land flowing with milk and honey. Since that time the history of every great deliverer has been the history of Moses retold. Down to the present hour rejoicings like those on the shore of the Red Sea have ever been speedily followed by murmurings like those at the Waters of Strife. The most just and salutary revolution must produce much suffering. The most just and salutary revolution cannot produce all the good that had been expected from it by men of uninstructed minds and sanguine tempers. Even the wisest cannot, while it is still recent, weigh quite fairly the evils which it has caused against the evils which it has removed. For the evils which it has caused are felt, and the evils which it has removed are felt no longer.
Thus it was now in England. The public was, as it always is during the cold fits which follow its hot fits, sullen, hard to please, dissatisfied with itself, dissatisfied with those who had lately been its favourites.
Macaulay, History of England, chap. XI.
Though every man of us may be a hero for one fatal minute, very few remain so after a day’s march even.
George Meredith, The Ordeal of Richard Feverel, chap. xxx.
References. XV. 23. T. L. Cuyler, Christian World Pulpit, vol. lxvii. 1905, p. 62. XV. 23-25. Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xvii. No. 987. A. Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture Exodus, etc., p. 64. R. Winterbotham, Sermons and Expositions, p. 46. XV. 25. J. M. Neale, Sermons for the Church Year, vol. ii. p. 185. T. G. Rooke, The Church in the Wilderness, p. 36. F. B. Meyer, The British Weekly Pulpit, vol. ii. p. 561. XV. 26. Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xxviii. No. 1664. XV. 27. C. Silvester Horne, Christian World Pulpit, vol. lxvi. 1904, p. 87. G. Dawson, Sermons, p. 19. XVI. J. McNeill, British Weekly Pulpit, vol. ii. p. 489. XVI. 1-5, 11-36. Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xxxix. No. 2332.
Fuente: Expositor’s Dictionary of Text by Robertson
The Song of Deliverance
Exo 15:1-21
The spirit of this song is above verbal criticism. This is the first composition of the sort which has come under our notice, and therefore it occasions the greater surprise and delight We are not just to the song when we go back upon it from a perusal of Isaiah. We put the song into a wrong time-setting, and therefore miss the music of the occasion. Yet even to go back upon it from a perusal of “Paradise Lost” no whit of its magnificence is surrendered. It is not, I assert, a fair treatment of the song, to go back upon it from all the poetic experience and culture of many generations and centuries. In the interpretation of Holy Scripture time is an instrument, or a medium, or a standard, which ought never to be neglected. Who is conscious of an intellectual fall from the perusal of Milton to the perusal of this song of Moses? He sings well for the first time. It is a marvellous song to have been startled out of his very soul, as it were, without notice. Verily, he must have been as much surprised as we by its magnificence, by its height that knows no dizziness, and by its audacity that loses nothing of the tenderest veneration. Milton staggers under the stars of poetry which he has enkindled, but Moses treads the nobler orbs of a sublimer fancy under his feet. Milton cringes under an effort; he is exhausted; when he has done he sighs and pines for rest, and puts out a blind man’s hand for something to lean upon. He must have time to recruit and re-tempt the muse into eloquence so high. Moses speaks his native tongue; the singing of Moses is as the breathing of a man who is in his native air, and who is not conscious of speaking more like a god than the creature of a day. But what is the poem or song, when we do not go back upon it from Milton, but advance to it through the strife and hatred, the sin and the danger, of the preceding pages? That is the right line of approach. It is manifestly unfair to judge earlier poetry by later standards. Who would think it just to judge the first mechanical contrivances by present mechanical inventions? Would it be fair to the very first locomotive that was ever made to compare it with the locomotives of to-day, that seem to challenge the wind and the lightning? Every man would protest against such comparison and criticism. The fair-minded man would protest that the right way to judge of any contrivance or invention, would be to come up to it along the line of its development, and to judge it by its own day and its own atmosphere. That is right. But when you compare earlier poetry with later, and say the old is better, how do you account for that? “There is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth him understanding.” Moses could not amend the song. Is there a genius now living who could paint this lily? Point out one weak line in all the mighty pan; change one figure for a better. Where this is the case and considering the times and circumstances, do we not feel as if approaching the beginning of an argument for the profoundest view of Biblical inspiration? We have sometimes tried to amend one of Christ’s parables, and nowhere could we replace one word by a better. Authors wish to go back upon their works, to retouch them; they issue new editions, “revised and corrected.” Who can correct this Song? Who can enlarge its scope, ennoble its courage, or refine its piety?
We feel ourselves under the influence of the highest ministry that has yet touched us in all these ancient pages. Our critical faculty is rebuked. Religious feeling has found sweet music to express its eloquence, and now we are carried away by the sacred storm. The heart will not permit grammatical analysis. The people are aflame with thankfulness, and their gratitude roars and swells like an infinite tempest, or if for a moment it falls into a lull, it is only to allow the refrain of the women with timbrels to be answered by the thrilling soprano of Miriam, for she answered the women, saying, “Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.” Then with the clang of timbrels and the tumult of the solemn dance Israel expressed thankfulness to the delivering God. The Church has now no great days of song whole days spent in praise, with a tumultuous harmony of trumpet and cornet, flute and clarionet, bassoon and sharp fife: men and women pouring their hearts’ emotions forth in broad song shot through and through with the silver threads of children’s brighter praise. The Church now objects to timbrels. To that objecting Church I do not belong. That objecting Church I disavow. We are making atheists in multitudes. We have turned the trumpet into an atheist, and the drum, and the flute, and the whole organ. We have shut them up for wicked enjoyment. Every Sabbath morning the city or town should vibrate with the crash of instruments religiously played. We must rid ourselves of the bigots who are impoverishing Christ’s Church, who are loading the Church with the burden of their cold respectability. We pay too heavy a price for the keeping of such men amongst us. The Church is now adjusting opinions, bandying controversial words, branding small heretics, and passing impotent resolutions; the timbrel is silent, the trumpet is dumb, the drum throbs no longer, the song is a paid trick in gymnastics, not a psalm bound for heaven. We have killed music in the Church. Who would not have music all day? It would refine us, it would ennoble us, it would show us the littleness and meanness of verbal criticism and paltry opinion, and fill the soul with Divinest breath. Why this atheistic silence? Are there no deliverances now? Is God no longer our God, and our fathers’ God? The great slave orator, Frederick Douglas, is reported to have said in a mournful speech, on a dark day for his race: “The white man is against us, governments are against us, the spirit of the times is against us; I see no hope for the coloured race; I am full of sadness.” Having concluded this melancholy utterance, a poor, little, decrepit, coloured woman rose in the audience, and said, “Frederick, is God dead?” In a moment the whole spirit of the man was changed. He had forgotten the principal thing speaking about white people, and governments, and spirit of the times, and forgetting the only thing worth remembering. Why this atheistic silence? Those who believe in God should not be afraid of his praise on a scale and after a method which will make people wonder and tremble, and for a time flee away. Music is better than argument. You can always answer a statement it is difficult to reply to a song.
We must be careful to distinguish between true praise and mere rhapsody. The song of Moses is simply history set to music. Through the whole song there is a line of what may be termed historical logic. Are these flowers? Underneath the soil in which they grow are infinite rocks of solid, positive fact and experience. Those who sang the song witnessed the events which they set to music. I protest against music ever being set to frivolous and worthless words. That is profanation. Such music is made into mere rhapsody; it is turned into sound without sense; it is a voice and nothing more. The music should owe all its nobility to the thought which it expresses. Persons who know not whereof they affirm have sometimes foolishly said that the words are nothing it is the music that is everything. As well say the tree is nothing the blossom is all. The words are the necessity of the music. The thought is so ardent, tender, noble, celestial, that it asks for the vehicle of a universal language for its exposition, and not for the loan of a dialect that is provincial or local. Even where there are no words to express where the music is purely instrumental the thought should be the majesty of the execution. We do not need words to tell us what music is in certain relations. Without the use of a single word we can easily tell the difference between the jingle meant for a clown’s dance, and the passion which expresses the fury of war or the agony of grief. So you can have thought without words a noble expression without the use of syllables that can be criticised. But whether you have words in the ordinary sense of the term, or thought without words, the music is but the expression of the soul’s moods, purposes, vows, prayers, and as such it can be distinguished even by those who have had no critical musical culture. We know the cry of earnestness from the whimper of frivolity. We need not hear a word, and yet we can say, “That is a cry of pain, and that is a song of folly.” Music is the eloquence which flies. If, then, our music is poor, it is because our piety is poor. Where the heart is right it will insist upon having the song, the dance, the festivity, the banner of gold written with God’s name in the centre of it. Poor piety will mean poor singing; small religious conceptions will mean narrow services scampered through with all possible haste, so much so that decency itself may be violated. A glowing piety a noble thought of God then where will be the dumb tongue, the vacant face, the eye without accent or fire? Realise the deliverance, and you cannot keep back the song; exclude the providence, and silence will be easy.
The spirit which would degrade poetry into prose is a more destructive spirit than is sometimes imagined. Whoever would turn poetry into prose would destroy all beauty. There are some who boast of being prosaic. Let us not interfere with the fool’s feast! Those who would take out of life its poetry, colour, fire, enthusiasm, would silence all bells, put out all light, extinguish all joy, cut down all flowers, terminate the children’s party when the children are in the very agony of the rapture. They are bad men. I know no crime that lies beyond their doing, if they could perform it without detection. The spirit that would make prose in life, at the expense of life’s too little poetry, is the enemy of love. It is an evil spirit. It values the house more than the home. Its treasure is laid up where moth and dust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal. It is a Pharisee who has no kiss for the celestial guest. It is a destroyer who would take the lilywork from the top of the pillar. It is an enemy that would take away the garden from the tomb. At first it does not appear to be so, but by appearances we must not finally and conclusively judge. Have faith in any man who stoops to pick a wayside flower for the flower’s sake because of the colour that is in it, the suggestions with which its odour is charged, and the symbolism which writes its mystery in the heart of the modest plant. The house is not wholly deserted of God that has its little sprig of Christmas holly in it. The heart that thought of the holly may have a great deal of badness in it, but there is one little point that ought to be watched, encouraged, enlarged.
Music should not be occasional. Music should express the life. We cannot always be singing great triumph-songs; but music will come down to minor keys, to whispered confidences, to almost silent ministries. There are soft-toned little hymns that can be sung even when there is a coffin in the house. Who would argue at the grave? yet who would not try, though vainly because of the weakness of the flesh, to sing there in memory of disease exchanged for health, time enlarged into eternity, corruption clothed with immortality?
We, too, have a sea to cross. We are pursued; the enemy is not far behind any one of us. The Lord has promised to bring us to a city of rest, and, lie between us and our covennated land what may, it shall be passed. That is the speech of faith. We, too, shall sing, “I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.” We, too, shall sing; the dumb shall break into praise, the cry will be, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” “All the angels stood round about the throne, saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.”
It shall not always be grim silence with us. We shall learn the song of Moses and the Lamb. Then all argument will have ceased; controversy will have fought out its little wordy fight and have forgotten its bitterness and clamour, and all heaven shall be full of song. They shall sing who enter that city the song of Moses and of the Lamb. But we begin it upon earth. There is no magic in death; there is no evangelising power in the grave, whither we haste. The song begins now, because it immediately follows the deliverances and benedictions of Providence. It may be a hoarse song, uttered very poorly, in the judgment of musical canons and according to pedantic and scholastic standards; but it shows that the soul is alive, and would sing if it could; and God knows what our poor throats and lips would do were we equal to the passions of the soul, and therefore he accepts the broken hymn, the poorly-uttered psalm of adoration, as if it were uttered with thunder, and held in it all the majesty of heaven.
Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker
IX
THE MARCH OUT OF EGYPT, THE PASSAGE OF THE RED SEA, AND THE TRIUMPHAL SONG
Exo 14:1-15:21
Before taking up the regular discussion I will answer a question presented concerning the Passover Supper in connection with the Lord’s Supper, as follows: “Was the foot-washing supper at Bethany or at Jerusalem?” That Passover Supper, where the foot-washing was, occurred at the same place that the supper did; and if you put that foot-washing at Bethany you must put the Lord’s Supper there, because Christ took the material of the Passover Supper with which to institute the Lord’s Supper. They had just observed the Passover. Now when he got through that Old Testament feast he instituted the analogue ordinance, and used the unleavened bread of the Passover Supper and the wine that was used with the Passover Supper. All the elements were the same when he instituted the new ordinance for his church.
This chapter I will give catechetically.
1. What about the guide on this march? That is, what about the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night?
Ans. When these people started from one country to another in fulfillment of God’s promise, viz.: “I will go with you; my Presence shall go with you,” that’ pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night, was first seen when they started that night; the night the first-born was slain there appeared a great fire column; its position was just over Moses, the place it occupied until the tabernacle was built, which we will see in subsequent discussions. The natural position of that cloud by day, and the fire by night, was over the tabernacle. . When they were moving, if that cloud stopped, everybody stopped. The next day, or if that cloud moved off in an hour, it meant to get ready to start, and then it would move forward, they moving after it. In the nighttime this cloud was a great, column of brilliant light, brighter than any electric light now to be seen in any great city, and all night long the radiance from that cloud brightly illuminated the entire camp; so that no night ever touched them in the forty years. As soon as day came and the sun rose, then that fire became a cloud, and it spread over them and kept between them and the sun, giving them a shade all day long; so that the sun never touched them in all that time. If an enemy was pursuing them that cloud moved around and got in the rear and turned a hot, fiery face, if it was night, to the adversary, very horrible; or it turned a dark face impenetrable in its blackness, and to the children of Israel brightness, the same face shining on God’s people, and frowning on his enemies. We see the last of this pillar when they got over into the Promised Land, i.e., you think you do. But that cloud becomes the Shekinah on the ark of the covenant and goes clear on to the building of Solomon’s Temple. Then it leaves the tabernacle and goes to the Temple; and when the Temple falls that cloud becomes the Holy Spirit, descended into the new temple, the church. The same thought runs all the way through the Bible, symbolizing the advocating presence of God to guide and guard and to cherish his people.
2. How many went out of Egypt and who?
Ans. The record states there were 600,000. The women and children are not enumerated, but on that basis it is easy to determine that there were between two and three millions of people in all. There went with them a mixed multitude of people who had not been circumcised, following the fortunes of the Jews, and causing them much trouble later.
3. Where was the starting point of this march?
Ans. On the map we shall see it to be Rameses. They were all over this land of Goshen; but they came together at Rameses as a rallying point for a start, the place which they built when they were slaves. And from this starting point there were three ways into the Holy Land.
4. What are the three ways to the Holy Land and why did they not go the first? Why not continue on the second, having started on it? Why the third?
Ans. There are three ways: the first is nearest the coast line through the Philistine country, a straight way, the nearest of all the ways; that way is there now. Why did they not go that way? God says that the Philistines are a formidable people, and trained to war; and if he took the Israelites that way they would get there before they were ready to meet such adversaries as the Philistines. That is why. The second way is the middle one of the three, going straight through the desert. Now why, having started that way, did they stop? Here is an important piece of history in the war between the Egyptians and the Hittites. The Egyptians had built a high wall following the line now occupied by the Suez Canal from the most northern point of the Red Sea and it had towers on it every few hundred yards filled with armed men. Why could not God have blown up that wall, and given them an easy passage through it? He could have done it, but that would not have allowed him to deal with Pharaoh as he wanted to; so they make a turn and come out the long way, coming to the most northern point of the Red Sea. They came to the end of the wall, not crossing it at all, but going across the tongue of the sea. Then they came down to the Sinaitic Peninsula, and along round by the way where there was nothing to obstruct. Now why was that way selected? In the first place, God said to Moses when he met him at the burning bush, “The token that I have given you that you will deliver these people is, that you will bring them to this mountain, and here worship God.” He wanted to take them a way sufficiently long for him to educate them for what he wanted them to do when they entered the Holy Land. Apparently he wanted to get them down there into this imperishable Sinaitic Peninsula, and there enter into a national covenant with them, giving them the moral law, the civil law, and the law of the altar, or the way of approach to God. He kept them there a year learning that lesson, and that is why he took the lower, more distant and most difficult road.
5. What was the hazard of the encampment by the sea in which he led them?
Ans. When he brought them down there they could not get out that way for the wall; then a mountain was on either side of them, and they could not go forward because of the I sea; nor backward because Pharaoh was coming behind closing up that way, a regular cul-de-sac; he wanted to get them’ in that corner where, humanly speaking, they could not dig: under a channel, and get out of the cul-de-sac; they could not go forward; they could not climb the mountains on the right F and left, nor could they go back because of Pharaoh’s armed chariots in hot pursuit. That was the hazard of the situation. God wanted to teach them that important lesson.
6. Explain the “stand still” of Moses and the “go forward” of God.
Ans. When the Israelites saw the situation they were frightened, perplexed inside and outside, and they whimpered like a whipped dog howling, or a whipped man cursing: “Why could you not let us abide over yonder in Egypt?” Moses says, “Stand still and see the salvation of God.” The thought of Moses is, “You have arrived at a position where there is nothing you can do, humanly speaking; and that cloud is not moving; and God, having brought you here, is going to save you. So don’t get scared; keep a stiff upper lip; stand still and have faith in the deliverance of God; he will get you out.” They felt a good deal like the fellows I saw during the Civil War the first time I was ever detailed by my company, lying down behind a battery, fighting four batteries. We were just right there on the ground. They would not let us shout, nor hoot nor stand up; and the shells from the enemy came hissing round, the battery popping off all around us, every w and then taking a fellow’s head off; and there we had to lie still. Now take the case of the Lord, “Say unto the people that they go forward.” And they beheld that pillar of cloud beginning to move. You stand still in a matter where you cannot do anything, but if there is anything you can do, do not stand still, but go forward. Now God is going to test their faith. Right in front of them is that sea, from one to three miles wide. “Go forward, forward, forward!” “Well, do you mean for us to just step off into that sea?” “Forward!” Directly Moses lifted his rod up, the staff of authority, and as he did it there came a mighty wind like a wedge and split that sea wide open, clear to the center. They did not have to step into the sea; they lifted their feet up at the edge of the sea, and when they were ready to put them down it was dry. The wind had split the sea open and they got on the other side.
When I was a boy my father preached a sermon on “Stand Still and See the Salvation of the Lord,” showing also that when the Lord says “Go forward,” you are to go forward. There was a Negro boy who could imitate to perfection my father’s preaching, especially as to voice. Standing on a box, he reproduced that sermon of my father’s, giving all the points, gestures, and intonations of voice. It beat anything I ever heard. Of course it very much impressed that sermon on my mind.
7. What is the natural explanation of this deliverance, and why is it not sufficient?
Ans. The natural explanation is that there was no miracle; that about this time the wind came and cleared away that water. History tells us about the Rhine being cleared away once by the power of the wind, just as the ebb of the tide will leave a strand almost dry, and the flux of the tide will put the feet in the middle. But why is that not sufficient explanation? In the first place, what was done took place at the hand of Moses; and in the second place, in the song of deliverance? that immediately followed the passage through the Red Sea, are these words: “The waters stood up in heaps and congealed.” What does congeal mean? To freeze. I never saw wind do that. There was an ice wall, perpendicular on each side, not that it was natural ice, but it stood as firm in that perpendicular position as if it had been frozen. The power, of the Lord held it there, as smooth-faced as a mirror. Then in the third place, it certainly was a remarkable coincidence that the wind should come just exactly at that time and by bringing those waters together again swallow up those that came after them. You must not depend much on their explanation; but take the coincidence, as the good boy said about I his father finding cow bells. He said that his papa had brought home a cow bell that he had “found” and his mamma, was glad that he found it because the cow needed a bell, and the next day he found another cow bell and his mamma was glad because they needed that cow bell; but the next day he found one for the calf, and the third day his mamma and he suspected where those cow bells came from. Things do not happen just that way. You don’t find three bells in succession. And when he found the third one something, they knew, was up.
8. What question of historical criticism comes up here?
Ans. Here are two or three millions of people leaving Egypt, one of the most prominent nations of the world, passing with their hordes of women and children through a point of the sea, migrating to another country. Is that history? That is the historical criticism. My answer is that this was just as much a historical transaction as the fact that you were born; it is true history.
9. What are the proofs that this incident was history?
Ans. The proofs are remarkable: (1) It was celebrated immediately afterward, and that memorial is preserved for all relations. We have it yet. Just as I would prove that something occurred at Bunker Hill; there stands a monument which tells on the very face of it in commemorative power that that incident took place.
(2) The next argument is the permanent impression it made on subsequent Hebrew literature. Looking at the nearby literature of that people, the references that you see in the book of Numbers and in Deuteronomy are still fresh and are living witnesses. Then turn to the great hymnbook of the nation, the poetry of the nation (every reader ought to do it), and read the portions of Psa 66 ; Psa 70 ; Psa 74 ; Psa 77 ; Psa 106 ; Psa 114 that refer to this incident. Is there on earth a poetry of a nation in such remarkable measure as these, and even of such a nature if there were no history? Then turn to the pages of Habakkuk and Zechariah, where you find it mentioned in days long afterward; and turn to the New Testament and here it is discussed, as in 1Co 10 and Rev 19 . So that at least 1,500 years after the event the literature of that nation is thrilling with it.
(3) Then consider this remarkable fact with the fact that the Egyptians in their monuments and in their hieroglyphics are profuse in telling of the glorious deeds of one king and another king, but they are silent about the triumphs of this one. Why is it that the preceding reigns of the Egyptian kings who had ended well are chronicled, as also the succeeding reigns, and they are silent concerning this king? Egypt lies helpless for many years after this event; its power was smitten. The historians did not like to tell about what caused it. They furnished corresponding facts.
10. Where in the New Testament is this passage through the Red Sea called a baptism? Explain it.
Ans 1Co 10 says, “I would not, brethren, have you ignorant that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea.” Our fathers were baptized eis Moses. In our chapter in the New Testament we will learn about the baptizo plus eis unto Moses. We will now explain how that was a baptism. In this way it was a baptism: On the right hand a perpendicular wall of water stood; on the left hand also was a perpendicular wall of water; and between, if was like a grave, and the cloud spread itself over the grave like the lid to a coffin, only that cloud lid was as bright as the brightest day that earth ever knew. This cloud and the two walls of the sea entirely encompassed the children of Israel, There in that grave they were buried in baptism, with the light of the pillar of cloud above them. The light was reflected in the mirrored face of the icy water; and the wall on the left flashed back in its reflection, striking the icy wall on the right, which in turn flashed back its reflection to the other side mirrored across; mirrored in light. All about them was stark darkness, but they were safe in the light. It was a baptism in light.
11. What did a Methodist preacher have to say about the explanation of it?
Ans. He quotes Psa 77:16-17 , concerning this passage through the Red Sea, thus: The waters saw thee, 0 God; The waters saw thee, they were afraid: The depths also trembled. The clouds poured out waters; The skies sent out a sound; Thine arrows also went abroad. He says that the clouds poured out water, and in the rain from that cloud they Were baptized. I debated with him one day, and said to him, “That passage in I Corinthians says they were baptized, not in clouds, but in a particular cloud.” I then asked if that particular cloud was a rain cloud. Did it ever rain anything? I said, “You have the cart before the horse. After they got through the cloud did pour out rain and there was nothing like it, but it fell on the Egyptians and not on the Israelites; they never got a drop of water on them. It was a figurative baptism. Cloud above them, cloud around them they were buried in a cloud of light.”
12. Was Pharaoh himself destroyed in the Red Sea?
Ans. The record seems to make it so. Historians say that be himself did not go down into the sea. But Egyptian historians would naturally hide that account of the death of their great king.
13. How was this event celebrated?
Ans. Moses wrote a song, a grand one, a song of deliverance. Talk about singing! That was an antiphonal, voice against voice, a responsive song; the choir or a man would sing one line and the rest of the congregation or the women with timbrels would sing the chorus; the men their part, and the women handing it back in the form of a chorus, accompanied with ‘instrumental music.
14. What of the effect on Egypt for many years?
Ans. It caused her to lie dormant for a long time.
15. What of the effect on the Canaanites?
Ans. It filled them with fear.
16. What of the effect on Israel?
Ans. It strengthened their faith in God and Moses.
17. Give and explain the last New Testament reference.
Ans. The last historical reference in connection with this passage is the passage in Revelation referring to this baptism. The redeemed host in heaven are represented as standing on a sea of glass mingled with fire, the glass reflecting the fire; as if you were to put a mirror here and another yonder, and you had a light between them. So this second type is the final redemption of God’s people in their emergence on the resurrection day. From the burial of death they come triumphantly and stand between the shores of heaven and look back on what is, as it were, a sea of glass, mingled with fire; that is, the light of redemption is shining into all of the graves from which they have emerged, and they are saved forever.
Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible
Exo 15:1 Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
Ver. 1. Then sang Moses. ] Presently upon the deliverance, while their hearts were hot, and the mercy fresh. No part of the thank offering might be kept unspent till the third day. Benefits soon grow stale, and putrify, as fish.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Moses began and ended his wilderness career with a song. Compare Deut 32, which is “the” song referred to in Rev 15:3.
The song proper occupies verses: Exo 15:4-17. It is preceded and followed by praise with introduction and conclusion.
Then sang. There was no singing in Egypt, only sighing and groaning (Exo 2:23, Exo 2:24).
children = sons.
this song. Note the ten Songs of Praise: (1) Exo 15:1-19. (2) Num 21:17, Num 21:18. (3) Deu 32:1-43. (4) Jdg 5:1-3. (5) 1Sa 2:1-10. (6) 2Sa 22:1-5. (7) Luk 1:46-55. (8) Luk 1:68-79. (9) Luk 2:29-32. (10) Rev 14:3. unto the LORD. Jehovah is the sole theme: and should be the theme of our praise. Note the “Thee” and “Thou”, and contrast the “We” of Num 13:33, and the result, weeping, in Exo 15:14. It begins with Redemption, and ends with glory. No “praise” short of this. the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Chapter 15
So Moses broke forth in song. Chapter fifteen is actually the song of Moses, of God’s deliverance and victory.
Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and they spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him a habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him. The Lord is a man of war: and Jehovah is his name. Pharaoh’s chariots and his host has he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea. The depths have covered them: they sank to the bottom as a stone. Thy right hand, O Jehovah, is become glorious in power: thy right hand O Jehovah has dashed in pieces the enemy. And in the greatness of thine excellency thou has overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble. And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright [against them] as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea ( Exo 15:1-8 ).
It is interesting to me, “The blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together”; the Bible says “A strong east wind”. Now this is putting it in sort of a figurative sense, “the blast of God’s nostrils, the strong east wind”. So next time the Santa Ana wind blows, just think the “blast of His nostrils”; sneezed.
The enemy said, [This is neat figurative language and I like it, it’s picturesque. “The enemy said”,] I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my desire shall be satisfied upon them; I’ll draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them. But you did blow with thy wind, and the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters. Who is like unto thee O Lord, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders. You stretched out your right hand, and the earth swallowed them. You and Your mercy have led forth your people which you have redeemed: and you have girded them unto thy strength unto thy holy habitation. The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold upon the inhabitants of Palestina. And the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; and the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; and all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away ( Exo 15:9-15 ).
So the experiences now are preparing me for the future victories, for the future conquests. God through His work now is just preparing my life for that future work that He’s planning to do. Ephesians four tells us that, “Ye are His workmanship, created together in Christ Jesus, unto the good works that God has before ordained that you should walk in them”.
In other words, God already has the plan for your life, and He’s preparing you for that plan. Right now God is working in you. What is the purpose? That He might prepare you for those works He’s already prepared for you.
Now later on we’re gonna have another song of Moses when we get into Deuteronomy where they acknowledge that all the way God led them. Through their wilderness experience, God led them. He went before them and prepared a place for them to pitch their tent. God was hovering over them as an eagle over her children. God hovered over them there in their wilderness experience; God was there. They were learning, trusting God. They were learning the providential care of God. They were learning the concern of God for His people. Even as we are learning now as God prepares us for those victories that He wants us to go into in His name. Into that territory that He wants us to conquer and to possess for His glory. And so this beautiful song of deliverance and praise, declaring the glory of God.
The fear that will come upon their enemies, Verse sixteen.
Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till the people pass over, O Lord, till the people pass over, which you have purchased. Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of your inheritance, and in the place, O Lord, which thou hast made for thee to dwell, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established. The Lord shall reign for ever and ever ( Exo 15:16-18 ).
So that acknowledgment of God, of His power, of His glory, of His purposes that He shall bring to pass and how that He shall reign forever and ever.
For the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the Lord brought again the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea. Now Miriam [Who was the older sister of Moses, and was called a prophetess.] she is also the sister of Aaron, [Who was the brother of Moses.] took a timbrel in her hand; and all of the women went out after her with their timbrels and with their dances. And Miriam answered them, Sing unto the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea ( Exo 15:19-21 ).
Now the Jewish people are a beautiful people as far as exuberance, and life, and excitement. You get them going and it’s really-it’s really a joy. They love to dance; they love to sing.
You that were with us a couple of years ago, remember that last night up at Carphelagi (sp). We had the big celebration. And then all of the bus drivers that we had that year, all got together and started singing all the songs that they’d sung from the time that they were little kids in school. Sort of a time of, “Oh remember this one?” They’d start out, and man, they’d get into it. Clapping, standing up and stomping, and just, “Hey”, you know the whole thing. They really love to get into it, you know. You notice their music; it’s got a real beat. There’s a lot of life to it, and there’s just, you know, they really love to get into it. They’re great to be around because of their exuberance, and they really get into it.
Thus I can in my mind picture this whole thing. Moses breaking forth into song of God’s power, and God’s deliverance. Miriam now, his older sister, coming out with a tambourine, and all the women coming out. This big dance going on, and the celebration for God has brought great deliverance for His people. God has brought great victory. And you know, there’s nothing wrong with getting a little excited and showing a little emotion when you think of all that God has done.
Isn’t it interesting how that we go to a football game or a baseball game, and we see a guy dressed like a duck? Or a chicken? And he goes around and he gets all the people whooping it up, you know. He’s hitting, getting them to clap in a beat and all this kind of stuff. And you see this character down there and you say, “Oh man he’s a real fan.”
But if in church, a person dares to smile, they say, “Man, he’s a fanatic.” One’s a fan; the other’s a fanatic. You’re showing a little emotion because of what God has wrought. Really, I think that it’s great to, to sometimes get a little emotional over God, and over the things of God, and over the work of God, and over the victory of God.
Now I don’t believe in emotionalism. There’s a vast difference between emotion and emotionalism. Emotionalism is emotion just for emotion’s sake. But getting emotional over God I think is neat. Getting excited over God, getting excited over the work of God. I love it, you know, when there’s that charged atmosphere. “Oh, see what God did tonight? Oh isn’t that neat?” You know and you’re just really into it with the Lord. I love it.
I don’t think that God intended that all of our relationship with Him be very pious, and very somber and very formal. I think that God wants us to just enjoy His presence. And I think that He enjoys it when we get excited over Him, and over His victories. Actually there’s something exciting about victory. The Lord has triumphed gloriously. They’re singing of the victory of God. He’s triumphed gloriously. Oh, when I think of the triumphs of God in my life, oh praise the Lord He triumphs gloriously. Thank You, Jesus. It’s neat.
Now the difference between emotions and emotionalism would be if I would go to the football game and I’m watching my team, and I’m there in the stands rooting for my team, and we’re behind twenty-three to seventeen, and there’s eighteen seconds to go. But we’re clear back on our ten-yard line. We used up all of our time-outs. The quarterback gets the ball, and the linemen are rushing him. Someone missed their block, he’s just about tackled, but he lets go of the football, throws it down the field, and down the sidelines, the tight-end is racing. He reaches out his hands and the ball falls right in his hands, and he races into the end zone.
Do you know what I’m gonna be doing? I’m not gonna just be sitting there and saying, “My, isn’t that wonderful? My.” Listen, I’m gonna be whistling. I’m gonna be jumping up and down. I’m gonna be waving my hands. I’m gonna be screaming and yelling. I’m a fan. Then with the extra point, right through the middle of the upright. Again the screaming, the whistling, the shouting, the excitement. That’s emotion. “We won.” People don’t say, “What’s the matter with that weirdo? Look how emotional he is.”
Now the difference between that and emotionalism is that if I would go out the next day, when there are no teams on the field and alone in the stands. I go through the same actions that I went through the night before, jumping up and down, whistling, throwing up my hands in the air, yelling and screaming; that’s emotionalism. That I’m not interested in.
But I’ll tell you it doesn’t hurt to get excited over God, and over the works of God, and over the victories that God has wrought within our lives. I don’t know but that isn’t why God loves His people so much, because they show a little bit of emotion, when God works. They’re capable of showing them. I do think that God sort of appreciates our getting excited over Him and over His works.
So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went for three days into the wilderness, and they found no water. [So, they’re in trouble.] And when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore they called it Marah ( Exo 15:22-23 ).
Which means “bitter”. Remember Naomi said, “Don’t call me Naomi which means “pleasantness”, call me Marah, because God has dealt bitterly with me.” So the waters of Marah. They came to this water finally after three days. They went to drink it and it was bitter. They couldn’t drink it. So they said, “Oh Marah”. Bitter.
And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink ( Exo 15:24 )?
Oh, Moses you’ve got your hands full. Now here they are dancing, the timbrels are out, they’re singing of God’s victory, just wiped out the Egyptians. How quickly we forget the power of God. “We’re gonna die of thirst. Give us water to drink.”
And so he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord showed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet ( Exo 15:25 ):
So they’re learning, they’re learning about God. They’re getting acquainted with God. God can take the bitter experiences of your life and bring sweetness out of them. Those areas that are so bitter for us, we tasted them, and we found such bitterness. Yet God can turn them around and bring sweetness out of them. Of course the difference was the tree cast in the water. That tree, in our case, being the cross of Jesus Christ, which so transforms everything in our lives, and makes the bitter to become sweet.
And the Lord said, If [So it’s conditional, “If”,] you will diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord your God, and will do that which is right in his sight, and will give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am Jehovah that healeth thee ( Exo 15:26 ).
So they’re coming now into an even deeper relationship with God, a covenant relationship. God said, “Right now if you will keep My statutes, My laws, My commandments, then I will keep you. I’ll not put upon you any of the diseases or afflictions that came upon the Egyptians. For I am the Lord that healeth thee.” Jehovah-Rapha, a healer, the Lord that healeth thee.
There is a very interesting book called, “None of These Diseases” written by a medical doctor, in which he goes into the law that God gave to Moses, and into especially the dietary aspects of the law, and into the washing ordinances within the law, and actually shows that if a person would keep the law of Moses; that it was a sanitary code among other things. And that by the keeping of the law, following the laws of sanitation, and diet and so forth, that a person would live a much healthier life, that there are the rules of health in the law of God. “None of These Diseases”; Dr. Maxwell is it that wrote the book? A medical doctor, but he’s taken the law and shown the value of the law as a sanitary code, as a health code, and so forth.
So the promise being if you keep the law and so forth, then I will keep you. “I’m the Lord that heals you.” But the healing is so often through preventative measures, of proper diet, proper sanitation and so forth. So as we get into the law of Moses, we’re gonna find that much of it deals with just health, and healthy practices. God wants you to be healthy, and He’s given you the rules. He says, “Keep these and you’ll be healthy. None of these diseases that came upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.”
And so they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and there were seventy palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters ( Exo 15:27 ).
So now God bringing them into that place of refreshment, refreshing themselves in Him. Learning the ways of God, learning about God, being prepared for the experiences that God has ahead for them, as He brings them into the fullness of His blessing and promises.
Next week we’ll begin with chapter sixteen moving on in the book of Exodus. Shall we stand?
May the Lord bless and keep you in the love of Jesus Christ. May the Lord work in your life this week in a special way, bringing forth victory out of seeming defeat. Revealing that way when there seems to be no way. May you experience God’s hand upon your life as He trains, as He teaches, as He develops His work of love and grace within your life, as He prepares you for the future, and for those things that He wants you to possess of His grace and of His glory. May the Lord strengthen you, and cause your life to be a witness for Him in Jesus’ name. “
Fuente: Through the Bible Commentary
Exo 15:1-10. Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my fathers God, and I will exalt him. The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name. Pharaohs chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea. The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone. Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy. And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble. And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them. Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters.
They were all noise, and bluster, and boast; but observe the sublime attitude of God, how readily he eased himself of his adversaries: Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters.
Exo 15:11-14. Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them. Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation. The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina.
That is, the heathen nations who, at that time, inhabited the land of Palestine: Sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina.
Exo 15:15. Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away.
This great deed of God would be told, and told again, all over Palestine; and the inhabitants would feel that their end was come, for who could stand against Israels mighty God?
Exo 15:16. Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O LORD, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased.
And how still they were! All the forty years that the Israelites were in the wilderness, they were scarcely ever attacked; and even then, it was not by the inhabitants of Canaan, but by the wandering Bedouin tribe of the Amalekites, who slew the hindmost of them. It was wonderful that no troops ever came out of Egypt to molest Gods people after the destruction at the Red Sea; neither out of Canaan did any come to block their way. When God strikes, he makes his adversaries dread all future conflicts.
Exo 15:17-21. Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O LORD, which thy hands have established. The LORD shall reign for ever and ever. For the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought again the waters of the sea upon them, but the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea. And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously! the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
They sang as in an oratorio, Miriam singing the solo, and all the women joining in the jubilant chorus; and well might they rejoice after the great deliverance which the Lord had wrought for them.
This exposition consisted of readings from Hos 2:14-15; and Exo 15:1-21.
Fuente: Spurgeon’s Verse Expositions of the Bible
It was a great and glorious song thatrose on the morning air on the far side of the sea. A study of it will reveal it to be a song of the King. It was a high ecstatic moment of national consciousness. In some aspect every movement of it sounds the praise of the King. The reason for the song is God Himself (verses Exo 15:1-2). The victory against the proud foe is wholly Jehovah’s (verses Exo 15:3-10). The leading of His people is His alone (verses Exo 15:11-13). The sense of dread that falls on the men of other nations who witnessed the passage is the issue of Jehovah’s victory (verses Exo 15:14-16). Their confidence, now high and hopeful, of finally coming into possession of their inheritance is centered wholly in Him (verses Exo 15:7; Exo 15:18).
Now begins the more direct story of Jehovah’s guidance of the people. Marah and its bitterness afforded opportunity to discover the resources of Jehovah. Elim was an evidence of His tender care for them.
To those who have eyes to see and hearts to understand, the divine tenderness is manifest along the whole pilgrim pathway.
Fuente: An Exposition on the Whole Bible
Moses Song of Praise to Jehovah
Exo 15:1-18
This sublime ode falls into three divisions. We learn, first, what God is: strength in the day of battle; song in victory; salvation always. He is the God of our fathers, and our own; the mighty champion of His people. Notice that the Spirit of Inspiration gives but a line or two to Israels murmurings, but records this happy song with elaborate care. Praise is comely!
We discover, second, what God is to His foes. They are covered by the engulfing waves of destruction. As well might thorns fight fire as a man succeed against God.
We are taught, third, what God does for His friends. He leads forth the people whom He has redeemed. He guides them in His strength to their home. He who brought them out brings them in, and plants them in the place He has prepared. Claim that He should do this for you. He who brought you out from Egypt can bring you into Canaan.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
Exo 15:3
These words are part of an outburst of national song, the triumphant song of God’s chosen people when they, by God’s strength, escaped from the tyranny of Egypt, and found themselves a redeemed, free, delivered people. The Lord has continued to exercise His triumphant power in the Christian Church. The standard of spiritual life in individual Christians at the present day warrants the expectations which have been awakened by the first promises of the Gospel. It is possible to look at this in two or three aspects.
I. The thought of God’s triumphs as a man of war seems to be valuable as giving in its degree a proof of the truth of Holy Writ. The moral expectations raised by our Lord’s first sermon on the Mount are being actually realized in many separate souls now. The prayer for strength to triumph against the devil, the world, and the flesh is becoming daily more visibly proved in the triumph of the Spirit, in the individual lives of the redeemed.
II. The triumphs of the Lord in the individual hearts among us give an increasing hope for unity throughout Christendom. We cannot deny the debt we owe to the labours of Nonconformists in the days of the Church’s lethargy and neglect. We cannot join them now, but we are preparing for a more close and lasting union, in God’s own time, by the individual progress in spiritual things.
III. We must do our part to set our seal to the triumphant power of Divine grace. It is the half-lives of Christians which are such a poor proof of the truth of our Lord’s words. They do not begin early enough; they do not work thoroughly enough. We have the promise that this song shall be at last on the lips of all who prevail, for St. John tells us in the Revelation that he saw those who had overcome standing on the sea of glass, having the harps of God, singing the song of Moses and the Lamb.
Bishop King, Penny Pulpit, No. 569.
Reference: Exo 15:6.-J. Keble, Sermons for the Christian Year: Easter to Ascension Day, p. 34.
Exo 15:9-11
Israel was, in the first place, delivered from the hand of God, and then, as the result of this, Israel was delivered from the hand of Pharaoh.
Consider:-
I. The state of the Israelites when Moses came to them. (1) They were in bondage. (2) They were so far conscious of the misery of their position that they had a strong desire for liberty. (3) They were by no means ready at first to accept the message of God’s deliverance. (4) They had their comforts even in slavery. In all these things we have a picture of ourselves.
II. The deliverance. (1) The moment the Passover is observed, that moment Pharaoh’s power is broken. The moment that all is right between us and God, that moment Satan’s power is broken, and he can no longer hold us in bondage. (2) The waters of judgment which saved the Israelites were the means of destroying the vast host of Egypt. The power of Satan is broken by the very means by which he intended to destroy. (3) It is our privilege to take our stand on the other side of the Red Sea and see ourselves “raised up with Christ” into a new life.
W. Hay Aitken, Mission Sermons, 1st series, p. 121.
Reference: Exo 15:22-27.-Parker, vol. ii., p. 113.
Exo 15:23-27
From the story of Marah we learn these lessons:-
I. The water was deleterious, not distasteful only. Had the people drunk it, it would have wrought disease, but it was healed by the obedience of Moses to God’s directions. So if we are attentive and obedient to His voice He will find us remedies from all things that might hurt us.
II. It was not possible, perhaps, that the children of Israel should, by persevering in the unwholesome draught which is there typical of sin, have vitiated their taste till they delighted in it. But it is too possible in the antitype.
III. Though we are compelled by God’s providence to pass through difficulty and temptation, we are not doomed to dwell there. If we are faithful, it is but in passing that we shall be endangered. If we use the remedy of obedience to God’s word to-day, to-morrow we shall be beside the twelve ever-springing fountains, and under the shade of the palm-trees of Elim.
Archbishop Benson, Boy Life: Sundays in Wellington College, p. 197.
We have in our text a parable of the deep things of Christ.
I. Israel was in those days fresh from their glorious deliverance out of Egypt; they had sung their first national song of victory; they had breathed the air of liberty. This was their first disappointment, and it was a very sharp one; from the height of exultation they fell almost at once to the depths of despair. Such disappointments we have all experienced, especially in the outset of our actual march, after the first conscious sense of spiritual triumph and freedom.
II. Of us also it is true that God hath showed us a certain tree, and that tree is the once accursed tree on which Christ died. This is the tree of life to us, although of death to Him.
III. It was God who showed this tree unto Moses. And it was God who showed it to us in the Gospel. Applied by our faith to the bitter waters of disappointment and distress, it will surely heal them and make them sweet. Two things there are about the tree of scorn which will never lose their healing power-the lesson of the Cross and the consolation of the Cross; the example and the companionship of Christ crucified.
IV. The life which found its fitting close upon the Cross was not a life of suffering only, but emphatically a life of disappointment. Here there is comfort for us. Our dying Lord must certainly have reflected that He, the Son of God, was leaving the world rather worse than He found it in all human appearance.
V. Whatever our trials and disappointments, let us use this remedy; it will not fail us even at the worst.
R. Winterbotham, Sermons and Expositions, p. 46.
References: Exo 15:23-25.-S. Baring-Gould, One Hundred Sermon Sketches, p. 20; Homiletic Quarterly, vol. ii., p. 540; Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xvii., No. 987. Exo 15:23-27.-Homiletic Quarterly, vol. v., p. 453; Homiletic Magazine, vol. xiii., p. 275. 15:23-16:36.-W. M. Taylor, Moses the Lawgiver, p. 128. 15-18.-J. Monro Gibson, The Mosaic Era, p. 61. Exo 15:24, Exo 15:25.-J. Burns, Sketches of Sermons on the Parables, p. 257. Exo 15:25.-J. Hamilton, Works, vol. v., p. 177; J. M. Neale, Sermons for the Church Year, vol. ii., p. 185. Exo 15:26.-A. D. Davidson, Lectures and Sermons, p. 161; Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xxviii., No. 1664; J. Van Oosterzee, The Year of Salvation, vol. ii., p. 394; Parker, vol. ii., p. 319. Exo 15:27.-T. Kelly, Pulpit Trees, p. 314. Exo 16:1-8.-Preacher’s Monthly, vol. ii., p. 459.
Fuente: The Sermon Bible
7. The Song of Redemption
CHAPTER 15:1-21
1. Jehovah acknowledged and praised (Exo 15:1-2)
2. The victory celebrated as His victory (Exo 15:3-10)
3. His holiness praised (Exo 15:11-13)
4. His enemies tremble (Exo 15:14-16)
5. Thou shalt bring them in (Exo 15:17-18)
6. The judgment and salvation (Exo 15:19)
7. The womens chorus (Exo 15:20-21)
This is a great chapter. It is the first song in the Bible. In Egypt was no singing for Israel but only weeping and groaning. Nor did they sing in Babylon (Psa 137:2-4). There is to be a future song for Israel in connection with their coming great deliverance (Isaiah 12). Moses sang this song. It is his first song; his last song is that great prophetic outburst recorded by him in Deut. 32. The song of Moses, the servant of God, is mentioned in Rev 15:3. This whole song breathes the spirit of praise and worship. The destructive criticism has not left this song unchallenged. They object to it on account of the prophetic utterance in verses 17 and 18, as if this were impossible to say at that time, thus ruling out the inspiration by the Holy Spirit. A closer study of this song will be very profitable. Note the expression Jehovah is a man of war. This foreshadows His incarnation and His coming as the mighty King, who conquers his enemies (Psa 45:3; Psa 46:8-9; Isa 63:1-7, Rev 19:11). The whole song is prophetic. What Jehovah has done in the judgment of His enemies and the complete deliverance of His people that He will do again. It is interesting to compare this outburst of praise in which Miriam* (Mary) and the women joined with the song of praise of Hannah (1Sa 2:1-10), the praise of the mother of our Lord, Mary, in Luk 1:46-55, and Zechariahs words in Luk 1:68-79. The whole atmosphere of Exo 15:1-21 is that of praise and adoration, joy and victory; such is yet in store for the earth and for Israel , when that goal is reached, of which Exo 15:18 speaks, Jehovah shall reign forever and ever. (* Miriam is significantly called Aarons sister, not Moses. She could not rank with Moses. Leadership did not belong to her. She was subordinate to Moses, as Aaron was.)
Exodus 12 foreshadows our deliverance from the guilt of sins (Romans 1-5:11). Chapter 13 teaches Gods claim on those He has delivered, which is separation unto Himself Chapter 14 tells in type of our deliverance from the power of sin. The song of redemption contained in chapter 15 points us to the beautiful ending of Romans 8, the song which every delivered believer can sing (Rom 8:31-39).
Fuente: Gaebelein’s Annotated Bible (Commentary)
feared
(See Scofield “Psa 19:9”).
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
Then: Jdg 5:1-31, 2Sa 22:1-51, Psa 106:12, Psa 107:8, Psa 107:15, Psa 107:21, Psa 107:22, Isa 12:1-6, Isa 51:10, Isa 51:11, Rev 15:3
for: Exo 15:21, Exo 14:17, Exo 14:18, Exo 14:27, Exo 18:11, Col 2:15
Reciprocal: Exo 14:13 – see the Exo 32:18 – but the Num 21:17 – sang Deu 1:30 – according 1Sa 2:1 – my mouth 2Ch 20:26 – blessed Neh 9:11 – their persecutors Job 39:19 – the horse Psa 18:1 – in the day Psa 28:7 – with Psa 32:7 – songs Psa 66:3 – How terrible Psa 66:6 – there Psa 68:35 – terrible Psa 76:6 – At thy Psa 95:1 – sing Psa 105:43 – gladness Psa 108:1 – I will Psa 124:1 – The Lord Isa 12:5 – Sing Isa 30:29 – Ye shall Isa 33:5 – The Lord Isa 38:9 – writing Isa 42:13 – as a mighty Isa 48:20 – with a voice Jer 2:2 – the kindness Jer 51:21 – General Hos 2:15 – she shall sing Hab 3:13 – wentest Zec 14:3 – as Luk 19:37 – the whole Act 13:17 – and with Heb 11:29 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Faith as Exemplified in Moses
Selections from Exo 3:1-22; Exo 6:1-30; Exo 7:1-25; Exo 8:1-32; Exo 14:1-31; Exo 15:1-27
INTRODUCTORY WORDS
The Children of Israel had been captive in Egypt for several hundred years. During that time another Pharaoh had arisen who knew not Joseph. As the sons of Jacob multiplied, the king of Egypt became more and more afraid of their possible ascendancy in his empire. Therefore, moved with fear, he began to persecute them, and to force them to work as common slaves. Thus, God heard the groanings of His people under the iron hand of Pharaoh.
1. The birth of a deliverer. Finally an edict of Pharaoh was given forth that every male child should be killed. There were two, however, who were not afraid of the king’s commandment, and when a goodly child was born unto them, they hid him in an ark of bulrushes at the river’s brink, where the daughter of Pharaoh came to bathe. This little child was rescued by royalty and nursed by his own mother. Thus it was that God Himself brought up the deliverer in the home of the persecutor. A child who was under a sentence of death, became the giver of life to the people of God.
2. The deliverer’s attempt in the flesh. When the baby Moses had grown into a man of forty years of age, he spurned everything that the pleasures and the wealth of Egypt could give him. He turned his back on Pharaoh’s palace, and, with a heart aching because of the straits of his own people, he went down, bent upon delivering them, but forty years passed before God undertook to deliver Israel through Moses.
3. Hiding away. During the forty years that Moses was in Midian he married the daughter of Jethro, the priest of Midian. At the end of the forty years God came to Moses and spoke to him.
During the years that Moses was hid away with God he could meditate and think upon the glory of Jehovah.
4. A wonderful sight. God appeared unto Moses in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. Moses stopped and looked, and, “behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.” Immediately he said, “I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.” It was at that moment that the Lord called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, “Moses, Moses.” And he said, “Here am I.” God told Moses to put off his shoes from off his feet, because the place on which he stood was holy ground.
Then it was that he said, “I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Immediately God told Moses that He had surely seen the affliction of His people in Egypt; that He had heard their cry, and that He would send forth Moses to their deliverance.
5. A complaining, doubting spirit. We are amazed when we think of the man whom God had called to deliver His people, saying to the Lord, “Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the Children of Israel out of Egypt?” The Lord, however, gave him promises that He would be with him.
The story is familiar to all of us: we remember how the Lord gave him His Name, saying, “I Am that I Am.” When Moses still demurred, God wrought the miracle of the turning of a rod which Moses held in his hand into a serpent.
God furthermore commanded Moses to put his hand into bis bosom, and when he took it out, it was as leprous as snow. Then He told Moses to put his hand back into his bosom. This time, when he took it out, it was turned again as his other flesh.
Moses still demurred, and said, “I am not eloquent.” This time, God took away from him a wonderful privilege and gave it unto Aaron, the brother of Moses, telling him that he should be the spokesman of Moses, and that he should be to Moses instead of a mouth, and that Moses should be to him instead of God.
6. A few conclusions. As we think of what we have just set before you, let us weigh our own experience in its light. Have we not had a call from God? Have we not often warred in the flesh? Have we not often demurred, and hesitated to undertake the work to which we are called? Perhaps God has even given us a vision of His mighty power and work. Before we complain about Moses, and condemn him, let us ask if we have been faithful, and ready to launch out the moment that some Divine order came to us; perhaps Moses far outshines us in our obedience. Let us be careful, lest we miss God’s very best in service and spiritual attainments.
I. FAITH IN TRAINING (Exo 3:12-14)
When we feel that our faith is weak, we know of no better way to strengthen it than to study the dealings of the God in whom we are asked to believe, with men in the past. Listen to some of the things that God said to Moses:
1.In Exo 3:8 He said, “I am come down to deliver.”
2.In Exo 3:10 He said, “I will send thee unto Pharaoh.”
3.In Exo 3:12 He said, “Certainly I will be with thee.”
4.In Exo 3:14 He said, “I AM hath sent me unto you.”
5.In Exo 3:17 He said, “I will bring you up.”
6.In Exo 3:20 He said, “I will stretch out My hand.”
7.In Exo 3:21 He said, “I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians.”
When we look at the seven statements above, we see, in every instance, a definite promise from the Almighty. Why should Moses be afraid when God kept saying, “I will, I will; and I will”? When God promises to do it, it will surely be done. What God undertakes He is able to accomplish; if we are sent by Him; we are panoplied by Him.
If He is with us, we are armed with all power in Heaven and upon earth. If He is going to bring us through, we need not fear the terrors by the way; if He has said, “I will stretch out My hand,” we need not care how weak our hands may be.
There was one other thing that God did to encourage Moses. He said, “I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, * * of Isaac, and * * of Jacob.” In other words, He said to Moses, “You are familiar with the wonderful dealings I had with your forefathers; and I was their God, and now I will be thine.” If the Lord comes with us, are we afraid to go? Do the silver and the gold not belong to Him? Does He not have all authority, in every realm?
Suppose Jesus Christ stood by us today, telling us to go; and then He said, “I have met the powers of Satan and have vanquished them; I was dead, and I am alive again, and I hold in My hand the keys of death and of hell; I have ascended up through principalities and powers, and am seated on the right hand of God, clothed with all authority.” When Christ says such things to us, shall we be weak in faith and afraid to obey His voice?
II. FAITH WARNED (Exo 3:19)
We often speak of the faith of Moses, and indeed it was a remarkable faith. Let none of us criticize him in his faith until we can do the things he did; let none of us enlarge upon his unbelief until our unbelief is less than his.
1. The warning. Exo 3:19 says, God speaking: “And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.” The Lord never promises us that which we are not to receive; He never encourages us in giving us a false hope; He never tries to increase our faith by belittling the obstacles which will beset us by the way.
God very plainly and positively assured Moses that the Children of Israel would resist him, and that Pharaoh would not let the people go. However, God went on to tell him that He would do His wonders in Egypt, and “after that he will let you go.” He even told Moses that the Children of Israel should not go out empty, but they should go out with their hands filled with jewels of silver and gold and raiment, and with the spoil of the Egyptians.
2. The refusal. In the 5th chapter, and 1st verse, Moses said unto Pharaoh, “Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let My people go, that they may hold a feast unto Me in the wilderness.” Pharaoh did not hesitate a moment to reply, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.”
A man of little faith would certainly have stumbled here. To be sure, God had told him that Pharaoh would not let Israel go; however, it was not easy for Moses and Aaron to be repulsed with such terrific onslaughts of unbelief.
Sometimes as we go forth in the service of God everything seems to fail which we had hoped would come to pass. Our prayers seem unanswered, our attempts seem futile, and our service seems in-vain.
We should remember that it is not always that our God delivers instantly. If we get our victories too easily, we might begin to think that our own hand had gotten us the victory, and that we had accomplished things by our own efforts and prowess.
3. The direct results. In the 4th verse of the 5th chapter, the king of Egypt said unto Moses and Aaron, “Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens.” That same day the king commanded the taskmasters to cease giving straw to the Children of Israel. They were to get their own straw, and yet the same quantity of brick was required from them daily.
This caused a tremendous bitterness in the Children of Israel. They complained, and when they met Moses and Aaron as they came forth from Pharaoh, they said, “Ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.”
This was about all that Moses could bear, and he cried unto the Lord, “Why is it that Thou hast sent me?” He also said, “Neither hast Thou delivered Thy people at all.” When the enemy seems to have every advantage, and is pressing us on every side, do we sometimes murmur and complain at the Lord? It is not easy to be condemned by the populace; it is not easy to see our leadership seemingly broken.
III. FAITH ASSURED (Exo 6:1-6)
When Moses talked with God, the Lord told him several things.
1. “Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh.” Defeat does not disturb the Almighty-He can see the end from the beginning. He knew that Pharaoh would rebel again and again, but God also knew that Pharaoh would be willing-yea, more than willing: he would be glad to have Israel go, before God had finished His judgments upon him.
2. Other things God said unto Moses.
1.”I am the Lord: and I appeared unto Abraham * * by the Name of God Almighty.”
2.”I have also established My Covenant with them.”
3.”I have remembered My Covenant.”
4.”I will bring you out * * I will rid you out of their bondage.”
5.”I will redeem you with a stretched out arm.”
6.”I will take you to Me * * I will be to you a God.”
7.”I will bring you in unto the land.”
Three times in this passage, concluding at Exo 6:8, the Lord says, “I am the Lord.” Let every one of us write over every power of darkness the same word-“I am the Lord.” If God be for us, who can be against us?
3. Moses’ plea. It must have been a wonderful thing to have the privilege of speaking to the Lord face to face, as did Moses, God addressing him as we would an intimate friend. Moses said, “Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto Me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me?” He meant, If my own people, Thine own children, have not heard me, how shall I expect Pharaoh to hear me?
Sometimes we, too, get to the place where we want to give up. We hasten to belittle our successes and the possibility of our efforts. Beloved, we need, today, to get a fresh hold on God.
IV. Faith Encouraged (Exo 7:1-6)
The skies are brightening as far as Moses is concerned. While so far he has met nothing but rebuff and setback and disappointment; yet he has been learning, step by step to trust God. Now the Lord is speaking unto Moses, and He tells him one thing that, so far as we know, has never been repeated.
1. “I have made thee a God to Pharaoh.” In other words, God is saying unto Moses that he should go before Him in the power and might of Deity Himself. He was to speak everything that God commanded him; he was to do mighty works, even the works that only God could do.
God still warned Moses that Pharaoh would harden his heart, but He said that He would multiply His signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. The fact of the business was that every time Pharaoh refused Moses, it gave God an opportunity to magnify His own Name and power in the midst of the Egyptians, and to prove that God was Lord; and that the Children of Israel were His people.
2. “And Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded them.” They went forth and faced Pharaoh time and time again; with Pharaoh’s every refusal they were spurred to further attacks against the cruel king of the Egyptians. They both obeyed the voice of God implicitly; they obeyed, no matter what happened, how dark the skies, how rugged the way, how steep the road. They were learning that God is able to bring down every high thing, and every proud thing that exalts itself against the Lord. They were learning that the weapons of their warfare were mighty, through God, to the breaking down of strongholds.
V. FAITH WORKING (Exo 8:1-4)
The story of the ten plagues which were brought upon Egypt by the words of Moses, is nothing less than the story of faith at work.
1. The first three plagues. As Moses threw down his rod it became a serpent. How was it then, if this was a miracle, that the magicians threw down their rods, and they became serpents? The second great miracle of Moses was the turning of the water of Egypt into blood; this the magicians of Egypt also did.
The third was the miracle of the frogs; once again the magicians of Egypt did the same with their enchantments.
Moses, perhaps, was dumfounded when he saw that the magicians could duplicate, thus far, whatever he did. However, they could not get rid of the frogs; they could bring the curse, but could not relieve it. Perhaps God Himself permitted all of this, to make Moses lean the harder upon Him; and also to bring a deeper curse upon Pharaoh, because of his rebellion. One thing we know, that step by step, Moses was “as God” in moving God and nature to obey his voice.
2. Is the day of miracles past? My God is a God that still works miracles. If He did not, how could I trust Him in the many places where He commands me to travel and to labor? I have seen with mine own eyes the Lord our God doing the impossible.
When we think of the Apostles, and of Paul, we think of men who knew how to believe God, and to do things which could not be accounted for on any natural lines. In these days, when the modernist is seeking to discount every miracle that God has ever wrought, it is absolutely necessary for us to prove that our God is still the God who wrought the miracles of the Old Testament. We must do the same things as were done then.
VI. THE FINAL TRIUMPH (Exo 14:13-16)
We are passing very rapidly over many remarkable things that occurred, and now we come to the final great test.
1. Hemmed in on every side. When Moses led the Children of Israel out of Egypt, he led them as he was directed, down by the way of the Red Sea. The news was taken to Pharaoh that Moses with his million and one half of people were entangled in the wilderness; then Pharaoh immediately started out to pursue them.
When the Children of Israel saw the hosts of the Egyptians approaching, they were filled with fear, and they said unto Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness?” Here was a real trial to faith.
Moses, however, did not waver: he said, “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will shew to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever.” He added, “The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.”
After Moses had told this unto the people, he sought the face of his God, and cried unto Him. Then the Lord said to him, “Wherefore criest thou unto Me? speak unto the Children of Israel, that they go forward.” How could they go forward?
They certainly could not go back; they certainly could not go to the left, or to the right, for, on the one hand were the fastnesses of the mountains and the hills, and on the other hand Pharaoh’s hosts. Before them was the impassable sea. It was under such circumstances that God said, “Go forward,” and forward they went.
Moses lifted up his rod, and God opened before them sufficient dry land that they might march in through the midst of the sea, and straight across to the other side.
VII. FAITH REJOICING (Exo 15:1-6)
1. The thrill of victory. It must have been a wonderful thing to the Children of Israel, as they marched up on the other side of the sea. Surely they knew that there was a God in Israel! If their joy, for the moment, was darkened by the approach of the hosts of the Egyptians who were marching upon the same path through the sea which God had prepared for them, their fear was quickly allayed when they saw that the armies of Pharaoh were having great trouble in passing, because their chariot wheels would come off, and because they were blinded in their route by a cloud of darkness.
Then, after the last one of Israel had passed over, how they must have rejoiced when Moses stretched forth his rod over the sea, and the waters returned to their strength, overthrowing the Egyptians in the midst thereof! Pharaoh’s army and chariots and horsemen were altogether overthrown, and there remained not so much as one.
2. The song of victory. Chapter 15 says, “Then sang Moses and the Children of Israel this song.” Have you ever accomplished something by faith which caused you to sing? You have read of faith’s miracles: Have you ever wrought them? You have heard of Daniel in the lions’ den: have you ever had any experience that even shadowed that? You have heard of the experience of the three Hebrew children in the burning fiery furnace: have you ever done or seen anything like that in your life?
Yes, every day there are things just as marvelous, but how few there are who know them, or see them, or believe them! Now when there is victory, there is song. After Moses had finished his rejoicing with the Children of Israel, then Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her, with timbrels and dances.
3. Experiences in the wilderness. After this wonderful miracle one would have thought that the Children of Israel would never again doubt God. They had seen everything that God had wrought by the hand of Moses; all of the miraculous plagues, all of their wonderful deliverances, and yet they were scarcely over the Red Sea and in the wilderness, until, as they journeyed, they struck a place where there was no water. Then they began to chide with Moses. One of the crowning acts of faith in the life of Moses was when he went out and struck the rock at the command of God. There is no water in a rock, and yet the smitten rock sent forth a stream. Beloved, let us never doubt God again, but rather let us believe that it will be even as He has spoken.
AN ILLUSTRATION
“Ask ye of the Lord rain” (Zec 10:1).
In the following lines we wish to relate something of the Lord’s goodness as suggested by the above text.
There had been many months of drought, very dry and hot weather. The previous N.E. monsoon had failed, resulting in only half the normal rainfall. Tanks and ponds had been dry for weeks. Many wells had failed in their supply of water. Droves of cattle were being driven miles to obtain a drink of water. Men and women, on returning late in the evening from work, had to go off in search of water before attempting to cook the food. One evening, two messengers, one following the other, came along to say our well was empty. We knew of only one resource at such a time. There were some clouds above. “Ask ye of the Lord rain.” Two of us knelt that evening and asked our Heavenly Father to command the clouds and to send the rain. We retired, believing our God would care for us. On rising next morning we looked but to see “floods on the dry ground.” Two and a quarter inches of rain had fallen!
“O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good: for His mercy endureth for ever.”
Fuente: Neighbour’s Wells of Living Water
Exo 15:1. Then sang Moses this song The first song recorded in Scripture, and, excepting perhaps the book of Job, the most ancient piece of genuine poetry extant in the world. And it cannot be too much admired. It abounds with noble and sublime sentiments, expressed in strong and lofty language. Its figures are bold, its images striking, and every part of it calculated to affect the mind and possess the imagination. There is nothing comparable to it in all the works of profane writers. It is termed the Song of Moses, Rev 15:2-3, and is represented as sung, together with the song of the Lamb, by those who had gotten the victory over the beast, all standing on a sea of glass with the harps of God in their hands. Doubtless Moses wrote this song by inspiration, and, with the children of Israel, sang it on the spot then, while a grateful sense of their deliverance out of Egypt, their safe passage through the Red sea, and their triumph over Pharaoh and his host, were fresh upon their minds. By this instance it appears that the singing of psalms or hymns, as an act of religions worship, was used in the church of Christ before the giving of the ceremonial law, and that therefore it is no part of it, nor abolished with it: singing is as much the language of holy joy, as praying is of holy desire. I will sing unto the Lord All our joy must terminate in God, and all our praises be offered up to him; for he hath triumphed All that love God triumph in his triumphs.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Exo 15:1. Then sang Moses. The Israelites sang in companies; and the one company often answered the other. See Bishop Lowth on the Hebrew Poetry. Also Psa 68:25. Ecc 2:8. Ezr 2:65.
Exo 15:10. Thou didst blow with thy wind. Thou didst send thy spirit, the strong wind excited by the Almighty, as in Exo 15:21.
Exo 15:12. The earth swallowed them. Alluding to the burial of the dead bodies driven on shore.
Exo 15:13. Holy habitation. Moses foresaw that a tabernacle would be built for national worship, and that the Lords house would be built on a mountain, as in Exo 15:17. They had, no doubt, after the manner of their father, an altar or a holy place; all sacred things were not lost, as appears from Exo 16:9. They came before the Lord, and had priests also of the patriarchal order, as appears from Exo 19:22.
Exo 15:20. Timbrel. A little drum. Jdg 11:34. 2Sa 6:5. Psa 68:25.
Exo 15:27. Threescore and ten palm trees. This tree is now called the Date. In Egypt the Date tree is very lofty, and from the singular formation of its bark, it is as easy to ascend to the top of one of them, as to climb a ladder. Wherever the date tree is found in the dreary deserts of that country, it not only presents a supply of salutary food for men and camels, but nature has so wonderfully contrived the plant, that its first offering is accessible to man alone; and its presence is a never-failing indication of water at the root. Botanists describe the trunk as full of rugged knots; the fact is, that it is full of cavities, exactly adapted to the reception of the human feet and hands; and these cavities are formed by the decay of the leaves, the stems of which are as thick as branches. It is impossible to view these trees without believing that He who in the beginning fashioned every tree in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed, as food for man, has here manifested one among the innumerable proofs of his benevolent design.
The Date tree is a curious subject for consideration. Many of the inhabitants of Egypt, Arabia, and Persia, subsist almost entirely upon its fruit. They also boast of its medicinal virtues. Their camels feed upon the date stones. From the leaves they make couches, baskets, bags, mats and brushes; from the branches cages for their poultry, and fences for their gardens; from the fibres of their boughs, thread, ropes, and rigging; from the sap is prepared a spiritous liquor; and the trunk of the tree furnishes fuel. When the tree is grown to a size for bearing fruit, the leaves are six or eight feet long. The stems of the leaves are the only branches the tree has. Dr. Edward Clarkes Travels.
REFLECTIONS.
The song of Moses is unquestionably the most ancient poetic piece in the world. In point of originality of thought and poetic merit, it stands unrivalled by any thing Homer and Virgil have produced. The sentiments are all congenial to the grand occasion of national joy. The narration, the similies, the metaphors, the apostrophes are all striking, beautiful, and sublime. The soul elevated by the events, and expanded with gratitude, utters itself with a felicity of expression, and clothes its effusions in the grandeur of scenery the richest that nature can boast. The apostrophe to JEHOVAH at the eleventh verse, contrasting him with the gods, is incomparably sublime. More exalted ideas of his glory, language is unable to convey. The descent also of the song from the highest summit of elevation, by tracing the terrific effects the subject would produce on Canaan and Edom, is retiring majesty, gentle and apposite in aspect: it is the language of faith and confidence, leading Israel to repose in the promised land. Where is the critic, where the infidel, who can adequately appreciate its merits, and deem it a production merely human?
In a religious view we may observe, that this song is a model of the gratitude which the church should at all times pay to God after a signal deliverance; and in particular, when a sinner feels the divine displeasure removed from his conscience by a sense of pardoning love, it is a model of the grateful effusions of his heart. So David in Psalms 103. Bless the Lord, oh my soul; and all that is within me bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and forget not all his benefits; who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases.
The Israelites being miraculously delivered from the Egyptians, would now go in the greater confidence against the Canaanites. In like manner, being delivered from guilt and condemnation, and made happy in our souls, we are the more encouraged to venture on our spiritual pilgrimage, and combat the difficulties of life. Whom shall we fear, while the rock of Israel is our defence? But let us at all times rejoice with trembling: we, as well as Gods ancient people, have the difficulties of life before us: and happy if we never murmur, never tempt the Lord, nor wish to return again into Egypt.
Fuente: Sutcliffe’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Exodus 15
This chapter opens with Israel’s magnificent song of triumph on the shore of the Red Sea, when they had seen “that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians.” They had seen God’s salvation, and they, therefore, sing His praise and recount His mighty acts. “Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord.” Up to this moment, we have not heard so much as a single note of praise. We have heard their cry of deep sorrow, as they toiled amid the brick-kilns of Egypt; we have hearkened to their cry of unbelief, when surrounded by what they deemed insuperable difficulties; but, until now, we have heard no song of praise. It was not until, as a saved people, they found themselves surrounded by the fruits of God’s salvation, that the triumphal hymn burst forth from the whole redeemed assembly. It was when they emerged from their significant baptism “in the cloud and in the sea,” and were able to gaze upon the rich spoils of victory, which lay scattered around them, that six hundred thousand voices were heard chanting the song of victory. The waters of the Red Sea rolled between them and Egypt, and they stood on the shore as a fully delivered people, and, therefore, they were able to praise Jehovah.
In this, as in everything else, they were our types. We, too, must know ourselves as saved, in the power of death and resurrection, before ever we can present clear and intelligent worship. There will always be reserve and hesitancy in the soul, proceeding, no doubt, from positive inability to enter into the accomplished redemption which is in Christ Jesus. There may be the acknowledgement of the fact that there is salvation in Christ, and in none other; but this is a very different thing from apprehending, by faith, the true character and ground of that salvation, and realising it as ours. The Spirit of God reveals, with unmistakable clearness, in the Word, that the Church is united to Christ in death and resurrection; and, moreover, that a risen Christ, at God’s right hand, is the measure and pledge of the Church’s acceptance. When this is believed, it conducts the soul entirely beyond the region of doubt and uncertainty. How can the Christian doubt when he knows that he is continually represented before the throne of God by an Advocate, even “Jesus Christ the righteous?” It is the privilege of the very feeblest member of the Church of God to know that he was represented by Christ on the cross; that all his sins were confessed, borne, judged, and atoned for there. This is a divine reality, and, when laid hold of by faith, must give peace. But nothing short of it ever can give peace. There may be earnest, anxious, and most sincere desires after God. There may be the most pious and devout attendance upon all the ordinances, offices, and forms of religion. But there is no other possible way in which to get the sense of sin entirely removed from the conscience, but seeing it judged in the Person of Christ, as a sin-offering on the cursed tree. If it was judged there, once for all, it is now by the believer to be regarded as a divinely and, therefore, eternally-settled question. And that it was so judged is proved by the resurrection of the Surety. “I know that whatsoever God doeth it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it nor anything taken from it: and God doeth it that men should fear before him.” (Ecc. 3: 14)
However, while it is generally admitted that all this is, true in reference to the Church collectively, many find considerable difficulty in making a personal application thereof. They are ready to say, with the psalmist, “Truly, God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart. But as for me,” &c. (Ps. 73: 1, 2) They are looking at themselves instead of at Christ, in death, and Christ, in resurrection. They are occupied rather with their appropriation of Christ than with Christ Himself. They are thinking of their capacity rather than their title. Thus they are kept in a state of the most distressing uncertainty; and, as a consequence, they are never able to take the place of happy, intelligent worshippers. They are praying for salvation instead of rejoicing in the conscious possession of it. They are looking at their imperfect fruits instead of Christ’s perfect atonement.
Now, in looking through the various notes of this song, in Exodus 15, we do not find a single note about self, its doings, its sayings, its feelings, or its fruits. It is all about Jehovah from beginning to end. It begins with, “I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.” This is a specimen of the entire song. It is a simple record of the attributes and actings of Jehovah. In Ex. 14 the hearts of the people? had, as it were, been pent up, by the excessive pressure of their circumstances: but in Ex. 15 the pressure is removed, and their hearts find full vent in a sweet song of praise. Self is forgotten. Circumstances are lost sight of. One object, and but one, fills their vision, and that object is the Lord Himself in His character and ways. They were able to say, “Thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work; I will triumph in the works of thy hands.” (Ps. 92: 4) This is true worship. It is when poor worthless self, with all its belongings, is lost sight of, and Christ alone fills the heart, that we present proper worship. There is no need for the efforts of a fleshly pietism to awaken in the soul feelings of devotion. Nor is there any demand whatever for the adventitious appliances of religion, so called, to kindle in the soul the flame of acceptable worship. Oh! no; let but the heart be occupied with the Person of Christ, and “songs of praise” will be the natural result. It is impossible for the eye to rest on Him and the spirit not be bowed in holy worship. If we contemplate the worship of the hosts which surround the throne of God and the Lamb, we shall find that it is ever evoked by the presentation of some special feature of divine excellence or divine acting. Thus should it be with the Church on earth; and when it is not so, it is because we allow things to intrude upon us which have no place in the regions of unclouded light and unalloyed blessedness. In all true worship, God Himself is at once the object of worship, the subject of worship, and the power of worship.
Hence Exodus 15 is a fine specimen of a song of praise. It is the language of a redeemed people celebrating the worthy praise of Him who had redeemed them. “The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: He is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my fathers God, and I will exalt him. The Lord is a man of war, the Lord is his name, . . . thy right hand, O Lord is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy ….who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? . . . . Thou, in thy mercy, hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation. . . . The Lord shall reign for ever and ever.” How comprehensive is the range of this song. It begins with redemption and ends with the glory. It begins with the cross, and ends with the kingdom. It is like a beauteous rainbow, of which one end dips in “the sufferings,” and the other in “the glory which should follow.” It is all about Jehovah. It is an outpouring of soul produced by a view of God and His gracious and glorious actings.
Moreover, it does not stop short of the actual accomplishment of the divine purpose; as we read, “Thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation.” The people were able to say this, though they had but just planted their foot on the margin of the desert. It was not the expression of a vague hope. It was not feeding upon poor blind chance. Oh! no; when the soul is wholly occupied with God, it is enabled to launch out into all the fullness of His grace, to bask in the sunshine of His countenance, and delight itself in the rich abundance of His mercy and loving-kindness. There is not a cloud upon the prospect, when the believing soul, taking its stand upon the eternal rock on which redeeming love has set it in association with a risen Christ, looks up into the spacious vault of God’s infinite plans and purposes, and dwells upon the effulgence of that glory which God has prepared for all those who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
This will account for the peculiarly brilliant, elevated, and unqualified character of all those bursts of praise which we find throughout sacred Scripture, The creature is set aside; God is the object. He fills the entire sphere of the soul’s vision. There is nothing of man, his feelings, or his experiences, and, therefore, the stream of praise flows copiously and uninterruptedly forth. How different is this from some of the hymns which we so often hear sung in Christian assemblies, so full of our failings, our feebleness, our shortcomings. The fact is, we can never sing with real, spiritual intelligence and power when we are looking at ourselves We shall ever be discovering something within which will act as a drawback to our worship. Indeed, with many, it seems to be accounted a Christian grace to be in a continual state of doubt and hesitation; and, as a consequence, their hymns are quite in character with their condition. Such persons, however sincere and pious, have never yet, in the actual experience of their souls, entered upon the proper ground of worship. They have not yet got done with themselves. They have not passed through the sea; and, as a spiritually baptised people, taken their stand on the shore, in the power of resurrection. They are still, in some way or another, occupied with self. They do not regard self as a crucified thing, with which God is for ever done.
May the Holy Ghost lead all God’s people into fuller, clearer, and worthier apprehensions of their place and privilege as those who, being washed from their sins in the blood of Christ, are presented before God in all that infinite and unclouded acceptance in which He stands, as the risen and glorified Head of His Church. Doubts and fears do not become them, for their divine Surety has not left a shadow of a foundation on which to build a doubt or a fear. Their place is within the veil. They “have boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.” (Heb. 10: 19) Are there any doubts or fears in the holiest? Is it not evident that a doubting spirit virtually calls in question the perfectness of Christ’s work – a work which has been attested, in the view of all created intelligence, by the resurrection of Christ from the dead? That blessed one could not have left the tomb unless all ground of doubting and fearing had been perfectly removed on behalf of His people. Wherefore, it is the Christians sweet privilege ever to triumph in a full salvation. The Lord Himself has become his salvation; and he has only to enjoy the fruits of that which God has wrought for him, and to walk to His praise while waiting for that time, when “Jehovah shall reign for ever and ever.”
But there is one note in this song, to which I shall just invite my reader’s attention. “He is my God and I will prepare him an habitation.” It is worthy of note that when the heart was full to overflowing with the joy of redemption, it gives expression to its devoted purpose in reference to “a habitation for God.” Let the Christian reader ponder this. God dwelling with man is a grand thought pervading Scripture from Exodus 15 to Revelation. Hearken to the following utterance of a devoted heart: “Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house nor go up into my bed; I will not give sleep to mine eyes or slumber to mine eyelids, until I find out a place for the Lord, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob.” (Ps. 132: 3-5) Again, “For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.” (Ps. 49: 9; John 2: 17.) I do not attempt to pursue this subject here; but I would fain awaken such an interest concerning it in the breast of my reader, as shall lead him to pursue it, prayerfully, for himself, from the earliest notice of it in the Word until he arrives at that soul-stirring announcement, “Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” (Rev. 21: 3, 4)
“So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; and they went out into the wilderness of Shur: and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water.” (ver. 22) It is when we get into wilderness experience, that we are put to the test as to the real measure of our acquaintance with God and with our own hearts. There is a freshness and an exuberance of joy connected with the opening of our Christian career, which very soon receives a check from the keen blast of the desert; and then, unless there is a deep sense of what God is to us, above and beyond everything else, we are apt to break down, and, “in our hearts, turn back again into Egypt.” The discipline of the wilderness is needful, not to furnish us with a title to Canaan, but to make us acquainted with God and with our own hearts; to enable us to enter into the power of our relationship, and to enlarge our capacity for the enjoyment of Canaan when we actually get there. (See Deut. 8: 2-5.)
The greenness, freshness, and luxuriance of spring have peculiar charms, which will pass away before the scorching heat of summer; but then, with proper care, that very heat which removes the fair traces of spring, produces the mellowed and matured fruits of autumn. Thus it is also in the Christian life; for there is, as we know, a striking and deeply instructive analogy between the principles which obtain in the kingdom of nature and those which characterise the kingdom of grace, seeing it is the same God whose handiwork meets our view in both.
There are three distinct positions in which we may contemplate Israel, namely, in Egypt, in the wilderness, and in the land of Canaan. In all these, they are “our types;” but we are in all three together. This may seem paradoxical, but it is true. As a matter of actual fact, we are in Egypt, surrounded by natural things, which are entirely adapted to the natural heart. But, inasmuch as we have been called by God’s grace into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ, we, according to the affections and desires of the new nature, necessarily find our place outside of all that which belongs to Egypt,, (i.e., the world in its natural state),* and this causes us to taste of wilderness experience, or, in other words, it places us, as a matter of experience, in the wilderness. The divine nature earnestly breathes after a different order of things – after a purer atmosphere than that with which we find ourselves surrounded, and thus it causes us to feel Egypt to be a moral desert.
{*There is a wide moral difference between Egypt and Babylon, which it is important to understand. Egypt was that out of which Israel came; Babylon was that into which they were afterwards carried. (Comp. Amos 5: 25-27 with Acts 7: 42, 43) Egypt expresses what man has made of the world; Babylon expresses what Satan has made, is making, or will make, of the professing Church. Hence, we are not only surrounded with the circumstances of Egypt, but also by the moral principles of Babylon.
This renders our “days” what the Holy Ghost has termed “perilous.” (calepoi – “difficult”.) It demands a special energy of the Spirit of God, and complete subjection to the authority of the Word, to enable one to meet the combined influence of the realities of Egypt and the spirit and principles of Babylon. The former meet the natural desires of the heart; while the latter connect themselves with, and address themselves to, the religiousness of nature, which gives them a peculiar hold upon the heart. Man is a religious being, and peculiarly susceptible of the influences which arise from music, sculpture, painting, and pompous rites and ceremonies. When these things stand connected with the full supply of all his natural wants – yes, with all the ease and luxury of life, nothing but the mighty power of God’s Word and Spirit can keep one true to Christ.
We should also remark that there is a vast difference between the destinies of Egypt and those of Babylon. Isaiah 19 sets before us the blessing that are in store for Egypt. It concludes thus: “And the Lord shall smite Egypt; he shall smite and heal it: and they shall return even unto the Lord, and he shall be entreated of them, and shall heal them. . . . . . in that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land, whom the Lord of Hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance.”(ver. 22-25)
Very different is the close of Babylon’s history, whether viewed as a literal city or a spiritual system. “I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water; and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the Lord of hosts.” (Isaiah 14: 23) “It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation.” (Isaiah 13: 20) So much for Babylon literally; and looking at it from a mystic or spiritual point of view, we read its destiny in Revelation 18. The entire chapter is a description of Babylon, and it concludes thus: ” A strong angel took up a stone, like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, “Thus, with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.” (Verse 21)
With what immense solemnity should those words fall upon the ears of all who are in any wise connected with Babylon – that is to say, with the false, professing church. “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues!” (Rev. 18: 5) The “power” of the Holy Ghost will necessarily produce, or express itself in a certain ” form, and the enemy’s aim has ever been to rob the professing church of the power, while he leads her to cling to, and perpetuate the form – to stereotype the form when all the spirit and life has passed away. Thus he builds the spiritual Babylon. The stones of which this city is built are lifeless professors; and the slime or mortar which binds these stones together is a, form of godliness without the power.”
Oh my beloved reader, let us see to it that we fully, clearly and influentially understand these things.}
But then, inasmuch as we are, in God’s view, eternally associated with Him who is passed right through into the heavenlies, and taken His seat there in triumph and majesty, it is our happy privilege to know ourselves, by faith, as “sitting together with him” there. (Eph. 2) So that although we are, as to our bodies, in Egypt, we are, as to our experience, in the wilderness, while at the same time, faith conducts us, in spirit, into Canaan, and enables us to feed upon “the old corn of the land,” i.e., upon Christ, not as One come down to earth merely, but as One gone back to heaven and seated there in glory.
The concluding verses of this 15th chapter show us Israel in the wilderness. Up to this point it seemed to them to be all fair sailing. Heavy judgements poured upon Egypt, but Israel perfectly exempt – the army of Egypt dead upon the sea shore, but Israel in triumph. All this was well enough; but alas! the aspect of things speedily changed. The notes of praise were soon exchanged for the accents of discontent. “When they came to Marah they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?” Again, “the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: and the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full! for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
Here were the trials of the wilderness. What shall we eat?” and “What shall we drink?” The waters of Marah tested the heart of Israel and developed their murmuring spirit; but the Lord showed them that there was no bitterness which He could not sweeten with the provision of His own grace. “And the Lord showed them a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet; there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them.” Beauteous figure this of Him who was, in infinite grace, cast into the bitter waters of death, in order that those waters might yield nought but sweetness to us for ever. We can truly say, “the bitterness of death is past,” and nothing remains for us but the eternal sweets of resurrection.
Verse 26 sets before us the momentous character of this first stage of Gods redeemed in the wilderness. We are in great danger, at this point, of falling into a fretful, impatient, murmuring spirit. The only remedy for this is to keep the eye steadily fixed on Jesus – “looking unto Jesus.” He, blessed be His name, ever unfolds himself according to the need of His people; and they, instead of complaining of their circumstances, should only make their circumstances an occasion of drawing afresh upon Him. Thus it is that the wilderness ministers to our experience of what God is. It is a school in which we learn His patient grace and ample resources. “Forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness.” (Acts 13: 18) The spiritual mind will ever own that it is worth having bitter waters for God to sweeten. “We glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope; and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” (Rom. 5: 3-5)
However, the wilderness has its Elims as well as its Marahs; its wells and palm trees, as well as its bitter waters. “And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped thereby the waters.” (Ver. 27) The Lord graciously and tenderly provides green spots in the desert for His journeying people; and though they are, at best, but oases, yet are they refreshing to the spirit and encouraging to the heart. The sojourn at Elim was eminently calculated to soothe the hearts of the people, and hush their murmurings. The grateful shade of its palm trees, and the refreshing of its wells, came in, sweetly and seasonably, after the trial of Marah, and significantly set forth, in our view, the precious virtues of that spiritual ministry which God provides for his people down here. “The twelve and “the seventy ” are numbers intimately associated with ministry.
But Elim was not Canaan. Its wells and palm trees were but foretastes of that happy land which lay beyond the bounds of the sterile desert on which the redeemed had just entered. It furnished refreshment, no doubt, but it was wilderness refreshment. It was but for passing moment, designed, in grace, to encourage their depressed spirits, and nerve them for their onward march to Canaan. Thus it is as we know, with ministry in the Church. It is a gracious provision for our need, designed to refresh, strengthen, and encourage our hearts, “until we all come to the fullness of the measure of the stature of Christ.” (Eph. 4)
Fuente: Mackintosh’s Notes on the Pentateuch
Exo 15:1-21. The Song of Triumph (Exo 15:1 J, Exo 15:2-18 (psalm), Exo 15:19 R, Exo 15:20 f. E).The oldest undoubtedly genuine fragments of Heb. song are short (p. 44). And Miriams brief burst of unpremeditated song (Exo 15:21) ranks with the surest and greatest of these. Sing to Yahweh, for He rose in His might, horse and chariot (reading recheb) He flung into the sea. Gressmann claims this song as confirming his volcanic theory of the crossing. At least it is complete in itself, and has double attestation, being found as Exo 15:1 b in J. But the rest of the poem (Exo 15:2-18), like Hannahs song, which is also imbedded in a definite historical contest, is a much later additionin fact, an exilic or post-exilic psalm implying the settlement in Canaan (Exo 15:13) and the building of the Temple (Exo 15:17), and breathing throughout the spirit of D and II. Isaiah. For its close connexion with the Psalms and later literature, see RV references. Driver and Gressmann still assign the psalm to the time of David or Solomon. Freshness and fire, however, are not the monopoly of any period. But, whenever written, the song is grand poetry and fits its place magnificently. As it stands, its metrical scheme is not regular throughout. P. Haupt, who adds abundant courage to patience and ingenuity, has, by adding, altering, omitting, and transposing words, got rid of all exceptions, and reduced it to the formula: 2 accented syllables or beats = 1 clause; 2 clauses = 1 line; 2 lines = 1 couplet; 2 couplets =1 stanza; 3 stanzas = 1 strophe; 3 strophes = 1 psalm. But it is safer, with Driver, to recognise the above as the normal clause and couplet construction (cf. the basal couplet of Miriams Song above), and to mark three paragraphs, each beginning with praise of Yahweh, followed by the evidence of His acts. In Exo 15:2-7 Yahweh, the ancestral God, is praised as a warrior, and His exploit sung in the drowning of the foe; in Exo 15:6-10 Yahwehs right hand or His energy in action, is honoured, constraining the elements to confound the enemy; and in Exo 15:11-18 the unique Deity of Yahweh, His guidance of Israel, His conquest of Canaan, and His home-coming to Mount (Zion) are crowned by His perpetual reign.
Exo 15:2. Yah for Yahweh, as Exo 17:6*, Is. (late passages), and Pss. (mostly in Hallelu-yah).
Exo 15:5. cover: better did cover.
Exo 15:6. dasheth: did dash.
Exo 15:7. Render didst break down them that usurp, . . . sentest forth . . . devoured (for consumeth).
Exo 15:9 b. My lust: my soul shall take her fill of them; destroy: dispossess.
Exo 15:12. holiness: in such passages as these rather of the grandeur than the goodness of Godhead.
Exo 15:13. hast led: didst lead, didst guide.
Exo 15:14. The peoples heard, they trembled: pangs took hold.
Exo 15:15. took hold, melted.
Exo 15:16. fell, were, passed through (twice).
Exo 15:17. Thou didst bring them in, and plantedst, hadst made.
Exo 15:19. This link verse would not have been left to be supplied by Rp (see references) if the whole song were already in J.
Exo 15:20 E. Women Singing and Dancing.Miriam is significantly called the sister of Aaron (Exo 2:1*, cf. Num 12:1 f.), as well as the prophetess (Num 12:1; cf. Num 4:4). At her lead the women celebrate the victory with a choral dance, beating the time with the timbrel (a hand drum or tambourine). In the absence of set liturgical forms of words the dance has everywhere, and especially in the East, furnished the language of religion (K. J. Freeman), cf. Jdg 11:34, 1Sa 18:6 f., Wundt, Elements of Folk Psychology, pp. 9497, 249, 262264. Only the briefest snatch of improvised song could win remembrance, because caught up and preserved by many and fixed by incessant repetition (see Exo 15:1-21* at beginning). The same form was sung as solo and chorus, Miriam answered them.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
THE SONG OF SALVATION
(vs.1-19)
This is the first song found in scripture, and a most fitting response to the greatness of God’s victory in delivering His people. It is an expression of joy in the Lord and “the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh 8:10). They needed such strength as they began their wilderness journey, just as we too need it for our Christian path with its many trials. Thank God that He can supply such fulness of joy at the contemplation of our eternal redemption in Christ that there is no reason remaining for our ever complaining again. If we do so, it is our own failure in remembering the fulness of His delivering grace and power.
(1) GOD SUPREME
(vs.1-2)
The first section of the song emphasizes the greatness of the Lord, who is declared to be “my God.” It is the Lord Jesus who has accomplished redemption for us. He has triumphed gloriously over all the power of the enemy by virtue of His death and resurrection. Horse and rider are cast into the sea, they being swallowed up by death, while He came through it in majestic triumph. Therefore Israel may say, “He is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation.” Believers today may echo these words in a higher way still, for theirs is an eternal salvation. More than that, we may say of the Lord Jesus, “He is my God,” just as Thomas acknowledged after His resurrection (Joh 20:28), and as Israel will fully believe when He returns in great power and glory (Zec 14:5).
(2) THE VICTORY IS THE LORD’S
(vs.3-10)
This second section deals with the power of the Lord in accomplishing the great victory over the enemy. “The Lord is a man of war: the Lord (Jehovah) is His name” (v.3) “Jehovah” implies His eternal self-existence and self-sufficiency, and yet in gracious covenant relationship to His people. He alone gains the victory, but His people are blessed by it.
All the resources of the enemy, Pharaoh’s chariots and his army, including his choicest officers, were totally vanquished, covered by the sea, sinking as a stone, to be never more a threat (vs.4-5). By faith today believers realize that the Lord Jesus has totally vanquished the power of sin, just as is true of our sins also: “Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea” (Mic 7:19).
His right hand, the hand of positive power, has dashed in pieces the enemy. Christ is virtually the right hand of God, as He is indeed “the Man of Thy right hand” (Psa 80:17). He is the One who carries out the work of God.
His great excellence overpowers and overthrows all who dare to rise against Him. In His anger they are consumed like stubble set on fire. The “strong east wind” that blew the sea back is likened to the blast of God’s nostrils, causing the waters to gather together and stand upright (v.9). What power there is simply in the breath of God! We should never naturally associate breath with power, but what appears to be of little significance is tremendously great where God is involved.
“The depths congealed in the heart of the sea.” The water of the Red Sea was certainly not changed to ice, but for the time being the liquid congealed, or became a solid by miraculous power.
In verse 9 the enemy is quoted in his proud boast of what he will do, saying he will overtake, divide the spoil and satisfy his vengeful lust, destroying them by the sword. How simply was this arrogant defiance met! God merely blew with His wind, the sea covered them and they sank as lead in the mighty waters (v.10). The noise of the horses and chariots, the shouting and the rattle of arms was suddenly and utterly silences. What a sight for Israel to behold!
GLORIOUS IN HOLINESS
(vs.11-13)
This third section of the song is the Leviticus section, which emphasizes the sublime holiness of God. Who can possibly be like Him? His holiness involves His love of what is good and His hatred of evil. He acts from the purity of His sanctuary on this basis of holiness, not in any mere selfish use of superior power, but using power in perfect truth, so that He does amazing wonders.
On the one hand, He stretched out His hand in holy judgment, for He hates evil: the earth swallowed the enemy (v.12). On the other hand, in tender mercy He led forth the people He had redeemed (v.13), for He loves to do good. More than this, the song looks forward to the end in view with fullest confidence, as though it were already accomplished: “Thou hast guided them in Thy strength unto Thy holy habitation.” He has desired His own to be identified with Him in sharing His own habitation. Of course unbelievers would not want the blessing of residing in His presence, but to a believer nothing can be sweeter than this.
(4) ENEMIES BROUGHT LOW
(14-16)
THE WHOLE EARTH VIRTUALLY SUBDUED
This fourth section does not speak only of Egypt being vanquished, but of other nations also destined to being subdued by the greatness of the power of the Lord. Hearing of Israel’s deliverance, they would be afraid (v.14). The inhabitants of Palestine would experience anguish, for this was the land that God had promised to Israel. The dukes of Edom (men of self-importance) would be dismayed, and Moab’s rulers would tremble for fear. Edom speaks of the self-importance of the flesh. Moab rather illustrates the self-indulgence and self-satisfaction of easy-going religion. Both of these will be disturbed by the true testimony of God. All the inhabitants of Canaan would “melt away,” finding no strength to resist God’s army. Canaan means “trader,” symbolizing those who make merchandise of the things of God. The greatness of God’s arm would render all these enemies “as still as a stone” through fear and dread, so that God’s people would have no difficulty in passing over to take possession of their land. Thy were God’s special people whom He had purchased.
(5) GOD’S END IN VIEW
(vs.17-18)
The fifth section assures us that there was no doubt of the accomplishment of God’s ends. He would plant them in the mountain of His inheritance, which would be a virtual “sanctuary” of refuge and peace, established by God for His purchased people. But this looks on prophetically to the coming day of Israel’s eventually being unchangeably blessed in the millennium in their own land, when in truth “the Lord shall reign for ever and ever.”
(6) HIS VICTORY
(v.19)
The sixth section celebrates God’s great victory over all the united power of the enemy, on behalf of His people Israel, whom, we are specially reminded, went on dry land in the midst of the sea.
(7) FULNESS OF PRAISE
(vs.20-21)
The women too join in the praise of the Lord as fully as the rest of Israel. Miriam, the sister of Moses, leads them in this, taking a timbrel, as did others, dancing before the Lord with overflowing adoration. She echoes the song of Moses, “Sing unto the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea.” This is the seventh section, which completes the chorus of praise to the Lord.
DESERT TESTING AND GOD’S GRACE
(vs.22-27)
Having been so wonderfully redeemed, would Israel ever again have reason to complain? No more than Christians have, who possess eternal redemption by virtue of the sacrifice of Christ. But in only three days the murmuring begins because at Marah they find the waters to be bitter. Similarly, Christians soon after being redeemed, find experiences of bitterness. Everything is not as pleasant as they expected. But this is designed by God as a test of faith. Since the Lord has proven Himself faithful in the past, can they not therefore endure the test by bringing these trying matter to Him in confident prayer that He will answer in the right way? How much more sensible is this than complaining!
When the people complained against Moses, he did what they ought to have done. He cried to the Lord. Without delay the Lord showed him the remedy that was near at hand, a certain tree that needed only to be thrown into the water, by which the water was made sweet (v.25). For us too every bitter experience has a remedy very near to be found. We need only to apply the truth concerning the cross of Christ (the tree) to our present circumstances, and we shall find our trials turned to sweetness. In comparison to the bitter agony of the cross of Christ in His bearing our sins, surely the most bitter experience of a Christian is sweet. Just to think of His sufferings there will make a wonderful difference in our own attitude toward our trials.
“There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them.” The test had found them sadly lacking in faith, but their testing of Him had proven Him abundantly faithful and gracious.
In showing such grace, however, He rightly put them under responsibility, making a statute to the effect that they should listen to His voice and do what was right in God’s estimation. This was accompanied by a definite condition: if they were obedient to His commandments, He would preserve them from the diseases that He inflicted upon Egypt. For the government of God must always be observed, and certainly specially so by those whom He has blessed with the knowledge of redemption. Israel would have been preserved from suffering such physical diseases if they were simply obedient to the Lord, for He is the Lord who heals. In our present dispensation of grace we are not promised exemption from physical diseases on the ground of obedience, but obedience will certainly preserve us from spiritual diseases, and give us spiritual health and strength.
As an encouragement from God, Israel is now brought to Elim (meaning “trees”) where were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees. Here was abundant supply of refreshment for the twelve tribes of Israel, with the palm trees furnishing shade from the desert sun. They may have been fruit palms, but we are not told this. But it was a place of rest and refreshment which was intended by God to give them fresh incentive to continue their journey. Believers today too are given such occasions for the stimulating of faith in the path of God.
Fuente: Grant’s Commentary on the Bible
15:1 Then {a} sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
(a) Praising God for the overthrow of his enemies, and their deliverance.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
3. Israel’s song of deliverance 15:1-21
"The song is composed of three gradually increasing strophes, each of which commences with the praise of Jehovah, and ends with a description of the overthrow of the Egyptian host (Exo 15:2-18). The theme announced in the introduction in Exo 15:1 is thus treated in three different ways; and whilst the omnipotence of God, displayed in the destruction of the enemy, is the prominent topic in the first two strophes, the third depicts with prophetic confidence the fruit of this glorious event in the establishment of Israel, as a kingdom of Jehovah, in the promised inheritance." [Note: Keil and Delitzsch, 2:50.]
Cassuto divided the strophes better, I believe, as Exo 15:1-6, Exo 15:7-11, and Exo 15:12-16, with an epilogue in Exo 15:17-18. [Note: Cassuto, 173. See also Jasper J. Burden, "A Stylistic Analysis of Exo 15:1-21 : Theory and Practice," OTWSA 29 (1986):34-70.] Kaiser proposed a similar division: Exo 15:1-5, Exo 15:6-10, Exo 15:11-16 a, and Exo 15:16-18. [Note: Kaiser, "Exodus," p. 393-96.]
"It is not comparable to any one psalm, or song or hymn, or liturgy known to us anywhere else in the OT or in ANE [ancient Near Eastern] literature." [Note: Durham, p. 203.]
"Yahweh is both the subject and the object of this psalm; the hymn is about him and to him, both here and in the similar usage of Jdg 5:3 . . ." [Note: Ibid., p. 205.]
It is interesting that Moses described the Egyptian pursuers as being thrown into the sea (Exo 15:4) and sinking like a stone (Exo 15:5) and lead (Exo 15:10). The same image describes Pharaoh’s earlier order to throw the Hebrew babies into the Nile River (Exo 1:22). God did to the Egyptians what they had done to the Israelites. [Note: Sailhamer, The Pentateuch . . ., p. 271.]
This hymn is a fitting climax to all God’s miracles on behalf of the Israelites in leading them out of Egypt. [Note: See Richard D. Patterson, "Victory at Sea: Prose and Poetry in Exodus 14-15," Bibliotheca Sacra 161:641 (January-March 2004):42-54.] It is a song of praise that focuses on God Himself and attributes to Him the superiority over all other gods that He had demonstrated (cf. Exo 15:11). Undoubtedly the Israelites sang this inspired song many times during their wilderness wanderings and for generations from then on. [Note: See Jeffrey E. MacLurg, "An Ode to Joy: The Song of the Sea (Exodus 15:1-21)," Exegesis and Exposition 1:1 (Fall 1986):43-54.] The first part of the song (Exo 15:1-12) looks back on God’s destruction of the Egyptian soldiers, and the second part (Exo 15:13-18) predicts Israel’s entrance into the Promised Land. The divine name appears ten times.
"The event at the Red Sea, when the Egyptian army was drowned, was celebrated as a great military victory achieved by God (Exo 15:1-12). It was that event, wherein a new dimension of the nature of God was discovered by the Hebrews (the new understanding is expressed forcefully by the explanation ’the Lord is a man in battle’ [Exo 15:3]), that opened to their understanding the real possibility, if not necessity, of taking possession of the promised land by means of military conquest (Exo 15:13-18)." [Note: Peter Craigie, The Problem of War in the Old Testament, p. 67.]
"The Exodus was one of the foundational events of Israel’s religion. It marked the liberation from Egyptian slavery, which in turn made possible the formation of a relationship of covenant between Israel and God. And nowhere is the Exodus given more powerful expression than in the Song of the Sea (Exo 15:1-18), a great victory hymn celebrating God’s triumph over Egypt at the sea. To this day, the ancient hymn continues to be employed in the synagogue worship of Judaism. Its continued use reflects the centrality of its theme, that of God’s control over the forces of both nature and history in the redemption of his people.
"When one reads the Song of the Sea, one immediately gains an impression of the joy and exhilaration expressed by those who first used its words in worship. But what is not immediately evident to the modern reader is the subtle manner in which the poet has given force to his themes by the adaptation of Canaanite mythology. Underlying the words and structure of the Hebrew hymn are the motifs of the central mythology of Baal; only when one understands the fashion in which that mythology has been transformed can one go on to perceive the extraordinary significance which the poet attributed to the Exodus from Egypt.
"The poet has applied some of the most central motifs of the myth of Baal. These motifs may be summarized in certain key terms: conflict, order, kingship, and palace-construction. Taking the cycle of Baal texts as a whole (see further Chapter IV), the narrative begins with conflict between Baal and Yamm (’Sea’); Baal, representing order, is threatened by the chaotic Yamm. Baal’s conquest of Yamm marks one of the steps in the process of creation; order is established, and chaos is subdued. Baal’s victory over Yamm is also the key to his kingship, and to symbolize the order and consolidate the kingship, Baal initiates the construction of his palace. And then, in the course of the myth, conflict breaks out again, this time between Baal and Mot. Baal is eventually victorious in this conflict, establishing once again his kingship and the rule of order. It is important to note not only the centrality of these motifs in the Baal myth, but also their significance; the motifs as a whole establish a cosmological framework within which to interpret the Baal myth. It is, above all, a cosmology, developing the origins and permanent establishment of order in the world, as understood and believed by the Canaanites. Its central celebration is that of creation.
"In the Song of the Sea, the poet has developed the same central motifs in the structure of his song. The song begins with conflict between God and Egypt (Exo 15:1-12), but the way in which the poet has transformed the ancient motifs is instructive. ’Sea’ is no longer the adversary of order, but God uses the sea (Hebrew yam) as an instrument in the conquest of chaos. After the conquest, God is victorious and establishes order; his kingship is proclaimed in a statement of his incomparability (Exo 15:11). But then the theme of conflict is resumed again, as future enemies are anticipated (Exo 15:14-16). They, too, would be conquered, and eventually God’s palace and throne would be established as a symbol of the order achieved in his victory (Exo 15:17). Finally, God’s kingship would be openly declared, as a consequence of his victories: ’the Lord shall reign for ever and ever’ (Exo 15:18). The Hebrew expression for this statement of kingship is yhwh ymlk, directly analogous to the celebration of Baal’s kingship in the Ugaritic texts: b’l ymlk.
"It is one thing to trace the motifs of the Baal myth in the Song of the Sea; it is another to grasp their significance. The primary significance lies in the cosmological meaning of the motifs; the Hebrew poet has taken the symbolic language of creation and adapted it to give expression to his understanding of the meaning of the Exodus. At one level, the Exodus was simply the escape of Hebrews from Egyptian slavery; at another level, it marked a new act of divine creation. Just as Genesis 1 celebrates the creation of the world, so too Exodus 15 celebrates the creation of a new people, Israel. And when one perceives this underlying significance of the poetic language employed in the Song of the Sea, one is then in a position to understand better another portion of the biblical text, namely, the reasons given for the observation of the sabbath day." [Note: Idem, Ugarit and the Old Testament, pp. 88-89. See also Frank M. Cross Jr., "The Song of the Sea and Canaanite Myth," in God and Christ: Existence and Province, pp. 1-25.]
"Throughout the poem, however, the picture of God’s great deeds foreshadows most closely that of David, who defeated the chiefs of Edom, Philistia, and Canaan and made Mount Zion the eternal home for the Lord’s sanctuary (Exo 15:17)." [Note: Sailhamer, The Pentateuch . . ., p. 272.]
"The poem of Exodus 15 celebrates Yahweh present with his people and doing for them as no other god anywhere and at any time can be present to do. As such, it is a kind of summary of the theological base of the whole of the Book of Exodus." [Note: Durham, p. 210.]
Worship was the result of redemption. The people looked back at their deliverance and forward to God’s Promised Land. At this point their joy was due to their freedom from slavery. However the desert lay ahead. The family of Abraham had become a nation, and God was dwelling among them in the cloud. God’s presence with the nation introduced the need for holiness in Israel. The emphasis on holiness begins with God’s dwelling among His people in the cloud. It increased when God descended on the tabernacle and ark of the covenant.
The parallel that exists between Abraham’s experiences and Israel’s is also significant. God first called Abram out of pagan Ur. Then He blessed him with a covenant after the patriarch obeyed God and went where Yahweh led him. God did the same thing with Israel. This similarity suggests that God’s dealings with both Abram and Israel may be programmatic and indicative of His method of dealing with His elect generally.
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
CHAPTER XV.
THE SONG OF MOSES.
Exo 15:1-22.
During this halt they prepared that great song of triumph which St. John heard sung by them who had been victorious over the beast, standing by the sea of glass, having the harps of God. For by that calmer sea, triumphant over a deadlier persecution, they still found their adoration and joy expressed in this earliest chant of sacred victory. Because all holy hearts give like thanks to Him Who sitteth upon the throne, therefore “deep answers unto deep,” and every great crisis in the history of the Church has legacies for all time and for eternity; and therefore the triumphant song of Moses the servant of God enriches the worship of heaven, as the penitence and hope and joy of David enrich the worship of the Church on earth (Rev 15:3).
Like all great poetry, this song is best enjoyed when it is neither commented upon nor paraphrased, but carefully read and warmly felt. There are circumstances and lines of thought which it is desirable to point out, but only as a preparation, not a substitute, for the submission of a docile mind to the influence of the inspired poem itself. It is unquestionably archaic. The parallelism of Hebrew verse is already here, but the structure is more free and unartificial than that of later poetry; and many ancient words, and words of Egyptian derivation, authenticate its origin. So does the description of Miriam, in the fifteenth verse, as “the prophetess, the sister of Aaron.” In what later time would she not rather have been called the sister of Moses? But from the lonely youth who found Aaron and Miriam together as often as he stole from the palace to his real home–the lonely man who regained both together when he returned from forty years of exile, and who sometimes found them united in opposition to his authority (Num 12:1-2)–from Moses alone the epithet is entirely natural.
It is also noteworthy that Philistia is mentioned first among the foes who shall be terrified (Exo 15:14, R.V.), because Moses still expected the invasion to break first on them. But the unbelieving fears of Israel changed the route, so that no later poet would have set them in the forefront of his song. Thus also the terror of the Edomites is anticipated, although in fact they sturdily refused a passage to Israel through their land (Num 20:20). All this authenticates the song, which thereupon establishes the miraculous deliverance that inspired it.
The song is divided into two parts. Up to the end of the twelfth verse it is historical: the remainder expresses the high hopes inspired by this great experience. Nothing now seems impossible: the fiercest tribes of Palestine and the desert may be despised, for their own terror will suffice to “melt” them; and Israel may already reckon itself to be guided into the holy habitation (Exo 15:13).
The former part is again subdivided, by a noble and instinctive art, into two very unequal sections. With amplitude of triumphant adoration, the first ten verses tell the same story which the eleventh and twelfth compress into epigrammatical vigour and terseness. To appreciate the power of the composition, one should read the fourth, fifth, and sixth verses, and turn immediately to the twelfth.
Each of these three divisions closes in praise, and as in the “Israel in Egypt,” it was probably at these points that the voices of Miriam and the women broke in, repeating the first verse of the ode as a refrain (Exo 15:1 and Exo 15:21). It is the earliest recognition of the place of women in public worship. And it leads us to remark that the whole service was responsive. Moses and the men are answered by Miriam and the women, bearing timbrels in their hands; for although instrumental music had been sorely misused in Egypt, that was no reason why it should be excluded now. Those who condemn the use of instruments in Christian worship virtually contend that Jesus has, in this respect, narrowed the liberty of the Church, and that a potent method of expression, known to man, must not be consecrated to the honour of God. And they make the present time unlike the past, and also unlike what is revealed of the future state.
Moreover there was movement, as in very many ancient religious services, within and without the pale of revelation.[28] Such dances were generally slow and graceful; yet the motion and the clang of metal, and the vast multitudes congregated, must be taken into account, if we would realise the strange enthusiasm of the emancipated host, looking over the blue sea to Egypt, defeated and twice bereaved, and forward to the desert wilds of freedom.
The poem is steeped in a sense of gratitude. In the great deliverance man has borne no part. It is Jehovah Who has triumphed gloriously, and cast the horse and charioteer–there was no “rider”–into the sea. And this is repeated again and again by the women as their response, in the deepening passion of the ode. “With the breath of His nostrils the waters were piled up…. He blew with His wind and the sea covered them.” And such is indeed the only possible explanation of the Exodus, so that whoever rejects the miracle is beset with countless difficulties. One of these is the fact that Moses, their immortal leader, has no martial renown whatever. Hebrew poetry is well able to combine gratitude to God with honour to the men of Zebulun who jeopardised their lives unto the death, to Jael who put her hand to the nail, to Saul and Jonathan who were swifter than eagles and stronger than lions. Joshua and David can win fame without dishonour to God. Why is it that here alone no mention is made of human agency, except that, in fact, at the outset of their national existence, they were shown, once for all, the direct interposition of their God?
From gratitude springs trust: the great lesson is learned that man has an interest in the Divine power. “My strength and song is Jah,” says the second verse, using that abbreviated form of the covenant name Jehovah, which David also frequently associated with his victories. “And He is become my salvation.” It is the same word as when, a little while ago, the trembling people were bidden to stand still and see the salvation of God. They have seen it now. Now they give the word Salvation for the first time to the Lord as an appellation, and as such it is destined to endure. The Psalmist learns to call Him so, not only when he reproduces this verse word for word (Psa 118:14), but also when he says, “He only is my rock and my salvation” (Psa 62:2), and prays, “Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, come for salvation to us” (Psa 80:2).
And the same title is known also to Isaiah, who says, “Behold God is my salvation,” and “Be Thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble” (Isa 12:2, Isa 33:2).
The progress is natural from experience of goodness to appropriation: He has helped me: He gives Himself to me; and from that again to love and trust, for He has always been the same: “my father,” not my ancestors in general, but he whom I knew best and remember most tenderly, found Him the same Helper. And then love prompts to some return. My goodness extendeth not to Him, yet my voice can honour Him; I will praise Him, I will exalt His name. Now, this is the very spirit of evangelical obedience, the life-blood of the new dispensation racing in the veins of the old.
Where praise and exaltation are a spontaneous instinct, there is loyal service and every good work, not rendered by a hireling but a child. Had He not said, “Israel is My son”?
From exultant gratitude and trust, what is next to spring? That which is reproachfully called anthropomorphism, something which indeed easily degenerates into unworthy notions of a God limited by such restraints or warped by such passions as our own, yet which is after all a great advance towards true and holy thoughts of Him Who made man after His image and in His likeness.
Human affection cannot go forth to God without believing that like affection meets and responds to it. If He is indeed the best and purest, we must think of Him as sharing all that is best and purest in our souls, all that we owe to His inspiring Spirit.
“So through the thunder comes a human voice, Saying ‘O heart I made, a heart beats here.'”
If ever any religion was sternly jealous of the Divine prerogatives, profoundly conscious of the incommunicable dignity of the Lord our God Who is one Lord, it was the Jewish religion. Yet when Jesus was charged with making Himself God, He could appeal to the doctrine of their own Scripture–that the judges of the people exercised so divine a function, and could claim such divine support, that God Himself spoke through them, and found representatives in them. “Is it not written in your law, I said Ye are gods?” (Joh 10:34). Not in vain did He appeal to such scriptures–and there are many such–to vindicate His doctrine. For man is never lifted above himself, but God in the same degree stoops towards us, and identifies Himself with us and our concerns. Who then shall limit His condescension? What ground in reason or revelation can be taken up for denying that it may be perfect, that it may develop into a permanent union of God with the creature whom He inspired with His own breath? It is by such steps that the Old Testament prepared Israel for the Incarnation. Since the Incarnation we have actually needed help from the other side, to prevent us from humanising our conceptions over-much. And this has been provided in the ever-expanding views of His creation given to us by science, which tell us that if He draws nigh to us it is from heights formerly undreamed of. Now, such a step as we have been considering is taken unawares in the bold phrase “Jehovah is a man of war.” For in the original, as in the English, this includes the assertion “Jehovah is a man.” Of course it is only a bold figure. But such a figure prepares the mind for new light, suggesting more than it logically asserts.
The phrase is more striking when we remember that remarkable peculiarity of the Exodus and its revelations which has been already pointed out. Elsewhere God appears in human likeness. To Abraham it was so, just before, and to Manoah soon afterwards. Ezekiel saw upon the likeness of the throne the likeness of the appearance of a man (Eze 1:26). But Israel saw no similitude, only he heard a voice. This was obviously a safeguard against idolatry. And it makes the words more noteworthy, “Jehovah is a man of war,” marching with us, our champion, into the battle. And we know Him as our fathers knew Him not,–“Jehovah is His name.”
* * * * *
The poem next describes the overthrow of the enemy: the heavy plunge of men in armour into the deeps, the arm of the Lord dashing them in pieces, His “fire” consuming them, while the blast of His nostrils is the storm which “piles up” the waters, solid as a wall of ice, “congealed in the heart of the sea.” Then the singers exultantly rehearse the short panting eager phrases, full of greedy expectation, of the enemy breathless in pursuit–a passage well remembered by Deborah, when her triumphant song closed by an insulting repetition of the vain calculations of the mother of Sisera and “her wise ladies.”
The eleventh verse is remarkable as being the first announcement of the holiness of God. “Who is like unto Thee, glorious in holiness?” And what does holiness mean? The Hebrew word is apparently suggestive of “brightness,” and the two ideas are coupled by Isaiah (Isa 10:17): “The Light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame.” There is indeed something in the purity of light, in its absolute immunity from stain–no passive cleanness, as of the sand upon the shore, but intense and vital–and in its remoteness from the conditions of common material substances, that well expresses and typifies the lofty and awful quality which separates holiness from mere virtue. “God is called the Holy One because He is altogether pure, the clear and spotless Light; so that in the idea of the holiness of God there are embodied the absolute moral purity and perfection of the Divine nature, and His unclouded glory” (Keil, Pent., ii. 99). In this thought there is already involved separation, a lofty remoteness.
And when holiness is attributed to man, it never means innocence, nor even virtue, merely as such. It is always a derived attribute: it is reflected upon us, like light upon our planet; and like consecration, it speaks not of man in himself, but in his relation to God. It expresses a kind of separation to God, and thus it can reach to lifeless things which bear a true relation to the Divine. The seventh day is thus “hallowed.” It is the very name of the “Holy Place,” the “Sanctuary.” And the ground where Moses was to stand unshod beside the burning bush was pronounced “holy,” not by any concession to human weakness, but by the direct teaching of God. Very inseparable from all true holiness is separation from what is common and unclean. Holy men may be involved in the duties of active life; but only on condition that in their bosom shall be some inner shrine, whither the din of worldliness never penetrates, and where the lamp of God does not go out.
It is a solemn truth that a kind of inverted holiness is known to Scripture. Men “sanctify themselves” (it is this very word), “and purify themselves to go into the gardens, … eating swine’s flesh and the abomination and the mouse” (Isa 66:17). The same word is also used to declare that the whole fruit of a vineyard sown with two kinds of fruit shall be forfeited (Deu 22:9), although the notion there is of something unnatural and therefore interdicted, which notion is carried to the utmost extreme in another derivative from the same root, expressing the most depraved of human beings.
Just so, the Greek word “anathema” means both “consecrated” and “marked out for wrath” (Luk 21:5; 1Co 16:22 the difference in form is insignificant.) And so again our own tongue calls the saints “devoted,” and speaks of the “devoted” head of the doomed sinner, being aware that there is a “separation” in sin as really as in purity. The gods of the heathen, like Jehovah, claimed an appropriate “holiness,” sometimes unspeakably degraded. They too were separated, and it was through long lines of sphinxes, and many successive chambers, that the Egyptian worshipper attained the shrine of some contemptible or hateful deity. The religion which does not elevate depresses. But the holiness of Jehovah is noble as that of light, incapable of defilement. “Who among the gods is like Thee … glorious in holiness?” And Israel soon learned that the worshipper must become assimilated to his Ideal: “Ye shall be holy men unto Me” (Exo 22:31). It is so with us. Jesus is separated from sinners. And we are to go forth unto Him out of the camp, bearing His reproach (Heb 7:26, Heb 13:13).
The remainder of the song is remarkable chiefly for the confidence with which the future is inferred from the past. And the same argument runs through all Scripture. As Moses sang, “Thou shalt bring them in and plant them in the mountain of Thine inheritance,” because “Thou stretchedst out Thy right hand, the earth[29] swallowed” their enemies, so David was sure that goodness and mercy should follow him all the days of his life, because God was already leading him in green pastures and beside still waters. And so St. Paul, knowing in Whom he had believed, was persuaded that He was able to keep his deposit until that day (2Ti 1:12).
So should pardon and Scripture and the means of grace reassure every doubting heart; for “if the Lord were pleased to kill us, He would not have … showed us all these things” (Jdg 13:23). And in theory, and in good hours, we confess that this is so. But after our song of triumph, if we come upon bitter waters we murmur; and if our bread fail, we expect only to die in the wilderness.
FOOTNOTES:
[28] There is no warrant in the use of Scripture for Stanley’s assertion that the word translated “dances” should be rendered “guitars.” (Smith’s Dict. of Bible, Article Miriam.)
[29] This is to be taken literally; it does not mean the waves, but the quicksands in which they “drave heavily,” and which, when steeped in the returning waters, engulfed them.