...sing TO the Lord...

The Song of Moses or The Song of the Sea

“15 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:

‘I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.

2 The Lord is my strength and my might, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

3 The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name.

4 ‘Pharaoh’s chariots and his army he cast into the sea;    his picked officers were sunk in the Red Sea.

5 The floods covered them; they went down into the depths like a stone.

6 Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power —  your right hand, O Lord, shattered the enemy.

7 In the greatness of your majesty you overthrew your adversaries;  you sent out your fury, it consumed them like stubble.

8 At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up, 

the floods stood up in a heap; the deeps 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 have its fill of them. I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.”

10 You blew with your wind, the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters.

11 ‘Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?  Who is like you, majestic in holiness,     awesome in splendor, doing wonders?

12 You stretched out your right hand, the earth swallowed them.

13 ‘In your steadfast love you led the people whom you redeemed; you guided them by your strength to your holy abode.

14 The peoples heard, they trembled; pangs seized the inhabitants of Philistia.

15 Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed; trembling seized the leaders of Moab;    

all the inhabitants of Canaan melted away.

16 Terror and dread fell upon them; by the might of your arm, they became still as a stone until your people, O Lord, passed by, until the people whom you acquired passed by.

17 You brought them in and planted them on the mountain of your own possession, the place, O Lord, that you made your abode, the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hands have established.

18 The Lord will reign for ever and ever.’

19 When the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his chariot drivers went into the sea, the Lord brought back the waters of the sea upon them; but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground.

The Song of Miriam

20 Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dancing. 

21 And Miriam sang to them:

‘Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider he has thrown into the sea’” Exodus 15:1-21.

Dear friends, Moses apparently composed this Song — or Psalm —  immediately after the deliverance, and then Miriam, Moses' sister, turned immediately to the women of Israel and taught it to them. The song must have become instantly popular, judging from Miriam's decision to teach it to the Israelite women. I can only imagine groups of Israelites singing this song often on their way to Mount Sinai and during the wilderness wanderings after leaving Sinai as each new, replacement generation learned some of their history through music. So important did this song become to all generations of believers that it is described in John's great apocalyptic vision as a song to be sung even in heaven (see Revelation 15:3). 

This song — or Psalm —  is a victory hymn, a song sung to God in praise of His granting victory to his people over their foes. This song is an instant expression of praise for what the Israelites had just experienced. The opening verse is one of the most inspired and famous verses in the bible, and certainly one of the most celebrated and beloved verses ever written: “I will sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider He has thrown into the sea” Exodus 15:1.

“The LORD is my strength and my song” combines metaphors that convey the great truths that human strength is inadequate for the really important challenges of life, after all, who on his/her own strength could defeat Satan or the various sorts of corrupt world systems that Satan has managed to bring into being? It’s also clear that this 2nd verse expresses the fact that true thoughts of God should inspire in us true expressions of the happiest, most joyous praise we can produce, which for most people is exuberant and joyous singing.

In verse 3, in saying that “the LORD (Yahweh) is a warrior, the LORD (Yahweh) is His name,” the song shouts to us about God's willingness to fight for His people against their foes. But I have always loved verse 16: “Terror and dread fell upon them; by the might of Your arm, they became still as a stone.” This verse has the odor of familiarity in our own lives that one of God's weapons against all of us who repetitively sin is psychological affliction, the creation of fear and cowardice in those who that might otherwise pose a powerful obstacle to the well-being of the Lord’s faithful people. This reminds me of the heavy price we pay when we sin!

But what I love the most about this Song of Moses is the key lesson that we later see in Job: there is a huge difference between those who talk TO God, and those who talk ABOUT God! In my way of thinking, what makes this song so powerful is that it shows of Moses speaking — or singing — TO GOD — not just ABOUT GOD. The Lord (Yahweh) always responds with such affection towards all who speak TO Him, not ABOUT Him. Later, in the Book of Job, when the Lord finally shows up at the end, He praises Job because Job always spoke directly TO the Lord. Job’s friends, however, were the unhappy recipients of the Lord’s wrath because they sat on the sidelines and only spoke ABOUT God. 

This gives us a huge insight into our daily prayer, for prayer is fundamentally about listening TO the presence and voice of God, and when we speak, always speaking TO the Lord! This makes daily prayer such a personal experience for us all!

So today, I invite you to be quietly present TO the Lord — and listen — and when you speak, speak TO the Lord! 

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.

“3 And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb: ‘Great and amazing are Your deeds, Lord God the Almighty! Your ways, King of the nations” Revelation 15:3!