"Moses and the Israelites sing a song to the Lord. The song summarizes the events that took place when God saved the Israelites from the Egyptian pursuit. Then, Moses led the Israelites out from the Red Sea to the wilderness of Shur. They traveled for three days in the wilderness without finding water. They found water at Marah, but it was bitter undrinkable water. The Lord enabled Moses to perform a miracle. Moses threw a tree into the water, and the water became drinkable. At Marah, Moses foreshadows the coming of the Ten Commandments. He says, "If you will carefully obey the Lord your God, do what is right in His eyes, pay attention to His commands, and keep all His statutes, I will not inflict any illness on you like I inflicted on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you." After the Israelites thirst was quenched, Moses led them to Elim. At Elim there were 12 springs of water and 70 date palms. The Israelites made camp here by the waters."
Exodus 15 Amplified Bible (AMP)
Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this [a]song to the Lord, singing,“I will sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously;
The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea.
2 “The Lord is my strength and my song,
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 has thrown into the sea;
His chosen captains are drowned in the [b]Red Sea.
5 “The deep [water] covers them;
[Clad in armor] they sank into the depths like a stone.
6 “Your right hand, O Lord, is glorious in power;
Your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.
7 “In the greatness of Your majesty You overthrow and annihilate those [adversaries] who rise [in rebellion] against You;
You send out Your fury, and it consumes them like chaff.
8 “With the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up,
The flowing waters stood up like a mound;
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 against them;
I will draw my sword, my hand shall dispossess them and drive them out.’
10 “You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them;
[Clad in armor] they sank like lead in the mighty waters.
11 “Who is like You among the gods, O Lord?
Who is like You, majestic in holiness,
Awesome in splendor, working wonders?
12 “You stretched out Your right hand,
The [c]sea swallowed them.
13 “You in Your lovingkindness and goodness have led the people whom You have redeemed;
In Your strength You have guided them with care to Your holy habitation.
14 “The peoples have heard [about You], they tremble;
Anguish and fear has gripped the inhabitants of Philistia.
15 “Then the [tribal] chiefs of Edom were dismayed and horrified;
The [mighty] leaders of Moab, trembling grips them;
All the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away [in despair]—
16 Terror and dread fall on them;
Because of the greatness of Your arm they are as still as a stone;
Until Your people pass by and [into Canaan], O Lord,
Until the people pass by whom You have purchased.
17 “You will bring them [into the land of promise] and plant them on the mountain (Mt. Moriah in Jerusalem) of Your inheritance,
The place, O Lord, You have made for Your dwelling [among them],
The sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established.
18 “The Lord shall reign to eternity and beyond.”
19 For the horses of Pharaoh went with his war-chariots and his charioteers into the sea, and the Lord brought back the waters of the sea on them, but the sons of Israel walked on dry land in the middle of the sea.
20 Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron [and Moses], took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her with timbrels and dancing. 21 Miriam answered them,
“Sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously and is highly exalted;
The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.”
- A SONG OF PRAISE. Who would not sing for joy after being FINALLY, COMPLETELY, TOTALLY FREED from your oppressors? Who would not love the God who saved you from your enemies? Exodus 15 is a delightful expression by Moses and the children of Israel, after crossing the Red Sea and seeing with their own eyes the death/drowning of the Egyptian armies. It's a beautiful song, a wonderful poem declaring who God is. It made me think of people who are so inspired or in love that they are able to write or compose beautiful poems and songs. The song of Moses and the Israelites was God-glorifying and exalting-- He has triumphed, He has done awesome miracles, He has saved and redeemed the people from slavery, and He intends to bring them to the promised land. News about God's wonders and workings were spreading in the land of Canaan, and its idol/god-worshiping inhabitants were terrified.
You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever." Psalm 30:11-12
"I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being." Psalm 104:33
22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went into the Wilderness of Shur; they went [a distance of] three days (about thirty-three miles) in the wilderness and found no water. 23 Then they came to Marah, but they could not drink its waters because they were [d]bitter; therefore it was named Marah (bitter). 24 The people [grew discontented and] grumbled at Moses, saying, “What are we going to drink?” 25 Then he cried to the Lord [for help], and the Lord showed him a tree, [a branch of] which he threw into the waters, and the waters became sweet.
There the Lord made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there [e]He tested them, 26 saying, “If you will diligently listen and pay attention to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and listen to His commandments, and keep [foremost in your thoughts and actively obey] all His precepts and statutes, then I will not put on you any of the diseases which I have put on the Egyptians; for I am the [f]Lord who heals you.”
27 Then the children of Israel came to Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms, and they camped there beside the waters.
- MIRACLE WATER. The Egyptians out of the picture, Moses and all the Israelites now have to face struggles in their wilderness journey, such as thirsts (dehydration) and hunger. There was no water at first, and then there was bitter water (at Marah). Once again, the people looked to Moses, their leader. However, they came with an attitude of grumbling and discontentment, and that was becoming a pattern in my observation. Moses, having grown and developed his faith in God, did the right thing by praying and crying to the Lord for help. How was he gonna feed the 1-2 million Israelites in the middle of the wilderness? Only by trusting the Almighty God. The Lord showed Moses a tree, and for some reason Moses already knew what to do. Maybe it came with God's instruction and it's just not recorded? Or maybe not. God works in mysterious ways in our spirit. Moses just threw a branch to the waters, and voila, it became sweet. And drinkable! How amazing! The Lord could have made it easier for everyone by preparing an already sweet and drinkable water in the wilderness, but God wanted for His children to grown in faith, to ask and go to Him in prayer, to lead our hearts closer to Him.
- TEST FOR LIFE. "Statute" means "a law or decree made by a sovereign, or by God", and "ordinance" means "an authoritative order; a decree." The God of all authority made a straightforward law unto all His children, that also speaks of His great love. The love of God disciplines, and God loves us that He wants us to experience His will for our lives, and His healing. He wants us to trust and rely to Him, the all-powerful Creator who knows all things, and sees all things. To revere and trust God at this point seems like a common sense or an expected result of God's miraculous salvation to Israelites, but because of our deceitful hearts, selfish and sinful human nature, it's not that easy. Thank God He is patient and understanding, and His love is perfect. He will never stop reminding and guiding the Israelites, because He is faithful, what He said to Abraham, He will definitely fulfill. He will see through the Israel nation to make sure that we will get saved by the Messiah (Jesus).
"My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”
It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:5-11
- THE NUMBER 12, AND 70. God led Moses and the Israelites to camp at Elim, abundant Elim!🌴🌴🌴 12 had always been significant with God, in the Bible, there was 12 Tribes of Israel, 12 Disciples, etc. 70 is like 7, that denotes God's completion and perfection. What a relief, and a safe haven from God! It's like an oasis in the middle of the desert. God can never fail in providing for His people. I love dates!
"Here is Elim, even today the springs support many trees in the middle of a dry desert."
Footnotes:
Exodus 15:1 It was natural enough to create and sing a song of celebration to the Lord at this point, but the song, with all its detail, undoubtedly served as a memory device as well, a way to embed the account of the miracle in the minds of the people of Israel.
Exodus 15:4 Lit Sea of Reeds.
Exodus 15:12 Lit earth.
Exodus 15:23 The water may have been like that of the Dead Sea, which has such a high salt content that it is bitter, and the natural reaction when attempting to sample it is to spit it out immediately.
Exodus 15:25 God tests His people to see if they are learning from past experiences and growing in spiritual maturity.
Exodus 15:26 Heb YHWH (Yahweh)-Ropheeka.
* Study Guide Commentary from David Guzik:
a. Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the Lord: This remarkable song is assumed to have come spontaneously as Moses led the nation into the wilderness on the other side of the Red Sea. They sang this song when their salvation was real to them. They sang it when the power and the presence of God were real to them.
i. God prizes these spontaneous expressions of praise and worship. This was a new song sung unto the Lord (as in Psalm 40:3). “There are moods of the soul that can only be expressed in poetry and in music.” (Morgan)
b. I will sing to the Lord: One great principles of worship is that it is unto the Lord, not unto man. When we worship God in song, our audience is the Lord Himself and not the people around us.
i. “The first verse of this song was quoted by David. I think you will find it in almost the same words three times in the Psalms.” (Spurgeon)
d. The Lord is my strength and song: When we let God be our strength, He will also be our song. We will sing because of the victory won by the great strength of the Lord. We will have a singing joy in our life because His strength will not let us down.
i. “Notice, the song is all of God; there is not a word about Moses. Read this song through, and neither Moses, nor Aaron, nor Miriam are in it: God is all in all.” (Spurgeon)
b. Your right hand: The right hand was thought to be the hand of skill and power. When God works with His right hand, it is a work of skill and power.
i. Obviously, this is the use of anthropomorphism, understanding something about God by using a human figure of speech, even though it does not literally apply.
ii. This idea of the right hand is used in the Scriptures more than fifty times, including these passages:
· Psalm 45:4: God’s right hand teaches us
· Psalm 48:10: God’s right hand is full of righteousness
· Psalm 77:10: Remembrance of the years of the right hand of the Most High
· Psalm 110:1: The Father invites the Son to sit at His right hand
· Habakkuk 2:16: The cup of God’s judgment is held in His right hand
· Ephesians 1:20: Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father
b. Fear and dread will fall on them: Some forty years later Rahab the prostitute from Jericho told the Israeli spies: For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt (Joshua 2:10). The people of Canaan did hear of what God did for Israel and some responded with godly fear.
iv. We can say that God was not only interested in getting the children of Israel out of Egypt, He also wanted to get Egypt out of the children of Israel – both physically and spiritually.
v. A tree: “Medieval commentators delighted to see here a reference to the cross, by which the bitterest of life’s waters is sweetened.” (Cole)
Reference and credits to https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/guzik_david/StudyGuide2017-Exd/Exd-15.cfm ©2013 David Guzik
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