After crossing the Red Sea and witnessing the destruction of the Egyptian army by the power of God, Moses and the Israelites sang praises to the Lord. The song recorded mentioned several reasons why the Lord is worthy of praise. As we consider these reasons, we should also recognize that God is worthy of praise for the same reasons today.
Let us briefly consider the reasons why Moses and the Israelites praised the Lord on this occasion.
The Lord Is Our Strength and Salvation
“I will sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted; the horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea. The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise Him; my father’s God, and I will extol Him. The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is His name” (Exodus 15:1-3).
We are involved in a spiritual war (2 Corinthians 10:3-4). Yet if we are on the Lord’s side, we will be victorious in the end. “These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful” (Revelation 17:14). If we are faithful to the Lord, He will be our strength (Ephesians 6:10; Philippians 4:13) and our salvation (Hebrews 5:9).
The Lord Destroys His Enemies
“Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has cast into the sea; and the choicest of his officers are drowned in the Red Sea. The deeps cover them; they went down into the depths like a stone. Your right hand, O Lord, is majestic in power, Your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy. And in the greatness of Your excellence You overthrow those who rise up against You; You send forth Your burning anger, and it consumes them as chaff.
“At the blast of Your nostrils the waters were piled up, the flowing waters stood up like 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 desire shall be gratified against them; I will draw out my sword, my hand will destroy them.’ You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters” (Exodus 15:4-10).
Paul said, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). Yet no matter how powerful the forces opposed to us might be, the Lord’s “enemies” will be made “a footstool for [His] feet” (Hebrews 1:13; cf. Psalm 110:1). “The Lamb will overcome them” (Revelation 17:14).
There Is No Other God Like the Lord
“Who is like You among the gods, O Lord? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders? You stretched out Your right hand, the earth swallowed them” (Exodus 15:11-12).
All of the “gods” that men serve are not real, except in their own minds. Paul said, “We know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one” (1 Corinthians 8:4). Regarding those who would serve these false gods, the Lord said, “They are altogether stupid and foolish in their discipline of delusion” (Jeremiah 10:8). In contrast, “The Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King” (Jeremiah 10:10). James wrote, “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy” (James 4:12). God is unique and He alone is worthy of our devotion.
The Lord Shows Lovingkindness to His People
“In Your lovingkindness You have led the people whom You have redeemed; in Your strength You have guided them to Your holy habitation” (Exodus 15:13).
Peter said that Christians have “tasted the kindness of the Lord” (1 Peter 2:3). He blesses us both physically and spiritually. James reminded his audience, “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow” (James 1:17). God has “blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).
The Nations Fear the Lord
“The peoples have heard, they tremble; anguish has gripped the inhabitants of Philistia. Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed; the leaders of Moab, trembling grips them; all the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away. Terror and dread fall upon them; by the greatness of Your arm they are motionless as stone; until Your people pass over, O Lord, until the people pass over whom You have purchased” (Exodus 15:14-16).
God demonstrated that He was more powerful than any earthly ruler. However, the fear that these rulers had for God did not lead them to obey Him (cf. Ecclesiastes 12:13), but ultimately to “take their stand…against the Lord and against His Anointed” in an effort to “tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords” by crucifying Jesus (Psalm 2:1-3; cf. Acts 4:25-27). Yet even this was what God “predestined to occur” (Acts 4:28; cf. 2:23). Through His death on the cross, the Lord “disarmed the rulers and authorities, [and] made a public display of them, having triumphed over them” (Colossians 2:15). Jesus is now sitting at the “right hand [of God] in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named” (Ephesians 1:20-21).
The Lord Promises His People a Reward
“You will bring them and plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance, the place, O Lord, which You have made for Your dwelling, the sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established. The Lord shall reign forever and ever” (Exodus 15:17-18).
Christians have “a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away” (1 Peter 1:3-4). We can have confidence in this hope (Hebrews 6:18-19), but we must also have patience in order to receive the reward (Hebrews 10:35-36). “Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience” (Hebrews 4:11). We must be “born again” (1 Peter 1:3) and then “be faithful until death” (Revelation 2:10) and God will reward us.
Conclusion
As God was powerful enough to save the Israelites from the Egyptians through the Red Sea, He can save us today. “Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,” and we must “give praise to our God” for this (Revelation 19:1, 5). But in order to receive the reward He has promised, we must do more than just offer praise to God. We must place our trust in Him, obey Him in all that we do, and follow Him wherever He leads.
I like this, Andy. Well done, and edifying. I cannot remember approaching this passage like you have done.
Andy,
These are very encouraging words for faithful servants of God. In the light of discouragement brought about by more wickedness in this evil world, Christians need to be reminded of the fact that God can, and will, take care of all who will trust in Him.
Evil men will continue to grow worse and worse and we will see evidence of that all around us every day, but we must not despair. True followers of God will be taken care of by Him whom we serve.
“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:1-3)
Thanks! I appreciate the comments.
Wayne, that passage is a good reminder. No matter how bad conditions get here, we have a promise for something better if we continue to follow the Lord.