The following is Pastor Nate’s teaching transcription from Calvary Monterey’s 2/23/21 Tuesday Night Service. We apologize for any transcription inaccuracies.
Exodus 14
Even though Pharaoh had allowed the people of Israel to depart after the terrible events of the Passover were unleashed upon his own household and the households of every Egyptian, there is one last demonstration of God's power that needs to be performed for the people of Israel to fully be set free from Egypt and belong to God. Make no mistake, the people of Israel are exiting slavery from Egypt, but are entering into service of God. They are not being set free to merely be liberated. They're being set free so that they might belong to God, Himself, to be God's people. In one sense, they're not going to freedom at all, but they're going to a life under the yoke of God. But of course, as Jesus said, his yoke is easy and his burden is light. The yoke of God is much better than the yolk of Pharaoh.
The Red Sea Crossing
1 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea. 3 For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, ‘They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’ 4 And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.
So, there's one last demonstration of God's power that must be unleashed, and of course, it's the crossing of the waters of the Red Sea. Let's begin reading this passage in chapter 14, verse one, Then the Lord said to Moses, tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. In front of Baal-zephon, you shall encamp facing it by the sea. For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, "They are wandering in the land, the wilderness has shut them in," and I will harden Pharaoh's heart and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his hosts, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, and they did so."
Now, here in this opening paragraph, the Lord tells Moses to tell the people of Israel, to turn back and encamp in a specific location. This turning back is actually heading in the opposite direction for a moment of the land of Canaan. It would be a surprise to the Egyptians to hear that the Israelite people are now reversing course, and in one sense, coming closer to Egypt than the land of Canaan. Now, they were headed towards a place called the sea. Of course, this will be the Red Sea, or literally the Sea of Papyrus Reeds that they're heading towards. Though people have attempted to locate the exact lake or body of water that the people of Israel crossed here in Exodus, chapter 14, there are four or five possibilities that scholars still debate today.
There's a region of lakes just outside of Egypt on the way to Canaan, and so it's one of those bodies of water that the Israelites were driven towards. But Pharaoh would conclude, as we saw there in verse three, that the wilderness had shut the people of Israel in. In other words, the change of direction would not go unnoticed by Pharaoh. His interpretation of their change of direction is that they are wandering in the land. I can entrap them and get them back for myself. He thought that their defined power had dissipated somehow here just a few days after the events of the Passover. He was certainly unclear of God's covenant with the children of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.
But what this helps us see is that through all of this, Pharaoh was still not completely broken before God, even the loss of his firstborn son did not bring him to the place of submission to God's plans. Just as Satan does not give up his possessions easily, so Pharaoh does not give up the possession of the people of Israel easily. But God told all of this to Moses in advance so that, as we saw in verse four, when the Egyptians came out, God said, "I will get glory over Pharaoh." They're trapped by the wilderness, trapped by the Red Sea. God would flex his muscle one last time over Pharaoh and his armies.
Before we move on, I think it's good to meditate upon the concept of God allowing his people to find themselves in positions where he must come through and it leads ultimately to his glory, situations where it's impossible, unless God himself is present in that environment. I remember, in my own life, in 2008, there being a flurry of events that all unfolded at the same time in my life, leadership developments, family developments, where life was pressing in on me. It felt to me that I was pinned up against the Red Sea with the wilderness all about me, no place to turn, no place to run, with the armies of Pharaoh coming down upon me, so to speak.
But it was in those moments that I think God got great glory because he proved his faithfulness in seeing me through. Though I don't want to turn the Red Sea crossing into a trite devotional message, because really, this has God buying his people out of their slavery. The comparison is the cross of Jesus Christ in one sense, and nothing else, it is good to see the faithfulness of God and rescuing his people in times where he receives the glory.
5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” 6 So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him, 7 and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. 8 And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly. 9 The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.
Now, in verse five, "When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, "What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him, and took 600 chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly. The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.
Now, here we see in this little paragraph, first of all, in verse five, that when they were told that the people had fled, that's what the King of Pharaoh was told, they then changed their mind and decided to pursue the people. Now, what does that mean? That Pharaoh heard that the people of Israel had fled? Well, remember previously, when Moses was telling Pharaoh, told Pharaoh to let God's people go, initially, they referred to a three-day journey that they wanted to take outside of Egypt, where they would then sacrifice to the Lord.
Now, the process of course, or as the plagues unfolded, the request grew larger and larger until finally, at the Passover Pharaoh demanded that the people depart and the Egyptians gave them possession so that they could depart permanently. But here in this moment, Pharaoh's interpretation, now that his heart has settled and he's still expressing his own hardness of heart against God, his conclusion is that, hey, Moses broke the deal. They went three days out into the wilderness, and now they've gone further, they're running away from us, and so we need to go get them back. They wanted their slaves to return and they thought that their military could save them.
So, he sent 600 chariots and all of that to go and bring the people of Israel back into their slavery. Now, these 600 chariots are one of the many times in scripture where a chariot is compared to the arm of the flesh. Often, in scripture, it's God versus chariots, God versus human ingenuity, God versus human might. Psalm 20:7 depicts this perfectly, "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord, our God." Now, the Hebrews at this time, their weaponry was not all that advanced. Chariots were the massive weapons of the day. Think something like tanks in our modern era. But the Hebrews, they did not have chariots until the time of Solomon's reign.
10 When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. 11 They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” 13 And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”
At this point, they're vastly outgunned, so to speak, though they might outnumber the Egyptian army, they are out-weaponed by the Egyptian army. "Now, when Pharaoh drew near," verse 10, "the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, "Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?"
"Is not this what we said to you in Egypt, "Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians'?" For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness." And Moses said to the people, "Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent."
Now, it's interesting that the people of Israel, they really begin now or continue on in the theme of grumbling against Moses. In verse 10, it says that they cried out to the Lord when they saw the Egyptian armies coming down upon them, but then immediately, because the Lord is invisible and Moses is visible, they unload on Moses. They've got a lot more to say to Moses than they do to God. This will be the first of many complaints that the people of Israel will have towards Moses as they wander in the wilderness.
Their response throughout the book is often the same during duress, during a frightful experience, where at the end of their road, they don't know where food's going to come from, water's going to come from, an army is invading against them. In times of duress and fright, they cry out to the Lord and then immediately complain against God's man. Their accusation is rather harsh. They say to Moses, "We should have continued to serve the Egyptians. Why didn't you let us stay there? It'd have been better to die in Egypt than to die out here in the wilderness." That's what they thought.
The option was either serve the Egyptians or die in the wilderness. They say, "Are there no graves in Egypt that we couldn't have died there?" Which was an ironic little comment that they were making. Because at that time, they estimate that about three quarters of the land area in Egypt was available for grave sites because they specialized and made such a big deal about the burial process in that society. But here, their thought was we either could have served the Egyptians or we could die out here in the wilderness. This I think is the curse of the two option mind. The mind that says, there's this option, which is terrible, and a second option, which is equally terrible, but is unable to consider the God option.
Fear, in this moment, overwhelmed their hearts, and fear is a killer. It causes us to lose sight of God and to think irrationally. But these people had to learn, 2 Corinthians 5:7, to walk by faith and not by sight. Fear and faith could not dwell together, and they were about to, in this moment, experience their greatest moment of deliverance. Now, again, as I said earlier, I don't want to turn the crossing of the Red Sea into a trite devotional message as if somehow every trouble that we ever experienced in life we will never have to face because God is going to rescue us. We, of course, know that we will enter the kingdom of God by passing through persecutions and trials and difficulties here in this life.
But the Red Sea was kind of the final act of deliverance whereby God bought his people for himself, where he fully redeemed them to be his own. In a sense, as believers today, today, we can allow our hearts to be calmed, not by the Red Sea, though it does serve as a lesson of great encouragement, but we can be encouraged by going back to our great act of deliverance, the cross of Jesus Christ. When we see the cross, we see the heart of God for us as his people, and we know that, even if tribulation or persecution comes into our lives, our ultimate destiny is secure in Him. That His position toward us is one of love and grace.
Whether we go through the trial or not, that position remains unchanged. But here, in this moment, these people gave way to fear and faithlessness and panic. But Moses, for his part, replies to and tells them to simply wait. Stand still, stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord. In fact, he told them to be silent. There are oftentimes where we've got to be quiet because the more we say, the more panic comes into our hearts. The more we communicate, the more we have outbursts of faithlessness and fear. So, Moses says, you've got to be quiet, you've got to stop talking.
Instead, you just need to wait for the Lord because he is going to bring his salvation upon us, stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord. Be silent. Now, Moses, of course, at this point, could have responded in a different way. He could have rehearsed all of the events and judgements and demonstrations of power that they'd already experienced. He could have pointed out to them, the plagues, plague after plague of God's faithfulness. He could have talked to them about the Passover. He could have challenged them. Given everything God had done before, how are you feeling this way? Do you not think that God will rescue us again? He's been for us.
But instead of that, Moses simply told them to be quiet and to watch to see God's salvation. The reality today is that we also, as God's children, we must go forward. This is the message of the text. We must go forward, but we cannot so often go forward in our own strength. We need the Lord to come through, and He will because we are His people. So, sometimes we just have to be quiet and watch what the Lord will do. I can't tell you how many times in my own life I've sensed the Spirit of God whisper into my heart, "Nate, be still and see the salvation of the Lord. I know you're panicked. I know you're worried. I know you're concerned, and I know you feel there's no way out, but there is a way and I will provide it. But if you're going to see those waters parted, you've got to stand still. Worship me, be quiet, and watch what I'm going to do."
15 The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. 16 Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. 17 And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”
"Now, the LORD," verse 15, "said to Moses, "Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. Lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen. "
19 Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, 20 coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night.
"Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel, and there was the cloud and the darkness, and it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night."
Now, here, we see a shift. God says, "I'm going to win this victory. I will get glory for myself over Pharaoh." That whole region, that whole world would have heard of the power of the God of Israel, because everyone knew of the power of Pharaoh. But it also says here that the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, in verse 19. Now, as I said, in a previous study, I believe the angel of God, the angel of the Lord is quite possibly a pre-incarnate Jesus Christ. Because they're fighting for Israel, leading Israel in that kind of forum. Not that he's a created angel of God, but that in his divinity, he is somehow leading them and fighting for them.
Part of the reason that we might think this way is because there are other passages where the angel of the Lord experiences or receives worship, and we know that angels do not receive worship from human beings, from God's people. He behaves and acts as the Lord acts in scripture. But here, what we're seeing is that God is protecting them. He was going before them. Now he goes behind them. He is shifting from guide to guardian. God also created this physical or visible form of protection, this wall of fire, so to speak, between the people of Israel and the people of Egypt.
Now, this should have been a lesson to the people of Israel in future moments where they feared. Right here, they're able to see the visible protection of God, but when they couldn't see the visible protection, they should have known that God's invisible protection was there over their lives. As you go throughout your life and as you're passing through various difficulties, trials, or complex situations, whether it's in school, or your workplace, or in your home, I hope that you quietly and privately before God ask him for wisdom, protection, guidance, leadership, the words to speak, the invisible God is with you if you're his child today.
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23 The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24 And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, 25 clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.”
Verse 21, "Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. The people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left, the Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots and his horsemen. And in the morning watch, the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily."
"And the Egyptians said, "Let us flee from before Israel for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians. Here, we see that the Lord turns the Red Sea into dry land for the people of Israel. Psalm 66 gives us some insight into how this occurred. It says, "He turned the sea into dry land, and then later they passed through the river on foot." We learn here in our passage, in Exodus chapter 14, that it was the wind that caused this. God turned the sea into dry land with the wind, a supernatural wind that God brings upon the land. It must've been a very wide path that God carved out for them with his breath in the Red Sea.
No matter how you slice it, this is a miraculous event that God is unfolding there before their eyes and the irony or the humor in all of it is that the Egyptians themselves pursue the people of Israel into the Red Sea when the fire of God or the wall of fire dissipates. They chase into the Red Sea. The very thing that delivered the Israelites would be the thing that doomed the Egyptians. At the morning watch, sometime between 3:00 AM and dawn, when the Egyptians pursued, panic began coming upon the Egyptians. God clogged the wheels of their chariots and the people of Egypt began saying, "The Lord fights for Israel."
Now, according to Psalm 77:16-19, God, also, in this moment when the Egyptians are in the Red Sea, brought a rainstorm lightning, thunder, and an earthquake. Obviously God is supernaturally involving himself in one last final judgment of Pharaoh and the Egyptian armies. Again, as I've said in previous studies, this of course reminds us so often of the book of Revelation, where we see these cataclysmic events that are involved in the judging of the world. I believe as this happened quite literally to the Egyptians many years ago, this will happen literally to the world in a future era.
26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the Lord threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained. 29 But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.
But God rescues the people of Israel. "Then the Lord," verse 26, "said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen." So, Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. As the Egyptians fled into it, the Lord through the Egyptians into the midst of the sea, the waters returned and covered the chariots in the horsemen. Of all the hosts of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remain, but the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. Thus, the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore."
"Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord and they believed in the Lord and his servant, Moses." Now, this will always be the battle for the people of Israel. Here, to close out this passage, chapter 14, the people are presented as fearing the Lord and believing the Lord. This will always be the battle for the people of Israel, there in the wilderness, and even in the promised land, and I think is always the battle for us. Will we have fear or faith? Will we have trust or complaint against God? But in this instance, the Lord, it says there in verse 30, saved Israel.
He's the one that does the saving. It's not the armies of Israel, but it's the God of Israel who defeats Egypt. Now, Paul gave commentary to this event in 1 Corinthians 10:1-2. He said, "I don't want you to be unaware brothers that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea." They were identified with Moses as a result of this event. Notice the end of verse 31, "They believed in the Lord and in his servant, Moses." Apparently, there was a spiritual meaning in this event according to Paul. The crossing of the Red Sea is a type or a picture of the believers' union with Christ in death to the old life, and resurrection to the new life.
As Paul said, in Romans chapter 6, "We are dead to sin and now alive to God in Christ Jesus. Newness of life is to be our experience because we've died with Jesus and we're buried with Jesus. It's as if our trust in what Christ has done has identified us with Jesus himself, just as the people of Israel through the Red Sea identified with Moses. This is a powerful illustration here in some senses. The blood has delivered us today from the penalty of sin and the resurrection from the power of sin.
Exodus 15
Now, in chapter 15, the people of Israel will sing a song in response to the glorious event that just occurred in passing through the Red Sea. It's one of three songs that is composed by Moses in the Bible, and it's a victory him about the great thing that God just did in expressing his supremacy and power over Pharaoh and his armies. The focus of the song is clear, it's the Lord. In fact, each section of the song has a repeated phrase, sing to the Lord, is the repeated phrase of the first section. Your right hand, O Lord, is the repeated phrase of the second section. Who is like you, O Lord? Is the repeated phrase of the third section. And until your people pass by, O Lord, is the repeated phrase of the fourth section.
Part of the reason I mention this is because that's the organization of the song, but secondly, I mention this because the songs of the Bible are not drearily about the self. They're focused upon God, and when we come together as God's people to sing songs, we're not here to sing songs about ourselves and how we think and what we feel, though sometimes those sentiments are expressed in scripture, we're here to be energized, invigorated by thinking about who God is and worshiping him for who He is before us. Now, there is a question as to when this song was written.
Of course, in our Bibles, as we read it, the events of chapter 14 occurred, the people of Israel passed through the Red Sea, and it almost appears or feels, as if extemporaneously, Moses led the people of Israel in a song of rejoicing immediately, that they then wrote down for future use and meditation. Personally, I tend to think that's how it occurred, that under inspiration of spirit, God Struck his man Moses and gave him one of the three songs that he received. But of course, it's entirely possible that they had a moment of camping out, waiting.
A Song of Praise After Crossing
Moses got together with musicians, they penned a song, and then they introduced it to the people of Israel, and it became a common chorus that they were to think about meditate upon and also sing as well, and then years later, when Moses wrote the book of Exodus, he inserted this song right here, because it's all based on the events of the crossing of the Red Sea. But either way, without further ado, let's actually begin reading the song. Again, the first section, the repeated phrase in the first and second verse is, I will sing to the Lord.
I Will Sing to the Lord
1 Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying, “I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.
Verse one, "Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord, I will sing to the Lord, they sing, for he has triumphed gloriously. The horse and his rider, he has thrown into the sea." The first thing I want you to see about this song is that, though it was sung by the congregation, Moses and the people of Israel, the way they sing it, is they say, I will sing to the Lord. They don't say, we will sing to the Lord, but I will sing to the Lord. The congregation there, Israel, they've been United by this singular act. You see, when God's people come together, as the church comes together. In fact, the word church merely means gathering, the ecclesia, the grouping together of God's people.
When we come together and sing to the Lord because of our great Red Sea event, the cross of Jesus Christ, we are singing with a unity that is so special. We can even say, with other people present, I will sing to the Lord. It's not necessarily a way for us to say, I don't know about all of you here at church with me today. I don't know whether you will sing to the Lord, but I will sing to the Lord. No, it's a way for us to say, we are so United because of the blood of Jesus.
The people of Israel would say, we are so United because of the events of the Red Sea, that it's as if, as a congregation, we can say, I will sing to the Lord. We've been brought together because of this singular rescue event that God has performed in our lives. But as they sang this, they sang of God triumphing, throwing the horse and the rider into the sea. That's of course, what they had witnessed in the Egyptian army. They'd pursued them, and God had covered them, buried them and put them in the grave of the Red Sea. Now, the victory at the Red Sea over the Egyptians would always stand as a pinnacle victory for God in the generations to come.
You can find many illusions to it throughout the Psalms. The people of Israel would always harken back to this incredible event, the event of the Red Sea. It was a message for them that said, God is stronger, God purchased us, God won the ultimate victory so that we could be His. Again, I think in this sense, believers today can sing this song. We can draw inspiration from the events of the Red Sea, but our Red Sea crossing, our Red Sea song is about the cross of Jesus Christ. This was a responsive and beautiful song of praise, rejoicing over what God had just done for them.
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 man of war; the Lord is his name.
I've found that one of the greatest marks of Christian maturity is to be able to sing a song like this before the deliverance comes. To trust in God's nature and in who God is so much so that our eyes are so firmly fixed upon the great rescuer, Jesus Christ, that we know in anticipation that our hope Jesus Christ, He will come and win the great victory for us. Then he goes on in verse two, the song continues, "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. The Lord is a man of war. The Lord is his name"
I love that line there in verse two, "The Lord is my strength and my song." This line is repeated in Psalm 118 in Isaiah chapter 12, Israel sang this song when they were delivered from Egypt right here in this passage, but also when they were delivered from Babylon and led by Ezra, the priest. We will sing it again when delivered from the world itself, and Jesus, our King comes. Because it's found in revelation chapter 15:3, and so we know this song will be sung in the future. But I love also the concept of thinking of the Lord as your song.
What an incredible picture, God, as your song, singing to God, who is the one who puts a song, a melody inside of your heart. That God could lift your heart and remind your stubborn mind of who He is by putting a song within you. But I also love the sentiment there. The statement, the Lord is a man of war. Now this is often difficult for a modern to get their minds around, that God would be a man of war. Of course, in the Old Testament era, they violently fought for their sanctification. They find bluntly fought to protect their nationality, their existence as a people.
Partly, we're thankful for that violent fight and struggle for existence because the people of Israel are the ones who brought forth Jesus Christ. So, their survival led to the giving to the earth of the son of God. But on the other hand, moderns can consider that the cross itself is a war. God was warring against sin. God was warring against death. God was warring against the devil and evil principalities and powers. The Lord is, if you really think about His nature, even as revealed in the cross, a man of war. The violent love of God should be the experience of the believer. Understanding that the cross itself was a war for our salvation.
Let's replicate this in our own lives. If that's who God is, then we should be fighters, warriors, warring for sanctification, warring for evangelism, warring for prayer and growth in Christ, warring for protecting the people that God has entrusted into our care. The Bible says, to be angry without sin. That's a warrior mentality that says, there are evil things out there that I am going to combat. I love this concept, the Lord is a man of war.
4 “Pharaoh’s chariots and his host he cast into the sea, and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea. 5 The floods covered them; they went down into the depths like a stone.
They go on and sing, "Pharaoh's chariots and his hosts, verse four, "he cast into the sea and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea. The floods covered them. They went down into the depths like a stone. Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power, your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy."
Your Right Hand, O Lord
6 Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power, your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.
Now, again, in verse six, you have the second repeated phrase, a new section of the song. Your right hand, he talks about twice, the right hand of God. In this portion of the song, we're going to get more details about the enemy's destruction.
7 In the greatness of your majesty you overthrow your adversaries; you send out your fury; it consumes 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.
He says in verse seven, "In the greatness of your majesty, you overthrow your adversaries. You send out your fury, it consumes them like stubble. At the blast of your nostrils, the water is piled up, the floods stood in a heap, the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea. 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." You blew with your wind, the sea covered them, they sank like lead in the mighty waters." Again, just a description of God's involvement in winning the victory for them.
Who Is Like You, O Lord?
11 “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? 12 You stretched out your right hand; the earth swallowed them.
This led them to then seeing, in verse 11, "Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome and glorious deeds doing wonders?"
"You stretched out your right hand, the earth swallowed them. What a great question. Who is like you, O Lord?" Now, this question is asked often in the Psalm, Psalm 35, 71, 77, 89 and 113, who is like the Lord? This is a great question for a believer to ask because our God is incomparable. Now, these people, as they sang this song could ask this question quite literally, because in each plague, they'd watched God judge one of the false gods in Egypt. Here, they're asking, who is like our God? He's defeated every proclaimed God in the land that we just came from, including the Supreme God himself, Pharaoh, and his offspring who is supposed to be divine.
But here they say, no, God is greater than all of those false gods. It is good for us, through questions like these, to fixate our minds upon who God is. I would encourage you in your personal practice before God, as you're reading the word, ask the question, what does this text teach me about the Lord? What does this text teach me about God? Too often, we go to the word asking the question, what does this text say to me about my life? But the reality is that your life will be better directed when you know who God is.
13 “You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed; you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode. 14 The peoples have heard; they tremble; pangs have seized the inhabitants of Philistia. 15 Now are the chiefs of Edom dismayed; trembling seizes the leaders of Moab; all the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.
Go to the word, which reveals God, not you, but reveals God, go to the word to learn about who God is and that will inform your life, I think in a better way than just looking for a verse or two that might say something about your particular situation that day. Of course, God can speak that way, a timely word, a perfect phrase, but fixate your mind upon the power and the ability of God when you're in the word. They go on in the song, in verse 13 and say, "You have led in your steadfast love, the people whom you have redeemed. You have guided them by your strength to your holy abode. The peoples have heard, they tremble. Pangs have seized the inhabitants of Philistia."
Now, are the chiefs of Edom dismayed, trembling seizes the leaders of Moab, all the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away." Now, to be honest, this is part of the reason why some think that this song was written later and then put into the record by Moses when he wrote the Book of Exodus, because at this particular point in the timeline of Israel's life, they'd not yet interacted with the inhabitants of Philistia, or Edom, or Moab. It was only later that after God dealt with some of those nations, the fear of them came into the inhabitants of Canaan.
But this could just be a prophetic glance. These are the foes that are coming, and God is beginning to put the fear of himself into their hearts. They're beginning to melt away, so to speak. Certainly, once we get into the book of Joshua together, we're going to discover, through Rahab, who operated as a spy for the people of Israel inside the City of Jericho, that the citizens of Jericho she confessed had heard about the victories that God had won for the people of Israel over Egypt many years earlier, and over Moab, and even God's protection from the Edomites as they pass through, or around that territory.
Here, they're singing of God's steadfast love for the people that He has redeemed in his power and defending them against the nations that surrounded them. You'll also notice in verse 13 that they're singing about God bringing them to his Holy abode. I think that that is a reference to the ultimate destination, not just of the land of Canaan or the promised land, but the actual city of Jerusalem and the place that the Holy of Holies, or the temple itself would eventually reside, the holy abode of God.
Until Your People Pass By, O Lord
16 Terror and dread fall upon them; because of the greatness of your arm, they are still as a stone, till your people, O Lord, pass by, till the people pass by whom you have purchased. 17 You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain, the place, O Lord, which you have made for your abode, the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established. 18 The Lord will reign forever and ever.”
This is always His plan, to create a nation that was centered upon Him. The song goes on though and says, "Terror and dread shall fall upon them because of the greatness of your arm. They are still as stone till your people, O Lord, pass by, till the people pass by whom you've purchased. You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain, the place, O Lord, which you have made for your abode, the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established. The Lord will reign forever and ever."
Now, in this section, the repeated phrase is, until your people pass by, O Lord. They say something similar to that two times in verse 16. The idea here is that again, the terror and the dread will fall upon the enemies, as I've already alluded to. "Till your people," verse 17, "the people pass by whom you have purchased." Here they are. They're singing a song where they're filled now with faith, that God is going to go before them and prosper them. Now, of course, if you know the story of the Israelites, you know that this faith was not always going to be present.
They'd send spies in to spy out the land, 12 of them, two would come back with a report that there was a good land and the God would give them the victory over the inhabitants, and 10 would report, we are grasshoppers in their sight. We cannot win the victory, and the people of Israel will believe the report of the 10, rather than the faith of the two. So, even though right now in song, they're singing as if they believe in the Lord, there will be a moment where their faith is tested and their unbelief will get the best of them.
Probably serves as a word of warning for us about our relationship with God that we need to continually keep ourselves in that place of dependence upon him, because when we have those moments of exuberance and passion, the night of worship, or the epic conference that we went to, or the Christian camp that we attended, or the moving sermon. In those moments, we might feel as if God is for us, I know he'll be victorious, but we've got to cling to that promise, even in the dark night of the soul, which the people of Israel failed to do. They lost their faith in God at certain points. Then they go on in the song and say, "For when the ..."
19 For when the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought back the waters of the sea upon them, but the people of Israel walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea. 20 Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing. 21 And Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.”
Or the song concludes with a little postscript, which says, "For when the horses of Pharaoh and his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought back the waters of the sea upon them. But the people of Israel walked on ground in the midst of the sea. Then Miriam, the prophetess," verse 20," the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing, and Miriam sang to them, "Sing to the Lord for He has triumphed gloriously, the horse and his rider, he has thrown into the sea." Which of course, is borrowed from that first line of Moses's song that we already read here in this chapter.
Now, this is interesting, that Miriam shows up on a couple of levels. First of all, she's called not Moses's sister, but the sister of Aaron. It's probably a way to communicate that she doesn't quite rank with Moses, but she's on Aaron's level. Now, Moses, at this point, was 80. Aaron was 83 if we go back to Exodus 7:7. So, she is likely at this point in her 90s, because she was a young girl when Moses was born. The other interesting thing here is that she's called the prophetess. Miriam, the prophetess. This is the first prophetess mentioned in scripture.
Now, Micah mentions, in Micah 6:4, he talks about the people of Israel being delivered from their captivity and that God sent before them, Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. This suggests that Miriam had a significant leadership role in Israel at that time. Part of it was apparently, this prophetic element that she operated in. Now, prophecy in scripture can be the foretelling of some event in the future, or the forth-telling of God's praises, so broadcasting the word of God. We're not exactly sure what it was that Miriam had, and I don't know of what any of her prophecies might have been. They're not recorded for us in scripture, but like Eldad and Medad in Numbers, 11, apparently, she also was able to prophesy. The spirit of God was in her or upon her.
God Provides Water at Marah
22 Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. 24 And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25a And he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.
The context of her song or the bulk of her song was the horse and his rider, He has thrown into the sea. "Then Moses," verse 22, "made Israel set out from the Red Sea." They went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter. Therefore, it was named Marah. And the people grumbled against Moses saying, "What shall we drink?" And he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet."
Now, here, in this little movement, they're three days into the wilderness and they find no water. This means it's their first trial after the Red Sea. So, they're learning, right away, that they are not going to be immune from the trials and the difficulties of life. They are gone now from the lakes region of Egypt, and they're in the desert territory, and without water for a period of time, they begin to grumble. Their grumbling is brought on by their physical need. I'm sure all of you have experienced hanger from time to time. As they journey, they get to this place where they begin crying out against God and against Moses.
"What should we drink? What shall we drink?" They ask. And they came to some water and they thought they could drink it, but as they try it, it was bitter. So, they want to know, what should we do? Now, Moses, he takes a log and he throws it into the water and the water is healed, or it's made sweet. Now, I love this little story because to me, it speaks so often of our experiences in life today. You can almost imagine the people approaching this water supply thinking to themselves, finally, our thirst will be quenched, but they were sadly disappointed. This seems to be the case in so many areas of life.
The relationship or the career, or even the ministry that we thought would be satisfying, which actually was bitter in the end, and so they grumble against Moses. They're driven to despair through their thirst, and they do what's previously unthinkable. They had so much joy after the Red Sea and now quickly, they're just human again. And they're grumbling and disputing with Moses. He cries out to God making and forming a new pattern. They grumble to Moses, Moses prays to God. And Moses then is told by God to take this log and throw it into the water.
I don't think there's any natural explanation for what's occurring here, and the water becomes sweet. I think if I might spiritualize this for just a moment, the log might serve as a picture of the cross of Christ. So often the bittersweet, the bitter moments in life can be made sweet by the cross of Jesus. It can redeem even the harshest things of life. I don't know if you've ever read the beautiful little New Testament of Philemon. It's a very short little book, just one chapter, very personal letter that Paul, the apostle, wrote to a man named Philemon, who'd become ostracized with one of his staff because he had run away from him and stole from him and gone into Rome in hiding.
The man's name was Onesimus, and eventually he became a Christian as a result of Paul's ministry while imprisoned in Rome. When Paul learned that Onesimus had stolen from Philemon and had run away from him, he sends Onesimus back, knowing that Philemon, as a Roman citizen, has the rights to actually execute this man for his crime. But the book of Philemon, it's as if Paul is proposing, perhaps God did this. Perhaps this bitter thing has now been made sweet because of the cross of Jesus Christ.
25b There the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them, 26 saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.” 27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water.
These two men that were ostracized became brothers because of the blood of Jesus. Now, it says, in verse 25, as we go on, "There, the Lord made for them a statue and a rule, and there He tested them saying, "If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord, your God, and do that just right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put Egypt, for I am the Lord, your healer."
"Then they came to Elim, where there were 12 Springs of water and 70 palm trees, and they encamped there by the water." Now, as we close today, one of the things you need to see in this final paragraph is that God had done these things to test the people of Israel. He's proving the metal, verifying the quality of the people of Israel. He's not trying to cause them to fail, but he's training them and testing them. They would have much worse trials than this in the future, and so he's trying to build their faith up and their character up in this moment. Notice, He continually tells them, here in this little passage, if you will obey me, then I will do these things for you.
I think this is a foretaste of the covenant that he was about to make with them on Mount Sinai, through Moses. He would give them a simple principle, obedience will bring blessing and disobedience will bring a curse, or judgment. We might call them consequences of our actions, but God is trying to train his people. Obedience to me will lead to blessing, because obedience is actually the good life. So, I'm trying to show you the life that you ought to live. But I love there that the Lord says to them, as we close, "I am the Lord, your healer," in verse 26.
At the end of the day, it is God who is the great healer. He's given modern medicine to us. I, for one, am thankful for the great medical advancements that humanity has discovered and has practiced and has made available to many, but the reality is, is that it is an imperfect system still, and that we all will perish and die, but the Lord ultimately will heal his people. He will raise us up in that last day and give to us our new bodies. But even now, today, we, as his people, can cry out to Him and ask Him to touch our bodies. We of course, know that it's not guaranteed that we'll be healed of any infirmity here in this life, but we can go to the Lord and say, "Lord, if it be your will, touch me now on this side of eternity. And if not, I know that it is your will to give me perfect health on the other side in your eternal glory."
So, the Lord says to the people of Israel, "Just as I healed those waters that were bitter, I am your healer. Turn to me when things aren't right, and I will be there for you. I will aid you and strengthen you and heal you. God bless you, Church. Have a wonderful week.