Sing Praises To The Lord

<Exodus 15>
1 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:

“I will sing to the Lord,
    for he is highly exalted.
Both horse and driver
    he has hurled into the sea.

2 “The Lord is my strength and my defense;
    he has become my salvation.
He 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 hurled into the sea.
The best of Pharaoh’s officers
    are drowned in the Red Sea.
5 The deep waters have covered them;
    they sank to the depths like a stone.
6 Your right hand, Lord,
    was majestic in power.
Your right hand, Lord,
    shattered the enemy.

7 “In the greatness of your majesty
    you threw down those who opposed you.
You unleashed your burning anger;
    it consumed them like stubble.
8 By the blast of your nostrils
    the waters piled up.
The surging waters stood up like a wall;
    the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea.
9 The enemy boasted,
    ‘I will pursue, I will overtake them.
I will divide the spoils;
    I will gorge myself on them.
I will draw my sword
    and my hand will destroy them.’
10 But you blew with your breath,
    and the sea covered them.
They sank like lead
    in the mighty waters.
11 Who among the gods
    is like you, Lord?
Who is like you—
    majestic in holiness,
awesome in glory,
    working wonders?

12 “You stretch out your right hand,
    and the earth swallows your enemies.

Song sung unto the Lord <v1>.

1) Moses’s song is all about God, not about men.

• Ligon Duncan: One of the big differences between a traditional hymn and a gospel hymn is that a gospel song often times focus on our experience, whereas hymns are intentionally God’s word. That is, the focus of the hymn is to give praise to God, to (let the singer focus) upon the nature, the person, the actions, the promises of God. Whereas gospel songs often meditate upon our own experience, they talk about the benefits of the Lord to us; they talk about our experience of the Lord.

2) The importance of singing.

• Our Lord is worthy to be praised.
• Singing attunes our hearts to give thanks to God.
• Singing is a “natural” reaction when we are happy and thankful.

3) Sing not just when problems are gone.

The Lord is my strength; He has become my salvation <v2>.

• Christ is our salvation – We have more reason to sing than the Israelites saved from temporal problems.
• Can we sing that the Lord is our strength, when we are weak?
• Can we sing that the Lord is our strength, when we are strong?

The Lord is a warrior <v3>.

• People tend to praise God for His love, but they don’t like His wrath.
• v7: God is praised for His wrath.
• If we have a problem with God’s wrath, we may have overestimated human goodness.
• God is a warrior, so we should fear Him.
• If God has no righteous wrath for sin, then there is no value in Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
• God’s wrath is a blessing to those He loves, for He rescues them from His enemies.
• God’s wrath is praiseworthy because God’s wrath is unlike human wrath.

Who among the gods is like you, Lord? <v11>

• Not just praising God over one victorious event, but praising God for who He is.
• God is incomparable with any other so-called gods. That is the whole theological summary of the Book of Exodus.
• Blessed are those who trust in Him and cursed are those who reject Him.

Praising God not just help us give thanks for the past, but also let us have confidence in the future.

<Ex 15> 13 In your unfailing love you will lead
    the people you have redeemed.
In your strength you will guide them
    to your holy dwelling.
14 The nations will hear and tremble;
    anguish will grip the people of Philistia.
15 The chiefs of Edom will be terrified,
    the leaders of Moab will be seized with trembling,
the people of Canaan will meltaway;
16     terror and dread will fall on them.
By the power of your arm
    they will be as still as a stone—
until your people pass by, Lord,
    until the people you bought pass by.
17 You will bring them in and plant them
    on the mountain of your inheritance—
the place, Lord, you made for your dwelling,
    the sanctuary, Lord, your hands established.

18 “The Lord reigns
    for ever and ever.”

19 When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots and horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought the waters of the sea back over them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. 20 Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing. 21 Miriam sang to them:

“Sing to the Lord,
    for he is highly exalted.
Both horse and driver
    he has hurled into the sea.”

• God had been faithful to the Israelites before they reached promised land, He will not fail them when they face enemies in promised land too.
• Likewise for us modern day believers:
• <Ro 8> 31 What, then, shall we say…? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.
• Another song will be sung later on by those who conquered the beast, as recorded in <Rev 15>.
• “The Lord reigns for ever and ever” <v18>, but is He reigning in your hearts now?
• God is a good King unlike Pharaoh.
• God the King not just wants to free us from sin, but also reconcile us to Him, so that we can also enjoy His blessings.

Reflection:

1. (Warm-up question) Is it easier for you to grumble or sing praise to God? Why?
2. When you are weak, how have you found strength in the Lord? When you are strong, how can you keep pride in check and affirm that your strength comes from God?
3. What is your experience with God’s wrath? Can you praise God for His wrath?
4. Is God reigning in your hearts now? Do you enjoy serving Him, as the best King you can possibly have?