Song of Moses; Israel praises God
Exo 15:1 Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
Exo 15:2 The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him.
Exo 15:3 The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.
Exo 15:4 Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea.
Exo 15:5 The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone.
Moses sang from his heart a new song of praise to the LORD who fought for Israel. The LORD is a warrior against the enemies of his people.
Psa 98:1 A Psalm. O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.
Praise can be with instruments as well. A new song would be played skillfully from the heart of the musician. Spiritual improvising is creating and playing music spontaneously which requires a skillful musician.
Psa 33:3 Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.
Song of Moses - second stanza; The LORD's power
Exo 15:6 Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.
Exo 15:7 And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble.
Exo 15:8 And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.
Exo 15:9 The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.
Exo 15:10 Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters.
Moses speaks with metaphors about what had just occurred in their deliverance from the Egyptian army. Thy right hand of God, the hand of strength has dashed to pieces the enemy who received his wrath. He divided the waters with the blast of his nostrils and they were gathered together, the floods stood upright in a heap. He blew the wind and covered the horses and chariots in the Red Sea. Liberal critics ignore what the Bible says when they claim that the sea was shallow or that it was a small puddle of the Reed Sea. The walls of water stood upright in a heap and the LORD allowed it to collapse on the lustful Egyptians.
Song of Moses - third stanza; who is like the LORD?
Exo 15:11 Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
Exo 15:12 Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them.
Exo 15:13 Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation.
There is no God like the God of Israel, glorious in holiness, fearful, and awesome to be praised, who doeth wonders? The LORD is God. The LORD can destroy his enemies and you give mercy and strength to your people, guiding them by your Spirit.
Song of Moses - fourth and fifth stanzas; the people will fear the LORD
Exo 15:14 The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina.
Exo 15:15 Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away.
Exo 15:16 Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O LORD, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased.
Exo 15:17 Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established.
Exo 15:18 The LORD shall reign for ever and ever.
Deu 2:25 This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the nations that are under the whole heaven, who shall hear report of thee, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of thee.
The Palestinian people were to be removed from the land. The LORD knew that if they were allowed to remain that his people would be influenced by them, turning them from the true God to false gods and idols. Look how cultural diversity in America without teaching the Bible and the laws of God has changed America to a pagan nation. Every evil thing is exalted before the LORD and the churches are told to be quiet or they will be persecuted. Well, Jesus said that we would be persecuted.
John 15:20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
The fear of the LORD was in the land that the Hebrew children were going to conquer, but first they had to conquer their own fears and learn to trust the LORD. Rahab, the prostitute who hid the spies sent into Jericho, described the fear that the nations had of the God who destroyed the Egyptians in the Red Sea.
Jos 2:9 And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.
Jos 2:10 For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.
Jos 2:11 And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.
Miriam leads the women in worship
Exo 15:19 For the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought again the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea.
Exo 15:20 And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.
Exo 15:21 And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
We have had guests from another church, ladies who would dance with timbrels to the praise music. Some of the men commented that it was a distraction because of the lack of modest clothing. I think the idea here is to worship the LORD personally and with others with a whole heart and not as performers for display to be seen and admired.
Miriam is mentioned as the sister of Aaron, so she was also the sister of Moses. Perhaps she was more like her brother Aaron, because together they would plot against the authority of Moses. Miriam was called a prophetess, she heard from God, but not as Moses who saw him face to face.
Num 12:1 And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman.
Num 12:2 And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it.
Num 12:3 (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)
Num 12:4 And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out.
Num 12:5 And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.
Num 12:6 And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.
Num 12:7 My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.
Num 12:8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?
Bitter water made drinkable
Exo 15:22 So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.
Exo 15:23 And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.
Exo 15:24 And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?
Exo 15:25 And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them,
Three days in the desert without water and then the water they found was bitter. Scence has said the water had calcium and magnesium concentrated in it. The LORD showed them a tree that he cast into the bitter water. The tree made the bitter sweet. It has been said that the tree somehow concentrated the chemicals to the bottom, making the water drinkable. The tree can be used as a metaphor of the tree that Jesus was sacrificed on to secure our freedom from the bitterness of slavery to sin. The Branch is our deliverer making the water sweet to us. The water of his word is sweet to us.
Testing of Israel
Exo 15:26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.
Exo 15:27 And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters.
Blessings would come to Israel as they hearkened to the voice of the LORD and kept his commandments. We need to hear the voice of the LORD. He keeps away diseases and heals us body and soul.
3Jn 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
3Jn 1:3 For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.
3Jn 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
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