Spontaneous Praise
Exodus 15:1-21
1Then 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.
2The 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.
3The Lord is a man of war; the Lord
is his name.
4“Pharaoh’s chariots and his host
he cast into the sea, and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea.
5The floods covered them; they
went down into the depths like a stone.
6Your right hand, O Lord,
glorious in power, your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.
7In the greatness of your majesty
you overthrow your adversaries; you send out your fury; it consumes them like
stubble.
8At 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.
9The 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.’
10You blew with your wind; the
sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters.
11“Who is like you, O Lord, among
the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds,
doing wonders?
12You stretched out your right
hand; the earth swallowed them.
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.
14The peoples have heard; they
tremble; pangs have seized the inhabitants of Philistia.
15Now are the chiefs of Edom
dismayed; trembling seizes the leaders of Moab; all the inhabitants of Canaan
have melted away.
16Terror 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.
17You 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.
18The Lord will reign forever and
ever.”
19For 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.
20Then 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.”
Once again, put yourself into the shoes of the Children of
Israel. They have just experienced a mighty victory because of the power of the
Lord God. They have miraculously crossed the Red Sea on dry ground and watched
their enemies literally disappear. Their response? They immediately break into
song and give praise to God for what He has done for them. It is an appropriate
response!
I think that we can take some instruction about the praise
aspect of our relationship with God. The words of this “song” don’t say
anything to God that He doesn’t already know. He was there. He was the one “who
threw the horse and rider into the sea.” But by singing these words back to Him
the Hebrews are acknowledging that He is one who saved them. He is the one who
snatched them out of an impossible situation. They retell the story of His
miraculous power to care for His people.
I confess that sometimes I run out of things to say when I
want to praise God. Generally is doesn’t occur to me to simply recount the
amazing things that He has done for me. My practical mind says “well, He already
knows that” – like I could actually tell God something He doesn’t already know!
But that’s wrong thinking on my part. I need to recount those miracles because
I want Him to hear my gratitude, my awe, and my praises to Him for His
greatness. I also need to remind myself that I worship an amazing and holy God
who does miraculous things for me all the time.
This particular passage of Scripture is forever etched into
my mind because these words have long ago been turning into a children’s song
that I learned decades ago. I’ve included a link below. While it is a kids
song, it is very memorable and if you want to learn a passage of Scripture
easily, this is the best way to do so.
Comments
Post a Comment