Exodus 15
Bible Passage: Exodus 15
The song of Moses, the song of victory, some people call it the song of the sea (hmmmm sounds familiar to singaporeans?). In this chapter, the name of the sister of Aaron and Moses, was first mentioned.
How do you feel after going through the 10 plagues of Egypt? With the last one that the Pharoah brought upon him and his armies – the drowning in the Red Sea!
Now the children of God can know God truly as God Almighty, not like any gods in Egypt, and this is what God wanted them to recognise before He takes them on the journey to the promised land of Canaan.
The first half of the song talks about how God has triumphed over the Pharoah and the Egyptian soldiers. Even the greatest army of the world does not stand a chance against God. The descriptions in the song showed how God could easily blow them away, just as how He blew with His wind to separate the Red Sea, and He blew again to cover the Egyptians in the water.
This is also an important recognition for us today, how God is almighty and no army of the world can have strength against God.
The second half of the song no longer talks about the Egyptian army but about the enemies that Israel will face in the future as they go forward to the land of Canaan to inherit it.
Indeed having recognised God’s hand of power being the one that leads us, we should be full of faith to march forward to face life’s challenges, knowing that God is in charge.
It is however sad to know that later Israelites did not have the faith as written in the song, to trust in the mighty hands of God to fight their enemies and conquer the land of Canaan as early as they should have been able to.
In fact immediately at the end of this chapter containing the triumphant song, the Israelites who were probably still happily singing the song as they travelled, lost their patience quickly after a few days walk with depleting water supply.
They must have been very glad when they found water at Marah, and became very disappointed to find the water bitter and unfit for consumption. Their joy quickly turned into anger against Moses for leading them to such a place.
God showed Moses a piece of wood which transformed the water from bitter to sweet. Then God gave His first commandment to the Israelites here.
“If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.” (v.26)
This incident at Marah revealed the lack of faith and the hardness of hearts of the Israelites, showing that they deserve the same plagues that God had brought upon the Egyptians.
If the Israelites would obey the voice of the Lord, He will save them and heal them, just as He is able to heal the waters at Marah.
God later led them to Elim, where there were plenty of water for the Israelites to refresh themselves. But this was not the end of their journey, rather, it was just the beginning.
Now we usually refers to Egypt as the world today, and Canaan as the heavenly kingdom that we must inherit. We have to leave Egypt and march toward Canaan.
We may have realised the futility of serving the world and the oppression in our lives and desired to pursue the better land that God promised, but in the process while meeting with difficulties, behave like the israelites, complain against our church leaders or murmur against God.
While we have come to know the almighty power of God and tasted the goodness of God, have we not often wondered why did God allow problems to happen or persist?
Have we doubted God when we faced obstacles in our lives and wondered if we have made the wrong decision to become His disciples?
Let ur learn from the failings of the Israelites and may that be a warning to us. More importantly is that we have to keep our faith to the end and enter this glorious spiritual land of Canaan in which Jesus has personally prepared for us.
3 Comments
biblereadingcompanion
I just came back from the Tuesday evening Bible Study Service where Pr CAQ spoke about this chapter. Indeed, many of the lessons drawn amplifies the points raised by thechosen.
But there was one point that made me finally understand a Chinese phrase that has been bugging me a long time. Maybe you have understood this for a long time already but for me, it was an epiphany 🙂
口唱心和
I am sure you all know this phrase. In English, the best translation I can come up with is “Sing What You Mean”.
We are often exhorted to 口唱心和 when we are singing hymns… especially when we are singing very softly or lifelessly.
But does singing loudly mean we are 口唱心和? Does singing with joyful smiles mean our hearts mean what we sing? Does shedding of tears… being moved by what we sing and feel mean 口唱心和?
Last Sabbath when I returned from overseas after a long time away from home and church, I could not stop shedding tears when we were singing during the Holy Communion. As I was sharing this with a brethren, we concluded that this could have been a mixture of feeling a great sense of joy and relief that at last, I have come home after being away from Church for so long, and also being moved by the great love of Jesus when reflecting on the sacrifice that Christ has made for us.
Every lyric dripped with love. Every word unveiled words of comfort. Every melody stirred up the heart.
I really sang from my heart. I really felt every emotion. I really believed and meant what I sang. A case of 口唱心和 ?
I came to the realization today that 口唱心和 is not about that moment in singing.
It is not about being caught up in the hymn service and your heart burst forth in heavenly praises to the Lord God Amighty.
It is not about listening and singing along with the beautiful and moving hymns with that headphone stuck between your ears.
To really 口唱心和 requires you to demonstrate your true faith and belief in your daily life – every day, every hour, every minute.
You cannot sing longingly “Just A Closer Walk With Thee” and mean it if in your daily life outside church you do not pray, read the Bible and spend time in communion with God.
You cannot sing “His Grace Aboundeth More” and mean it when you never even think about God’s grace and thank Him for it constantly.
You cannot sing “Jesus Is All The World To Me” and mean it if everyday, there are 1001 things that occupy our time more than we give time to Jesus.
I could go on and on but I think you get the picture….
Both theChosen and Pr CAQ spoke about how the Israelites were moved to sing and dance joyfully after the wonderful events in the last chapter. But in the very same chapter, just a few days later, the triumphant song of faith and gratitude that they sang no longer sounded true. Pr CAQ went further to say that there was a diffference in the singing of Moses and the rest of the Israelites.
In Moses’ case, his song was one that showed that he truly believed and meant what he sang. Because his life and actions subsequently showed it.
For the rest, they could have meant what they sang at that time… but now, their actions and voices later showed otherwise.
It is a very good lesson for me today to have this come to this very important realization… that if I want to encourage others to 口唱心和, I must first make sure that my life at all times reflect what I am singing about. It cannot be only for that moment but for a lifetime.
It’s not about feelings but about doing… obeying, believing and trusting the Words of God.
What do you think?
It’s not the song or the lyrics. It is about the people singing the song…
thechosen
Thanks BRC for your sharing. I feel it was the best explanation of the phrase that I heard :). I remember that when I was a teenager, during a bible study I ever suggested how one could read about the suffering of Jesus in the Bible before kneeling down to pray so as to motivate us to pray more fervently. But someone older responded that faith is not about motivating our emotions. I kept what she said in my heart since that day. Faith is definitely not a moment of impulse or “feeling”.
PS
It was quite a miracle that the Israelites could sing such a long piece of praises with Moses to God.
They did not have photocopier, project or hand phone. How could they circulate such long lyrics among the 60,000 men in such a short period of time?
What Miriam and the women did in Ex 15:20 was more comprehensible. The women danced to the rhythm of the timbrels. Miriam sang 2 short verses. Then they continued to dance to the rhythm of the timbrels to God.
God was pleased with the praises of Moses, the men and women. And God rewarded their praises with the affirmation that He was their almighty God:
God brought them to Marah where they could only find bitter water—>God made the water sweet to quench their thirst (Ex 15:25). God’s purpose was to remind of the bitter life in Egypt and to look forward to the sweet life in Canaan where there were milk and honey.
Then God gave them statutes and ordinances (Ex 15:25) so that they could lead a life pleasing to Him. A newness in life moulded by the statutes and ordinances of God which they listened, committed to memory and followed in life.
God let the Israelites learn by practice. Sigh. Did the Israelites perfect their faith?
(The statutes and ordinances were replayed only when the servant of God spoke. Today, the words of God is always within reach in the bible.)