Verse 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.
“Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.” Psalm 149:3
“Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms?” James 5:13
This had to be the largest choir ever assembled! Use your imagination. What would the voices of over a million people sound like in a desert where the winds would carry the sound and echo it off of the rocks and the hills. It must have been magnificent!
Application: Often believers refrain from singing in the church setting or elsewhere because they are embarrassed about how their voice sounds. But James tells the believer to sing songs when happy and when grateful to the LORD. Moses and the children of Israel have given us an example. So sing loudly. It brings joy to the soul and to Jesus.
Verse 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.
Today’s modern, non Christian music speaks about topics relating to the human experience, ranging from love and sex to political themes and everything in between. Are these songs positive and uplifting? Do they succeed in making the listener a better person? Do they instruct and encourage? You decide. Moses’ song, however, focuses on God, on His attributes, and on His involvement in the affairs of His people.
Moses starts his song with the words, “I will.” To sing to the LORD is an act of the will. To praise the LORD, to spend time in the Scriptures, and to pray all require an act of the will.
Application: Believers become lazy. It is always easier to get involved with a task, to talk on the phone, to watch TV or to spend time on the computer than to discipline themselves to praise, to worship and to sing to their God. Start to develop a schedule or routine in which some time is set aside each and every day for fellowship with the LORD. It will prove rewarding.
Moses continues his song by stating what the LORD has done. Then he talks about who the LORD is in relation to himself by stating four nouns: strength, song, salvation, and God. The Hebrew word for “strength” is “oz” and can also be translated as power. It was through the strength and power of God that Moses was able to defeat Pharaoh and liberate the Hebrew people. The Hebrew word for “song” is “zimrath” and can also refer to praise, music or melody. It is only by the intercession of the LORD on behalf of the children of Israel that their freedom was realized and that they now have joy and a song in their hearts. The Hebrew word for “salvation” is “yashuwah” and can also mean deliverance. Moses has been delivered from his life as a sheep herder in the desert to a life as an earthly shepherd of a nation. The Hebrews have been delivered from slavery to freedom. The Hebrew word for “God” is “el”. Both Moses and the Hebrews no longer have to tolerate a pharaoh as a false god controlling their lives. They now have the one true God who loves them and who will guide and keep them as His people and provide to them a land in which to dwell safely and a righteous system of governance.
Moses goes on to sing that he will prepare a habitation for his God. The word for “habitation” is “navah” and means that Moses intends to dwell with God.
Application: God does not change. Malachi 3:6 says, “For I am the LORD, I change not;” Just as the LORD was the strength and song, the salvation and God of his people back in the day, so He is for believers today. He will always be there. However, believers need to dwell with Him each and every day by cultivating a discerning spirit so that they can hear the voice of their God through His Scriptures, through Bible teachings, and during quiet times.
Verses 3-5 The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name. 4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea. 5 The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone.
The phrase, “a man of war,” does not mean that Moses was equating God with a human. It means that Moses was using human terms to describe God as a warrior or a champion.
Verse 6 Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.
God is a spirit. As spirit, He does not have hands. God manifests Himself in human form in the man Jesus who does have hands. Either way, the right hand in the Scriptures usually denotes power.
Verses 7-8 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. 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.
Moses’ song continues to recount the overthrow of Pharaoh and his army and gives all the credit to God. He uses figurative language to give human attributes to the LORD so that the event can be understood years later by following generations. It is interesting to note that in Exodus 5, the Hebrews were forced to gather stubble for the making of bricks instead of being given straw by the Egyptian taskmasters. Here, Moses describes Pharaoh and his army as being consumed like stubble by God’s anger. It is also interesting that Moses says, “thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee,” instead of “them that rose up against your people.”
Application: All strife in the world, be it in families or communities or nations, is because there is a battle between good and evil. Why? Because there is a Devil who is evil and a God who is not. When the Egyptian Pharaoh and his government rose up against the children of Israel who had been living in the land for hundreds of years, it was because the Pharaoh was a servant of the Devil and the Devil wanted to fight against the things of God which were the Hebrew people. Remember, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:12)
Verse 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.
“From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” James 4:1
Pharaoh had a lust spirit. He wanted wealth, power, and grandeur. He used the Hebrew people to obtain his goals. Even when he knew that Egypt was ruined, he still could not let the people go, but wanted to have revenge. His lusts caused his demise and the demise of his army and his nation.
Verses 10-12 Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters. 11 Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? 12 Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them.
The Hebrew word translated as “wind” is “ruwach” and also means spirit or Spirit of God. It is through the Spirit of God that all these miracles recorded in Exodus occurred. A wind did part the waters, but it was a supernatural wind, the Spirit of the living God.
Application: Jesus compared His Spirit to a wind in John 3:8. “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and wither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” For the believer, the invisible Spirit of God has come into his/her life and dwells with his/her spirit. This is why a believer will have his/her life changed at the time of conversion so that the onlooker will see a difference in behavior or attitude and not know where this change has come from. Just like the wind that changed the face of the Red sea and caused the water to mound up on either side forming a clear path to freedom from bondage, the Holy Spirit of God changes the believer from the inside out and creates a clear path of freedom from the bondage of sin, death and Hell that the unbeliever cannot comprehend. It is always a miracle when an unbeliever comes to the saving knowledge and grace of the LORD Jesus Christ.
Verse 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.
This verse is prophetic of the work that would be done by the LORD Jesus Christ centuries later when God chose to come to Earth and inhabit a human body for the purpose of redeeming a people unto Himself that would become part of His spiritual kingdom and dwell for eternity in His holy habitation.
Verses 14-16 The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina. 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. 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.
As far as can be determined, Moses did not venture into the land of the nations he was naming in this part of his song. Yet he knew, by revelation of the Spirit of God, that these nations would be in the path of the Hebrew people as they traveled to the land of promise. It would take some time, but the events that had destroyed the nation Egypt would be spoken about and these nations would hear and fear both the God of the Hebrews and the people themselves. These nations were not as mighty as Egypt, so the threat was very real. The people of Edom were the descendants of Jacob’s brother Esau. The word means “red”. The people of Moab were descendants of the son of Lot, Abraham’s relative. So these people groups were related to the Hebrew people. Their land was not part of the promised land, and Moses who had never been to the promised land predicted in his song that the Hebrew people would “pass over” and not possess these lands.
Verse 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.
According to Moses’ song, the Hebrew people would be “planted,” or take root in a land where the LORD was planning to dwell with them and to have a Sanctuary or sacred place that would demonstrate His possession of both the land and of the people. The LORD was dwelling with them in the wilderness in the pillar of cloud and of fire, and the plan was to continue to dwell with the people when they reached the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Verses 18-19 The LORD shall reign for ever and ever. 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.
Application: The LORD will reign for ever and ever. This is a fact. He is in charge. So no matter how chaotic the world or life seems to be at the moment, remember that the LORD reigns. He has everything under control. He is the LORD of lords and the King of kings.
Verses 20-21 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. 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.
Miriam is proof positive that women are entrusted by God with the Word of God and that they have a place and a ministry in the kingdom of Heaven. Prophets bring forth the Word of God so that people can understand it. Prophetesses are female prophets. Therefore, women can preach and teach the Word because God allows it and they should not be excluded from today’s Christian church ministries.
Verses 22-23 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. 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.
Traveling three days on foot in the hot, dry wilderness would no doubt make people irritable. And when the only water they have seen for three days is not fit to drink, it would be very disappointing and worrisome. Remember that they not only had over a million thirsty people, but herds of thirsty cattle also. So when things are not going your way, what do you do?
Verse 24 And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?
You blame someone, and in this case, it was poor Moses. Instead of expecting a miracle from God, the people expected an earthly leader to fix the problem. Instead of trying to figure out what to do for themselves, they became part of the problem instead of part of the solution.
Application: Today’s societies are basically in slavery to their governments. So many laws have been passed restricting personal freedom and establishing dependence on a political system that people today are like the Hebrews of yesterday. When there is a problem, they blame the government and expect it to fix the problem. Believers should never have this mindset. Every problem should be viewed as an opportunity for the LORD to perform a miracle and demonstrate His majesty and power on behalf of His people. The believer should be a servant of the LORD and trust in His promises that are written all throughout His word. He will honor His promises. If it is possible, the believer should be part of the solution also as God often uses a problem and a believer’s handling of the problem as a witness to others.
Verses 25-26 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, 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.
None of us will experience a problem of the magnitude that Moses was facing regarding the lack of drinkable water. Yet Moses did the right thing. He cried to the LORD and, as a result, got the answer to the problem.
Application: How many believers have actually cried to the LORD in difficult times and expected help? Back in the day, churches used to hold prayer meetings that lasted all night in which the members cried out loud to God and did not stop crying to Him until they got an answer to their prayer. Think about how effective the church would be if this practice was followed today.
Application: Why did God show Moses a tree? As stated before, Moses is a type of Jesus and therefore is a foreshadowing of the Messiah. Jesus died on a cross or a tree. Moses’ tree made the life preserving waters sweet so the people would not perish. Jesus gave life eternal to all believers from that tree at Calvary.
God used the bitter waters to test the Hebrew people. They had seen and experienced first hand His mighty power and provision. Would they follow and trust Him with all their hearts? Instead of trusting the LORD, they panicked and murmured against the LORD’s anointed servant, Moses. Being a forgiving God and full of patience, He established a law or agreement with them. Paraphrased this law was basically, “If you will listen to me, do what I tell you to do which will always be the right thing, and follow my rules, I will take care of you.”
Application: Nothing has changed. The agreement with the Hebrew people applies to each believer today. Listen to the LORD, do what He tells you to do which will always be the right thing, and follow His commandments and He will take care of you.
Verse 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.
Notice the numbers in this verse. There was one well for each of the twelve tribes of Israel and there were seventy palm trees, the seven being the number of God. Coincidence? You decide.