Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 15:22-24

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.

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.

24 And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?

There was a rich symbolism in the plagues that befell Egypt, each one corresponding to the effects of sin upon mankind, mirroring the natural consequences that we face for our evil deeds. Unsurprisingly, that same rich symbolism is present in the account of Israel’s journey into the wilderness. As we encounter each setback the Israelites faced, hear their reaction to it, and see God’s solution, I will pay close attention to how it is a type for the hardships that we, who are faithful, also face in our journeys.

Indeed, if there is any lesson to be learned from the stories of Israel in the wilderness, it is that hardship is not only for the wicked. Yes, the Egyptians received a singular sort of suffering for their crimes, but the Israelites would be tried by fire as well!

And so, in today’s verses, the Israelites found themselves finally free, out on their own, but there wasn’t any water to be found. They pressed on a little further, and there the water was bitter, so much so that they could not drink of it.

As a person who has been a slave of addiction, and associated with many others in the same boat, I have seen the euphoria that befalls a freed soul when he leaves his captor by making a confession of his sins. All at once, that man is out of the place he thought he would never leave, just like the Israelites, and he is sure that the worst is behind him. But now he faces the world without his drug of choice. He still faces difficult relationships, financial pressure, feelings of inadequacy, long spells of boredom, and he has none of his sinful wine to slake his thirst. He is in the bare, open desert, a man alone, and he can see no water.

Then the man might murmur to his mentor, much like Israel did to Moses, “well what am I supposed to do now?” Our slave masters might have been evil, but they also provided a structure that protected us from the harshness of the world. Who will protect and provide for us now?

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 15:20-21

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.

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 not heard of Miriam since she followed baby Moses floating down the river as a baby (the common assumption being that Miriam was the unnamed sister in that story). Now we hear that she had grown to be a prophetess in her own right, and apparently a leader of women. At her example, all of the women joined in music and song and dance. I would assume the song that they sang was the same one we were given over the last nineteen verses.

I find something very appropriate in it being the voices of women that sang praises for the miraculous avoidance of war. War is antithetical to the female instinct to put down roots and build a home. War undoes the miracle of life that emerges from the body of the woman. War and womanhood are completely at odds to one another, so it is very fitting that it was the voices of women praising that war, itself, had been defeated that day.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 15:18-19

18 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.

Today we reach the end of the song. Israel observes that “the Lord shall reign forever,” and their justification for that claim is that He has already proved Himself stronger than the chariots of Pharaoh, and also able to preserve His people, Israel. In essence the argument is that God is mightier than the greatest power in the world, so He shall reign, and He has even shown power over life and death, so that reign will never die.

Verse 19 once again contrasts the differences in experience that befell the Egyptians and the Israelites. They each tried to walk the same path, the passage through the sea, but they came to two completely opposite outcomes. The Egyptians ventured forth with ill purpose of heart, and so were destroyed by that path. The Israelites moved forward in obedience to God’s commands, and so they were saved by that path. We learn from this that God’s way is both a way of salvation and damnation, depending on the state of the soul that walks along it.

Israel’s song is either a song of hope or warning, depending on the sincerity of your heart. By all means, come and join the throng of believers and see the miracles of God lift and preserve you, but only if you are sincerely turning your life over to Him, otherwise you will come to a terrible end!

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 15:14-16

14 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.

Sandwiched between two verses that speak of God’s salvation of Israel, we have the contrasting description of fear being invoked in the hearts of every pagan nation. This structure seems to convey a message that Israel would have peace, but it would come by the destruction of their enemies at the hand of the Lord. The dissolution of evil is the core of peace for the righteous.

Throughout these verses we hear that Palestine, Edom, Moab, and all the other inhabitants of Canaan would be made to feel afraid, sorrowful, amazed, trembling, and dread. In other words, every enemy of the Lord would be given to every negative emotion. Bold words from the Israelites, a people not known for any military prowess since Abraham rescued Lot hundreds of years earlier! But having a military mismatch and being outnumbered didn’t really matter. This song was not saying that these pagan nations would be put to fright by Israel, but “by the greatness of thine arm, O Lord.”

I wonder whether the Israelites understood yet that they would be the tool in the Lord’s hands for this particular work. They had just witnessed what things He could do by commanding the winds, the heavens, and the sea, but did they realize that He would be commanding them, too? It would, even as they say here in this song, be God’s work, and by His hand, but it would be done by His arm becoming flesh through them.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 15:13, 17

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.

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.

The song shifts, at least temporarily, from describing the destruction of the Egyptians to the salvation of the Israelites. It has two verses dedicated to their redemption, though in between them are three verses describing the fear and fame of the Lord that will spread through every other kingdom.

These two verses speak of God redeeming the people of Israel, guiding them, bringing them in, and planting them in their new home. They are expressing great care and attendance from the Lord, His presence actively and constantly helping them.

There is also a prevailing notion of Israel coming into the abode of God. They are being brought to his “holy habitation,” God “shalt bring them in,” they are planted “in the mountain of thine inheritance,” and kept “in the Sanctuary.” Remember that in verse 2 of this song Israel promised to create a habitation for the Lord, and now they are describing being brought into His home, thus creating a reciprocal balance: His home within their home within their home within His home, a cycle without end. John would describe the same state in 1 John 4:13 when he wrote, “we dwell in him, and he in us.” The Israelites are describing a closeness with God that is more enmeshed and intimate than any other relationship one can possibly have, the ultimate relationship that we are all meant to seek for.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 15:9-12

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.

10 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 song now shifts to focus on another aspect of God’s conquering of the Egyptian army. Here the will of the Pharaoh’s charioteers is described in opposition to the Lord’s. The desire of the enemy was to pursue, to attack, to spoil, to satisfy a blood lust, and to destroy the people of Israel. Furthermore, in verse 11 reference is made to “the gods,” meaning the false idols that Egypt worshipped and gave credit for their high station in the world.

But all this intention and power was for naught. Against Egypt’s will and Egypt’s gods there stood the Lord. Notice the descriptions of what happened to Egypt in verses 10 and 12: “they sank as lead in the mighty waters,” and “the earth swallowed them.” Their defiant will was “swallowed” in the Lord’s. Their once-great strength was “sunk” by the strong tides of the Almighty.

False doctrines and mortal power may prevail for a time, campaigns may continue for a while, but in the end all other powers and desires will ultimately be swallowed up in the Lord’s. Even the most defiant reviler of God today will one day bow the knee and confess with the lips. All rebellion will be “covered,” all pride will by “sunk,” all faithlessness will be “swallowed.” All that will remain is the Lord.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 15:6-8

6 Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.

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.

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.

The previous three verses established the simple facts of what happened at the Red Sea, today’s verses now add vivid imagery and artistry. The enemy wasn’t just drowned in the sea, they were “dashed in pieces,” and “consumed as stubble.” The water didn’t just withdraw to the side and then collapse back into place, it was gathered together by “the blast of the nostrils,” and it “stood upright as an heap,” and finally “congealed in the heart of the sea.”

Reading these parts of the song one has the image of sudden, dramatic destruction. It paints a picture of large movements happening sharply. This was no war of attrition, no gradual wearing down. Pharaoh’s will had been progressively broken by the gradual succession of plagues in Egypt, but the final scene in his story was one of immediate devastation. In a single moment, the charioteers were turned from the assailants to the victims.

And verse 6 makes perfectly clear that the hinge by which this sudden, dramatic turn came was the hand of the Lord. It was “become glorious in power,” not because it had obtained a power that it had lacked previously, but because this was the first time that power and glory was perceived so fully.

The miracles in Egypt had tended to follow a gradual, natural process. The plagues had primarily been ushered in by understandable means, such as slowly being blown in by a wind “from the east.” They were forewarned of and prepared for, and were for the most part situations that people actually already saw in their daily lives, just not to such extreme lengths and not all in the same year. The parting and collapsing of the Red Sea, on the other hand, was something immediate, unannounced, and unlike anything that had been seen before. This was what made it so momentous as to be worthy of a song!

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 15:3-5

3 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 next three verses of song are short and to the point. First, we are told “the Lord is a man of war.” Admittedly, this is a role of God that we often forget in today’s sanitized/effeminate Christianity. John Eldredge has written extensively how our culture has lost the truth that our Lord is a warrior. In his book, Wild at Heart, Eldredge says, “Jesus is no ‘capon priest,’ no pale-faced altar boy with his hair parted in the middle, speaking softly, avoiding confrontation….He is the lord of hosts, the captain of angel armies.”

That isn’t to say that the Lord lacks warmth, compassion, and tenderness for His chosen people. He is capable of being both gentle to the innocent and fierce to the guilty. What the Israelites saw on the banks of the Red Sea was that fierceness of God, and they were so in awe of it that they repeated it over and over in their song!

Verses 4 and 5 recount in short manner the way that Pharaoh and his men were “drowned in the Red sea.” The statement “they sank into the bottom as a stone,” sounds to me like a derision. They were heavy, dull, and useless, judged by the water to be unfit of ascension, and so hastily condemned to the depths instead.

These three verses have related the pure and simple facts, with very little embellishment. Now, in the next set of verses, the drama of the situation will be better conveyed with more flowery and expressive statements. This song is laying out the experience in layers: facts first, flair following.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 15:2

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.

The song continues, calling the Lord Israel’s strength, song, and salvation. They proclaim that He will be their God, instead of any strange gods, such as those they must have become acquainted with in Egypt. They will favor Him above all others and be true to Him. As we will see, sometimes they would make good on that promise and sometimes not.

Something else that stands out in their promise is that they would “prepare him an habitation.” Israel had already been commanded to keep “the Lord’s law in the mouth,” and to hold his lessons “upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes.” Paul would also speak of the law being “written in their hearts” in later years. All of this represents giving God a habitation in one’s own person. His home would be in their minds, their hearts, and their deeds.

But, of course, there would also be a literal manifestation of these words, and very soon. Moses and the Israelites are also speaking of the tabernacle that they will build in the wilderness, that the Lord may abide with them as they go along their way. They would literally make God a part of their community, complete with His very own house, an actual neighbor in their city!

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 15:1

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.

We now return to the account of the Israelites, after they had finally rid themselves of the oppression of Egypt. After the miraculous escape through the Red Sea, it would appear that the Israelites understood that the Egyptian tyranny was permanently behind them, and so they wrote a song to commemorate the occasion.

Of course, the songs in the Old Testament lose much of their artistic merit in translation. They read awkwardly in their English counterpart, devoid of meter and tune. Instead it is the themes and ideas of the song that have been prioritized, and so those are the qualities that I will focus this study on.

This song was clearly meant to be a song of praise, focused on extolling the power and salvation of the Lord in freeing captive Israel. More specifically, it is focused on the event of God overthrowing the Egyptians in the sea. The song summons that particular image in its very first sentence, and will return to it again and again. The song is firmly tied to that event, and seems to have been written while the thrill of it was still fresh in the mind.

And this is the great power that rests in music. The thrill and rapture of an isolated moment can be imprinted into the notes and lyrics, like a mold, and then those emotions can be cast and recast into the hearts of future generations. I believe this was the purpose of this song, to transport all future believers to that singular moment of God’s power made manifest upon the waters of the Red Sea, though we never stood upon the shores ourselves.