Exodus 15

Have you ever been so excited about something that your heart cannot help but sing out in jubilation? I have to imagine that the Israelites must have felt something similar as they burst forth in song to the LORD, praising Him for His mighty power in delivering them from the hands of the Egyptians. As you read today, be sure you identify how so many of the truths of God that prompted the people of Israel to worship should resonate with those who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus and freed from the bondage to sin. Truths like:

·       “The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation” (v. 2);

·       “Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power, your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy” (v. 6);

·       “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?” (v. 11);

·       “You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed; you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode” (v. 13).

·       Referring to the people God has purchased (on this side of the Cross with Jesus’s blood): “You 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” (v. 17); and

·       “The LORD will reign forever and ever” (v. 18). 

Daily, we are able to learn more about God through His Scriptures, even (and especially) through the songs of praise from those whom He has delivered. 

Also frequently through the Bible, we are able to recognize shortcomings of others. This is not so we can sit in our ivory tower and judge, but rather so we can ask God to search us to see if we, too, are guilty of the same missteps of those imperfect people who have come before us. The latter part of Exodus 15 provides us with just this opportunity. Soon after praising God for His deliverance, the people grumble to Moses that they cannot find suitable drinking water in the land of Marah. (Keep in mind, God had just proven Himself rather adept at handling the waters of the Red Sea.) Moses cries out to the LORD, who shows him a log that was to be thrown into the water to make it sweet. 

Again, before we condemn the Israelites for their short memories, let us ask ourselves about our own ability to recall God’s faithfulness, especially in uncomfortable or dire circumstances. The Israelites did “not yet trust the Lord’s presence with them is sufficient for their protection and provision, which will be a recurring struggle in their journey”[i] to the Promised Land. How about you? Do you trust that God’s presence is enough to protect and provide for you on your pilgrimage from this fallen world to the land He has promised for you? As we will learn in the days to come, many of those who grumbled against (and did not trust) the Lord never entered into Canaan. Let it not be said of you that a lack of faith in God to do what He says He will do prevents you from inheriting all the eternal blessings and riches that are promised to His people. 

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Journal responses to the following prompts:

·       What truth of God, as sung by the Israelites in Exodus 15, resonated the most with you today?

·       Do you trust that God’s presence is enough to protect and provide for you on your pilgrimage from this fallen world to the land He has promised for you? 

[i] ESV Study Bible. (2008). Crossway Books.