He is my strength and
my salvation!
Exodus 15:1-21
Key verse 15:1,2
Happy Easter! This morning a missionary in New York sent me a
message celebrating the resurrection of Jesus with a picture taken by her
husband who is attending the Central America and Caribbean Easter conference. The
message was “He has risen.” By the way, a traditional Easter greeting is “He is
risen” and the traditional response is “He is risen, indeed.” Yes, Jesus has
risen, indeed! Praise God for saving us from sin and death through Jesus’ death
and resurrection. Today’s passage is the song of Moses, which was sung just
after the Israelites crossed the Red Sea. Some of you may wonder how the
passage has to do with Easter. In fact, it does. The song is about the victory
over their enemy. As God defeated Pharaoh the enemy, he has defeated our enemy
Satan by the power of Jesus’ resurrection.
In the previous passage, Pharaoh and his army tried to bring
the Israelites back to Egypt. The Israelites panicked between the Egyptian army
and the Red Sea. Then, God commanded them to move on through the Red Sea, which
seemed impossible. But he made a way through the sea by dividing it so that the
Israelites could cross the Red Sea on dry ground. However, the entire Egyptian army,
who followed the Israelites, was drowned.
Seeing the mighty work of God with their own eyes, the
Israelites feared the LORD and put their trust in him. (14:31) Then, their awe
of God burst into joy and praise. In today’s passage, Moses and all the Israelites
praise the LORD Almighty God who has saved them from their fearful enemy and
will lead them to his kingdom. This passage is a song of victory exalting the
LORD. I pray that we all may also exalt him and rejoice in him who has saved us
by his power.
1 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this
song to the Lord: “I will sing to the Lord, for he is
highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea. 2 The Lord is
my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my
God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will
exalt him.”
When they saw the Egyptian army approaching to them, they feared
them and complained to Moses. But when they saw the Egyptians drowned, their
fear and doubt changed into joy and confidence in the LORD.
They had lived as slaves for many years. They had suffered
under Pharaoh. Their life was so miserable and painful. However, they had no
strength to get away from Pharaoh. He was so powerful to overcome. Even after
he was struck by ten plagues, Pharaoh still did not give up on them. Rather, he
mustered his best army to catch them again. Their chariots were the most powerful
killing machines in the world. Pharaoh was so powerful and persistent that he looked
invincible. Pharaoh was the adversary of Israel. Who could save them from such
a powerful enemy?
Here God came and crushed Pharaoh and his army. He fought
for the Israelites. The insuperable Egyptian army was hurled into the sea and their
dead bodies were scattered on the shore. What does it mean to the Israelites? Now
they were completely set free from Pharaoh. Pharaoh could no longer chase or
haunt them. What can be more joyful than this to Israel?
Seeing God’s marvelous work for them, the Israelites realized
that the LORD was their strength, their defense, and their salvation. The LORD
is their God. Most of all, they saw that the LORD was highly exalted through
this event. (4:14) ESV reads that “he has triumphed gloriously.” They could not
but praise and exalt the LORD out of such great joy.
In verses 3-12, they describe more about the LORD who
destroyed their enemy.
First, the LORD is a warrior.
3 The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is
his name. 4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his army he has
hurled into the sea. The best of Pharaoh’s officers are drowned in the Red
Sea. 5 The deep waters have covered them; they
sank to the depths like a stone.
The LORD is a warrior who fights for his people. The LORD is
Sovereign Almighty God. The best of Pharaoh’s officers attacked the Israelites,
but the LORD tossed them into the sea with his finger. They became nothing
before the LORD. Their best officers sank to the deep waters like a stone. The
LORD stood before Israel and fought for them and completely destroyed the
Egyptian army.
Second, the LORD is majestic in power.
6 Your right
hand, Lord, was majestic in power. Your right hand, Lord, shattered the
enemy. 7 “In the greatness of your majesty you threw
down those who opposed you. You unleashed your burning anger; it
consumed them like stubble.
The LORD shattered the enemy with
his majestic power as if he had shattered a jar of clay with a big hammer. He
unleashed his holy anger to them. They were like stubble consumed by fire.
8 By the
blast of your nostrils the waters piled up. The surging waters stood up
like a wall; the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea.
9 The
enemy boasted, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake them. I will divide
the spoils; I will gorge myself on them. I will draw my sword and my
hand will destroy them.’
10 But you
blew with your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in
the mighty waters.
The enemy thought it would be a
piece of cake to overtake the Israelites and defeat them. They were proud of
their fast horses and chariots and their mighty sword. But the LORD blew them
into the sea with his breath and they became helpless like lead sinking into
waters. It was too easy for the LORD to blow away even such a mighty army that
the Israelites feared so much.
In this way, God completely
destroyed the enemy who taunted, harassed, and menaced Israel. The Israelites are
triumphant over the enemy. They marveled at God’s power.
11 Who among the gods is like
you, Lord? Who is like you—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working
wonders? 12 “You stretch out your right hand, and
the earth swallows your enemies.
The Israelites had seen many gods in Egypt. However, none of
them was like the LORD. Even though they had known God, they had never known
God as such a powerful God. First, he is majestic in holiness. The LORD is so
distinguishably different from other gods in power. He is holy and righteous. Secondly,
he is awesome in glory. We humans cannot but fear him and praise him. He displayed
wonders that no other gods could do or no one had ever seen or heard. Our God is
superior to any gods. He is God of gods. Through this Red Sea event, God was
highly exalted above all. The LORD is almighty and he easily crushed such a
strong enemy. Our God is awesome and mighty.
As the LORD saved the Israelites, he has also saved us from
our enemy Satan. Satan is much like Pharaoh, powerful and evil. He has the
power of death. (Heb 2:14) With the power of death, he harasses us, distresses
us, and rules over us. We are helpless. But he cannot win because Almighty God has
crushed him and rescued us from him. How?
Heb 2:14 and15 read, “14 Since the
children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the
power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all
their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”
1 John 3:8b also reads, “The reason the Son of God appeared
was to destroy the devil’s work.”
And Jesus said in Luke 10:18, “I saw Satan fall like
lightning from heaven.”
Today about 2,000 years ago, our Lord Jesus died for our
sins and rose from the dead and shattered the power of Satan. Today is the day
when Jesus Christ has saved us from our enemy Satan. We are no longer the
slaves of Satan. He is no longer our king. Jesus is our king. Jesus is our
strength and our salvation. He is sitting at the right hand of God and reigning
over the world. At the last day, he will destroy all dominion, authority and
power. (1 Cor 15:24) Satan and death will be thrown into the lake of burning
sulfur. (Rev 20:10,14) So we are victorious!
In 1 Cor 15:55-56, Paul declared the triumphant victory over
death and our enemy Satan.
55 “Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”
Where, O death, is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is
sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But
thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
M DP delivered his powerful message on 1 Cor 12-34 at the
last spring conference. He testified that Jesus has indeed risen from the dead.
One day about four years ago, he found out that his wife had some nodules in
her lungs. Her doctor said they were very likely cancerous. Everyday M DP went
between death and life. He could not eat and work well. Nothing could comfort him
or encourage him at the fear of death. They had no desire for anything. They
said that they even had no strength to pray. Then they realized that their only
hope was the risen Jesus. God strengthened them to believe in the risen Jesus
and their own resurrection. Then, later he heard that his wife had no cancer but
something else. When he came out of the hospital, he said he had never seen
such a beautiful sky in his entire life. He saw the new life in the risen
Jesus. However, that is not the end of his story. In January this year,
suddenly M DP had a problem with one of his eyes. He partially lost vision
because of some of the blood vessels were broken. The cause of the problem was
that he had calcium buildup in blood vessels, which is incurable. Again, he
faced the power of death. But he did not fear death. Rather, he was concerned
about what to say about his mission life to Jesus after death. So, he resolved to
dedicate the rest of his life fully to God’s work and decided to pioneer a new
ministry though he is in his 50’s.
This is the power of those who believe in the risen Jesus. Though
we still die, we believers do not fear death because we will be raised from the
dead with Jesus Christ. We are not slaves of Satan. Praise the risen Jesus! Praise
God who has defeated our enemy Satan and saved us. Our God is Almighty and he
is our strength and our victory. Let’s sing to the LORD. Let’s exalt him high!
“The Lord is my strength and my
defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise
him and I will exalt him.”
What was the significance and impact of the Red Sea event? What
did they look forward to?
In verses 13-18, the Israelites look at the destiny of their
journey.
13 In your unfailing love you will
lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to
your holy dwelling.
Through the Red Sea event, the Israelites saw God’s strength
and also his unfailing love for them. This is a sure sign that the LORD will
lead his people safely to the land of promise. Now the Israelites look forward
to the place the LORD had promised to their forefathers.
However, that does not mean that their way to the land will
be without troubles. No, there are other countries that would be against them.
They could threaten the Israelites and hinder them from going to the land.
However, one thing is clear in light of the Red Sea event; that is, God will
guide his redeemed people and protect them without fail.
14 The nations will hear and tremble; anguish will
grip the people of Philistia. 15 The chiefs of
Edom will be terrified, the leaders of Moab will be seized with trembling,
the people of Canaan will melt away; 16 terror and
dread will fall on them. By the power of your arm they will be as still as
a stone—until your people pass by, Lord, until the people you
bought pass by.
On their way the Israelites would face hostile countries
like Philistia, Edom, Moab, and Canaan. They would be a great threat. However,
the LORD would protect his people from them as he did from such a powerful man Pharaoh.
As the Israelites passed through the Red Sea on dry ground, they would pass by
those countries safely because the people were already terrified by what the
LORD did to Egypt, which was the most powerful nation in the world. They were astonished
by God’s power and became as still as a stone. They would not dare to harm
God’s people.
About 40 years later when Joshua was about to enter Jericho,
amazingly they still remembered what God did to Egyptians and feared the
Israelites. (Jos 2:10-11) So, the Israelites easily conquered Jericho.
The Red Sea event has taught the Israelites that all they
need was to put their trust in the LORD – his mighty power and his unfailing
love for his people. He would destroy all enemies on their way and lead them to
the land of promise.
17 You will bring them in and
plant them on the mountain of your inheritance—the place, Lord,
you made for your dwelling, the sanctuary, Lord, your hands
established. 18 “The Lord reigns for ever
and ever.”
The Israelites believed that the LORD would bring them to
the Promised Land where he would dwell and reign forever. The place would be
the sanctuary for the LORD and for his people. They were praising God and looked
forward to see God’s glory in his kingdom.
In much the same way, we are people who are going to the
kingdom of God, God’s ultimate promise to his believers. However, the journey
to his kingdom is not without troubles. On our way, there are so many enemies
waylaying. They distract us from serving God. They tenaciously distress us and
discourage us. Sometimes, we feel we are dying of so many troubles. However,
the reason we should not be shaken is that God is with us and will protect us from
our enemies, which has been shown by Jesus’ death and resurrection. The power
of God shown in Jesus’ resurrection, will protect us from any harm and our
enemy Satan.
Therefore, we should not fear troubles and suffering we are
having now. We should not give up even if we felt we are losing the battle with
Satan. We will be in the kingdom of God for sure. We will be there without
fail. That is God’s promise and that has been shown and sealed by Jesus’ death
and resurrection.
In February, I updated my Internet service with Verizon.
Then, I received the first bill, which distressed me because they charged me
double than expected. I argued with them on the phone for two hours in vain. They
did not fix it until I called them the third time. This annoyed me and drained
my strength. By the way, from the beginning of this year, I have been troubled
by many things back to back. Some are annoying like Verizon and some are
serious. Some night I could not sleep because of worry. Then, I realized that
Satan was behind all this to weaken me. While praying, I realized that I should
not bother with such things because they will be gone away after all. Rather,
all I need is to praise God who has saved me from my enemy Satan and has been
leading me to the kingdom of God, where there will be no more hassle with
Verizon, no more disease, no more job problem, no more worry about children,
and no more death. Jesus’ resurrection greatly strengthened me and I really
appreciated it. I repeatedly said, “Thank you, Lord. Thank you for Jesus’
resurrection.” What we need is to praise God for Jesus’ resurrection and our
inheritance in his kingdom. We have troubles but we are victorious in Jesus
Christ, who has risen!
19 When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots
and horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought the waters
of the sea back over them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry
ground. 20 Then Miriam the
prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women
followed her, with timbrels and dancing. 21 Miriam
sang to them:
“Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. Both
horse and driver he has hurled into the sea.”
Verse 19 summarizes the Red Sea event, stressing God’s
majestic power for his people and his holy judgment upon his enemy. All
Israelites, about 2 million people, rose and sang to the LORD together. Miriam,
Aaron’s sister, danced with timbrels and all the women joined her. It was an amazing
scene that such a large number of people praised the LORD with one voice. All
the men proclaimed, “Sing to the LORD for he is highly exalted.” Then, all the
women responded, “Sing to the LORD for he is highly exalted.” Their praise and
song echoed in front of the Red Sea.
The Israelites could not do anything for them. They had no
strength to defend themselves from their enemy. They were petrified with fear. But
the LORD protected them and destroyed the enemy with his power. Like the
Israelites, we are weak. We suffer fear. But Jesus has defeated Satan by his
resurrection. All we should do is to praise and exalt our God for what he has
done for us through Jesus’ resurrection and depend on him alone. He fights for
us. He protects us. He will lead us to his kingdom no matter what situation we
are in and no matter what troubles we are having now. It is a done deal. We believers
are victorious. Let’s praise our God with all our hearts. Let’s exalt him high.
“I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly
exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea. 2 The Lord is
my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my
God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will
exalt him.”
By David Yun
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