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Exodus chapter 15. Exodus 15. So the events of chapter 14 were 
so significant that Moses composes and sings a song along with the 
children of Israel concerning God's redemption of Israel out 
of the land of Egypt. So it's not only salvation for 
the people of God, but it's the damnation of the enemies of God. And that's the song of celebration. 
It is the song of Moses. That's not just a good title 
that the new King James puts in there. It's actually what 
it's referred to in the book of Revelation in chapter 15 at 
verse 3. They sing the song of Moses, 
the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb's saying. So it's 
a song of redemption. demonstrating the power of God 
Almighty. So beginning in verse 1 in chapter 
15. Then Moses and the children of 
Israel sang this song to the Lord and spoke, saying, I will 
sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously. The horse 
and its rider He has thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength 
and song, and He has become my salvation. He is my God, and 
I will praise Him. My Father is God, and I will 
exalt Him. The Lord is a man of war. The 
Lord is his name. Pharaoh's chariots and his army 
he has cast into the sea. His chosen captains also are 
drowned in the Red Sea. The depths have covered them. 
They sank to the bottom like a stone. Your right hand, O Lord, 
has become glorious in power. Your right hand, O Lord, has 
dashed the enemy in pieces. And in the greatness of your 
excellence, you have overthrown those who rose against you. You 
sent forth your wrath. It consumed them like stubble. 
And with the blast of your nostrils, the waters were gathered together. 
The floods stood upright like a heap. The depths congealed 
in the heart of the sea. The enemy said, I will pursue. 
I will overtake. I will divide the spoil. My desire 
shall be satisfied on them. I will draw my sword. My hand 
shall destroy them. You blew with your wind. The 
sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty 
waters. "'Who is like you, O Lord, among 
the gods? "'Who is like you, glorious in 
holiness, "'fearful in praises, doing wonders? "'You stretched 
out your right hand, "'the earth swallowed them. "'You in your 
mercy have led forth the people "'whom you have redeemed. "'You 
have guided them in your strength "'to your holy habitation. "'The 
people will hear and be afraid. "'Sorrow will take hold of the 
inhabitants of Philistia. "'Then the chiefs of Edom will 
be dismayed. "'The mighty men of Moab, "'trembling 
will take hold of them. "'All the inhabitants of Canaan 
will melt away. "'Fear and dread will fall on 
them. "'By the greatness of your arm, 
"'they will be as still as a stone "'till your people pass over, 
O Lord, "'till the people pass over whom you have purchased. 
"'You will bring them in and plant them "'in the mountain 
of your inheritance, "'in the place, O Lord, which you have 
made, "'for your own dwelling, the sanctuary, O Lord, "'which 
your hands have established. "'The Lord shall reign forever 
and ever. "'For the horses of Pharaoh went 
with his chariots "'and his horsemen into the sea, "'and the Lord 
brought back the waters of the sea upon them. "'But the children 
of Israel went on dry land "'in the midst of the sea. Then Miriam, 
the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the timbrel in her 
hand, and all the women went out after her with timbrels and 
with dances. And Miriam answered them, Sing 
to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously, the horse and its 
rider he has thrown into the sea. So Moses brought Israel 
from the Red Sea. Then they went out into the wilderness 
of Shur, and they went three days in the wilderness and found 
no water. Now when they came to Merah, 
they could not drink the waters of Merah, for they were bitter. 
Therefore the name of it was called Merah. And the people 
complained against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? So he cried 
out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast 
it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. Therefore he 
made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there he tested 
them and said, 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. 
Then they came to Elam, where there were twelve wells of water 
and seventy palm trees. So they camped there by the waters. 
Amen. So as I said, it's a song of 
Moses celebrating the redeeming work and the power of God Almighty 
and not shrinking back from declaring the judgment of God and his almighty 
power inflicted upon the oppressing enemy of Egypt. In fact, you 
could say the people of Israel are celebrating the death of 
the enemies of God. And as we look at this as 21st 
century readers, we might get that twinge of conscience that 
says, well, is that appropriate? Is that okay? Well, remember, 
they lived under a foreign oppressor. They lived under a man who enslaved 
them. They lived under a series of 
men that not only enslaved them, but also ordered the death of 
the firstborn. And God had retaliated according 
to the eye for eye principle. In Exodus chapter 4, he identifies 
Israel as his firstborn. He cautions Pharaoh against messing 
with his firstborn, and way back then says, that if you mess with 
my firstborn, then I will destroy your firstborn. And so God makes 
good on that promise, and he destroys the firstborn. Incidentally, 
through water, just in the same way that these Egyptians had 
drowned the firstborn of the children of Israel. So it was 
a fitting and an appropriate way for God to destroy his enemies 
at that particular time. So I want to look first at the 
song of Moses in verses 1 to 19. Secondly is the song of Miriam 
in verses 20 to 21. Not a whole lot there other than 
to say it is the sister of Moses and Aaron and she most likely 
leads the women in the singing of this particular song. And 
then finally the water at Merah in verses 22 to 27, which will 
be a theme that carries on with reference to Israel. This idea 
of grumbling and complaining that they manifest here, that 
they've already manifested some of previous to this, but will 
come out in full force as they move through their wilderness 
wandering. So let's look first at the Song 
of Moses. There's three things to consider 
here. First, the triumph of the Lord 
in verses 1-3, the defeat of the Egyptians in verses 4-10, 
and then finally in this section, the majesty of the Lord in verses 
11-13. And then there's a prophecy concerning 
the future. So verses 14 to 19 take place, 
or 14 to 18 properly, take place in the future. What will be the 
effects of this act of redemption? What will be the effects of this 
act of judgment? not only on Israel, but as well 
with reference to the enemies of God. They will hear of it, 
and they will most likely be in fear and dread of Israel's 
God. But notice in the first place 
the triumph of the Lord. We have the singers, Moses and 
the children of Israel sang this song to the Lord, and this is 
a wonderful pattern that we see throughout Scripture. When there 
is an act of redemption, the people of God respond reflexively 
in prayer and adoration to their God. Romans chapter 12 sets forth 
that example very clearly. I beseech you, therefore, by 
the mercies of God, present your bodies as a living sacrifice. 
In other words, what is true of God is revealed in Romans 
1 to 11. This has been your blessing in 
terms of salvation by grace, justification by faith alone, 
incorporation into the Lord Jesus Christ, and union with Him. Now, 
as a result of that, you ought to present your bodies as a living 
sacrifice, the guilt, grace, gratitude motif. So that is expressly 
evidenced here in the fact that they celebrate the great work 
of God Most High. So you've got the singers, Moses 
and the children of Israel, and then you've got the one or the 
object of praise in the very beginning of the song. I will 
sing to the Lord, and then the reasons given for that praise." 
And again, this is not unique to this section in Holy Scripture. 
Ephesians 1 is laid out in a similar fashion. Blessed be the God and 
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every 
spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. And then he 
details the various ways that the Father has blessed us through 
our Lord Jesus. He's blessed us through His own 
sovereign grace in terms of election and predestination, through blood 
atonement by His Son, and through the functioning of the Holy Spirit 
to seal and guarantee that final redemption until the day of Christ. So there is not only the statement 
that I will sing to the Lord, but then all of the reasons why 
they sing to the Lord. Notice in the first place, the 
Lord triumphed gloriously. Not Israel. They don't take the 
win on this one. They're not the ones that actually 
vindicated themselves and brought victory to themselves out of 
Egypt. They didn't decide one day to 
make a break for the wall. They didn't decide one day to 
take a file and start to cut through the fence. No, it was 
God who triumphed on their behalf. Notice, secondly, the Lord threw 
the horse and its rider into the sea. Again, they get very 
descriptive in terms of God's judgment upon their enemies. 
If you have cause to read or reflect upon the Psalms of David, 
you will see that same sort of an idea there. It's not macabre, 
it's not celebration of death for death's sake, but it is rather 
to honor and glorify God for rendering justice upon His enemies 
and the enemies of the Church of Jesus Christ. So they rejoiced 
that God overthrew the horse and its rider into the sea. Notice 
as well, the Lord is the strength and song of His people. He is 
their salvation. It's a beautiful description, 
and a lot of it has its connections in the New Testament as well. 
We could say the same thing concerning our Lord Jesus Christ. He is 
our strength. He is our song. He has become 
our salvation. And then notice, the Lord is 
the God of Moses and the fathers. Look at what verse 2 says, The 
Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation. 
He is my God, and I will praise Him, my Father's God, and I will 
exalt Him. They weren't the only generation 
that had experienced the goodness of Yahweh. Remember, God's dealings 
go back to Abraham, and God made Abraham the father of a particular 
nation. from whence would come the Messiah 
that would be the Savior of the world. And certainly God would 
bless all the nations of the earth in and through this seed 
of Abraham. And so there is this connection 
here, and I think that we in some sense lose something of 
that when we don't reflect upon the history of the church. The 
God that we serve today is the God of Martin Luther. How do 
we sing, a mighty fortress is our God, and not rejoice in the 
story of Martin Luther and his faithfulness as a servant of 
God Most High? How do we not reflect upon, say, 
the Nicene Creed and find our blessed camaraderie with those 
brothers who took pen to paper to defend our triune God and 
to set forth a biblical Christology? He's not only our God, He is 
the God of our fathers and we have a rich heritage and a great 
solidarity with the people of God throughout the age of the 
church. And that's what Moses is saying. 
That's what this song describes. He is my God and I will praise 
him, my Father's God and I will exalt him. It should be very 
important for us as parents and grandparents to pass this on 
to another generation. We've seen that emphasis already 
in the book of Exodus, one of the reasons for the Passover. 
When you come into the promised land and you celebrate that Passover 
feast, you don't do it silently. You don't do it just eating that 
lamb, just rejoicing in your own private religion. No, you 
teach and instruct your sons. You teach your children the significance 
of it. You tell them about that night. 
When the angel of Yahweh came by and he passed over our houses 
because they were splashed with blood. But he judged and destroyed 
our enemy and his enemy. This is something that the people 
of God want to pass on to their children. And then notice the 
Lord is a man of war. And now this is a lot of, you 
know, sort of anthropomorphism as we move through this. When 
it talks about the blast of his nostrils and it talks about the 
arm of God and things like that, that's anthropomorphism. When 
there's human things applied to or predicated of God, spoken 
in the manner of men in order to teach us something concerning 
who he is. Now, when it says the Lord is 
a man of war, it simply underscores that he is a warrior. And again, 
a concept that I think we far too often in this New Covenant 
era forget. He is the divine warrior. That 
book or that picture that we have in the book of Revelation 
in chapter 19, in fact, you can turn there, because at times 
I feel like we forget the reality that our blessed Christ goes 
forth conquering and to conquer. And when we look at this picture 
of Christ in Revelation 19, It's designed to encourage us and 
to promote within the church militancy. Remember that sort 
of a concept where we have the church triumphant, what she will 
be in heaven? We have the church militant here 
on earth. And I don't mean physical violence. 
We don't get C4. strap it on our chests and walk 
into the downtown square and tell people, we'll see you on 
the other side. But the church militant understands 
that Christ is the divine warrior, that he fights for his people, 
and that he ultimately does win. And we have great reason to be 
encouraged, even in the midst of chaos, and even in the midst 
of trial and tribulation. Remember, the book of Revelation 
was written to saints in a time of tribulation, in a time of 
trial, in a time of persecution and hardship. So it's no accident 
that one of the emphases of the Apostle John, when he's on the 
island of Patmos, for the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus, 
is to set forth Christ as triumphant king, as glorious God and warrior. So 1911, now I saw heaven open, 
and behold a white horse. And he who sat on him was called 
Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His 
eyes were like a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns. 
He had a name written that no one knew except himself. He was 
clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called 
the Word of God. And the armies in heaven clothed in fine linen, 
white and clean, followed him on white horses. Now out of his 
mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it he should strike the 
nations. It's a beautiful sort of image or metaphor. Notice, 
out of his mouth goes a sharp sword. How is Jesus waging war 
presently in this world? It's through the proclamation 
of His Word. It's through the declaration 
of His truth. It's through faithful men that 
get into pulpits and proclaim Christ and Him crucified and 
resurrected. Now out of his mouth goes a sharp 
sword, that with it he should strike the nations. And he himself 
will rule them with a rod of iron. He himself treads the winepress 
of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he has on his 
robe and on his thigh a name written, King of kings and Lord 
of lords. So going back to this song of 
Moses, you will notice that for the people of God that enjoy 
the redemption of God, they also rejoice in the judgment of God 
inflicted upon his enemies. And that is precisely what Moses 
and his fellow Israelites are singing here. He says, the Lord 
is a man of war, the Lord is his name. Now this idea of the 
Lord is His name harkens back to Exodus 3.14. You can turn 
there. It's a bit of a reminder in terms 
of the divine name. Notice in 3.14, And God said 
to Moses, I am who I am. And he said, Thus you shall say 
to the children of Israel, I am has sent me to you. Same idea 
in verse 3 of chapter 15. The Lord is a man of war. The 
Lord, Yahweh, is His name. Other translations of this divine 
name, I will be what or who I will be, I will cause to be what I 
will cause to be, I will be God for you. Now it's through that 
name and through many names in scripture, all the names of God, 
reveal something concerning God as we study that particular name. Now this name, Yahweh, graciously 
reveals something of Himself through the name. John Gill says 
this signifies the real being of God, His self-existence, and 
that He is the being of beings, as also it denotes His eternity 
and immutability, and His constancy and faithfulness in fulfilling 
His promises. That's a great way to understand 
in a song like this, the Lord is His name. In other words, 
when we confess that about Him, it's not just saying this is 
His name, but it's everything that that name represents, everything 
that that name reveals, we predicate that or we attribute that to 
our great God. He goes on to say, "...for it 
includes all time, past, present, and to come." And the sense is, 
not only I am what I am at present, but I am what I have been, and 
I am what I shall be, and shall be what I am. Alec Motier says 
God is what He is. Yahweh is who He is. Charnock says it signifies His 
immutability as well as His eternity. Turretin says, but since eternal 
existence, omnipotent power, and immutable truth belongs to 
God alone, the name Jehovah, which embraces these three, ought 
to be peculiar to Him alone. That's precisely how they're 
using it. The Lord is His name. And then Bavink makes comment 
concerning the various names of God. The name Elohim denotes 
God as creator and sustainer of all things. El Shaddai represents 
Him as the Mighty One who makes nature subservient to grace. Yahweh describes Him as the One 
who in His grace remains forever faithful. Yahweh's Sabaoth characterizes 
Him as King in the fullness of His glory, who, surrounded by 
regimented hosts of angels, governs throughout the world as the Almighty, 
and in His temple receives the honor and acclamation of all 
His creatures. Now brethren, I understand that 
when we use that name in song, we don't reflect upon it to that 
degree. But there ought to be seasons 
and times in the lives of God's people where we do reflect upon 
it, where we do think through the various implications involved 
in the names given to us of our great God. They're vehicles of 
revelation. They teach us something concerning 
our true and living God. Now notice in the next head, 
the defeat of the Egyptians in verses 4-10. Notice he identifies 
the Egyptian forces. There's no evidence that Pharaoh 
followed the armies into the Red Sea. There's no evidence 
of that, even in verse 19, for the horses of Pharaoh went with 
his chariots and his horsemen into the sea. So here in verse 
4, you've got the Pharaoh's chariots and his army he has cast into 
the sea. His chosen captains also are 
drowned in the Red Sea. The depths have covered them. 
They sank to the bottom like a stone. Again, brethren, this 
is a detailed description. Just imagine people today say, 
well, you know, is that okay? Is that legitimate? Turn to the 
book of Revelation. You see that kind of description 
when it comes to the great whore. You see that kind of description 
when it comes to the false prophet. You see the saints in heaven 
fourfold, hallelujah, with reference to God Most High when he brings 
that vengeance to bear upon the enemies of the church. And so 
this ought not to be surprising for the people of God. Pharaoh's 
chariots, I want to say Charo's fariots, Charo's fariots and 
his army he has cast into the sea. His chosen captains also 
are drowned in the Red Sea. The depths have covered them. 
They sank to the bottom like a stone. This is pretty vivid 
language in terms of the judgment of God Most High. Now notice, 
in terms of a further explanation, the power of God's right hand. 
Again, anthropomorphism. God is a spirit. He doesn't have 
a body like men. It's not the case that there's 
actually a right hand of God somewhere out there in heaven. 
It describes His power, describes His majesty, it describes His 
strength and His glory. Your right hand, O Lord, has 
become glorious in power. Your right hand, O Lord, has 
dashed the enemy in pieces. Again, describing those enemies 
in verse 7. Now, lest we miss something very 
interesting here, look at the middle of verse 7. It says, you have overthrown 
those who rose against you. You sent forth your wrath, it 
consumed them like stubble. So when Egypt and Pharaoh opposed 
the children of Israel, they were taking a stand against Israel's 
God. Now certainly, when Moses goes 
to Pharaoh, and when he challenges Pharaoh and tells Pharaoh that, 
my God says, let my people go, Pharaoh beaks off. Pharaoh says, 
who is the Lord, that we should serve him. But prior to that, 
the oppression of God's people is a slight against God himself, 
and that is precisely the sense of the text. You have overthrown 
those who rose against you. John Calvin says God's majesty 
is violated by the wicked whenever his church, whose safety he has 
undertaken to preserve by his faithful patronage, is assailed 
by them. The Geneva Bible has the same 
comment. It says those that are enemies 
to God's people are his enemies. So the two are one, they're opposed 
to God, they're opposed to his people. When they're opposed 
to his people, they're opposed to God. You see the same concept 
in the New Testament. On that road to Damascus, when 
Saul of Tarsus is thrown down and the bright light fills the 
sky, and he meets with the risen Christ, the glorified Christ. 
Paul says, or Saul says, who are you, Lord? And Jesus says, 
I am Jesus, whom what? whom you are persecuting. Now 
as far as we know, now there are some who speculate that Saul 
of Tarsus was the rich young ruler and that it was possibly 
the case that Saul during his young life was in Jerusalem at 
the time of Jesus. But we don't know that for sure. 
But in terms of the earthly ministry of Jesus, we don't have any evidence 
whatsoever that Saul of Tarsus opposed Him, that Saul of Tarsus 
was out to get Him. But what's the point? When Saul 
of Tarsus is on his way to Damascus with his orders in his hand to 
be able to extradite or seize Christians in that city, and 
to extradite them back to Jerusalem for further punishment, It is 
an opposition to Christ that Christ specifies. So it's the 
same concept. You have overthrown those who 
rose against you. And then a specific reference 
to the flood in verse eight, with the blast of your nostrils. 
Again, anthropomorphism. If you go back to chapter 14 
at verse 21, you'll see the significance of the anthropomorphism. Then 
Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord caused 
the sea to go back by a what? By a strong east wind all that 
night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were 
divided. So here with the blast of your 
nostrils, the waters were gathered together. The floods stood upright 
like a heap. The depths congealed in the heart 
of the sea. The enemy said, now he's underscoring 
the chutzpah, the pride, the arrogance of the enemy. No doubt 
they had that mindset up until the time that their chariot wheels 
started to fall off. I'm sure that when their chariot 
wheels started to fall off, as they're in the Red Sea, as they're, 
you know, in between these walls of water, once the wheels started 
falling off, that's when their pride probably started to vanquish. 
That's when they wanted to turn tail the other way and run. They were thinking at that point, 
this is probably not the best possible place to be. We just 
buried our firstborn. We've just gotten rid of the 
last of the frogs and the lice and the boils and, you know, 
our livestock died. And now we're actually foolish 
enough to walk into the Red Sea while these walls of water are 
heaped up. Once the chariot wheels fall off, they know things aren't 
well. But at that point, or prior to that, the enemy said, I will 
pursue, verse 9. I will overtake. I will divide 
this foe. They were already counting their 
blessings. They already saw it as a done 
deal. As far as the Egyptian army was concerned, this is going 
to be a walk in the park. We're going to catch these guys 
once again. We're going to take everything that they have gotten 
from us. Remember, after the burying of 
the firstborn, what did the Egyptians do? They threw stuff at the Israelites 
to get them to go. As far as these Egyptian soldiers 
are concerned, they're going to overtake them. They're going 
to divide the spoil. My desire shall be satisfied 
them. I will draw my sword. My hand shall destroy them. So 
that's the mindset of the pursuing armies. Notice the response of 
Yahweh according to verse 10. You blew with your wind, the 
sea covered them, they sank like lead in the mighty waters. For 
all their bluster and all their blather, they ultimately went 
down like lead in the mighty waters. Now notice, well before 
notice, Stuart, a modern commentator, makes this observation concerning 
God's judgment. He says, God's eventual destruction 
of those opposed to him and his anger against evil are not opposed 
to God's majesty, but are in fact inherent aspects of it. 
Modern sentimentalist thinking wants God to be ever tolerant. always soft-hearted, and thus 
defines God's justice as something other than how the Bible defines 
it. In fact, the just God revealed in the Bible will not tolerate 
evil and plans for its eventual total elimination. People who 
insist on being part of the process of evil will be eliminated as 
well. So it's not just the Puritans, 
it's not just Gil, it's not just Calvet that maintained the justness 
of God in the execution of his judgments upon sinners. Even 
modern people stumble upon it once in a while. Now notice verses 
11 to 13, Moses and the singers reflect on the majesty of God. Notice they underscore the incomparability 
of God. Who is like you, O Lord, among 
the gods? They're not legitimizing or validating 
or arguing that there are actually other gods. They're playing with 
the reality. The Egyptians have their plethora 
of gods, the Canaanites around them are going to have their 
plethora of gods, so they ask the righteous question, Who is 
like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, glorious in 
holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? Now typically 
we think that only the New Testament quotes the Old Testament. But 
look at the prophet Micah for just a moment and we should ask 
ourselves, what perhaps does Micah have in mind as he's composing 
his prophecy? Well, is it the case that Old 
Testament authors at times reflect upon previous Old Testament revelation, 
they incorporate it into their own prophecies, at times expound 
it, at times exegete it, at times even utilize it the way perhaps 
a New Testament apostle will take the Old Testament? It's 
not just the New Testament that quotes the Old Testament. The 
Old Testament quotes the Old Testament as well. In fact, the 
New Testament quotes the New Testament as well. And those 
are things that we should be perceptive to. Notice in chapter 
6 of the prophet Micah, it's God speaking through Micah in 
terms of a covenant lawsuit to the nation of Israel at that 
time. But notice in verse 3, O my people, What have I done 
to you, and how have I wearied you? Testify against me, for 
I brought you up from the land of Egypt. I redeemed you from 
the house of bondage, and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and 
Miriam. Now turn over to chapter 7, and 
look at what Micah muses on in verse 18. Who is a God like you? Same sort of a question that 
you find in the Song of Moses, which incidentally is the translation 
of the name Micah. The name Micah means, who is 
a God like you? And so he asks this, who is a 
god like you? Pardoning iniquity, passing over 
the transgression of the remnant of his heritage. It's always 
struck me as curious. He doesn't say, who is a god 
like you? Striking down his enemies, cutting 
people off and throwing them into hell. Of course we expect 
that from a just and a righteous and a holy God. The mind-blowing 
thing for the prophet Micah, as is the mind-blowing thing 
for the people of God in the New Covenant, is who is a God 
like you, pardoning iniquity, passing over the transgression 
of the remnant of his heritage. So perhaps the prophet Micah 
has the song of Moses in his heart as he asks this question, 
who is a God like you? But look back in chapter 7, look 
at verse 15. As in the days when you came 
out of the land of Egypt, I will show them wonders. Again, he's 
got the Exodus in his mind as he's composing his prophecy. 
Notice in verse 16, the nation shall see and be ashamed of all 
their might. They shall put their hand over 
their mouth, their ears shall be deaf. Now notice verse 17. They shall lick the dust like 
a serpent. That's not the song of Moses, 
but that's another composition by Moses, namely Genesis 3.15. The skull crushing seed of the 
woman. with reference to this reality, 
they shall lick the dust like a serpent, they shall crawl from 
their holes like snakes of the earth, they shall be afraid of 
the Lord our God, and shall fear because of you. And then drop 
down past to verse 19, he will again have compassion on us and 
will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into 
the depths of the sea. Same imagery that you have in 
Exodus chapter 14. The same sort of motif you find 
in Exodus chapter 15 in the Song of Moses. And then he ends, you 
will give truth to Jacob and mercy to Abraham, which you have 
sworn to our fathers from days of old. So all that to say, when 
you're reading the Old Testament, be attentive to the Old Testament. In other words, Old Testament 
authors are oftentimes either quoting or alluding to or theologizing 
on previous revelation in the Old Testament. So back to the 
Song of Moses, not only do they praise God for His incomparability, 
who is a God, or rather, who is like you, O Lord, among the 
gods, and then it says, who is like you, glorious in holiness. That is a perfection of God that 
comes out in this particular song. It is one of those preeminent 
perfections that you find celebrated throughout scripture in terms 
of who God is. Now holiness, of course, means 
moral purity. But secondarily, it primarily 
means set apart from. removed from, sanctified, not 
in the same league with. He's transcendent, he's holy, 
he is sanctified, and he is, as a result, morally pure. But 
then notice, who is like you, glorious in holiness, fearful 
in praises, doing wonders. Calvin says, he adds, fearful 
in praises because God cannot be duly praised without ravishing 
us with astonishment. I love that. Without ravishing 
us with astonishment. He is fearful in praises, doing 
wonders. Psalm 2.11 says, serve the Lord 
with fear and rejoice with trembling. Matthew 28.8, so they went out 
quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy. So this concept 
of fearful in praises ought not to shock the New Covenant reader. We ought to be familiar with 
it, that fear and rejoicing go hand in hand in the blood-bought 
child of the living and true God. So then notice in verses 
12 to 13, this is the reason for a sort of meditation upon 
the majesty of God in verse 11. Why? You stretched out your right 
hand. The earth swallowed them. You 
and your mercy have led forth the people whom you have redeemed. 
You have guided them in your strength to your holy habitation. Again, concepts that are embedded 
in the book of Exodus are right here. You and your mercy have 
led forth the people whom you have redeemed. What's the Exodus 
about? It's about redemption. But then notice, you have guided 
them in your strength to your holy habitation. It's not just 
deliverance for deliverance sake, but it's deliverance that leads 
to dwelling. God and his people dwell together. Remember the Davis quote. The 
God of the bush of Exodus 3 is the God of the mountain, Exodus 
19, and He's the God of the tent, Exodus 25 to 40. You've got deliverance, demand, 
and dwelling in the book of Exodus, and that's being foreshadowed 
here. You have guided them in your strength to your holy habitation, 
that tabernacle that will be constructed where God will meet 
with His people. And as I said, 14 to 19 point 
toward the future. So it's prophetic in nature. 
Notice, the people will hear and be afraid. Here he's speaking 
about the enemies, the nations around them, the pagans. The 
people will hear and be afraid. Sorrow will take hold of the 
inhabitants of Philistia. Then the chiefs of Edom will 
be dismayed. The mighty men of Moab, trembling, 
will take hold of them. All the inhabitants of Canaan 
will melt away. We know that Ruth the Moabitess 
joins herself, by God's grace, to Israel's God. Your God will 
be my God. But also turn to the book of 
Joshua to see a Moabite, or a Canaanite's response to the God of Israel. In Joshua chapter 2, specifically 
beginning in verse 8. Now before they lay down, she, 
this is Rahab the harlot, the shady lady from Jericho, she 
came up to them on the roof and said to the men, I know that 
the Lord has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen 
on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted 
because of you. For we have heard how the Lord 
dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out 
of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites 
who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom 
you utterly destroyed. And as soon as we heard these 
things, our hearts melted. Neither did there remain any 
more courage in anyone because of you, for the Lord your God, 
He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. Now therefore 
I beg you, swear to me by the Lord, since I have shown you 
kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father's 
house, and give me a true token, and spare my father, my mother, 
my brothers, my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver 
our lives from death. Now back to the Song of Moses, 
I think this is a valid point that does demand to be underscored. When the church doesn't preach 
the Bible, when the church doesn't preach the God of the Bible, 
not just His grace, not just His kindness and His mercy, but 
the terror of the Lord, the justice of God, the judgment of God, 
there will be no fear of God in the eyes or hearts of men. 
There is a direct correlation to the God of the Bible and the 
promotion of fear to image bearers and creatures. But if all we're 
ever doing is entertaining them, if all we're ever doing is giving 
them therapy, if all we're ever doing is encouraging them in 
their quest for self-help and actualization, they will never 
fear the God of heaven and earth. Brethren, never underestimate 
the fear of the Lord. Solomon tells us it is the beginning 
of life. And the idea being that we preach 
the glory of God Most High such that a sinner is actually afraid 
of Him? That would be a wonderful and 
a blessed thing. Paul the Apostle says to the 
Corinthians, knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade 
men. He doesn't say knowing therefore, 
I mean he does in so many words and other contexts, knowing therefore 
the grace of the Lord, knowing therefore the gospel of the Lord, 
knowing therefore blood atonement by the Lord, we persuade men. But in that context, knowing 
therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. There'll never 
be a Rahab the harlot in any of our churches until we preach 
the just judgment of God Most High. Until we bring people to 
the Red Sea and say this is what God does to His enemies and to 
the enemies of His church. So back to the song, the people 
will hear and be afraid. The chiefs of Edom will be dismayed. The mighty men of Moab trembling 
will take hold of them. Notice, the mighty men of Moab. The strong men of Moab, trembling 
will take hold of them. All the inhabitants of Canaan 
will melt away. I'm not suggesting an imbalance. I'm not suggesting a lopsidedness. I'm not suggesting all we ever 
do is go out and preach hell and fire and damnation and terror 
and justice. But brethren, they have to come 
up at some point in our proclamation of the truth. If men don't know 
what it is that they are facing on the other side of the Day 
of Judgment, they're certainly not going to long for any redemption. 
They're not going to cry out for blood atonement. They're 
not going to look and live because there's no threat, there's no 
fear whatsoever before their eyes. back to verse 16 notice 
fear and dread will fall on them by the greatness of your arm 
they will be as still as a stone till your people pass over oh 
lord till the people pass over whom you have purchased You see 
the remedial effect in this? Yes, it's for the destruction 
of Pharaoh. Yes, it's for the destruction of Egypt. Yes, it's 
for the deliverance and the purchasing of the children of Israel. But 
it's also to conduct them from point A to point B. They're going 
to go through some tough places. They're going to face some tough 
customers. They're going to face warring 
tribes and factions and people and persons that aren't going 
to just give them a pass. And so it's good for the knowledge 
of Yahweh to go ahead of them, as in the case of Rahab the harlot. We have heard. We've heard what 
your God has done. As a result of that, please give 
me and my family safe haven when you come back to do judgment 
on Jericho. And then notice again that emphasis 
on dwelling. Verse 17, you will bring them 
in and plant them in the mountain of your inheritance, in the place, 
O Lord, which you have made for your own dwelling, the sanctuary, 
O Lord, which your hands have established. The idea is Mount 
Zion. The idea is that place where 
tabernacle and then temple will be constructed, and ultimately 
it will be the church, the Zion of God Most High. So this purchase 
at the end of verse 16, this concept of redemption that you 
see saturating this particular song, is for the end game of 
dwelling in the midst and in the presence of our God. He saves 
us to commune with us. He saves us to be with us. He saves us so that He can dwell 
in the midst of us. And then the song ends with a 
statement concerning the eternality of the kingdom of God. The Lord 
shall reign forever and ever. So in this brief section, 16 
to 18, you have God's redemption of Israel, 16b, God's dwelling 
among his people, verse 17, and God's eternal reign over all 
people in verse 18. So you have a world of theology 
in the Song of Moses, and it's that theology that provokes from 
them the singing of it, the praising of Him, the celebration of who 
God is in terms of His powerful deliverance of His people, and 
in terms of His powerful judgment of His enemies. I think verse 
19 is a bit of a summation statement, and then as I said, Miriam sings 
the song in the presence of the women. I don't think it's just 
verse 1 that we have recorded here in verse 21, but it's likely 
the entirety of the song. And then finally, you have this 
situation of the water at Merah. So Moses brought Israel from 
the Red Sea, verse 22, then they went out into the wilderness 
of Shur, and they went three days in the wilderness and found 
no water. That's a problem. You get about 
three days without water and then you die. That's just the 
way life is. That's the way God made the creature. So the fact that they want water 
isn't a bad thing. They would have been nuts to 
not want water because your body starts to shut down. Your organs 
start to fail. It was wrong that they complained. Now, we might look at this and 
say, well, you know, it was pretty tough and they had been without 
water, but look at what they just witnessed. Would God do 
what He did simply to bring them to the wilderness of shore to 
watch them die of dehydration? That's how they always concluded. That's where their minds always 
went. They were perpetually cloudy 
days, these people. They were extremely pessimistic. 
We're only here because the Lord is trying to destroy us. That's 
not the way we're supposed to interpret things. If God has 
done the greater, then certainly He's going to do the lesser. 
This is the Apostle's argument in Romans 8. If He has not spared 
from delivering up His Son for us all, how shall He not with 
Him also freely give us all things? If He's done the greatest in 
terms of sending the Son of His love to die for our sins, is 
He going to neglect you on a Thursday? Is he gonna let you go on a Friday? 
Is he gonna say, well, you know, it's up to you, the rest of the... 
No! He'll be there for us, and I think the same emphasis is 
here. It's not that, you know, it's not that it was uncommon 
for them to want water after three days. The problem was found 
in verse 24. The people complained against 
Moses, saying, What shall we drink? So Moses cries out to 
the Lord, and the Lord shows him a tree. When he cast it into 
the waters, the waters were made sweet. Now brethren, there's 
not a tree out there that functions in this capacity. There's not 
some magic tree out there that happens to be by bitter water. 
As long as you find that tree and throw it into the water, 
then you're going to have good water. No, I think that Matthew 
Poole is right. He says, the waters were made 
sweet, not so much by any virtue in that tree as by the power 
of God, who used this rather as a sign to the Israelites than 
as an instrument to himself in this work. It was a visible sign. It wasn't the case that the tree 
had magical properties. but rather it was the case that 
the water is sweetened, and the water was now a blessing for 
the children of Israel. And then we have this statement 
about the middle of verse 25. There he made a statute and an 
ordinance for them, and there he tested them. Again, I think 
the testing is seen in how will they respond if their flesh is 
pinched but a little bit, even in light of the fact that God 
has thrown the horseman and the rider into the sea. And then 
it says, I think that means going forward. 
I think it means, especially when we get to Sinai in chapter 
20, and then the explanation of that law and its application 
in civil society in chapters 21 to 23, insofar as you do this, 
the Lord is going to bless you. And the particular blessing is 
found at the end of verse 26. I will put none of the diseases 
on you which I have brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord 
who heals you. Now some of those diseases are 
indicated in Deuteronomy 7. not by name, but most scholars 
or commentators think it refers to elephantiasis, dysentery, 
and ophthalmology. So bad things in your eyes, bad 
things in your flesh, and most likely bad things in your guts. 
Those were the kinds of diseases you got in Egypt. Now, God promises 
them blessing. Obedience brings blessing. You 
won't get these nasty diseases of the Egyptians. Now, Deuteronomy 
28 tells them if when you go into the land and you obey God, 
blessings will come your way. You disobey God and cursings 
will come your way. Guess what some of the cursings 
are? Those wretched diseases in the eyes, in the guts, and 
in the skin. So, when we look at passages 
like this, we know, because we've read the rest of the Old Testament, 
that they don't always keep His commandments. They don't always 
keep His statutes. They don't always do what they're 
supposed to do. But nevertheless, God gives them 
these promises, and even in the land of promise, even when they 
function as Canaanites, God's mercy is still upon them. And 
then the chapter ends with them at Elam, which is a much better 
place to camp than where they were at Merah. So it says, Then 
they came to Elam, where there were twelve wells of water and 
seventy palm trees, so they camped there by the waters. In conclusion, 
we see first the appropriate response to redemption. We need 
to praise and glorify God for His having saved us. Again, when 
we gather together on the Lord's Day and we sing hymns, there's 
no headquarters that says, okay, here's how you do this. The Bible 
tells us we're to sing and make melody in our hearts. Psalms, 
hymns, spiritual songs. This is an expression of our 
praise to God. So when we gather together in 
the Church of Christ to sing His praises, we're there to sing. Now certainly you can sing at 
home. I think there was a time when we gave hymn books out to 
everybody because we're just so generous. Now all the old 
hymn books we had we got for free, so it's not like we were, 
you know, giving you gold. But certainly you can sing at 
home, but that is a legitimate expression of our praise to our 
God. Secondly, the perfections of 
God celebrated in the passage. The perfection signified by the 
name Yahweh, and of course the perfection of His holiness as 
underscored in verse 11. And then the power of God demonstrated 
in the redemption of His people and in the damnation of His enemies. And this pattern will be duplicated 
in the Day of Judgment. It's not just here in the Song 
of Moses, but you see emphasis in the New Testament as well. 
God's not only glorified in the saving of sinners who end up 
in heaven, but as well in the damnation of sinners that end 
up in hell. Our Confession says the end of 
God's appointing this day is for the manifestation of the 
glory of His mercy in the eternal salvation of the elect. and of 
his justice in the eternal damnation of the reprobate who are wicked 
and disobedient. For then shall the righteous 
go into everlasting life and receive that fullness of joy 
and glory with everlasting rewards in the presence of the Lord. 
But the wicked who know not God and obey not the gospel of Jesus 
Christ shall be cast aside into everlasting torments and punished 
with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord 
and from the glory of his power. So may God encourage our hearts 
to admire His work in redemption, in terms of His elect, and as 
well in the execution of His justice on that day of judgment. Let's pray. Our Father, we thank 
You for this song of Moses. We thank You for the fact that 
the people of God respond consistently to Your grace and to Your redeeming 
work. They praise, they worship, they 
celebrate, and God help us to join that train. Help us to be 
part of that people of God that enjoy the mercies of God such 
that we sing of it, we pray concerning it, we preach it, and we tell 
others about it. And Lord, I pray that in our 
church, the worship of God would be most blessed for each of us. That not only redemption, but 
the reality that you dwell in the midst of your people here. 
May this be a great encouragement to our hearts. And Lord, bless 
the preaching of your word wherever it goes forth. We ask that a 
multitude would hear of Christ, that a multitude in this generation 
would believe on him and would be drawn out of darkness into 
marvelous light to proclaim your praises. Bless our children and 
our young people. Help us to see the emphasis in 
scripture on passing that baton to the next generation. And give 
us grace, Lord God, and patience and a desire to teach our sons 
and our daughters and our grandchildren concerning the great works of 
our God. And we ask these things through Jesus Christ, our Lord. 
Amen. Any questions on any of that 
or any comments? Yes, sir. Well, are they complaining about 
no water in Numbers 21? They had no food and no water. 
Well, they're complaining. Yeah, the bread. They were pretty 
worn out of the manna. Yeah. Yeah. Whatever they could 
complain about, they would complain about for sure. Yeah. Yeah. I think as we read that, and 
as we consider that, we should probably see ourselves there 
to some degree or other, right? Oh, yeah. Yeah. The second thing 
was we should do a hymn singing game. That's a good idea. Yeah, that's good, I guess. Yeah, 
like the last Wednesday of the month. Yeah, that sounds good. 
Cool. Anyone else? Did you have your 
hand up or were you putting them on? Oh, you were just petting 
your friend there. Alright.