| SONG OF MOSES |

Exodus 15 is the worship response of Moses and the Israelite people to all that the Lord has done, as we have read in the past week.

Confession

Verses 1-3 are a Confession of who God is.

God is gloriously triumphant, my strength and my song, my God and the God of my fathers, a man of war and the LORD.

When I read the Bible, the first question that I always ask a text is, what does this passage tell me about who God is? I think it is one of the most important questions that can be asked. And it is at the very heart of what the Bible does for us. The Bible is God revealing himself to his people.

So, also, worship begins with a confession of who God is.

Recitation

Verses 4-10 are a Recitation of what God has done.
his means of salvation.

It may seem like what is being described is the defeat of an enemy, but what is actually being described is the redemption of a people. God’s victory is a victory over pride. Pharaoh says, “I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide, I will draw my sword.” But God shows that no one, not even Pharaoh and his mighty army, can work against his plan to save his people.

Notice all the details Moses includes in his song. It is important that when we worship God, we not only remember general characteristics of mercy and love and kindness. We must also remember the specifics of his love, such as the perfect work of his cross, the victory of his resurrection, and the glory of his return.

Exaltation

Verses 11-12 are an Exaltation of God above all people and things.

One of the results of remembering who God is (Confession) and what he has done (Recitation) is that we realize that there is no one like him (Exaltation). Who is like you, O LORD?

Proclamation

Verses 13-16 are a Proclamation of God among all peoples.

What we have learned about God and what he has done must be shared. One of the reasons BibleTogether exists is because I have personally read the Bible and seen the great story of God, and I desire that you will see it, too. I want you to see that the Lord has “led in his steadfast love the people whom he has redeemed.”

Exultation

Verses 17-18 are an Exultation in the hope we have in God.

Once we see who God is and see what he has done to rescue his people, our faith is bolstered, and our confidence is secured in him. If God says he will do something, we believe it. We believe it both on the basis of his character and on the basis of seeing how faithful he has been in the past.

Exclamation

Verse 21 is an Exclamation of Celebration that overflows in exuberance for all of who God is and what he has done.

The song of Moses ends with the people bursting out in song with Moses’ sister, Miriam:

Sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously;
the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.

I love how John Piper describes why bursting out with song is an essential response to who God is and what he has done.

… the realities of God and Christ, creation and salvation, heaven and hell are so great that when they are known truly and felt duly, they demand more than discussion and analysis and description; they demand poetry and song and music. Singing is the Christian’s way of saying: God is so great that thinking will not suffice, there must be deep feeling; and talking will not suffice, there must be singing.