“How I Love to Sing”
Scripture Lessons: Exodus 15:1-22
Psalm 118:14
Psalm 107:2
Introduction -
Music - Music - Music
The world is filled with music:
the Good - the Bad - the Ugly
Those growing up in the 1960’s will remember,
“Smoke gets in your eyes:
Mack the knife;
Kisses Sweeter than Wine.”
Today, most of the songs that are written are about drugs, death, killing etc. They don’t have a positive message at all.
And a lot of the songs, you can’t even understand the words.
But, the Christian music has a positive message:
Songs such as:
“How I love to sing.,
How I love to sing,
How I love to sing of Jeus,
How I love to sing!”
Or
“I will sing of my Redeemer”
or
“We’ll Sing in the Morning the songs of salvation”
or
“My heart sings whenever I think of Jesus.”
1. Exodus 15: 1-22 - Moses Song
Background -
Beginning the Wilderness Journey - {Exodus 13}
The Crossing of the Red Sea -{Exodus 13: 17-22}
A. God led His people away from Trouble -
1. God knew 2 significant facts:
A. The shortest route went through the land of the enemies, the Philistines;
B. His people were not strong enough to fight, but God led his people toward the Red Sea.
God led His people in an orderly fashion -
Marching in military rank and file.
I can see and hear them singing a good “Marching Song” on their way towards the sea;
B. God led His people to focus upon great Faith -
They honored the great Faith of Joseph;
C. God led His people by His very own Presence -
Every Step of the Way;
Led from Sucoth to Etham;
Led by the Pillar of Cloud & Fire;
Pillar of Cloud by Day;
Pillar of Fire by Night;
God, Led His people Faithfully;
Neither Pillar ever left it’s place in guiding the people;
Thought: God knows how to lead us away from trouble.
He knows our weaknesess -
He knows exactly how much we can bear.
God will always lead us.
2. Crossing the Red Sea - Exodus 14: 1 - 31
We need to remember, that God will never lead us a stray.
Here we see the Crossing -
A. They were told to turn back and to camp by the sea;
God’s purpose was to make Pharaoh think that Israel was trapped between the sea and the desert;
Picture in your mind -
The children of God were trapped by the Red Sea and the surrounding Egyptian army;
They were up against insurmountable odds;
They were up against a man whose hardened heart made him crazy with hate, hatred for them.
They were up against 600 chosen chariots;
They were up against all the other chariots and horses of Egypt;
They were up against the most powerful army on the face of the earth;
I can’t see them singing at this point.
As they looked around, they said, “No Way!”
The Problem?;
The Israelites problem was not Pharaoh
and the great military power;
The problem was not the Red Sea;
The problem was closer to home;
The problem was the hearts of the Israelites.
The secret thoughts of their hearts that wondered:
“God, why are you allowing this to happen?”
“Why me? This is not fair.”
“If only we had stayed in Egypt - life would be so much better” -
We are no better today are we?
We ask:
Where is God when I am unemployed?
Where is God when I have a family problem?
Where is God when I have a financial problem?
Where is God when I have sinned?
Where is God when I ........................................................
The list goes on and on;
No Singing Yet!
But we must never despair;
God’s first message to us is always “Fear Not!”
God is always near - we are the ones with the problem.
If you want to Sing - we need to walk with Jesus.
God had a plan!
The people were on the move for over 40 years;
the people were led in circles;
But God had taken care of them;
We see the Deliverance -
Israel walked through the sea on dry ground; {Exodus 14:29];
God saved Israel from the Egyptians [Exodus 14:30];
Israel saw the dead, their evil enslavers lying upon the seashore [Exodus 14:30];
God’s purpose was accomplished [Exodus 14:31];
God’s people saw His power;
God’s people feared Him;
God’s people believed in Him and in His message;
I think right here, the Israelites, started to get into the spirit of singing, they started to hum, maybe even started to whistle.
Maybe one family was singing quietly;
Another family, sat silently;
Another family picked up, started to sing a little;
Now Chapter 15 -
The singing starts -
They start to sing in 4/4 time;
Then they start to step up the singing,
Victory is near;
the Promise land is just around the corner;
they could see Freedom by the end of the singing;
It’s now cut time;
A marching beat;
Yes sir!
Sing your hearts out Israelites;
They are now safe and sound;
They are now in the Promise Land;
They are now through the water;
They are now free of the Egyptian armies;
They are now Free “as a bird”;
and
now they could sing:
It’s every family singing,
the horn players pick up their instruments;
the string players catch on;
the drummers, let the way.
You think the Rose Bowl Parade is great,
the Israelites, step out and the music is heard throughout the land.
Here they Go!
No matter if they could carry a tune or not;
They’re warming up;
They start to sing the song of Moses;
No wonder they sang;
Enslaved Israel had been “saved out of the land of the Egyptians’‘
The pursuing army was dead, to the very last man.
God had “Triumphed Gloriously.”
“The Lord” sang Moses and his people,
Exodus 15:1 (KJV)
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.
Moses and the Israelites were flooded with the joy of the moment,
their hearts were just overflowing with a spirit of rejoicing
and
praising God.
“Singing I go along life’s road,
Praising the Lord, praising the Lord,
Singing I go along life’s road,
For Jesus has lifted my load.”
The people of God has always been a singing people.
Their songs have varied;
but the essence and spirit of the singing of the redeemed has been the same;
We need to be alarmed whenever the singing of our people declines.
One of the most attractive elements of our early days of the church, was vigorous, happy singing,
and
we can ill afford to lose this type of singing.
I presume Moses and the Israelites were not compelled to sing.
They could have gone quietly on there way.
But the glory of freedom, was glowing in their hearts,
and the natural result was the triumphant song of praise to their mighty God.
No, they were not compelled to sing,
but I am sure they sang;
I’m glad they gave such noble expression to their joy.
Psalm 107:2
is the exhortation of God’s Word,
and it is valid for our day and age.
Today, the saint of all the ages are represented frequently as singing their praise to the Lord.
The book of Revelation pictures the redeem saints as filling the heavens with their songs of adoration and victory, saying,
Revelation 15:3 (KJV)
3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.
We must, God’s people,
must continue to sing our songs of Christian
Joy,
and Praise.
We must Worship Him who is “Our Strength and Our Salvation.”
Sing, Sing, Sing!
