SERMON OUTLINE:
God's victory is announced (vs 1-5),
God's weapons are described (vs 6- 10),
God's character is extolled (vs 11-16a).
God's promises are fulfilled (vs 16b-18).
SERMON BODY:
Ill:
• It was the late American pastor and author Donald Barnhouse;
• Who stunned his congregation one Sunday morning by declaring;
• “Prayer changes nothing”.
• The church was packed full of people, they were shocked;
• The people were stunned, the silence was deafening;
• You could have heard a pin drop.
• Now his comment was deliberately designed to make folks think.
• And the point he wanted to make was this;
• “It is God who THROUGH prayer changes things!”
Ill:
• Talking of prayer, I like the story of the 72 year old woman;
• Who was getting ready for bed one night and as she looked in the mirror;
• She noticed her grey hair, her wrinkled brow and so she sighed;
• And prayed this prayer;
• “Please God give me the skin like a teenager’s”
• The next morning she woke up covered in acne!
• So be careful what you pray for!
• TRANSITION:
• The number one thing you are commanded to do in scripture is pray.
• The number two thing you are commanded to do in scripture is to sing.
• This prayer in chapter 15 is actually a song;
• So this morning you are getting the best of both!
Ill:
• I wonder how many of you watch the TV shows ‘Britain’s got talent’?
• Or ‘The X Factor’.
• Or ‘Pop Idol’ or its U.S. counterpart, ‘American Idol’.
• There are a whole load of shows with a similar format on the various channels.
• I was channel hoping not so long ago and came across another variation;
• This programme was called; ‘Don’t forget the lyrics’.
• It is not a complicated idea;
• The host would play part of a well-known song;
• And when the artist faded out the contestant had to carry on and sing the lyrics.
• TRANSITION:
• How many of you could sing or repeat the lyrics to the Song of Moses?
• If we are honest - not many of us!
Question: Did you know?
• This is the first recorded song that we have in the Bible;
• So that gives it a novelty factor.
• But more importantly if you turn in your Bibles to the last book called Revelation;
• (For time don’t do it now – that is your homework!)
• But if you read chapter 15 (verse 3) you will find this song of Moses!
• In a kind of paraphrase format.
• But this song tops and tails your Bible,
• It’s at the beginning and end of your Bibles;
• So it is an important song to enjoy and to study.
We often call this song in Exodus chapter 15 ‘The song of Moses’:
• If you were Jewish you would call it by another name:
• The Jews call it ‘The song at the sea’.
• Hebrew: ‘Shirat ha-Yam’ (lit. “Song of the Sea”)
• This song/poem is included in Jewish prayer books,
• And recited daily in the morning ‘shacharit’ services.
• Which is the daily morning-prayer time (‘Tefillah’) of the Jewish people.
• So I guess most religious Jews would know the lyrics of this song!
• It would be as familiar to them as Psalm 23 is to us.
• Like most songs, this one also has a story behind it;
• So before we look at the song let’s remind ourselves of the background.
Background to the song: Victory!
Ill:
• The year 1263.
• The place Scotland.
• The enemy the Danes.
• Scotland and Denmark were at war;
• And one night the Danish army managed to land unobserved on the coast of Scotland.
• Under cover of darkness the Danish invaders removed their boots;
• And crept on bare feet toward the unsuspecting Scottish army.
• Victory seemed certain for the invaders;
• When suddenly a sharp cry of pain shattered the stillness.
• A Danish soldier had stepped on a thistle and ruined the surprise.
• The alerted Scots sprang into action;
• And managed to fend off the invaders who soon fled from the country’s shores.
• TRANSITON: Like the people of Scotland;
• The Hebrew people had an enemy attack them.
• If you know the story then you are aware that;
• God chooses Moses to lead the children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt;
• And into the land of Canaan, which God has promised to them.
• After much persuasion;
• In fact it took 10 plagues that grew increasing worse in intensity,
• The Egyptian pharaoh finally agreed to their departure;
• But later on realising he has lost all his slave workforce has a change of mind.
• And sends his army to go capture the Israelites and bring them back.
According to the book of Exodus:
• The Israelites found themselves ‘between a rock and a hard place’.
• In front of the was the Red Sea which was impossible to cross.
• Around them was the Egyptian army ready to round them up like sheep;
• And once again make them a nation of slaves.
• But God! I love those words as they appear in the Bible,
• But God intervenes!
• Moses was to hold out his staff;
• And before the eyes of the Israelites the Red Sea miraculously parted.
• The Israelites walked on what was now dry ground;
• And crossed the sea.
• As the Israelites were exiting the Sea at on one side;
• The Egyptian army were entering it via the other end.
• Moses again moved his staff and the two walls of waters collapsed,
• Drowning the whole of the Egyptian army.
• There is a movie out at the cinema now called, ‘Exodus: Gods and Kings’
• (a 2014 biblically-inspired epic film directed by Ridley Scott).
• But don’t waste your money going to see it;
• Because ONLY the important facts have been changed;
• And I can assure you the book (of Exodus) is better!
• TRANSITION: With their enemies drowned and their freedom secure,
• The people of Israel burst into song and praised the Lord.
• We don't read that they praised God while they were enslaved in Egypt,
• We don't read that they praised God while they were going out of the land,
• In fact we read they were complaining and grumbling to Moses.
• But now there circumstances have changed;
• They have been eye witnesses to an amazing miracle (parting of the Red Sea);
• There have seen their God bring a great victory.
• And so they respond by praising him!
• This song is a powerful song of praise to God.
• And The nation of Israel sing with enthusiasm and with passion.
Ill:
• In his book "Psalms of the Heart,"
• Author George Sweeting tells the story of two John and Elaine Beekman.
• God called them to missionary work among the Chol Indians of southern Mexico.
• Reaching this tribe of Indians was not easy;
• It involved riding mules for long parts of the trip;
• And also travelling by dugout canoes.
• They spent 25 years of their lives ministering to the Chol tribe of southern Mexico.
• And along with other missionaries;
• They helped to translate the New Testament into the language of the Chol Indians.
• Today the Chol Church is thriving.
• More than 12,000 Christians make up the Chol Christian community.
• Now when the missionaries first came, the Chol Indians didn’t know how to sing.
• They just did not and had not ever done it!
• With the coming of the gospel, however,
• Those who Indians who came to faith in Christ were given a nickname by the other Indians;
• They became known as "the singers".
• George Sweeting comments in the book:
• "They love to sing now, because they have something to sing about."
• TRANSITION: God always gives his people something to sing about;
• That is true for us today as we have spent time singing his praises;
• And it was true for the people of Israel here in Exodus chapter 15.
Note: This hymn of praise has four stanzas:
(1st Stanza): God's victory is announced (vs 1-5).
“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 defence;
he has become my salvation.
He is my God, and I will praise him,
my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
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.”
Ill:
• There is a little Anglican Church on the edge of Chichester. UK.
• I went there with a school to speak & lead their Harvest Festival Service.
• As you entered the foyer there was a table;
• And on the table was a plate containing a Latin inscription.
• (Many Anglican Church buildings contain a stone inserted in the wall;
• Or they may have a brass plate in their foyer containing the same inscription).
• The words on the plate – the Latin inscription was ;
• ‘Ad maiorem Dei gloriam’ (pronounce: Ad ma-jor-em / De / glor-i-am).
• Which translated into English reads 'To the greater glory of God '.
• In other words as you enter this building 'Make God your focus’
• And this song of Moses echoes that idea.
• Notice that ‘The Lord’ is mentioned ten times in this song;
• Israel sang to the Lord and about the Lord,
• He is the focus of the song!
• For true worship involves faithful witness to who God is;
• And what He has done for His people.
The Israelite people had enjoyed a great and glorious victory;
• But they realised that it was ALL the work of the Lord.
• Their part in it was minimal. They just stood and watched!
• Not once were the people required to fight the Egyptians;
• The dramatic rescue and miracle was all of God;
• The people did nothing! They just stood and watched!
• Therefore as one of our more modern song says;
• “Thine is the battle thine shall be the praise”.
• (Hymn: We rest on thee)
Now the first five verses of this song tell us what they witnessed in this battle:
• Verses 1& 4: They saw the Egyptian army being thrown into the sea,
• Verse 5&10: They saw the Egyptian soldiers sink like stones and like lead.
• Verse 7: They were consumed like burning stubble.
Note:
• In verse 3 we have a description of God;
• “The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name”
• In the previous chapter (14) Moses promised the people,
• “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.’”
• And God always keeps his promises!
Ill:
• One of God’s Hebrew names is "jehovah-Sabaoth," (Sab-a-oth).
• Which translated means the "Lord of hosts, Lord of armies,"
• It is a title that's used 285 times in the Old Testament.
• The great reformer Martin Luther wrote in his Reformation hymn
• "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" these great words.
“Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing,
Were not the right Man on our side,
The Man of God's own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth His name,
From age to age the same,
And He must win the battle. “
Note: Only on three special occasions recorded in the Old Testament Scriptures:
• Did the Jews sing the words of verse 2:
• “The Lord is my strength and song, and He is become my salvation"
• Here in (Exodus chapter 15 verse 2):
• When God delivered Israel from Egypt.
• The second time was when the Jewish remnant;
• Laid the foundation of the second temple (Psalm 118 verse 14).
• The third time was in Isaiah chapter 12 verse 2;
• When the Jews are gathered from captivity and return to their land;
• To enjoy the blessings of the kingdom.
• In each instance they sing the truth;
• That the Lord gives strength, salvation, and a song.
• It is the Lord who wins the battle!
(2nd Stanza): God's weapons are described (vs 6-10).
“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.
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.”
Ill:
• In August 1945, during the final stage of the Second World War,
• The United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima & Nagasaki.
• The two bombings, which killed at least 129,000 people,
• Remain the only use of nuclear weapons for warfare in human history.
• The bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki and with the Soviet Union's declaration of war,
• Japan announced its surrender to the Allies.
• It signed the instrument of surrender, effectively ending World War II.
• TRANSITION: Terrible weapons that caused an incredible loss of life;
• But they seemed to achieve their aim and the war was soon ended.
We have already noted that “The Lord is a warrior”:
• And every warrior needs weapons;
• And the Lord’s weapons are described for us verses 6-10.
• But noticed he doesn't fight with conventional weapons.
• Because he does not need them!
• This song uses human characteristics to describe divine attributes;
• The singers of the song declare;
• In verse 6&7: That his right hand is glorious in power;
• That his majesty throws His opponents down,
• And His anger consumes them like fire eats up stubble.
• In verse 8-10: The breath from His nostrils;
• Is the wind that blew back the waters and congealed them so they stood like a wall.
• When the overconfident Egyptian soldiers thought to catch up with the Jews;
• God simply breathed and the waters returned and drowned the army.
• Wow!
• What a mighty God is He!
(3rd Stanza): God's character is extolled (vs 11-16a).
“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.
13 In your unfailing love you will lead
the people you have redeemed.
In your strength you will guide them
to your holy dwelling.
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.”
Ill:
• A group of children was lining up for lunch in the cafeteria of a church primary school.
• At the head of the table was a bowl of juicy apples.
• The supervising nun wrote a note and placed it next to the apples:
• "Take only ONE. God is watching."
• At the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate coated biscuits.
• And a child had written a note and put it next to the plate:
• The child’s note read:
• "Take as many as you want. God is watching the apples."
• TRANSITION: God is of course omniscient, He knows everything;
• Omniscience is an attribute unique to him.
• Not only is he omniscient he is omnipotent, he can do anything!
• That was illustrated for us in the previous chapters of this book.
Ill:
• Remember that in the previous chapters leading up to this song being written;
• God had sent ten plagues on the land of Egypt.
• The Egyptian magicians and diviners called upon their gods;
• But they were powerless to remedy the situation.
• The true God, the God of the Hebrew people;
• Had proved Himself greater than the gods and goddesses of Egypt.
• No wonder the people sing in verse 11:
• “Who among the gods is like you, Lord?”
• The answer, of course, is nobody,
• For no other being in the universe is (vs 11):
• “Majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?”
Notice:
• This stanza goes on to praise God for His power (vs 12),
• For his mercy to deliver, his wisdom to guide (v. 13),
• And the awesomeness of His person to bring fear to the hearts of His enemies (vs 14).
• The nation anticipated their march to the Promised Land,
• They knew that the news of the Exodus and defeat of the Egyptians;
• Would travel quickly to the other nations;
• And it would bring fear to the hearts of their enemies (vs 14-16a).
Ill:
• Those verses came true:
• In Joshua chapter 2 verses 8-13 & 24; (see also Num. 22:3; Ps. 114).
• When the Israelites sent spies into the city of Jericho,
• They discovered that the people of the land were indeed paralyzed with fear.
• These heathen nations knew that the true and living God;
• Was more powerful than their gods and would give Israel the victory.
(4th Stanza): God's promise is fulfilled (vs 16b-18).
“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.
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.’”
Ill:
• The story is told about a man who all his life was a great saver;
• Every time he got paid took £50 out of his wages and put it under his mattress.
• One day he got sick and the diagnoses was not good;
• He was told he would soon die.
• A few months later as he was dying, he said to his wife,
• “I want you to promise me one thing.”
• She replied; “Promise what?”
• He answered: “I want you to promise me that when I’m dead;
• You will take my money from under the mattress;
• And put it in my casket so that I can take it all with me.”
• Well the man died and his wife kept her promise.
• On the day he died she got all that money from under the mattress;
• Took it to the bank and deposited it.
• At the funeral she wrote out a check and put it in his coffin!
• TRANSITION: God always keeps his promises;
• And he never tricks those to who he made the promise to!
• There are four words that every Christian should never forget:
• 'God keeps his word'.
• He will not tell us one thing and do another!
• He will never use the expression that we often use;
• "Oh well, promises are meant to be broken".
• God traffics in truth!
• God keeps his word, always!!!
Ill:
• Remember that a promise is only as good as the person who makes it.
• I can promise to take my kids to Disney Land next week.
• But I have no funds and no desire to visit Disney Land.
• Even if my promise was sincere it is flawed because I am unable to deliver it!
• TRANSITION: God keeps his word;
• And God has the power to fulfil his promises!
This final stanza of the song looks forward to Israel's conquest of Canaan:
• It points out that God purchased Israel and they are His people.
• Verse 13: “the people you have redeemed.”
• Verse 16:
• The nations in Canaan would be as still and dead as stones,
• Verse 17:
• As the Jewish army conquered the land and the tribes claimed their inheritance.
• God did not just bring his people out of Egypt;
• That was only part of the plan.
• He brought them out of one place with the intention of taking them to another;
• That new place would be Canaan;
• A land flowing with ‘milk and honey’.
• But Canaan would be a temporary place;
• Because Canaan was a place of constant conflict.
Note: This song finishes in verse 18 and looks forward to an eternal future:
• The place God has his mountain, his inheritance, his dwelling, his sanctuary;
• Is heaven itself.
• That is why this song of Moses;
• Is so closely linked to the one in the book of Revelation chapter 15.
• The book of Revelation concludes by giving us glimpses of what heaven is like:
• We see there the truth of verse 18 says: 'The Lord reigns forever and ever,"
• Which is the climax of the song, emphasizing that God is sovereign and eternal.
Sermon audio link:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=XiAUMFfmrhesOMnNiuYIPrmHJSljqMOK&forceSave=The_song_of_the_sea_-_Exodus_chapter_15_verses_1-17_-_sermon_by_Gordon_Curley.mp3
