The Book Of Exodus
Exodus 3:14 "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus shalt thou say
unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."
Verses 1-21, known as the “Song of Moses”, comprise the majority of this chapter. The OT is filled with such passages, most of them in the book of Psalms, and many of them can also be filed under the additional category of prayers. This is the first recorded song/prayer in the Bible of rejoicing by the Israelites at God’s deliverance from their enemies. The Believer’s Bible Commentary divides the Song of Moses as follows:
Prelude (v.1): The triumph of Jehovah Stanza #1 (v.2-3): What He is: strength, song, and salvation. Stanza #2 (v.4-13): What He has done: victory over past enemies, deliverance of His people from Egypt. Postlude (v.19): Contrast the defeat of Egypt and the deliverance of Israel. Response by Miriam and all the women (v.20-21) Matthew Henry (1662-1714), the famous English preacher and Biblical scholar, had this to say about the Song of Moses: “We may observe respecting this song, that it is, (1.) An ancient song, the most ancient that we know of. (2.) A most admirable composition, the style lofty and magnificent, the images lively and proper, and the whole very moving. (3.) It is a holy song, consecrated to the honour of God, and intended to exalt his name and celebrate his praise, and his only, not in the least to magnify any man: holiness to the Lord is engraven in it, and to him they made melody in the singing of it. (4.) It is a typical song. The triumphs of the gospel church, in the downfall of its enemies, are expressed in the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb put together, which are said to be sung upon a sea of glass, as this was upon the Red Sea, Rev. 15:2, 3.” Verse 1: This verse immediately proceeds verse 31 of the previous chapter. The children of Israel believed the Lord after they witnessed His power and His might in not only rolling back the waters of the Red Sea, but then also in His execution of righteous judgment upon Pharaoh and all his armies. The Israelites’ belief in Yahweh, and their joy at His deliverance of them from their enemies caused this outpouring of praise and celebration of God and all that He is. “I will sing unto the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously…” (Isaiah 12:1) The name “Lord” appears eleven times in verses 1-19, for this song is about God Himself. Matthew Henry says of this verse that, “All our joy must terminate in God, and all our praises be offered up to Him, the Father of lights and Father of mercies, ‘for He hath triumphed’. All that love God triumph in His triumphs; what is His honour should be our joy.” Verses 2-3: God is our defense, our fortress and refuge in times of distress and suffering. (Psalm 18:1-2, Isaiah 12:2, Habakkuk 3:18-19) The Israelites’ natural response in verse 2 is to worship and praise God, just as their father, Jacob, did after his first encounter with the Lord. (Genesis 28:21-22) God deserves our worship and praise, not only because of who He is, but because of what He does on behalf of His children. Moses calls Him “my father’s God” in this verse, echoing God’s introduction to him at the burning bush. (Exodus 3:6, 15-16) Because of who God is and what He’s just done on behalf of the children of Israel, He is worthy to be exalted. (2 Samuel 22:47, Psalm 99:5, Isaiah 25:1) “The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is his name.” (v.3) (Exodus 3:14-15, 6:2-3, Nehemiah 4:20, Psalm 24:8, 83:18, Revelation 19:11) One of my favorite hymns is “O Worship the King” by Robert Grant, first published in 1833. Grant’s lyrics are adapted from Psalm 104, and my favorite lines in that hymn are in the second stanza: “His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form, and dark is his path on the wings of the storm.” I thought of that as I read verse 3 of this chapter in Exodus. God is a just and jealous God, avenger of the righteous and punisher of the wicked. Verses 4-13: Moses summarizes the crossing of the Red Sea, describing in vivid, poetic imagery how God destroyed Pharaoh and his army. “Pharaoh’s chariouts and his host hath He cast into the sea…” (v.4) “The depths have covered them…” (v.5) (Nehemiah 9:11) “Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power…” (v.6) (Exodus 3:20, Psalm 17:7, 118:15) “…Thou sentest forth Thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble.” (v.7) (Deuteronomy 4:24, Psalm 59:13, 78:49-50, Isaiah 5:24, Hebrews 12:29) “And with the blast of Thy nostrils the waters were gathered together…” (v.8) (Psalm 78:13) “The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil…” (v.9) (Isaiah 53:12) “Who is like unto Thee, O Lord, among the gods?” (v.11) (Exodus 8:10, 9:14, Deuteronomy 3:24, 2 Samuel 7:22, 1 Kings 8:23, Psalm 71:19, 86:8, Micah 7:18) “…glorious in holiness…” (Psalm 68:35, Isaiah 6:3, Revelation 4:8) “…fearful in praises…” (1 Chronicles 16:25) “…doing wonders?” (Exodus 3:20, Psalm 77:11, 14) “Thou in Thy mercy hath led forth the people which Thou hast redeemed…” (v.13) (Nehemiah 9:12, Psalm 77:20) “…Thou hast guided them in Thy strength unto Thy holy habitation.” (Deuteronomy 12:5, Psalm 78:54) Moses and the children of Israel recognize and acknowledge that God is the one true God, and that all others are false gods. He alone deserves glory, honor, praise and worship from all the people of the earth. Verses 14-15: These two verses are a good indicator that the Song of Moses was most likely composed many years after the crossing of the Red Sea, when Moses was writing the Pentateuch. The children of Israel had not yet encountered the Philistines (v.14), nor the descendants of Esau or Lot (v.15). But we know from Joshua 2:9 that the statements in these two verses come true. The Israelites will have many victories over the Edomites (Deuteronomy 2:4, Genesis 36:15, 40), the Moabites (Genesis 19:36-37, Numbers 22:3-4), and the Philistines when they finally enter the promised land. Verse 16: “Fear and dread shall fall upon them…” (Exodus 23:27, Deuteronomy 2:25) “…by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone…” (1 Samuel 25:37) “…till thy people pass over, O Lord, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased. (Psalm 74:2, Isaiah 43:1, Jeremiah 31:11, Titus 2:14, 2 Peter 2:1) God redeemed His chosen people from bondage in Egypt, the same way that we today are purchased by the shed blood of Christ if we accept His gift of salvation. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) Verses 17-19: God will bring His chosen people into the promised land, planting them “…in the mountain of Thine inheritance…”. (v.17) (Psalm 2:6, 44:2, 78:54, 68, 80:8, 15) Once there, the Lord will build Himself a “Sanctuary”, which His hands will establish, (Psalm 68:16, 76:2, 132:13-14), a place for Him to dwell where He will reign forever and ever. (v.18) (2 Samuel 7:16, Psalm 10:16, 29:10, Isaiah 57:15) The prophecy of this verse was partially fulfilled when Solomon built his temple in Jerusalem. But the final, definitive fulfillment is yet to come, after the Great Tribulation, during the millennial kingdom, when Christ will reign for a thousand years on the earth, and the nation of Israel will be whole again, ruling all other nations alongside King Jesus. Verse 19 closes this hymn by summarizing once more the Israelites’ crossing of the Red Sea and God’s final judgment upon Pharaoh and his army. Verses 20-21: Moses’ sister, Miriam, is called a prophetess in verse 20. The word “prophetess” is used eight times in the KJV Bible, including this instance here in Exodus: Judges 4:4 (Deborah), 2 Kings 22:14 and 2 Chronicles 34:22 (Huldah), Nehemiah 6:14 (Noadiah), Isaiah 8:3 (Isaiah’s wife), Luke 2:36 (Anna), and Revelation 2:20 (Jezebel). Acts 21:8-9 refers to Philip’s unnamed daughters who prophesy in Caesarea, and Paul speaks specifically of men and women who exercise the gift of prophecy in the New Testament church in 1 Corinthians 11:4-5. Strong’s Concordance defines “prophetess” as an inspired woman, i.e. a poetess or musician, which is how the word is used here in verses 20-21 to describe Miriam. But a prophetess can also mean, “wife of the prophet”, as is the case with the reference in Isaiah, or a “teacher” or “instructor”, which is how the apostle Paul uses it in his letter to the Corinthians. This was also probably the case with Anna in the temple at the time of Jesus’ birth. In the examples of Deborah, Huldah, and Jezebel, they, too, were teaching and instructing, but it’s obvious that they also held positions of some authority, for they were sought out by others for their wisdom and instruction, some of which was contrary to God’s word and His people, i.e. Jezebel. There are many scholars, theologians and, sadly, pastors who have used these examples from scripture to justify the ordination of women pastors and evangelicals. Paul makes it clear in 1 Timothy 3:2, Titus 1:6, and Ephesians 5:22-23 that a pastor, deacon, and all other elders of the church must be men. Wives are to submit themselves to the authority of their husbands, and, therefore, women in the church may not hold offices of authority over any of the men. That is God’s design for both marriage and His church. These women in the Bible who are referred to as “prophetess” did not have any authority over any man, but were merely teachers, instructors, workers and/or musicians. (Even Deborah did not act of her own authority over all of Israel, but was the wife of Lapidoth, and she assisted Barak in saving the Israelites from the armies of Sisera. A “judge” in those days was not the same as a king or governor, but was more like a military advisor or a mediator who resolved conflicts among the people as well as keeping law and order.) Miriam takes up her timbrel and leads the other women in song and dancing, echoing the refrain of verse 19. (Judges 11:34, 21:21, 2 Samuel 6:16, Psalm 30:11, 150:4) Verses 22-27: There is good reason these last six verses are included in this chapter and not the beginning of chapter sixteen. A mere three days after the miraculous “salvation of the Lord” on behalf of His people, the Israelites arrive at the wilderness of Shur. (v.22) But the only source of water is at Marah (Numbers 33:8, Ruth 1:20), which means “bitter”, and it is so named because the water that is found there is too bitter to drink. (v.23) So soon after witnessing God’s power and sovereignty on their behalf, the children of Israel immediately turn to grumbling and complaining against Moses. (v.24) (Psalm 106:13) This is the first event of what would become an oft repeated cycle with the Israelites: complaining to Moses & God because of some lack of a necessity, God then miraculously providing for that specific need, the Israelites thankful for only a brief time, and then complaining once more about something else, thus repeating the whole pattern once more. Moses, as he would often do over the next forty years, turns to God as soon as the Israelites complain to him about the lack of drinkable water. (v.25) In response, God directs Moses to a nearby tree which Moses cuts down and casts into the water. This causes the bitterness to vanish, thus making the water drinkable. (2 Kings 2:21) According to the Moody Bible Commentary, it’s possible that the bitterness in the water is caused by unusually high levels of mineral content, or the water is simply unclean due to other reasons. Whatever the case, there is “…no known tree that has the quality to turn impure water pure or to filter out the mineral content. This is to be seen for what it appears to be: a miracle of the Lord’s provision.” Verse 25 goes on to say that God “…made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there He proved them.” (Psalm 17:3, 66:10, 81:7, 95:9, Hebrews 3:9) What this is means is that God is testing the faith of the Israelites. The Moody Commentators have this to say about this passage: “The word for “test” here has the idea of “to prove the worth” of something, “to verify the quality” of something. The Lord was not trying to cause them to fail. Rather, as an exercise in training and testing, the need for provisions gave the people an opportunity to verify their faith. In effect, this was to remind them that, after delivering them from the plagues and dividing the sea, God would be the One to provide for their everyday needs.” Verse 26 is the ordinance referenced in verse 25, the word of the Lord, given to the Israelites through Moses: “…If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.” (Exodus 19:5-6, 23:25, Deuteronomy 7:12, 15, 32:39, Psalm 41:3-4, 103:3, 147:3) Once again, God is demonstrating His desire to have an ongoing relationship with His chosen people. (Exodus 6:6-7) He is promising to protect and defend them from their enemies, as well as provide and care for them, if they will obey, serve and worship only Him. He has redeemed them from bondage in Egypt for a purpose, and He has a specific plan for the nation of Israel. He uses this crisis – the first of many – as an opportunity for them to demonstrate their faith and trust in Him, as well as for Him to demonstrate to them His ability to care and provide for them always. But, as we well know from reading the rest of the OT, the Israelites consistently fail miserably at trusting and obeying Yahweh, especially in these early years immediately following the exodus from Egypt. God still works in the same manner for us today. All of the trials and adverse circumstances that He allows to take place in our lives are for two reasons: the growth and purification of our faith in Him as well as for His honor and glory. (1 Peter 1:6-7) God leads the Israelites to Elim, an oasis with plenty of shade and water, where they are able to set up camp and rest from their long journey thus far. (v.27) (Numbers 33:9, Psalm 23:1-2)
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Click here to get back to the chapter links on the Bible study homepage.
Archives
March 2024
Categories
All
|