{"id":5401,"date":"2022-12-05T15:46:19","date_gmt":"2022-12-05T15:46:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/?p=5401"},"modified":"2022-12-05T15:46:19","modified_gmt":"2022-12-05T15:46:19","slug":"song-by-the-sea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/song-by-the-sea\/","title":{"rendered":"Song by the Sea"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sermonaudio.com\/sermoninfo.asp?SID=12522152123746\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Click HERE for sermon audio<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"chapter-2\" style=\"text-align: center\"><span class=\"text Exod-15-1\">Then Moses and the people of Israel\u00a0sang this song to the\u00a0<span class=\"small-caps\">Lord<\/span>, saying,<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"poetry top-1\" style=\"text-align: center\">\n<p class=\"line\"><span class=\"text Exod-15-1\">\u201cI will sing to the\u00a0<span class=\"small-caps\">Lord<\/span>, for he has triumphed gloriously;<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"indent-1\"><span class=\"indent-1-breaks\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"text Exod-15-1\">the horse and his rider<sup class=\"footnote\" style=\"font-size: 0.625em;line-height: normal;vertical-align: text-top\" data-fn=\"#fen-ESV-1922a\" data-link=\"[&lt;a href=&quot;#fen-ESV-1922a&quot; title=&quot;See footnote a&quot;&gt;a&lt;\/a&gt;]\">[<a title=\"See footnote a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Exodus%2015&amp;version=ESV#fen-ESV-1922a\">a<\/a>]<\/sup>\u00a0he has thrown into the sea.<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span id=\"en-ESV-1923\" class=\"text Exod-15-2\"><sup class=\"versenum\">2\u00a0<\/sup>The\u00a0<span class=\"small-caps\">Lord<\/span>\u00a0is my strength and my\u00a0song,<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"indent-1\"><span class=\"indent-1-breaks\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"text Exod-15-2\">and he has become\u00a0my salvation;<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"text Exod-15-2\">this is my God, and I will praise him,<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"indent-1\"><span class=\"indent-1-breaks\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"text Exod-15-2\">my father&#8217;s God, and\u00a0I will exalt him.<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span id=\"en-ESV-1924\" class=\"text Exod-15-3\"><sup class=\"versenum\">3\u00a0<\/sup>The\u00a0<span class=\"small-caps\">Lord<\/span>\u00a0is\u00a0a man of war;<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"indent-1\"><span class=\"indent-1-breaks\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"text Exod-15-3\">the\u00a0<span class=\"small-caps\">Lord<\/span>\u00a0is his name.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"poetry top-1\" style=\"text-align: center\">\n<p class=\"line\"><span id=\"en-ESV-1925\" class=\"text Exod-15-4\"><sup class=\"versenum\">4\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cPharaoh&#8217;s chariots and his host he cast into the sea,<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"indent-1\"><span class=\"indent-1-breaks\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"text Exod-15-4\">and his chosen\u00a0officers were sunk in the Red Sea.<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span id=\"en-ESV-1926\" class=\"text Exod-15-5\"><sup class=\"versenum\">5\u00a0<\/sup>The\u00a0floods covered them;<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"indent-1\"><span class=\"indent-1-breaks\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"text Exod-15-5\">they\u00a0went down into the depths like a stone.<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span id=\"en-ESV-1927\" class=\"text Exod-15-6\"><sup class=\"versenum\">6\u00a0<\/sup>Your right hand, O\u00a0<span class=\"small-caps\">Lord<\/span>, glorious in power,<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"indent-1\"><span class=\"indent-1-breaks\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"text Exod-15-6\">your right hand, O\u00a0<span class=\"small-caps\">Lord<\/span>,\u00a0shatters the enemy.<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span id=\"en-ESV-1928\" class=\"text Exod-15-7\"><sup class=\"versenum\">7\u00a0<\/sup>In the\u00a0greatness of your majesty you overthrow your adversaries;<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"indent-1\"><span class=\"indent-1-breaks\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"text Exod-15-7\">you send out your fury; it\u00a0consumes them like stubble.<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span id=\"en-ESV-1929\" class=\"text Exod-15-8\"><sup class=\"versenum\">8\u00a0<\/sup>At the\u00a0blast of your nostrils the waters piled up;<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"indent-1\"><span class=\"indent-1-breaks\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"text Exod-15-8\">the\u00a0floods stood up in a heap;<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"indent-1\"><span class=\"indent-1-breaks\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"text Exod-15-8\">the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span id=\"en-ESV-1930\" class=\"text Exod-15-9\"><sup class=\"versenum\">9\u00a0<\/sup>The enemy said,\u00a0\u2018I will pursue, I will overtake,<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"indent-1\"><span class=\"indent-1-breaks\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"text Exod-15-9\">I\u00a0will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them.<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"indent-1\"><span class=\"indent-1-breaks\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"text Exod-15-9\">I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.\u2019<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span id=\"en-ESV-1931\" class=\"text Exod-15-10\"><sup class=\"versenum\">10\u00a0<\/sup>You\u00a0blew with your wind; the\u00a0sea covered them;<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"indent-1\"><span class=\"indent-1-breaks\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"text Exod-15-10\">they sank like lead in the mighty waters.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"poetry top-1\" style=\"text-align: center\">\n<p class=\"line\"><span id=\"en-ESV-1932\" class=\"text Exod-15-11\"><sup class=\"versenum\">11\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cWho is like you, O\u00a0<span class=\"small-caps\">Lord<\/span>, among the gods?<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"indent-1\"><span class=\"indent-1-breaks\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"text Exod-15-11\">Who is like you, majestic in holiness,<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"indent-1\"><span class=\"indent-1-breaks\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"text Exod-15-11\">awesome in\u00a0glorious deeds,\u00a0doing wonders?<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span id=\"en-ESV-1933\" class=\"text Exod-15-12\"><sup class=\"versenum\">12\u00a0<\/sup>You stretched out\u00a0your right hand;<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"indent-1\"><span class=\"indent-1-breaks\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"text Exod-15-12\">the earth swallowed them.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"poetry top-1\" style=\"text-align: center\">\n<p class=\"line\"><span id=\"en-ESV-1934\" class=\"text Exod-15-13\"><sup class=\"versenum\">13\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cYou have\u00a0led in your steadfast love the people whom\u00a0you have redeemed;<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"indent-1\"><span class=\"indent-1-breaks\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"text Exod-15-13\">you have\u00a0guided them by your strength to your holy abode.<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span id=\"en-ESV-1935\" class=\"text Exod-15-14\"><sup class=\"versenum\">14\u00a0<\/sup>The peoples have heard; they tremble;<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"indent-1\"><span class=\"indent-1-breaks\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"text Exod-15-14\">pangs have seized the inhabitants of Philistia.<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span id=\"en-ESV-1936\" class=\"text Exod-15-15\"><sup class=\"versenum\">15\u00a0<\/sup>Now are the chiefs of Edom\u00a0dismayed;<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"indent-1\"><span class=\"indent-1-breaks\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"text Exod-15-15\">trembling seizes the leaders of\u00a0Moab;<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"indent-1\"><span class=\"indent-1-breaks\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"text Exod-15-15\">all the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span id=\"en-ESV-1937\" class=\"text Exod-15-16\"><sup class=\"versenum\">16\u00a0<\/sup>Terror and\u00a0dread fall upon them;<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"indent-1\"><span class=\"indent-1-breaks\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"text Exod-15-16\">because of the greatness of your arm, they are still\u00a0as a stone,<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"text Exod-15-16\">till your people, O\u00a0<span class=\"small-caps\">Lord<\/span>, pass by,<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"indent-1\"><span class=\"indent-1-breaks\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"text Exod-15-16\">till the people pass by whom\u00a0you have purchased.<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span id=\"en-ESV-1938\" class=\"text Exod-15-17\"><sup class=\"versenum\">17\u00a0<\/sup>You will bring them in and\u00a0plant them on your own mountain,<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"indent-1\"><span class=\"indent-1-breaks\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"text Exod-15-17\">the place, O\u00a0<span class=\"small-caps\">Lord<\/span>, which you have made for your abode,<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"indent-1\"><span class=\"indent-1-breaks\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"text Exod-15-17\">the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established.<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span id=\"en-ESV-1939\" class=\"text Exod-15-18\"><sup class=\"versenum\">18\u00a0<\/sup>The\u00a0<span class=\"small-caps\">Lord<\/span>\u00a0will reign forever and ever.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"top-1\" style=\"text-align: center\"><span id=\"en-ESV-1940\" class=\"text Exod-15-19\"><sup class=\"versenum\">19\u00a0<\/sup>For when\u00a0the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea,\u00a0the\u00a0<span class=\"small-caps\">Lord<\/span>\u00a0brought back the waters of the sea upon them, but the people of Israel walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea.<\/span>\u00a0<span id=\"en-ESV-1941\" class=\"text Exod-15-20\"><sup class=\"versenum\">20\u00a0<\/sup>Then\u00a0Miriam\u00a0the prophetess, the\u00a0sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and\u00a0all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing.<\/span>\u00a0<span id=\"en-ESV-1942\" class=\"text Exod-15-21\"><sup class=\"versenum\">21\u00a0<\/sup>And Miriam sang to them:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"poetry top-1\">\n<p class=\"line\" style=\"text-align: center\"><span class=\"text Exod-15-21\">\u201cSing to the\u00a0<span class=\"small-caps\">Lord<\/span>, for he has triumphed gloriously;<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"text Exod-15-21\">the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.\u201d (Exodus 15:1-21)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><b>Introduction<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is the first recorded song in Scripture, and it is the first time we see a congregation of God\u2019s people singing together. Moses records this song under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and so the people responded in song to God\u2019s great and mighty act of redemption on their behalf.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As the first instance of congregational song in Scripture, although we don\u2019t know what it sounded like, we can see from the lyrics and the context in which they sang this song by the sea &#8211; with the dead Egyptian army washed up on the shore &#8211; that singing God\u2019s praise is absolutely epic. This instance of song is an excellent picture of the work of Christ for His Church, and her singing to Him in the midst of her defeated enemies. It is nothing short of epic and glorious.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">To make it even more epic, we should remember that they would have also sung this before the presence of Christ, as the pre-incarnate Christ, the angel of the LORD, was there in the midst of the pillar of cloud and fire who interposed Himself between the sons of Israel and the army of Egypt to save His people, and He did not leave them throughout all their journey through the wilderness. And today as the New Testament Church, Christ is spiritually present with us in worship. As Hebrews quotes Psalm 22, Jesus sings the Psalms in the midst of the congregation. So we have this great and epic privilege to sing with Jesus each Lord\u2019s Day, as we have been brought through our Exodus, which is our salvation of having been brought from death to life. And we sing in His presence while our enemies lay defeated around us, and we lay our sins, our idols, and ourselves at His feet. So as we go through this song in a moment, let us keep in mind that it was Jesus who delivered His people out of Egypt in the pillar of fire, and who this song is sung unto.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This song by the sea is not kept for us in the book of Psalms, but essentially everything contained in this song is spread out in various Psalms throughout the Psalter. For those who sing the Psalms today, they are fed a diet of this quality through and through. But it was so sad to me to read modern commentaries and listen to a couple modern sermons this week where so much of their comments were lamenting how modern songs utterly lack the spiritual quality and full picture of God compared to this song. It was sad because we\u2019ve got a book filled with a number of songs like this that they could be singing. It is a complaint that God has given us an answer to. God meant for His praise to be absolutely epic.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Now before we get into the text of this song, there are a few questions that I want to briefly address and answer, being that we only sing from the book of Psalms in worship. The first is this: Why was it good and right for the congregation of Israel to sing this song, which is not included in the Psalter? First, Moses was a prophet, and the writing of praise song is tied to the gift or office of prophecy. We see prophetic character in this song itself, and the book of Psalms have a special character of prophecy. Miriam, who sings to the women after this, was also a prophetess. Second, this of course was pre-psalter. Worship and song, by God\u2019s ordaining, underwent development over time. God revealed how He was to be worshiped progressively over time, and there were ways that were right to worship Him at certain times, which ceased at later times. Indeed worship in Heaven is different than we worship now on earth in the New Covenant. Third, this was indeed a special occasion. This was not part of the regular tabernacle or temple worship. It was a special event, you could even say, a national celebration, having just crossed the Red Sea escaping from the army of Pharaoh and witnessing the defeat of Egypt.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><b>Why don\u2019t we sing this song in worship?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Then we might ask, if it was right for them, why don\u2019t we sing this song in worship, especially since it was divinely inspired through the prophet Moses? First, remember the development over time and covenants of God\u2019s ordained means of worship. We are in a different time and covenant. Second, for New Covenant worship, we must look to the New Covenant for how we are to worship in the New Covenant. In the New Testament we are told to sing the Psalms &#8211; Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs referring to the songs of the Psalter. Jesus, after instituting the Lord\u2019s Supper for the New Covenant, goes out and sings a Psalm with His disciples, also instituting the Psalms for New Covenant worship. We are not told to sing this song of Moses. Third, relating to the second point, by God\u2019s providence, this song of Moses is not included in the book of Praises for the perpetual use of the Church. It was God\u2019s wisdom to not put it into the Psalter, so we are to trust Him that He knows what He is doing. So those are just some brief reminders as to how we understand this.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><b>Miriam the Prophetess<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Related to this, we might also have questions pertaining to Miriam\u2019s role as a prophetess. How does this square away with our understanding of the role of women in the church? First, we know that God ordained some women to be a prophetess in the times where there were prophets. This was God\u2019s good will even if we don\u2019t fully understand it. And based upon the New Testament we believe that the office of prophet or prophetess has formally ceased, and we have explicit instruction from Paul in places like 1 Corinthians 14 that women are to remain silent in the churches, not teaching or exercising authority in the church.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We might also ask, why don\u2019t we use tambourines and dancing in worship, as they did here in Exodus 15? First, this was a special occasion of national celebration. It was common in Israel that at times of victory in battle the women would go out dancing with tambourines. Second, looking at the text we see that it was just Miriam and the women, and they went OUT with tambourines and dancing. So they went out of the congregation. Third, again, in New Covenant worship, the New Testament does not instruct us to use tambourines and dancing in worship, so we do not. So those are some brief answers to those things.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">However, I would say that there is a thematic significance as to the role of Miriam and the women on this occasion. This goes back to the gospel theme that the seed of the woman will bruise the head of the serpent in Genesis 3:15. Throughout our time in Exodus thus far, we have traced that theme at various points in the narrative. I believe we see it here as well. Remember, Miriam was Moses\u2019 older sister who watched Moses as he was placed in the basket on the Nile during the time of the persecution of the Hebrew boys. She witnessed Moses\u2019 deliverance from the waters of death, how he was brought up out of the water, while other boys were drowned, and she played a crucial role in seeing Moses delivered from the Nile, escaping the jaws of the serpent who was nipping at his heels. And now here, she stands on dry ground, having witnessed the deliverance of the sons of Israel, and Moses again, from out of the water of the Red Sea, escaping the dragon who now lies dead at the bottom of the sea. And here is a foretaste of that ultimate victory of the seed of the woman over the seed of the serpent. The exultant and joyful tambourines and dancing of the women shows us a type of the fruits of redemption. It shows us in shadows the joyful exulting of the redeemed as the seed of the woman is victorious over the serpent, crushing him underfoot, and delivering His people.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So now let\u2019s consider the song itself. There is an overarching theme in this song, that we also see throughout the Psalms, that would tend to rub modern evangelical sentiment the wrong way. And that is that the LORD is praised, His praises are sung, because His strength and victory are glorious. He is praised for His triumphing and destroying of real historical enemies and people. He is praised for being a man of war. So often in salvation the modern sentiment is simply to think of Jesus as meek and mild, soft and tenderhearted, and things like that. And obviously Jesus was meek, and compassionate, and tenderhearted toward the poor and needy, and humbled himself to the point of death on the cross. So I don\u2019t downplay that at all, and we glory in that, when those are the texts before us. But Jesus is also a lion, a warrior, a man of war, strong, and triumphant, riding a white horse with flames of fire in His eyes and a sword coming out of His mouth. We want to believe in and embrace, praise, and glory in the whole Christ. So victory and strength are glorious things. Jesus wasn\u2019t and isn\u2019t a weakling or a loser. So really, this song just shows us all sorts of different ways that the LORD is strong, and who and what all He is strong and victorious over.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><b>Strength for His People<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The first thing to notice is that God is strong FOR His people. The Christian message is not that God is strong, so you need to get strong like Him, and you need to be strong to be worthy of Him. The message of Christ is that He IS OUR strength. We are weak, we are unable, we are law-breakers, we are sinners, but HE is strong, and Has triumphed for weak sinners, for those who cannot. And through Him He can make us strong, and we are made more than conquerors. Verse 2 is where Moses says, \u201cThe LORD IS my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation\u2026\u201d This is the reality of union with Christ &#8211; all the bad things about us are taken upon Christ in His death, and all the good of Him is ours, for we are united to Him. Thus, His strength is our strength. His victory is our victory.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Imagine Moses leading the people in this song, after what they had just witnessed, the epic and miraculous defeat of the Egyptians in the sea and the Pillar of cloud and fire standing between them, and Moses then sings out, \u201cthis is my God, and I will praise him, this is my father\u2019s God, and I will exalt him. The LORD is a man of war, the LORD is his name.\u201d All the doubting and questioning of the Israelites, should be answered in what they have just seen. And indeed, they did believe at this point, and so they sang. The last verse of chapter 14 says they believed. Psalm 106:12 says they believed His Word and so they sang His praise.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><b>Strength Over Pharaoh<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As they sing in verse 4 and following, they have just witnessed God\u2019s Strength over Pharaoh\u2019s chariots. The chosen officers of Egypt, one of the greatest military powers in the ancient world, were sunk to the bottom of the sea like a stone. The most prideful world leader was utterly humiliated before all the nations. And it was God who did it, and it was glorious, and it is worthy of praise.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><b>Strength Over Creation<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In this defeat of Pharaoh, which was rather easy for God, God displayed His strength over creation, or really His rule over it. It was like a blast out of his nostrils and the waters stood up straight, and then God just blew with his wind and the sea covered the Egyptians up.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We also see in verse 6 that God\u2019s strength is pictured in His right hand. \u201cYour right hand, O LORD, glorious in power, your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy.\u201d Often in Scripture, God\u2019s right hand is representative of the second person of the Trinity. It is the LORD who sits at the right hand of the LORD. The Son sits at the right hand of the Father. So we could say, \u201cYour Christ, O LORD, glorious in power, your Christ, O LORD, shatters the enemy.\u201d This is almost exactly what Christ does in Psalm 2. Psalm 2:9, the Father is speaking to the Son, His Anointed, and says, speaking of the nations, \u201cYou shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter\u2019s vessel.\u201d For those kings, rulers, nations, and peoples who do not fear the Lord, serve Him with rejoicing and trembling, and do not kiss the Son, that is what will happen, His anger will be kindled and they will perish in the way. This is not the Father vs. the Son, the Father and the Son are united, they are one in this. It is the Son who shatters them. Pharaoh learned this the hard way, and he stands in Scripture as an example to all kings and rulers, to fear the Lord and serve Him. If Christ is not your strength, your strength is weakness. It is pride that cometh before the fall. The harder the pot is to crack, the harder it is thrown down, and the more greatly God\u2019s glory and power is displayed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is serious and it is true. And this will be the case for the United States of America if she does not turn in repentance to Jesus Christ. Our governing authorities have by and large set themselves up, quite pridefully, against the One True God, and His Christ. Our governing authorities are in the process of codifying falsely-called same-sex marriage into law, to protect, promote, and privilege it at a federal level. I don\u2019t need to list off all of our other protected iniquities for you to understand that proudly declaring that, in the face of God, means that His wrath is quickly kindled. The Bible says that God opposes the proud. In this song Moses recounts the pride of Pharaoh in verse 9, how he said that he would destroy the people of Israel. Christ does not take lightly threats against His church, that\u2019s His bride, that He died for, that He purchased. Even verse 16 refers to God\u2019s people as a purchased people. Christ is working for that people, His purchased people, whom He leads and has given His steadfast love, as verse 13 says. That\u2019s good news.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It is also good news that, like Israel, God has the strength to deliver His people out of a nation under judgment, for He is working all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. It can be frightening thinking about the severity of the judgment that is coming when we see increased prideful rebellion almost every day. But as Psalm 2 also says, \u201cBlessed are all who take refuge in him.\u201d Christ is our refuge from the wrath of God. That doesn\u2019t mean we won\u2019t suffer in this world when our nation is judged. But it means we have a refuge from the wrath of God. It means that God has the power to deliver His people out of a nation that is being utterly destroyed. He has done it so many times, in many different ways all throughout history. He can do it for us, if and when that time comes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><b>Strength Over gods<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Not only has God shown the glory of His strength over human rulers, but also, verse 11 says, \u201cWho is like you, O LORD, among the gods?\u201d He has displayed His strength over the gods, which I take to be the principalities and powers of darkness, such as fallen angelic beings. And especially in this context, the gods of Egypt, some of which, I believe were fallen angels and principalities. We saw in the plagues of Egypt that the plagues were also judgments on the Egyptian deities, God displaying His power to be far superior to that of the powers of the magicians and priests of Egyptian religion. Verse 11, \u201cWho is like you, majestic in holiness\u2026?\u201d Not these beings, they aren\u2019t majestic in holiness, they were evil. Who is like you, \u201cawesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?\u201d Their deeds were evil, but God\u2019s was awesome in glory and were wonderful. Verse 12 says, \u201cYou stretched out your right hand, the earth swallowed them.\u201d I believe this is judgment upon the principalities and powers. God\u2019s right hand, the angel of the LORD, judged them, defeated them with His strength, and the earth swallowed them up, sentencing them to sheol. This was not only a great defeat of rebellious man, but a judgment upon the principalities that Pharaoh and Egypt sought power from. Not only is man nothing before the strength of God, but spiritual powers of darkness are also brought to nothing before Him.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This too is very good news for us, as Ephesians 6 tells us that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against \u201cthe rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.\u201d And in that fight, Christ is our strength. His Holy Spirit is in us. His Word is the Sword of the Spirit, that is living and active against that realm. And by faith, which is the shield of faith, we extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one. Christ is not only glorious in deeds over such darkness, but in the gospel, He equips His people to be effective fighters against such foes, as Ephesians 6:10 says, \u201cFinally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This most often in our lives doesn\u2019t look like facing off with pagan priests and druids. It looks like every day temptation and spiritual warfare, which we don\u2019t often think of as spiritual warfare, but we ought to. Temptations to lose your temper, temptations to despair of hope, temptations to sexual sin, temptations to covetousness, and such things. If Christ can judge the gods of Egypt, if He can bruise the serpent\u2019s head at the cross, if He can defeat death, then Christ in you can defeat those every day temptations. He has given you all the armor and weaponry you will need. He has given Himself, His Spirit, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace as shoes for your feet, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God, and prayer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><b>Strength Over All Nations, Canaanites, Giants, etc.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Not only has God displayed the right hand of His strength over the gods, but also, in the context of this song, His strength over all the nations Israel was to conquer is guaranteed. Verse 14 and following shows us that the peoples of Canaan have already heard of what God did to Pharaoh and they are already trembling in fear. Pangs have seized them, the chiefs are dismayed, the inhabitants have melted away, terror and dread has fallen upon them because of the greatness of God\u2019s arm, the greatness of Christ. These were also very wicked and powerful nations, who served false gods and demons. These were nations that were filled with giants and great warrior people. If only Israel had remembered and continued to believe this the first time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This wonderfully pictures the future conquering of all the nations with the gospel that we have seen to varying degrees already in the last 2,000 years. Because of Christ\u2019s powerful exodus in His crucifixion, death, resurrection, and ascension, the future conquering of the nations from that point on was as good as done, guaranteed. We just need to believe that and obey the Great commission to wield the sword of the spirit on the nations, with beautiful feet fitted with the gospel of peace, that all peoples would hear and lay down their opposition and welcome to Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of lords. Let us not be like the unbelieving generation who did not believe God would conquer them and so didn\u2019t go.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><b>Strength to Prosper His People<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Finally we see God\u2019s strength to keep and prosper His people. Verse 13, \u201c You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed; you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode.\u201d Verse 17, \u201cYou will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain, the place, O LORD, which you have made for your abode, the sanctuary, O LORD, which your hands have established. The LORD will reign forever and ever.\u201d In these elements we see the prophetic nature of song, from the prophet Moses. God indeed brought the nation of Israel to where He said He would bring them. And God is and will bring all His true Israel to Himself, to dwell with Him in His abode. When you feel like you don\u2019t have the strength to stand, or the power to continue, the will to persevere, remember these precious promises of God, that HE guides His people by HIS strength, and He WILL bring them to Himself, to finish the race, and there is not any power of man, no strength of armies, no schemes of satan, no temptation of man, no sin in you that can keep Christ from bringing to completion that good work which He has begun in you. He is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before Him without any spot or blemish where He will say to you, \u201cwell done, my good and faithful servant.\u201d So having done all to stand firm, stand therefore.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Click HERE for sermon audio Then Moses and the people of Israel\u00a0sang this song to the\u00a0Lord, saying, \u201cI will sing to the\u00a0Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0the horse and his rider[a]\u00a0he has thrown into the sea. 2\u00a0The\u00a0Lord\u00a0is my strength and my\u00a0song, \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0and he has become\u00a0my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":685,"featured_media":5402,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1582],"tags":[245,274,1791,424,1592,461,483,500,557,562,615,664,678,679,699,765,1794,836,934,1792,1795,1593,1536,1107,1161,1163,1172,1235,1321],"class_list":{"0":"post-5401","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sermon","8":"tag-by","9":"tag-christ","10":"tag-cloud","11":"tag-egypt","12":"tag-exclusive","13":"tag-exodus","14":"tag-father","15":"tag-fire","16":"tag-god","17":"tag-gospel","18":"tag-holy","19":"tag-israel","20":"tag-jenkins","21":"tag-jesus","22":"tag-joshua","23":"tag-lord","24":"tag-miriam","25":"tag-moses","26":"tag-pharaoh","27":"tag-pillar","28":"tag-prophetess","29":"tag-psalmody","30":"tag-red","31":"tag-sea","32":"tag-son","33":"tag-song","34":"tag-spirit","35":"tag-the","36":"tag-water","37":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/12\/miriamMed.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5398,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/army-by-the-sea\/","url_meta":{"origin":5401,"position":0},"title":"Army by the Sea","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"November 29, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Click HERE for sermon audio Then the\u00a0Lord\u00a0said to Moses,\u00a02\u00a0\u201cTell the people of Israel to\u00a0turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between\u00a0Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea.\u00a03\u00a0For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, \u2018They are wandering in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sermon&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/11\/220124-Parting-of-the-Red-Sea-Illustration.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/11\/220124-Parting-of-the-Red-Sea-Illustration.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/11\/220124-Parting-of-the-Red-Sea-Illustration.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/11\/220124-Parting-of-the-Red-Sea-Illustration.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6161,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/moses-faith-in-christ\/","url_meta":{"origin":5401,"position":1},"title":"Moses&#8217; Faith in Christ","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"December 11, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Click HERE for sermon audio Introduction In centuries past, the Church hammered out, in creeds and confessions, the essential doctrines of the Christian faith through much debate. Things like the nature of God, the divinity of Christ, and the Trinity. While these are the ancient truths of Scripture that have\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sermon&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/12\/orgkutt0zjfa1-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/12\/orgkutt0zjfa1-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/12\/orgkutt0zjfa1-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/12\/orgkutt0zjfa1-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/12\/orgkutt0zjfa1-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/12\/orgkutt0zjfa1-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6253,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/the-golden-calf\/","url_meta":{"origin":5401,"position":2},"title":"The Golden Calf","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"January 1, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Click HERE for sermon audio When the people saw that Moses\u00a0delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him,\u00a0\u201cUp, make us gods who shall\u00a0go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sermon&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/01\/187974-moses-breaks-the-stone-tablets-on_lg.gif?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/01\/187974-moses-breaks-the-stone-tablets-on_lg.gif?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/01\/187974-moses-breaks-the-stone-tablets-on_lg.gif?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/01\/187974-moses-breaks-the-stone-tablets-on_lg.gif?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6270,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/show-me-your-glory\/","url_meta":{"origin":5401,"position":3},"title":"Show Me Your Glory","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"January 29, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Click HERE for sermon audio Moses said, \u201cPlease\u00a0show me your glory.\u201d\u00a019\u00a0And he said,\u00a0\u201cI will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name \u2018The\u00a0Lord.\u2019 And\u00a0I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.\u00a020\u00a0But,\u201d he\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sermon&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/01\/img_6736.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/01\/img_6736.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/01\/img_6736.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/01\/img_6736.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/01\/img_6736.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6319,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/the-cloud-descends\/","url_meta":{"origin":5401,"position":4},"title":"The Cloud Descends","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"February 26, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Click HERE for sermon audio \u00a0The\u00a0Lord\u00a0spoke to Moses, saying,\u00a02\u00a0\u201cOn the\u00a0first day of the first month you shall\u00a0erect the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.\u00a03\u00a0And you shall put in it the ark of the testimony, and you shall\u00a0screen the ark with the veil.\u00a04\u00a0And\u00a0you shall bring in the table and arrange it,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sermon&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/02\/the-tent-of-meeting.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/02\/the-tent-of-meeting.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/02\/the-tent-of-meeting.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5487,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/a-holy-nation\/","url_meta":{"origin":5401,"position":5},"title":"A Holy Nation","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"January 30, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Click HERE for sermon audio On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they\u00a0came into the wilderness of Sinai.\u00a02\u00a0They set out from\u00a0Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness. There Israel\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sermon&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/685"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5401"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5401\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5402"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}