Exodus 15:1 - Meaning and Application

After reading how Israel won this complete victory over the Egyptians, we are now told how they celebrated it. Those who were told to keep still while deliverance was unfolding (Exodus 14:14) must not stay silent now that it was finished. The less they had to do then, the more they had to do now. When God brings deliverance by his own power alone, it brings even more glory to him.

Moses, no doubt under divine inspiration, composed this song and gave it to the Israelites to sing before they left the place where they had seen the Egyptians dead on the shore. They showed their joy in God and their thankfulness to him by singing. This is almost a natural way for us to express joy and the gladness of our hearts. This also shows that singing psalms as an act of worship was used in Christ’s church before the ceremonial law was given, so it was not part of that law and was not ended with it. Singing is as much the language of holy joy as prayer is the language of holy desire.

Moses, who had led them through the sea, also led them in the song and composed it for them. Those who take an active part in public service should not be silent in public praise. They sang while the mercy was still fresh and their hearts were deeply moved by it. When we receive special mercy from God, we should quickly give him praise before time and our own forgetfulness erase the good effect it has made on us. David sang his victorious song on the day the Lord delivered him (2 Samuel 22:1). He gives twice who gives quickly.

They also sang because they believed the Lord (Exodus 14:31). This was a song of faith, as Psalm 106:12 says: then they believed his words, they sang his praise. When the heart believes, praise should follow.

This is the song itself. It is an ancient song, the oldest one we know. It is also a wonderfully made song, with a lofty and grand style, vivid and fitting pictures, and a force that stirs the heart. It is a holy song, set apart for God’s honor, meant to lift up his name and celebrate his praise alone, not to glorify any man. In it, holiness to the Lord is written all through. They made melody to him in singing it. It is also a prophetic song. The later triumphs of the gospel church over its enemies are joined with the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb, and both are said to be sung by a sea of glass, as this song was sung by the Red Sea (Revelation 15:2, Revelation 15:3).

Moses mainly aims to glorify God and rejoice in him. That is his first purpose here: “I will sing to the Lord” (Exodus 15:1). All our joy should end in God, and all our praise should be offered to him, the Father of lights and Father of mercies, because he has triumphed. All who love God rejoice in his triumphs. What brings him honor should also bring us joy.

Israel rejoiced in God as their own God, and therefore their strength, their song, and their salvation (Exodus 15:2). Happy are the people whose God is the Lord. They need nothing more to make them truly happy. They have work to do, temptations to face, sufferings to bear, and weakness in themselves, but he strengthens them. His grace is their strength. They are often sorrowful for many reasons, but in him they have comfort, for he is their song. Sin, death, and hell threaten them, but he is and will be their salvation. See Isaiah 12:2.

They also rejoiced in him as their fathers’ God. They mention this because they knew their own unworthiness and their many sins. They had good reason to think that what God had done for them was for their fathers’ sake as well (Deuteronomy 4:37). The children of the covenant should take comfort from their fathers’ relation to God as their God, and they should also use it as a warning and an encouragement.

They rejoice in him as a God of infinite power. “The Lord is a man of war” (Exodus 15:3), meaning that he is fully able to deal with all who fight against their Maker, and he will certainly be stronger than they are. He is also a God of unmatched and unequaled perfection (Exodus 15:11). First, this is said in a general way: “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?” This is pure praise and humble worship. It is also a challenge to every other so-called god to compare with him. Let them come forward and try their best, none of them can match him. Egypt was known for its many gods, but the God of the Hebrews proved too strong for them all (Numbers 33:4; Deuteronomy 32:23-39). The rulers and powers of this world are sometimes called gods, but they are weak and mortal. None of them can compare with the Lord, the almighty and eternal God.

This is also a confession of his endless perfection, far above all others and beyond comparison. God is to be worshiped and praised as one who is so perfect that there is none like him and none who can be compared with him, one who must have the highest place in everything (Psalm 89:6). Second, this is said in a more particular way. He is glorious in holiness, and his holiness is his glory. This is the attribute the angels praise (Isaiah 6:3). His holiness showed itself in Pharaoh’s destruction, in his hatred of sin, and in his anger against stubborn sinners. It also showed itself in Israel’s rescue, in his delight in his holy people, and in his faithfulness to his promise. God is rich in mercy, which is his treasure, and glorious in holiness, which is his honor. Let us always give thanks when we remember his holiness.

He is also fearful in praises. What gives his servants joy is terrible and frightening to his enemies (Psalm 66:1-3). Or this may guide us in the way we praise him. We should praise him with humble, holy awe, and serve the Lord with fear. Even our spiritual joy and victory should be balanced by reverent fear. He does wonders, works that are beyond human power and beyond the ordinary course of nature. They are especially wonderful to us, because they are done for our good and because we are so undeserving that we had little reason to expect them. They are works of power and works of grace, and God should be humbly adored in both.

The song also describes the deliverance they were celebrating, because it was meant not only to show their thankfulness for the moment, but to keep this great work in memory for later generations. Two things are to be noticed. First, the enemy was destroyed, and the waters were divided (Exodus 15:8). The floods stood upright like a heap. Pharaoh and all his army were buried in the waters. The horse and rider could not escape (Exodus 15:1), and the chariots and chosen captains were swallowed too (Exodus 15:4). They went into the sea themselves, and they were overwhelmed (Exodus 15:19).

The sea covered the Egyptians, and the proud waters went over those proud sinners. They sank like a stone, and like lead, under the weight of their own guilt and God’s wrath (Exodus 15:5, Exodus 15:10). Their sin had made them hard like stone, and now they justly sank like stone. Even the earth swallowed them up (Exodus 15:12). Their dead bodies sank into the sand where they were washed ashore, and the sand seemed to pull them down.

Those whom the Creator opposes find all creation against them. This was the Lord’s work alone. It was an act of his power: “Your right hand, O Lord,” not ours, “dashed the enemy to pieces” (Exodus 15:6). It was done by “the blast of your nostrils” (Exodus 15:8), by “your wind” (Exodus 15:10), and by the stretching out of “your right hand” (Exodus 15:12). It showed his great power, “the greatness of your majesty,” and it also showed his justice, because “you sent out your wrath” (Exodus 15:7).

This destruction of the Egyptians stood out even more because of their pride and arrogance, and their false confidence of success: “The enemy said, I will pursue” (Exodus 15:9). They were full of confidence. When they pursued, they did not doubt they would catch up. When they caught up, they did not doubt they would win and divide the spoil. People are often most full of hope just when they are standing at the edge of ruin, and that makes their fall even worse (Isaiah 37:24, Isaiah 37:25).

They were also very cruel. Their only aim was killing, slaying, and destroying, and nothing but blood would satisfy them. That kind of hatred is savage, and so is the hatred shown toward the church. Its enemies are bloody men. This is mentioned here to show two things. First, God opposes the proud and delights to humble those who lift themselves up. Whoever says, “I will do this, whether God wills it or not,” will learn that when he acts proudly, God stands above him. Second, those who thirst for blood will get enough of it. Those who love destruction will be destroyed, for we know the Lord has said, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.”

Then the psalm turns to Israel’s protection and guidance (Exodus 15:13). “You in your mercy have led forth the people,” led them out of Egypt’s bondage, and led them through the dangers of the Red Sea (Exodus 15:19). But the children of Israel walked on dry ground. The ruin of the wicked helps show the salvation of Israel more clearly, and makes it shine more brightly (Isaiah 45:13-15).

The singer then uses this great act of God to stir up praise. Because God has preserved them and made a safe place for them, they resolve to spare no cost or effort in building a tabernacle, a sacred tent, for his honor. There they will exalt him and speak of the honor he gained over Pharaoh. God has now exalted them, making them great, and so they will exalt him by speaking of his endless greatness. We should always try to exalt God by praising him and serving his purposes, and it is a real honor to be used that way.

This deliverance also encourages trust in God. The psalmist is so sure of the happy end of this salvation, already begun in such a glorious way, that he speaks of it as finished: “You have guided them to your holy dwelling” (Exodus 15:13). He means, “You have put them on the way to it, and in due time you will bring them there,” because God’s work is perfect. Or he means, “You have guided them so they may attend your holy dwelling in heaven with their praise.” Those whom God guides in this life he will bring to his holy dwelling, first in faith and then in full enjoyment.

This great deliverance encouraged them in two ways. First, it showed God’s power in a way that would frighten their enemies and break their courage (Exodus 15:14-16). Just hearing of the Egyptians’ defeat would be enough to shake the other nations. Their spirits would sink, and that would weaken their strength and their plans. The Philistines, Moabites, Edomites, and Canaanites, the nations Israel would later face, would be alarmed and lose heart. They would conclude it was useless to fight against Israel when such a mighty God fought for them. That is exactly what happened. The Edomites feared them (Deuteronomy 2:4), the Moabites feared them (Numbers 22:3), and the Canaanites feared them too (Joshua 2:9-10, Joshua 5:1). God sent his fear ahead of them (Exodus 23:27) and crushed the spirit of princes.

Second, this was only the beginning of God’s favor, and so it gave them a pledge of his full kindness. “You will bring them in” (Exodus 15:17). If he has brought them out of Egypt, despite their unworthiness and the hardships in the way, then he will surely bring them into Canaan. Has he begun this work, and will he not finish it? Our experience of God’s power and favor should strengthen our hope. It is good reasoning to say, “You have done it, so you can do it, and we trust that you will.”

He will plant them in the place he made for himself to dwell in. It is a good thing to live where God lives, in his church on earth (Psalm 27:4), and in his church in heaven (John 17:24). Where he says, “This is my resting place forever,” we should say, “Let it be ours.”

The final ground of their encouragement is this: “The Lord will reign forever and ever” (Exodus 15:18). They had seen the end of Pharaoh’s rule, but time itself will never end the rule of the Lord. His reign is eternal, like himself, and does not change. This is the great comfort of all God’s faithful people, not only that he rules everywhere with complete authority, but that he will reign forever, with no end to his dominion.

The chapter then describes the formal singing of this song (Exodus 15:20-21). Miriam, also called Mary, led the women in an assembly. According to the custom of the time, they showed joy with tambourines and dancing. Moses led the psalm and gave it out for the men, and then Miriam did the same for the women. Famous victories were often celebrated by the daughters of Israel (1 Samuel 18:6-7), and so was this one. When God brought Israel out of Egypt, it is said that he sent before them Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, though we read of nothing else memorable that Miriam did except this.

Still, people should be counted as great blessings to a nation if they help it and lead it in praising God.