Exodus 15:1-21
Israel had just seen Egypt lose it’s economic power, through a series of plagues. Then they had seen all the firstborn killed while their own were spared. Seven days later, after being trapped, or so they thought at the Red Sea, they saw the entire Egyptian army drown, freeing them from further need to flee for safety. They had reason for rejoicing and began singing praises to God.. Hebrews 13:15 commands us to constantly praise God. “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” Notice that the author defines praise as giving thanks. Several years ago I heard a song whose only words were “Praise Him“, repeated in different pitches and ways. Essentially it was as meaningless as just saying thank you, thank you, thank you repeatedly without explaining what was appreciated. The Israelites were quite specific and detailed in explaining what God had done and why they are giving thanks.
“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. The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him. The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name. Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea. The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone. Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.
And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble. And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them. Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters.
Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them. Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation.” (Exodus 15:1-13)
The first part of the song is devoted to what God had done for them. It goes into considerable detail showing how what had been accomplished was God’s doing rather than their efforts and thanking him for what he had done.
"The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina. Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away. Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O LORD, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased.” (Exodus 15:14-16)
The second part of the song focused on the effect God’s actions would have on those around, and especially their relatives. Esau’s descendants, the Edomites, would see the power of God on their behalf. The Moabites, Lot’s descendants, would realize what they had given up by putting getting rich before God. The Canaanites, who had deliberately gone into wickedness would be terrified by the potential consequences. They were thanking God that unbelievers would see and understand about God because of what he had done for Israel. Israel would no longer be viewed as dumb for having trusted God instead of trying to build their own Empire and reputation.
“Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established. The LORD shall reign for ever and ever. For the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought again the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea.” (Exodus 15:17-19)
The final part of the song focused on the promises that God had made to them and the assurance they received from What he had done. They could be thankful that he was making what he had promised come to pass. Even the greatest world power of their day could not prevent God accomplishing what he had promised.
“And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.” (Exodus 15:20-21)
Moses’ older sister led the women to sing and dance in rejoicing as well. Later, when her focus changed to making people know who she was, she would be stricken with leprosy, but at this time there is no indication God was displeased. The heart attitude and motivation is often more important than the actual actions as to whether God will be pleased, but the attitude will definitely affect the actions. While some would condemn all dancing, God did not, implying we shouldn‘t either. At the same time, a proper attitude will affect both the kind of dancing one does and how one performs it.
Over the years I have observed a number of ceremonial dances by various tribes. Some were to give thanks for success in hunting or victory over their enemies, some were to incite people to war, some were purely for entertainment, and others were geared to produce sexual response. Even in the dances intended to show appreciation, a considerable difference could be detected between dancers. Some were focused on giving thanks, while others were focused on impressing people with their dancing ability. In most modern Indian dance competitions, or “Powwows”, the focus is on impressive dancing rather than on giving thanks, and the meaning is lost. This same tendency is prevalent among churches today, to focus on eloquent messages or musical ability, rather than the motivation and attitude producing it. The most beautiful singing or sermon or the most religious activity may not be pleasing to God. As Jesus said of the Pharisees, it may just be to impress people. We need to regularly reassess our motivation to keep from falling into the same trap Miriam later fell into.
Israel had just seen Egypt lose it’s economic power, through a series of plagues. Then they had seen all the firstborn killed while their own were spared. Seven days later, after being trapped, or so they thought at the Red Sea, they saw the entire Egyptian army drown, freeing them from further need to flee for safety. They had reason for rejoicing and began singing praises to God.. Hebrews 13:15 commands us to constantly praise God. “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” Notice that the author defines praise as giving thanks. Several years ago I heard a song whose only words were “Praise Him“, repeated in different pitches and ways. Essentially it was as meaningless as just saying thank you, thank you, thank you repeatedly without explaining what was appreciated. The Israelites were quite specific and detailed in explaining what God had done and why they are giving thanks.
“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. The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him. The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name. Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea. The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone. Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.
And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble. And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them. Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters.
Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them. Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation.” (Exodus 15:1-13)
The first part of the song is devoted to what God had done for them. It goes into considerable detail showing how what had been accomplished was God’s doing rather than their efforts and thanking him for what he had done.
"The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina. Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away. Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O LORD, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased.” (Exodus 15:14-16)
The second part of the song focused on the effect God’s actions would have on those around, and especially their relatives. Esau’s descendants, the Edomites, would see the power of God on their behalf. The Moabites, Lot’s descendants, would realize what they had given up by putting getting rich before God. The Canaanites, who had deliberately gone into wickedness would be terrified by the potential consequences. They were thanking God that unbelievers would see and understand about God because of what he had done for Israel. Israel would no longer be viewed as dumb for having trusted God instead of trying to build their own Empire and reputation.
“Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established. The LORD shall reign for ever and ever. For the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought again the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea.” (Exodus 15:17-19)
The final part of the song focused on the promises that God had made to them and the assurance they received from What he had done. They could be thankful that he was making what he had promised come to pass. Even the greatest world power of their day could not prevent God accomplishing what he had promised.
“And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.” (Exodus 15:20-21)
Moses’ older sister led the women to sing and dance in rejoicing as well. Later, when her focus changed to making people know who she was, she would be stricken with leprosy, but at this time there is no indication God was displeased. The heart attitude and motivation is often more important than the actual actions as to whether God will be pleased, but the attitude will definitely affect the actions. While some would condemn all dancing, God did not, implying we shouldn‘t either. At the same time, a proper attitude will affect both the kind of dancing one does and how one performs it.
Over the years I have observed a number of ceremonial dances by various tribes. Some were to give thanks for success in hunting or victory over their enemies, some were to incite people to war, some were purely for entertainment, and others were geared to produce sexual response. Even in the dances intended to show appreciation, a considerable difference could be detected between dancers. Some were focused on giving thanks, while others were focused on impressing people with their dancing ability. In most modern Indian dance competitions, or “Powwows”, the focus is on impressive dancing rather than on giving thanks, and the meaning is lost. This same tendency is prevalent among churches today, to focus on eloquent messages or musical ability, rather than the motivation and attitude producing it. The most beautiful singing or sermon or the most religious activity may not be pleasing to God. As Jesus said of the Pharisees, it may just be to impress people. We need to regularly reassess our motivation to keep from falling into the same trap Miriam later fell into.
Thanks for showing that "praising" and "thanking" God is one and the same thing. This has been a revelation to me.
ReplyDeleteSorry for an unrelated comment, but I appreciate your insights.
ReplyDeleteSuppose for the sake of argument that I came to you searching diligently for signs and wonders, especially the gift of healing and was part of a church whose ministry centered around seeking such gifts.
Suppose also that this desire for such gifts was becoming an obstacle to true gift of healing: being able to preach the gospel with clarity and spiritual power.
How would you counsel me from Scripture?
Ian, I would start with I Corinthians 12 and go through chapter 14. It is exactly the subject Paul was addressing with these chapters.
DeleteAs Paul points out, the gifts are not for the individuals glory, but for the benefit of the whole church, and as chapter 13 makes clear, they are worthless if used improperly. Chapter 14 then gives specific guidelines for using those gifts, and anyone who refuses to acknowledge these guidelines is to be regarded as lacking spiritual understanding. Truly spiritual people will recognize these guidelines as being from God.