The LORD is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.” –Exodus 15:2

There is no record of the Israelites praising God when enslaved in Egypt. Their journey out consisted mostly of complaints. But now with their freedom secured and their enemies drowned, the Israelites burst into an epic praise song led by Moses.

Some say this is the oldest recorded song in the world. Miriam, Moses and Aaron’s sister, (also called “prophetess”), leads a special choir of Jewish women with tambourines and dancing as she repeats the first words of the song.

You may read Exodus 15:1-21 here: Bible Gateway.

The following four stanzas make up this praise hymn.

1) God’s victory announced (vv. 1-5). Pharaoh had ordered the Jewish boy babies to be drowned, but now God gives him what he dished out. I imagine the Jews sang from their hearts: “I will sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea . . . . The deep waters have covered them; they sank to the depths like a stone. . . . They sank like lead in the mighty waters . . . . In the greatness of your majesty you threw down those who opposed you. You unleashed your burning anger; it consumes them like stubble.”

 Verse 3 might take some by surprise: “The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is his name.” Interestingly, one of God’s names is “Jehovah-Sabaoth,” which means “Lord of hosts, Lord of armies.” Throughout the Old Testament, this title is referenced 285 times.

Warren Wiersbe (Be Delivered) writes: “If there is in this world an enemy like Satan, and if sin and evil are hateful to God, then He must wage war against them. ‘The LORD will march out like a might man; like a warrior he will stir up zeal; with a shout he will raise the battle cry and will triumph over his enemies’ (Isa. 42:13). Jesus Christ is both the Lamb who died for our sins and the Lion who judges sin (Rev. 5:5-6), and one day He will ride forth to conquer His enemies (19:11). To emphasize only ‘God is love’ (1 John 4:8, 16) and eliminate ‘God is light’ (1 John 1:5) is to rob God of His attributes of righteousness, holiness, and justice.”

2) God’s weapons are described (vv. 6-10). Although God doesn’t fight with conventional weapons, Moses uses human characteristics to describe God’s divine attributes: “Your right hand was majestic in power. . . . By the blast of your nostrils the water piled up. . . . You blew with your breath, O LORD, and the sea covered them.”

3) God’s character is exalted (vv. 11-16a). If any doubt of God’s power lingered in the Jews’ minds after the 10 plagues, His mighty deliverance left no room for disbelief. In this victorious moment they sang: “Who among the gods is like you, O LORD? Who is like you—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?” Of course by now they knew the answer—no one!

This stanza continues to praise God for His power, His mercy of deliverance, His wise guidance, and His awesomeness in bringing fear into their enemies’ hearts. The Israelites anticipated this news of God’s deliverance would travel quickly, sparking fear in opposing peoples as they march toward the Promised Land.

4) God’s promises are fulfilled (vv 16b-18). This stanza reiterates that God purchased Israel and they are His people (Ps. 44:2; 80:8, 15; Isa. 5). It also looks forward to Israel’s conquest of Canaan. God would dwell with His people in glory when He places His sanctuary among them. The climax of this song points out that God is sovereign and eternal.

Unfortunately there’s more to this story. As the Israelites enter the wilderness “they soon forgot what He had done and did not wait for His counsel”, (Ps. 106:13).

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So you won’t find Moses and Miriam in the following music video, but perhaps their descendants. 🙂 Presenting “Praise to Our God 5 Concert” – Lechu Nerannena LeAdonai (Let us sing to the Lord) from the Messianic Jewish Alliance of Israel.