Exodus 15
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
The Song of Moses
15 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:
“I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.
2 The Lord is my strength and my might,[a]
and he has become my salvation;
this is my God, and I will praise him,
my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
3 The Lord is a warrior;
the Lord is his name.
horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.
2 The Lord is my strength and my might,[a]
and he has become my salvation;
this is my God, and I will praise him,
my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
3 The Lord is a warrior;
the Lord is his name.
4 “Pharaoh’s chariots and his army he cast into the sea;
his picked officers were sunk in the Red Sea.[b]
5 The floods covered them;
they went down into the depths like a stone.
6 Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power—
your right hand, O Lord, shattered the enemy.
7 In the greatness of your majesty you overthrew your adversaries;
you sent out your fury, it consumed them like stubble.
8 At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up,
the floods stood up in a heap;
the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.
9 The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake,
I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them.
I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.’
10 You blew with your wind, the sea covered them;
they sank like lead in the mighty waters.
his picked officers were sunk in the Red Sea.[b]
5 The floods covered them;
they went down into the depths like a stone.
6 Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power—
your right hand, O Lord, shattered the enemy.
7 In the greatness of your majesty you overthrew your adversaries;
you sent out your fury, it consumed them like stubble.
8 At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up,
the floods stood up in a heap;
the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.
9 The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake,
I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them.
I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.’
10 You blew with your wind, the sea covered them;
they sank like lead in the mighty waters.
11 “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?
Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
awesome in splendor, doing wonders?
12 You stretched out your right hand,
the earth swallowed them.
Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
awesome in splendor, doing wonders?
12 You stretched out your right hand,
the earth swallowed them.
13 “In your steadfast love you led the people whom you redeemed;
you guided them by your strength to your holy abode.
14 The peoples heard, they trembled;
pangs seized the inhabitants of Philistia.
15 Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed;
trembling seized the leaders of Moab;
all the inhabitants of Canaan melted away.
16 Terror and dread fell upon them;
by the might of your arm, they became still as a stone
until your people, O Lord, passed by,
until the people whom you acquired passed by.
17 You brought them in and planted them on the mountain of your own possession,
the place, O Lord, that you made your abode,
the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hands have established.
18 The Lord will reign forever and ever.”
you guided them by your strength to your holy abode.
14 The peoples heard, they trembled;
pangs seized the inhabitants of Philistia.
15 Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed;
trembling seized the leaders of Moab;
all the inhabitants of Canaan melted away.
16 Terror and dread fell upon them;
by the might of your arm, they became still as a stone
until your people, O Lord, passed by,
until the people whom you acquired passed by.
17 You brought them in and planted them on the mountain of your own possession,
the place, O Lord, that you made your abode,
the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hands have established.
18 The Lord will reign forever and ever.”
19 When the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his chariot drivers went into the sea, the Lordbrought back the waters of the sea upon them; but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground.
The Song of Miriam
20 Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dancing. 21 And Miriam sang to them:
“Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.”
horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.”
Bitter Water Made Sweet
22 Then Moses ordered Israel to set out from the Red Sea,[c] and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter. That is why it was called Marah.[d] 24 And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 He cried out to the Lord; and the Lordshowed him a piece of wood;[e] he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.
There the Lord[f] made for them a statute and an ordinance and there he put them to the test. 26 He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in his sight, and give heed to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.”
27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees; and they camped there by the water.
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And so we begin the rollercoaster. On the one hand the people of Israel are making songs and celebrating God's power and deliverance. On the other hand the people of Israel are complaining against Moses and God for bringing them to bitter water. There will be rejoicing, rejection, faithfulness, bravery, cowardice and depravity. At the heart of the rollercoaster, I believe, is the belief by the people that this journey is supposed to be easy.
God is Lord over all things. The Israelites just witnessed this. They saw the plagues. They saw the parting of the Red Sea and the destruction of Pharaoh's army. They know the power that they follow. Surely with that power on your side, all obstacles will melt away. When they come to Marah, the people are bitterly surprised. Is this a joke? Did this God of awesome power forget about them or deliver them only to do them harm? The shock of lacking such a basic human need drives them to anger and complaining quickly.
Sometimes, many times, following the faithful path does not make the journey easier. It costs. It costs money. It costs time. It costs prestige. It costs heartache. Why? Why would God not use His power to make life easier and more fun for his followers? I am pretty sure that if following Him meant no more trouble, more people...billions more people would sign up.
I get it. I am continually stressed out over my family's money struggles. I have been raising funds for nearly 15 years and every month I wonder if this is the time it will not work, that God will not come through, if I made the right decision to go into ministry when I could be making double, triple or more in a secular job. Isn't it supposed to be easier than this?
No. For a couple of reasons
- Struggle reveal who we are, who we were made to be and where we need healing. God says right up there to the Israelites: "I am the Lord who heals you."
- God desires children, not groupies. Worship centered around God's blessings is a business transaction: You give me good stuff, I give you good stuff. Worship centered around God's goodness is relationship: hearts growing closer together out of mutual love.
- This life is not the endgame. God seems more interested in us suffering some in this life in order to build the character and relationships that will see us into joyful eternity as opposed to sailing through this life unscathed yet losing our connection to the Giver of Life and spending eternity in despair.
- The incarnation. Jesus gave up immeasurable riches in order to bless those who were sick, lost and poor. I believe we are called to do the same.
I still struggle when money is tight, especially when I have to say no to those I love. But it helps to remember that this is not supposed to be easy.
Not easy...but infinitely good.
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