Songs of Thanks

Big Idea

Tension: Why do Moses and Miriam praise God?

Resolution: Because in his fighting for Israel he has revealed both his holiness and his love.

Exegetical Idea: Moses and Miriam praise God because in his fighting for Israel he has revealed both his holiness and his love.

Theological Idea: God’s people should praise him because when he saves them, he reveals both his holiness and love.

Homiletical Idea: We should praise Christ because he has conquered through his holiness and love on the cross.

Big Idea: We should praise Christ, because he has given us every grace through his fierce and his love redemptive love.

Intro:

We have all just done something that worldly speaking, is very strange. And if you’re a believer, you probably didn’t notice it. if you’re an unbeliever, and we’re so glad you’re here, but there is nothing that could be more distinct to you. And that something is that we have “sung”. We sang to the Lord. Now that is very strange, because there are very few places in the world where you can go where you sing with other people. Now, don’t get me wrong. In our society, we probably have more music than we could imagine. we have music in elevators. We have music in the radio. We have music in our phones, in our commercials, in our mmovies, on our websites. We are a music-saturated society. But when was the last time you sat with other people and you actually sang with them about something else? You say, “Well, I sang to myself this morning.” Good for you. Was it by yourself? So you were really singing to yourself? Got it. You see, we like to take music in. But we don’t like to send music out. We are a music-saturated society, but we are in a singing-starved time.

But as Christians, we take a stand against this. Because, when we comprehend everything that God has done for us, we can’t help but sing! Because it wells up in our souls, and we push it out of our lungs in praise of God. ANd the Scripture that we ahve before us today is all about hte kind of singing that Moses did. And as we will see, it is all about the singing that we will do as well.

My Warrior God (1-3)

Sing: Now, we have the very first words of the song saying Moses saying, “I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously, the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.” Now, I want to point something out about that verse, but before I do, look down to vs. 19-21. So we see that after Moses sang this, Miriam got up and led the Israelites in singing this. It was a “singing” and “response.” Moses sang, and the people sang. Moses led by example and they responded in praise. So, this not just something that Moses does, but it is somethign that all of GOd’s people do. Secondly, look at that little three letter word in teh middle of the verse here. It is “for”. Now, when we come across little words like that, we need to ask, “What does that mean?” And it is basically saying, “for or because.” So Moses in this song is telling us why he praises. So why does Moses think it is important for not only him to praise God, but also for all of Israel to join him in praise. Well, we see two ideas in this passage that we have already seen throughout the book of Exodus.

The Might of God: First, we see that he is mighty. Look at all the words in these first three verses used to describe God’s might. Look it says that “he has triumphed gloriously.” it says that “the horse and the rider he has thrown into the sea.” Now, in the Bible the idea of the horse being thrown into the sea is often used to describe someone who is proud and obstinate. So God overcomes the proud and the strong and the mighty. Look at the Psalmist he says, “The Lord is my strength.” He is a “man of war.” He is a mighty soldier, renowned in his ability, famous for his mighty fighting power. Notice how in these first three verses, we see that God is called “the LORD” four different times. Remember, that this word, “Yahweh,” simply means, “He is.” So he just is. He never has not been. He is. He doesn’t come from anything. He exists in himself. ANd he will never stop. He is holy and transcendent and mighty and strong. He is big and powerful and above and beyond us. He is not like us.

He is My God: But notice here, also all the relational language. Look he says, He is my strength,” he says, He is my song. He says “He has become my salvation.” HE says, “This is my God.” He says I will praise him because has been faithful to my Father. The name “the LORD” is not only God’s name that tells us he is self-existent and mighty and glorious and powerful, it is also the name that he gives his people when he establishes his covenant. When he binds himself to his people. So God is not only transcendent, he is also immanent. He is not only holy, he is also loving. He is not only strong, he is also saving. he is not only mighty, he is also merciful. He is nto only faithful, he is also forgiving. Here we see in these first three verses that Moses juxtaposes the Great and the Glorious Nature of God’s mighty power and his merciful works for his people.

BIG IDEA: The Gospel: We should praise Christ, because he has given us every grace through his fierce and his love redemptive love. Now, what we’re going to see

Applications:

Congregational Worship: So, as we’re talking, I think we can really fast just pause here, and say, “Well wait a minute, that’s how we worship.” Did you realize this? That Moses here is leading the people in Worship, Miriam is leading the people in worship. When you and I sing, we are singing. A couple of decades ago, there was a, I think with some good intentions, a movement in the Church called “Seeker-Sensitive Worship.” And one of the tenets of this was to make worship feel comfortable for people, so that the worship service became more about people’s tastes. So the inadvertent and unintentional result of that was that the congregation became the audience, and the leaders became performers. Now, in our church we sing a couple of different styles from different traditions, but if you came here thinking that we are trying to cater to you, if you came here thinking that this is really to tickle your ears and make you happy, if you came here thinking that you are the audience of our worship service, let me lovingly disabuse you of that. No, just like Israel did, we have worship leaders in our church. But they’re just that. They’re our leaders. They lead us in worship. We’re not hte audience. We are the participants. We are all together, one great big choir singing praise to God. Our praise team does a great job leading us in worship. But they’re not the performers and we’re not the audience. So let me just ask you this? Are you doing your job? Do you come to church to listen or to sing? Do you come to hear or to be heard? Dear friend, if you come to church and stand there while everyone else sings like the frozen chosen, you are missing out on worshipping God. And I want to invite you this morning: sing. Stop being silent. YOu’re missing out on what God has for you. Worship God. Lift up your voice. You say, “Well I don’t sing well.” So I say, “Well do you think you’re getting any better by not singing?”

God-Centered Worship: Secondly, what we see throughout the song is how this song is incredibly God-centered. Now, about thirty years or so ago there was this movement tearing through American Christianity and splitting churches about contemporary vs. traditional styles of music. Now, there are pros and cons to both kind of music, so we’re not taking a pick between styles. We just sang a song that is considered contemporary and we will continue to sing songs that are contemporary. But one of the deficits behind contemporary music, and why we’re very careful with the kinds of contemporary songs that we pick out here is that a lot of contemporary music that is written is all about “i” and “me” and often has very little, if any, reference to God or to Christ. What is kind of interesting is that the cultures around Israel at this time would make great songs of commemoration after a great victory that have some similarities to this song. but the big difference between this song and those is that those are all about man and this is all about God. So, by that measure, how many modern worship songs are more pagan than Christian? You see, the Bible teaches God-centered worship. You see, there are a lot of songs that are filled with “I language” but have very little “God language.” So let me tell you, when we plan our worship services here at Southern Heights, the most important thing that we look to see in our worship services is is God the center. The songs that we sing, we are basically looking to see: is God the center. We’re okay with a little bit of “I” language. But the focus of the song has to be on Christ.

The gospel: Now, what we see here in these first three verses is that the big expression of both God’s holiness and his love occurs in saving his people. After all, isn’t this the point of verse 2. WHere the Psalmist says, “God is my strenght and my song” so he is both mighty and powerful and he is “my salvation.” You see, the best worship is about how God has saved his people. And so, we try to every worship service tell the story of the gospel in our worship. We start with songs that sing of God’s greatness and his power. Then we have a time of confession. then, we move to a reflection on the death of Christ and the forgiveness of sins in communion. Then, we hear God’s Word in the sermon, and finally, we look forward to the end time and God’s salvation in our song of response. ALl of this is meant to be a retelling of the gospel story where we thank God for everything he has done and everything he has accomplished.

BIG IDEA: The Gospel: We should praise Christ, because he has given us every grace through his fierce and his redemptive love. Now, what we’re going to see is that this song that Moses praises God for, is an unfolding of his saving grace. And Moses praises God because all of who he is goes to work to give Moses and Israel every grace. And what we’re going to see is that these unfolding graces parallel the experience that we Christians have. So in the same way that Moses would praise God for, so we should praise Christbecause he has given us every grace through his fierce holiness and his redemptive love

1. The Red Sea Crossing (4-10): God’s Foolish Grace

The power of God over the Sea: Now, in these 6 verses we see Moses retell with graphic imagery God’s power and might over the sea. We see the Psalmist say that he has “cast them” into the sea and how they “sunk in the sea.” Look Lord is “glorious in power” and his “right hand shatters the enemy”. It says in vs. 7 that the “greatness of your majesty you overthrow your adversaries” it says he “sends out his own fury; it consumes them like stubble”. So establishing the great might and power of God he says, “At the blast of you nostrils the water piled up, the floods stood up in a heap, the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.” So at the blast of nostril stacks up these waters, we see here God’s great power and might over the oceans and seas to establish his power and his way.

God takes our enemies on his own: So maybe you say, “okay, well here we see that God has shown his power, but where is his love?” So that is true. So here is God’s love: that he loves us so much and is so loyal to us that our enemies become his enemies. So God takes on our enemies.

The trap God sets: Now, here is the thing about God’s power. He shows it on his own terms and in his own ways. Notice here, how he humbles the pride of the Egyptians. How in vs. 9 the enemy says, “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.” So the egyptians rush in, and then what happens? “You blew wiht your wind, the sea covered them, they sank like lead inthe mighty waters.” God set a trap for his adversaries, and he conqueres and destroys.

The trap of God’s foolishness: We see that in the New Testament, God sets a similar trap. He displays his might and his power, and his glory in a way that totally shames the enemy. You see in God says… You see, Christ “crucified” is a stumbling block to the Jews and folly to the Gentiles. The Jews want a sign and the Greeks want wisdom. But the cross is God’s strength in weakness and God’s wisdom in folly. The trap of God’s ways causes us to humble ourselves to come to you, because it’s not about us, our boast is in teh corss and in the cross alone. On the cross God has truly taken on our enemies: Satan, sin, and death, and he has destroyed all of them. As Satan pierced his side, the son crushed his head. As sin was laid on him, the Son became the just and the justifier of the one who has faith. As death took him, he brought life to many. The trap of God gives us salvation, and for this we worship him.

2. Triumph over the other gods (11-12): God’s Triumphant Grace

Who is like you? So we see here that the Psalmist not only praises God for defeating the Egyptians, but also for defeating all otehr false gods. The Psalmist here asks, “Who is like you, Oh LORD, among the gods?” This is meant to be a rhetorical question; nobody is like Him. To exaggerate the point, the Psalmist asks, “Majestic in holiness?” Is tehre anyone who is as holy as God is, let alone as “majestic in holiness” as God is? Of course there is not! There is none like him! Secondly, we see that the Psalmist is “awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?” Not only is anyone like God’s holiness, but nobody does what God does. Nobody’s works or deeds are as awesome and as fearful as his.

the earth swallowed them: So the Psalmist says, “you stretched out your right hand, the earth swallowed them.” So not only is God greater, not only does God do greater, not only is God wiser and smarter, but he defeats the gods and the systems of this earth. There is none who is as good as him, none who is as strong and mighty and powerful as him. God shows his superiority over them.

The resurrection of Christ is God’s triumph over all other things: The New Testament makes it clear in that the resurrection of Christ is God’s great and glorious triumph over every rule and authority and dominion, and above every name that is named.” The Father has “put all things under his feet.” When God raised his son from the dead, there was no question, there was no challenge, there was no pretender to the throne. It was obvious that once and for all: Christ has conquered.

3. The Journey to Sinai (13): God’s Saving Grace

Your holy abode: Now. vs. 13 is an interesting vs. First, we can see here from the second aprt of this verse, that this is God’s leading the people to Mt. Sinai, where they will worship him. Now, what we will see in teh weeks to come is that this is not a journey for the light of heart, and that there are all these dangers between there and here: the lack of food and water, the danger of raiding parties in the wilderness. So this will be a dangerous journey. But notice here how Moses is talking in the past tense about a future events. “have led.” Shouldn’t this be a “future tense”? Shouldn’t this be “will lead?” Well, Moses can talk about this event in the future as if it were in the past tense because he has total trust that God will do what God has promised to do.

Your steadfast love: Now look at how this says that God leads them out in “your steadfast love”. The leadership of God’s people is in his hesed. It is in his lovingkindness, his faithful, steadfast, enduring love. It is in his loyal love. Now, that is an important word, because this word shows up throughout the whole Bible as a particular brand of God’s love. It means God’s enduring love that never ceases and never waxes or wanes, but is always totally fully committed to being loyal to his people. Now, here’s why that is important. Becaus3 while this word shows up throughout the Bible quite a bit, it actually only shows up in the book of Exodus a handful of times. This is the first time. The second time is when God gives the law. And the third and fourth time is after the people of Israel have prostituted themselves after a golden calf. You see, here it is, a prediction of what will happen at Sinai. It is that God knows when he brings them to his holy abode, to his holy mountain, to his meeting place with israel, that they will betray him and whore tehmselves after a golden calf. Nevertheless, despite this great infidelity, God says: I will show them my Hesed. That even though they wax, even though they wane, even though their love fails, even though they change, even though they give up, even though their love is light as a feather and weak as a spider’s web, my love is not. My love is strong and heavy and mighty and will not give up on my people.

Whom he has redeemed: WHy is this? Because he has “redeemed them.” Here we see a prediction by God that even though his people will betray him, even though they will wander away from him, even though they run far from him, he will redeem them. he will buy them back. He will take them in. He will provide an atonement, a sacrifice, a substitute. He will buy them back. In the Old Testament, this word “redeem” meant to buy back something that was once useless. So when a landowner died, one of his family would “redeem” his property by buying it. When something was considered unusuable or condemned, someone would redeem it by buying it backw ith the redemption price. So God is saying that he will show his hesed to Israel by buying them back.

The Redeemer is the redemption price: Now, here is what we see in the New Testament: that the Redeemer is the redemption Price. In the Bible says that “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us...” Christ was cursed so we could be redeemed, Christ was sold so we could be bought, Christ was cursed so we could be blessed, Christ was given over to death so we might be given over to life. Christ is our sacrifice, our substitute. SO just like the Israelites we praise God for htis.

4. The Journey to the Promised Land (14-16): God’s Sustaining Grace

Philistia, Edom, Moab, Canaan: THen, over hte next few verses, we see that Israel traces their route. They will pass by Philistia, Edom, Moab, and finally Canaan on their way to the promised land. And once again we see that Moses speaks about a future event as if it is in teh past event because he has every confidence that GOd will keep his promise to his people.

Still as stone till your people pass by: Now, we see this common thread, that they will do this until God’s people pass by. ANd what we see here is this sense of God’s presence and preservation. God leads them on their way, he keeps walking wiht them, he does not go either to the right hand side or to the left. He does not go to fast or to slow, he does not forget about them, but he walks them along the way.

Whom you have purchased: And why does he do this? Even though Israel has every form of stop and start, sputter and spit? Because he has bought them. He has redeemed them. He has purchased them. He has substituted his own Son, and he will not forget about Israel because he paid good money for them.

PHil 1:6: And in the New Testament, we see the same kind of thing, that God stays with his people. This is why I love , that he who began a good work in you will surely bring it to completion on the day of my Lord Jesus Christ.” That God finishes what he starts. He completes it. We lose attention, we forget, God never forgets. And Moses here leads the people of Israel in praise of God’s sustaining grace.

5. The Temple (17-18): God’s eternal grace

God planting them on his own mountain: And the song of Moses ends by telling of the future event of God bring them to Mt. Zion in Israel. So after they go through the desert, after they come into the promised land, God palnts them on Mt. Zion. He plants them where today Jerusalem stands. That is where he has made his abode, his sanctuary which his hands have established. ASNd there he plants his people forever.

THe Lord will reign forever: And the Psalm ends by praising God because he will never stop reigning. There never has been, is not now, and never will be an inch of htis universe which falls outside of his control and his power and his authority. ANd Moses’ gaze fades from Mt. Zion into eternity praising God for every grace that is coming in the future.

The new heavesn: And just like Moses’ gaze fades into eternity, so does ours, not considering the old Jerusalem, a bloody and broken ciyt, but ocnsidering the Jerusalem of the New hEavens and the New earht. this is why . We praise God because we know that one day he will bring us home. That his grace is not only foolish, not only is it saving, not only is it redemptive, not only is it sustaining, but it is eternal. We will be there and he will take every tear from our eye, every sufvering, every pain that we have will fade into eternity.

Sing: If I could end my sermon today in one way, let me end with an exhortation. Why would you not want to sing about that? What could keep you from worshiping him for that? Why would you want to stop from singing his prasies forever and ever and ever? You say, well I’ve never put my faith in Jesus. Well what a way to put your praise in Christ, by singing to him! Yous y, well, I have been away from church for a long time, what g reat way to come back to him! You say, well i’ve been singing for a long time? Well, shouldn’t you be rea;ly good at it by now! You say, “I don’tt like singing” I say, How could you not? When your midns and your eyes and your thoughts and everything you have and everything you have tis filled wiht every grace of God hwo could you not burst forward in singing the great God on high? To him alone ber glory forever and ever. let’s sing.