(Exodus) Exodus 15:1-3 — J. Vernon McGee

The Song of Moses After the Red Sea

Now, when they cross the Red Sea, they join in a song. And this is something I'd like for you to note. "'Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spoke, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously.

The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.'. And listen to Israel sing now. "'The Lord is my strength and my song. He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will prepare him in habitation.

My Father is God, and I will exalt him. The Lord is a man of war. The Lord is his name.'. My, they're singing lustily now. Is this the same crowd, friends, that were over on the other side of the Red Sea, and they were moaning and crying out and wanted to go back to Egypt and said, weren't there graves enough there for us, and you bring us out here to die?

Israel's Deliverance as an Example for Believers

What has happened? Well, we're told back in I Corinthians 10, now all these things happened unto them for in samples, and they're written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the age are come. Now, what is it that we have here?

Well, listen to Paul, and I'll move back in I Corinthians 10, and I read then verse 11. I'll read verse 1 now. "'Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea.'.

Baptism as Identification with Moses and Christ

Now, how were they baptized unto Moses? Well, here it wasn't water. I'm sure you understand that, because when we go back and read this, the children of Israel went over dry shod. They didn't get a drop of water on them.

They didn't get enough to dampen a washcloth to wash their faces with. And yet the Egyptians, they really got wet. They got soaked through and through. And if you're talking about water, it wasn't Israel, it was the Egyptians.

But what does it mean they were baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea? It means they were identified. And we'll have occasion when we get to the New Testament to see that the primary meaning of baptism is identification.

And the ritual baptism is the baptism of water. And I believe it's essential and important. It sets forth the real baptism, which is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And the baptism of the Holy Spirit identifies us with Christ and puts us in Christ.

Now, how were these baptized unto Moses? Well, they were complaining on one side, and when they got on the other side, they sang the song of Moses. They're now identified with Him. They've been delivered with Him.

By faith, we read now in the 11th chapter of Hebrews, by faith, they crossed the Red Sea, which the Egyptians, a saying to do, were drowned. By faith. Whose faith? Their faith? Oh, no, friends, they didn't have any until they crossed over.

They were identified with Moses. And it was Moses' faith. It was Moses who smote the Red Sea. It was Moses who led them across. It was Moses, when they got to the other side, that lifted the song of deliverance and began to sing, and now they have seen the salvation of God.

And they are identified now with Moses. They've been baptized unto Moses. And, friends, that is what happens when you trust the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. He is the one that takes us out of the Egyptian bondage and the Egyptian darkness of this world.

He leads us across the Red Sea of His deliverance, of His salvation, of His redemption, and He brings us to the place where we can lift a song of redemption unto Him, and we are joined to Him. We are baptized into Christ.

The Holy Spirit Joins Believers to Christ

That's very important for a child of God to see. By one Spirit are we all baptized into one body. The Holy Spirit is the one that joins us to Christ, and we become one with Him. And, friends, that's a wonderful thing, to be joined to Him.

The dear little lady, when she was talking about, she had the assurance of her salvation, why they said, why don't you know you talk about that nobody can take you out of His hand? Well, you might slip through His fingers.

And she said, oh, my, no, I couldn't slip through His fingers. I'm one of His fingers. We are members of the body of Christ, friends, and the Spirit of God joins us to Him. What a glorious, wonderful redemption that we have in Christ.

All of these things happen unto them for examples to us. Here's a picture of our redemption and what the Spirit of God does when we trust the Lord Jesus as our Savior. After crossing over, they now join with Moses singing the song of Moses.

Before they were singing the blues, the desert blues, and they'll be returning to the desert blues. That was their theme song when they went through the desert. But right now, having crossed over and been redeemed, why, they very lustily sing out the song of Moses.

Songs Throughout the Old and New Testaments

I'll merely lift out several things in this song because we want to continue to move along. This song is to be compared, I think, with the song of Deborah and Barak that we'll be coming to in the book of Judges.

Then you'll recall that David sang many songs. You'll find that his psalms are great, great songs. And you'll find that even Jeremiah, his was a wail and a woe many times, but he had a song. And you'll find that other prophets had songs as we move along through the Old Testament.

The New Testament opens with some songs. Dr. Luke records them. There was the song, actually, of Elizabeth when word was brought that she was to have a child. There was the song of Mary, the marvelous, wonderful song that she sang.

There were other great songs connected with the birth of Christ. And finally, there was the heavenly hosts with their tremendous piano praise. And then the book of Revelation, when we get a glimpse into heaven, why, we see a great company gathered around the throne of God, and they're singing a new song.

And that'll be probably the first time I'm going to ever sing. Up to the present, I've never been able to hit a note. But by that time, with a new body and a new voice, I'm sure I'll be able to sing and join in on the new song.

The Lord as Strength, Salvation, and Warrior

Now, notice this song. It's a wonderful one, by the way. The Lord is my strength and my song, and He's become my salvation. He is my God, and I will prepare Him in habitation. My Father's God, and I will exalt Him.

The Lord is, or Jehovah, is a man of war. The Lord is His name. All of this talk about peace today. It might be well to read this song again. And the one who is Jehovah is a man of war. Then turn to the 19th chapter of Revelation.

You see Him coming to this earth, and He's going to come to put down all unrighteousness. And friends, until that time, this earth will never have peace. And it can be truly said that God is, and the Lord Jesus, that He is a man of war.

Our Lord said He didn't come to bring peace, but a sower. That's what He did the first time. The second time, He's coming to bring peace with the sower, because that's the only way you're going to get rid of unrighteousness on this earth.

Songs Preserve the Story of Redemption

Now, this is a song like so many of them. It recounts the wonderful experience they've had in crossing the Red Sea, and what they've seen God do. I think, and I know very little about music, but I think these folk songs today do that same sort of thing, and I don't mean their praise to God, but they do recount an episode that takes place.

That makes a song meaningful, and I'm not sure, but what that is the reason that songs have affected the young people so much today. That is, this current type of music, which to me is atrocious, but after all, I'm just a square.

But the songs do tell a story. Now, this song is a story that it tells. It gives the account of the crossing of the Red Sea, something that they were not apt to forget, but this song certainly kept it before them.

And it is a song that tells of what God has done for them. And we can't go into a great deal of detail here,.