Exodus 15 – Study

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Exodus 15:1-12

1 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:

‘I will sing to the Lord,
    for he is highly exalted.
Both horse and driver
    he has hurled into the sea.

2 ‘The Lord is my strength and my defence[f];
    he has become my salvation.
He 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 has hurled into the sea.
The best of Pharaoh’s officers
    are drowned in the Red Sea.
5 The deep waters have covered them;
    they sank to the depths like a stone.
6 Your right hand, Lord,
    was majestic in power.
Your right hand, Lord,
    shattered the enemy.

7 ‘In the greatness of your majesty
    you threw down those who opposed you.
You unleashed your burning anger;
    it consumed them like stubble.
8 By the blast of your nostrils
    the waters piled up.
The surging waters stood up like a wall;
    the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea.
9 The enemy boasted,
    “I will pursue, I will overtake them.
I will divide the spoils;
    I will gorge myself on them.
I will draw my sword
    and my hand will destroy them.”
10 But you blew with your breath,
    and the sea covered them.
They sank like lead
    in the mighty waters.
11 Who among the gods
    is like you, Lord?
Who is like you –
    majestic in holiness,
awesome in glory,
    working wonders? 12 ‘You stretch out your right hand,
    and the earth swallows your enemies.

A. Find Out:

1. Why was the Lord exalted? v.1
2. What (?5 things) is the Lord? v.2,3
3. How had He dealt with Pharaoh? v.4,5
4. What had He actually done? v.8,10What had Pharaoh boasted? v.9 (6 “will”s)
5. What 3-fold description is given to the Lord? v.11

B. Think:

1. How are physical characteristics attributed to the Lord to describe how He did things?
2. How does the song confirm the factual account of the previous chapter?
3. How has it helped Israel ‘s thinking about the Lord?

C. Comment:

     The first half of this song extols the Lord for what He has done. It clearly confirms and ratifies the factual account of Pharaoh’s destruction. It confirms that he and his army had perished in the sea when they sought to follow Israel through the parted sea, which then swept back over them. A song or a poem is a useful device to convey knowledge of God because it enables figurative language to be used to convey the emotions felt. It allowed them to express their feelings and their enlarged understanding of the Lord.

     This God whom their fathers had come to know was clearly a warrior, a God who fought against and destroyed armies. Suddenly they feel very differently about Him. If only they would continue to feel like that!! They have seen His greatness, His power, His majesty. He rules over mighty events, He is awesome, there is no other like Him! We should note that it is easy to feel like this after a great triumph, but not so easy to maintain that sense when we come down into the valley of ordinary, everyday events. We need to learn to hold onto our testimonies of good times while in the not-so-good!

D. Application?

1. Acclaim the Lord that He IS like the Israelites said in their song.
2. In a valley? He is still the same!

Passage: Exodus 15:13-21

13 In your unfailing love you will lead
    the people you have redeemed.
In your strength you will guide them
    to your holy dwelling.
14 The nations will hear and tremble;
    anguish will grip the people of Philistia.
15 The chiefs of Edom will be terrified,
    the leaders of Moab will be seized with trembling,
the people of Canaan will melt away;
16     terror and dread will fall on them.
By the power of your arm
    they will be as still as a stone –
until your people pass by, Lord,
    until the people you bought pass by.
17 You will bring them in and plant them
    on the mountain of your inheritance –
the place, Lord, you made for your dwelling,
    the sanctuary, Lord, your hands established.

18 ‘The Lord reigns
    for ever and ever.’

19 When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots and horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought the waters of the sea back over them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. 20 Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing. 21 Miriam sang to them:

‘Sing to the Lord,
    for he is highly exalted.
Both horse and driver
    he has hurled into the sea.’

A. Find Out:    

1. What would the Lord do with Israel? v.13
2. How will that affect the nations? v.14,15
3. What will happen as Israel pass by? v.16
4. What will the Lord eventually do with them? v.17
5. What will be the Lord’s position? v.18
6. Who danced in celebration? v.20

B. Think:

1. Give the part of the song we have read today another title.
2. If Israel acted on their apparent belief what would you think their future ought to be?
3. Why were Israel able to sing like this?

C. Comment:

      The second half of this song moves from recounting what the Lord HAS done to what He WILL do. It is a song of FAITH built on the past experience of the Lord. Faith comes from hearing (Romans 10:17) or experiencing the acts of God. These people have just experienced the wonder of God’s releasing them from Egypt and from Pharaoh’s vengeance. They are full of expectation of what He will now do for them in the future. How sad that this expectation was so short lived. This was a tremendous proclamation of faith. It needed to be repeated again and again and again, even in the face of adverse circumstances. Faith is firmly established by repeating the truth!

      We will see, sadly, that Israel allowed difficult and trying circumstances to quench this faith. Instead of being pushed into God’s arms, they allowed the circumstances to come between them and God, and that was their undoing. Similarly, we can allow difficult circumstances to push US into God’s arms OR separate from Him; those are the two options open to us with every trying circumstance. Which will it be today, or later this week or next?

D. Application?

1. An obstacle either hinders us, or we can climb on it to be able to see further and more clearly!
2. God is there with YOU in all circumstances.

Passage: Exodus 5:22-27

22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they travelled in the desert without finding water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) 24 So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, ‘What are we to drink?’

25 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink.

There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test. 26 He said, ‘If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.’

27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.

A. Find Out:

1. How long had they travelled without water? v.22
2. What was wrong with the water at Marah? v.23
3. What was the people’s reaction? v.24
4. What was Moses’ response? v.25a
5. What decree did the Lord make there? v.26
6. What was at Elim? v.27

B. Think:

1. How had the Lord “tested” Israel?
2. What was necessary for Israel to have health?
3. What two ways did the Lord provide in this passage?

C. Comment:

      Israel are being led by God (Exodus 13:21); it’s easy to forget that. For three days they have not seen water; has the Lord made a mistake? When eventually they do come to water it is polluted and undrinkable. Sadly the people grumbled against Moses, because he’s the middleman, he’s God’s representative. It’s easy to blame leaders when all is not going so well. What they don’t realise is that God is testing them, and they are badly failing the test! God allows us to get into trying circumstances sometimes, to see how we’ll react. Will we turn to Him for help or just grumble against leadership? David was to learn this well many years later (see 1 Samuel 24:6)

      When there is a crisis, the Lord knows how to deal with it and he shows Moses how to quickly remedy the situation; His wisdom is always there to help (James 1:5). Do we ask Him for it in such circumstances? The Lord then promises health in return for obedience. Possibly there had been a fear of disease at the polluted water, and the Lord takes the opportunity to promise them health as part of the package! Finally, they come to a plentiful supply of water. It had been there all the time, just over the horizon. God’s provision of abundance was there all the time, He just wanted to reveal their hearts first.

D. Application?

1. Do we respond to difficult circumstances like Israel, or in faith?
2. Ask God for grace to handle them.