Psalms not in the Psalter
The 10 songs: Song 2
These are the 10 songs of Judaism. Among them, two are found in the Psalter, and one is the Song of Solomon or Song of Songs, which I plan to delve into separately. It’s also important to note that the last song, the Song of the Messiah, according to Jewish custom, has never been sung, as it is reserved for when the Messiah is present.
This is an occasional series. I will add to the links as each song is blogged.
Straight in with “Song 2”? Yup. Song 1 is Psalm 92, as it beautifully depicts creation, marking the first event in Jewish history, as well as in everyone’s history. I’ve already written a post on Psalm 92 elsewhere, and I don’t feel like revisiting it at this point.
There are at least three contenders as to which is the Song of Moses referred to in the book of Revelation. The main contenders are this song, the song Moses sang over Israel before they entered the promised land in Deuteronomy 32, and Psalm 90, the only song in the Psalter attributed to Moses.
30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.
15 Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying,
“I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.
2 The Lord is my strength and my song,
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 man of war;
the Lord is his name.
4 “Pharaoh’s chariots and his host he cast into the sea,
and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea.
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, shatters the enemy.
7 In the greatness of your majesty you overthrow your adversaries;
you send out your fury; it consumes them like stubble.
8 At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up;
the floods stood up in a pile;
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 glorious deeds, doing wonders?
12 You stretched out your right hand;
the earth swallowed them.
13 “You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed;
you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode.
14 The peoples have heard; they tremble;
pangs have seized the inhabitants of Philistia.
15 Now are the chiefs of Edom dismayed;
trembling seizes the leaders of Moab;
all the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.
16 Terror and dread fall upon them;
because of the greatness of your arm, they are still as a stone,
till your people, O Lord, pass by,
till the people pass by whom you have purchased.
17 You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain,
the place, O Lord, which you have made for your abode,
the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established.
18 The Lord will reign for ever and ever.”19 For when the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought back the waters of the sea upon them, but the people of Israel walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea. 20 Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing. 21 And Miriam sang to them:
“Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.”Exodus 14:30 -15:21 ESVUK
The song of the sea
I love the difficult parts of the Bible, they make me wrestle with what I believe. This is one of those passages. Israel has jammily dodged the Egyptians, or so it seems. It is relevant for today.
We are currently experiencing turbulent times, where global politics often cultivates animosity towards the opposing side instead of striving for positive change. This troubling pattern only serves to fuel increased hostility. If we give in to hating those individuals the haters despise, or hating the haters solely because we have differing views, then the promoters of hate will come out on top.
So, how can we approach the song in Exodus 15 and the story of the Exodus with understanding? It’s true that the Israelites didn’t initially want to leave Egypt; they were forced out by Pharaoh due to Moses’ appeals and the plagues sent by God.
The plagues of Egypt are what God sent. Why would a god who is compassionate to all people single out the Egyptians in this way? The answer is found in verse 9 of this song, the central section which is always important in a psalm constructed like this. It says, “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.’ ” All mentions of a desire to kill in this psalm are attributed to the Egyptians.
To have a central section, it’s important to see how carefully crafted this song is, even though it may seem like a spontaneous outpouring of praise. It follows the form of a chiasm, meaning “crossing over,” a structure found in nearly all Psalms, repeating similar ideas in reverse sequence. The song may have been composed and inserted into the Exodus account at a later time, or it could have been written and sung while the Israelites were camped by the sea of reeds before embarking on their journey towards Sinai.
Yes, the Sea of Reeds, not the Red Sea. All the rabbinic material I have looked at calls it the Sea of Reeds, which is an area north of the Gulf of Suez.
God emerges as the victor, but never the aggressor. Referred to as a warrior in this song, his role is akin to that of a protector, guarding His people: his actions are geared towards safeguarding the Israelites, not solely because they are His people, which, at this stage, they clearly are not, but because God desires to foster a meaningful relationship with them.
The journey begins here. God, mighty yet just, was the sole protector of the Israelites as they were unable to defend themselves. This brought them a sense of confidence, albeit fleeting. However, before long, they found themselves complaining once more, and it was then that God, in His kindness, provided them with nourishment, including food, manna, and quails, as well as water. These were pivotal moments in their journey of building a meaningful relationship with God.
“The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” says verse 2. The phrase ”my salvation’ is transliterated as l’yəshua: l’ for my and yəshu’a for saviour. (The ə is a soft unstressed vowel similar to ‘uh’). Yəshua is the name given to God incarnate in the New Testanent, Jesus in English. Jesus is the one who saves and is pointed to in this reading.
Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus, the one who saves? I’m not asking if you know about Jesus, but if you truly know Jesus? God desires a personal relationship with his people, and you can be one of them. Come to Jesus, and he will embrace you with open arms.
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