Please turn in your Bibles this evening to Exodus chapter 15 as we continue our study through the Word of God. In our last study we saw the children of Israel set free from their bondage in Egypt. And as they journeyed toward Mount Sinai, the mountain of God, on their way to the Promise Land, Pharaoh has a change of heart and goes after his slaves with a massive army and he is not in a good mood!
The Bible tells us that 600 of his finest chariots along with 250,000 soldiers, according to Josephus, came against the children of Israel. Now God led the children of Israel to the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aqaba. And on either side of them were mountains. Now, coming up from behind them was this massive Egyptian army and the children of Israel had no escape out of this one.
That caused them to complain to Moses, saying they were better off in Egypt. But Moses tells them God is going to deliver them as he parts the Red Sea and these 2 to 3 million people travel across on dry land. As the Egyptian army went after them, God brought down these waters upon them, not a few inches high but probably rising up 1,000 feet on either side of them, and 250,001 of the Egyptians, including Pharaoh, plus their horses were killed!
And as we concluded last time, we read, “So the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Thus Israel saw the great work which the Lord had done in Egypt; so the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord and His servant Moses.” Exodus 14:30-31. It is out of this great victory that God gave them over this massive Egyptian army that the children of Israel celebrate and give glory to God in this song of Moses. This is the first recorded song in the Bible and, according to Revelation chapter 15, speaking of another deliverance; it is the last song that is sung in the Bible. With that said, let’s begin reading in Exodus chapter 15, starting in verse 1 and see what the Lord has for us as we study His Word!
VERSE 1
Folks, we are no different than the children of Israel. You see, instead of singing this song after the victory, they should have sung it before they had this victory! “How could they do that?” you may say. Think about it. It is because God assured them of the victory just as He has given to us those precious promises of victory in our own lives. Thus, may we learn to praise Him in the midst of the trial, before the victory has been achieved, knowing that He will see us through!
Also, I want you to notice how personal this song is, it is in the first person. Our songs, our praise should be like that with the focus upon God. You see, worship is unto the Lord and not unto man. Today, many times we see worship as more of an entertainment, what this musician can do, this guitar solo, that drum solo, dancing on the stage instead of focusing on the Lord! Back at Calvary Chapel of Elk Grove, my old church, we had a very talented drummer. He was awesome and he was a great teacher, he taught my son how to play the drums. One day he was using what I call “pots and pans” to play music during worship and it sounded great, it was beautiful and my wife told him so. And as they talked after service he said, “Julie, I wish there was a curtain in front of me so no one could see me but when they are worshiping they would be focused on the Lord instead of me! You see, if they are focusing on me then they are not focusing on the Lord!” How true that is. It is as Psalm 40:3 tells us, “He has put a new song in my mouth — Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the Lord.” That new song that He has given to us, may we sing it loud and strong so others may see the joy the Lord has given to us!
In this first section we see an introduction that speaks of the TRIUMPH OF GOD, how He brought about the destruction of this Egyptian army!
Several years ago, back in Elk Grove, we sang the first part of this song and it went like this.
VERSES 2-3
The focus in these verses is WHAT GOD IS. Moses tells us that He is my strength, song, salvation, He is my God, He is a Man of war, and His name is YAHWEH! We should be able to say the same thing about our God!
VERSES 4-13
The Focus in these verses is WHAT GOD HAS DONE. God has given them victory over their past enemies, even in their arrogance He brought them down! God has done the same for us folks; He has given to us victory over the enemies of our past, those fleshly desires! Not only that, He has delivered them and us in those victories! Thus, “Who is like You?” Absolutely no one!
Here are a few verses expounding on this. In Psalm 71:19 we are told, “Also Your righteousness, O God, is very high, You who have done great things; O God, who is like You?” In Psalm 77:13 we are told, “Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary; Who is so great a God as our God?” Psalm 89:6-10 tells us, “For who in the heavens can be compared to the Lord? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to the Lord? God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, And to be held in reverence by all those around Him. O Lord God of hosts, Who is mighty like You, O Lord? Your faithfulness also surrounds You. You rule the raging of the sea; When its waves rise, You still them. You have broken Rahab in pieces, as one who is slain; You have scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.” Psalm 113:4-5 tells us, “The Lord is high above all nations, His glory above the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God, Who dwells on high.”
And in Micah 7:16-19 we are told, “The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might; They shall put their hand over their mouth; Their ears shall be deaf. They shall lick the dust like a serpent; They shall crawl from their holes like snakes of the earth. They shall be afraid of the Lord our God, And shall fear because of You. Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities.” There is no one like our GOD!
VERSES 14-18
The focus in these verses is WHAT GOD WILL DO. God will give them victory over future enemies and those that hear of the past victories of God will be fearful of Him. Not only that, but God will bring them into the Promise Land. God is doing the same in our lives. God is going to give us the victory over our future enemies and people who see what God is doing in our lives will be fearful of Him, either respecting Him or fearful of His power! And that life in the Promise Land is a life not in heaven but a walk in the Spirit, being led by Him on a daily basis as we surrender ourselves to Him. That is where the victory truly is found, Paul put it like this in Galatians 5:16-17, “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.”
Now, in regards to the children of Israel, word did spread about what God did at the Red Sea and what God was doing in their lives. In the city of Jericho, when they heard that the children of Israel were coming, they put the city under lock down, but why? Listen to what Rahab tells us in Joshua 2:9-13, “. . . ‘I know that the Lord has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. Now therefore, I beg you, swear to me by the Lord, since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father's house, and give me a true token, and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.’” Just as God had told them, came to pass!
And just in case anyone loses sight of this, YAHWEH reigns “Forever and ever” or His reign is eternal! Thus, no matter what you are going through, He is still on the throne, never forget that!
VERSE 19
In this verse it just recaps the story of God destroying the Egyptian army and giving Israel the victory! Almost three centuries ago the English commentator Matthew Henry expressed his appreciation and understanding of this great spiritual ode as follows:
We may observe respecting this song, that it is, (1.) An ancient song, the most ancient that we know of. (2.) A most admirable composition, the style lofty and magnificent, the images lively and proper, and the whole very moving. (3.) It is a holy song, consecrated to the honour of God, and intended to exalt his name and celebrate his praise, and his only, not in the least to magnify any man: holiness to the Lord is engraven on it, and to him they made melody in the singing of it. (4.) It is a typical song. The triumphs of the gospel church, in the downfall of its enemies, are expressed in the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb put together, which are said to be sung upon a sea of glass, as this was upon the Red Sea, Rev XV. 2, 3.
- Matthew Henry
VERSES 20-21
Miriam, the sister of Moses is the first woman in the Bible called a prophetess. And here she is singing, dancing, doing whatever you do with a timbrel, as she praised the Lord! And notice, she did not lead the men, but the women in this. Paul, in I Timothy 2:12 said, “And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.” It is not that men are better, smarter, closer to God then women, not at all. This is the way that God has established it, and the warning is that men need to be spiritual leaders in their homes because women tend to be more sensitive to spiritual things and they can also be deceived as Eve was. And the same is true in a church, women can lead women, they can lead children, but men are to be pastors within the church, not women. Thus, if anyone has a problem with that, talk with God!
One last point here. Some of you feel you are too old to minister. Folk’s, Moses was 80, Aaron was 83 and for Miriam, she could have been in her 90’s and she is singing, dancing, playing musical instruments! Thus, none of us are 90, so let’s praise the Lord with our lives!
VERSE 22
After this great victory, now they face their first trial, no water. They have been going for 3 days and have found not a drop and with 2 to 3 million people, your water supply will run out very quickly! But don’t fear, remember what they sang, “The Lord shall reign forever and ever.” Exodus 15:18. Thus, if God is on the throne, and He is, then nothing will stop them, they will be victorious in this also, won’t they? Let’s read on and see how they respond to this trial.
VERSES 23-24
Isn’t that incredible? Just a few days since the Red Sea miracle and they allowed this hardship to cause them to murmur and complain! Now, can you imagine as they first saw this water, some probably ran and jumped right in and as they tasted it, well, the waters were bitter, undrinkable. All that water and they could not drink it! But, instead of bringing it to the Lord they complained to Moses. I wonder how often we do that. Instead of bringing a situation to the Lord, we complain?
VERSES 25-27
Moses does bring this to the Lord and the Lord shows him a tree and he casts it into the water and those bitter waters were made sweet! How did God do this? In his work on the Exodus journey, Buckingham believes that the chemicals in the sap of the broken limb drew the mineral content down to the bottom of the pool, and left only good water on top. He also speculates that the high magnesium and calcium content worked as a laxative, cleaning out the digestive tracks of the children of Israel, getting rid of those Egyptian ailments!
Folks, this was a miracle of God, why can’t we just believe it instead of trying to explain it away! This was not a small pond and yet all the waters were made sweet! It was a miracle and that is all I need.
So what does that have to do with us as Christians? When we find ourselves in bitter situations, around bitter people, having a bitter expression, it is only when we place another tree in the midst of those waters that the situation will become sweet in our lives and that is the cross of Jesus Christ!
God used this to test them to see what was in their heart, if they would trust Him, and they did not pass, they are still learning. And this was not for God; it was to show them what was in their hearts. Folk’s, God does the same in our lives as He tests our character, what we are made of – the flesh or the spirit to show us so we can crucify the flesh and be filled with the Spirit!
After this time of testing God brings them to Elim, where there were 12 wells of water and 70 Palm trees, a place of refreshing. God knows what we are made of and when we need rest if we would only learn to trust in Him and walk by faith. But here’s the thing. If you refuse to let go of the bitterness, then you won’t find those times of refreshing. It is only when we give it to Jesus that He can take those bitter things in our lives and make them sweet, bringing to us times of refreshing!
VERSES 1-3
Now they have been out of Egypt for 1 month and their food supplies are running low. So what do they do? No, they don’t call for a prayer meeting but instead complain against Moses and Aaron for bringing them out of Egypt to die in the wilderness. And when they found themselves in a difficult situation they remembered the past with rose-colored glasses, they remembered the past in a twisted way. They saw it as good and they did not remember that they were slaves in Egypt, under heavy bondage. It was not the good life! But it did seem to justify their complaining when they saw things like that!
We as Christians need to be careful not to live in the past, especially during difficult times. There is nothing wrong in learning from the past to help you in the present. There is nothing wrong in seeing past deliverances by God to encourage you in the present. But don’t live in the past complaining about the present, that does not honor God and most often, we tend to look at the past with rose colored glasses, a twisted view of what it was really like, just as the children of Israel did!
One more point here. Can you imagine if Israel was ruled by a democracy here, Moses and Aaron would be dead and they would be going back to Egypt at this point! But the children of Israel were not to be ruled by a democracy but to be governed by God! Folks, it truly is not a majority rule’s is right because imagine what would take place in a church if that were the case! God has to rule according to His Word otherwise there is anarchy, immorality; everyone does what is right in their own eyes. Keep in mind that down the road the children of Israel, some of them will rebel against the authority of Moses, they wanted to be in charge. It does not work that way, God places men in positions of authority, not man.
VERSES 4-5
This bread from heaven, also called angel’s food, (Psalm 78:25), was called Manna by the children of Israel or “What is it?” Isn’t that interesting? God gives them a miracle, angel’s food, and instead of rejoicing they say, “What is it?” May we not forsake what God has given to us on a daily basis. And here, it is the Word of God that is our bread to partake of daily. And many today say, “What is it?” They negate that it is the Word’s of God given to us! May we never do that!
Here is the test once again for the children of Israel. On the sixth day of the week, on Friday’s they were to gather twice as much as they would normally gather. And we will see that on the seventh day, the Sabbath, it was to be a day of rest, to rest in the Lord, to worship Him.
VERSES 6-8
Again, this is interesting to me. When they were complaining about the situation they were in, complaining about Moses and Aaron and what they did to them, another fine mess they got them in, the reality is they were complaining against the Lord and Moses lets them know that. You see, it was the Lord who brought them into this place. Thus, this is a powerful lesson for us to learn. Instead of complaining, seek the Lord and see what He has for us. Don’t complain, learn to worship and sing His praises!
VERSES 9-14
According to Cole, the quails mentioned here “migrate regularly between south Europe and Arabia across the Sinai Peninsula. They are small, bullet-headed birds, with a strong but low flight, usually roosting on the ground or in the low bushes at nightfall. When exhausted, they would be unable to . . . take off again. The birds are good eating, and were a favorite delicacy of the Egyptians”
That does sound interesting but think about the number of quail that would be needed to feed 2 to 3 million people. Not only that, but this seemed to be a regular occurrence and not just during the migration period for these birds. Thus, once again I see this as a miracle of God, that He brought these birds in to feed the children of Israel!
Each morning they would gather bread from heaven that was on the ground. We are told that it is like coriander seed, about the size of a sesame seed and it is sweet like honey according to Exodus 16:31. And its color was that of bdellium or a peach like color according to Numbers 11:7. And lastly, they would either bake it or boil it according to Exodus 16:23. And think about this. God gave them this angel’s bread and don’t you think it would be great to eat? Of course it was but as we will see as we move on in our studies in the Word of God we will see them complain about this food that God has given to them.
So God is providing the water, the meat and the bread in the wilderness, not bad!
VERSE 15
As I have said, often when God’s provision comes we do not recognize it!
VERSES 16-19
We are told here that each man was to gather according to their needs, an omer’s worth. What is an omer? There is much speculation as you look at Bible resources and they really don’t know for sure. You will come up with all kinds of numbers. So I won’t be dogmatic about this, but some feel it is 6 pints per day. We will look at that in a minute and see what totals that would be. Also, what each person was able to gather, it was enough for them for that day. And they were only to gather what they could eat that day and no more, they were not to leave any till morning in their homes.
Now what is this bread from heaven? Some say it is the sweet tasting excretion left by insects on the twigs of the tamarisk trees in June and July. First of all, this was something that lasted them for 40 years, until they came to Gilgal in the Promise Land according to Joshua 5:12. This was not something they ate just in June and July. Secondly, if an omer is 6 pints that would mean, for only 2 million people which is on the low side, these insects would have to produce 4,500 tons of bread daily or enough to fill ten train cars with 30 boxes each! That is a lot of insect excretion! How hard were these insects working? What were they eating? No, it was not these insects but God provided bread from heaven for them to eat!
VERSES 20-21
Didn’t they hear what Moses told them? Of course they did, but they didn’t care, they had their own way of doing it and they did. They thought they knew better! Remember Frank Sinatra singing, “I did it my way!” That was them and that is us as Christians. God tells us what is right, what we are to do in His Word, and we tend to ignore it at times. And just as the manna stunk in those homes that kept it overnight, there were worms all over the place. So too is truth without application, it STINKS! It only breeds things that are bad. And, like the children of Israel, there is a harsh penalty in our lives for disobedience.
This bread from heaven needed to be gathered daily, early in the morning or it was gone, it melted away.
In John 6:32-40 we are told, “Then Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ Then they said to Him, ‘Lord, give us this bread always.’ And Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.’”
The true bread from heaven is Jesus and we too must partake of Him daily. Others can’t do it for us. And it is good to start early in the morning and feed on Him. How do we do that? By reading His Word for we are told in John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Thus, Jesus is the Word and as we feed on the Word of God we are, in a sense, partaking of Jesus. People want to know about God, then read His Word, apply it to your life. I see that as one of those tragedies in some Christians. They know the Word of God, they can quote the Word of God, but when it comes time to applying it to their lives, they have no idea what to do. It is simple, OBEY!
As the Lord told Joshua, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:8-9. May we take in God’s Word and apply it to our lives as we walk in faith!
VERSES 22-30
God, in a sense, forced them to honor the Sabbath by not giving them any manna on the Sabbath, they were to gather twice as much on the sixth day, on Friday and it would not stink or get worms in it, they would be able to partake of it on Saturday, the Sabbath without gathering it that day. Again, this is a miracle of God and all God asked of them and of us is to obey His Words!
But some went out looking for manna on the Sabbath day and guess what, just as God had said, there was none to gather in. Folks, don’t go looking for life, for fulfillment outside of God and His Word because you will never find it!
VERSES 31-36
Notice that what God gave them to eat was good, it tasted great! God does not give us garbage to partake of, to feed upon, but His precious Word that brings forth sweetness to our lives! It is as Jeremiah tells us, “Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.” The Amplified Bible puts this verse like this, “Your words were found, and I ate them; and Your words were to me a joy and the rejoicing of my heart, for I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.” And The Living Bible tells us, “Your words are what sustain me; they are food to my hungry soul. They bring joy to my sorrowing heart and delight me. How proud I am to bear your name, O Lord.” Jeremiah 15:16. Folks, the world only has garbage for your life, don’t run to the world to feed upon, run to the Lord!
Moses is told to fill a pot of this bread from heaven and when the Ark of the Covenant is completed, to place it there as a testimony of what God has done for His people. May our lives be a testimony to others of what God has done and is doing!
As Exodus 16:35 tells us, “And the children of Israel ate manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.” And we see that fulfilled in Joshua 5:12, “Then the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of the land; and the children of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate the food of the land of Canaan that year.”
As I close this evening let me leave you with this. Can you say as the Psalmist said, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. . . .” Psalm 42:1-2a. You see, physical hunger will drive you to eat physical food. But spiritual hunger will drive you to spiritual food, to Jesus, the Word of God. Think of the prodigal son, it was hunger that drove him home and it truly is hunger in our hearts that will drive us home as well, to Jesus, to the Word of God!