After the defeat of Pharaoh’s army, Moses and the children of Israel sing to praise the Lord for His unchallenged victory in chapter 15. In verses 1 through 10, they sing of God’s triumph over the Egyptians. Then, from verses 14 through 18, they sing confidently of the Lord’s future victories over the Canaanites and the fulfillment of His promises.
I want to notice a couple things here. While verses 1-10 speak of the past, and verses 14-18 speak of the future, verses 11-13 are written in the present tense. The crossing of the Red Sea gave Israel an understanding of their relationship with God that was different from the past and would shape their future. What can we learn from this section?
“Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders?” (Ex. 15:11). Israel speaks as people who saw a universe governed by a plurality of gods. Many prayed, not only to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but also to the gods of the Egyptians. But, after witnessing the defeat of Pharaoh, they realized that The Great I AM is unique.
Is there any one like our God? His majesty far exceeds any false god imagined by man. We simply cannot imagine a being like our heavenly Father. Foolishly, we invent gods like ourselves, capable of some good but flawed. Like us, we imagine them given to selfishness, lust, and cruelty. In Romans 1:23, Paul wrote that we “…changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man…” Our God is incorruptible, infinitely kind, merciful and powerful.
“You stretched out Your right hand; The earth swallowed them” (Ex. 15:12). Here, Israel speaks of the protective power of God. After witnessing God’s mighty power and loving care, Israel had nothing left to fear. If the Lord is our God, we do not need to fear any man or power. We can confidently go and proclaim His gospel knowing that He can overcome any force (Col. 1:16; Eph. 6:2).
“You in Your mercy have led forth the people whom You have redeemed; You have guided them in Your strength To Your holy habitation” (Ex. 15:13). God reclaimed Israel as His children of promise. We too have been redeemed by our God, but to an even greater promise. Through Jesus Christ, the home we look forward to is one not made of hands. We have not been redeemed from earthly bondage, but from the bonds of sin.
Who is like the Lord? By His grace, any who put on Christ and faithfully obey His word have the promise of eternal life (John 10:28-30). So, take a moment, right now, and recognize that God is holy and able to save us from any work of evil, and choose to live faithfully without fear.