Wednesday 26th August 2020 Moses’ Song of Triumph
Exodus 15: 1 – 19
Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:
‘I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.
The Lord is my strength and my might,[a]
and he has become my salvation;
this is my God, and I will praise him,
my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
The Lord is a warrior;
the Lord is his name.
‘Pharaoh’s chariots and his army he cast into the sea;
his picked officers were sunk in the Red Sea.
The floods covered them;
they went down into the depths like a stone.
Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power—
your right hand, O Lord, shattered the enemy.
In the greatness of your majesty you overthrew your adversaries;
you sent out your fury, it consumed them like stubble.
At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up,
the floods stood up in a heap;
the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.
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.”
You blew with your wind, the sea covered them;
they sank like lead in the mighty waters.
‘Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?
Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
awesome in splendour, doing wonders?
You stretched out your right hand,
the earth swallowed them.
‘In your steadfast love you led the people whom you redeemed;
you guided them by your strength to your holy abode.
The peoples heard, they trembled;
pangs seized the inhabitants of Philistia.
Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed;
trembling seized the leaders of Moab;
all the inhabitants of Canaan melted away.
Terror and dread fell upon them;
by the might of your arm, they became still as a stone
until your people, O Lord, passed by,
until the people whom you acquired passed by.
You brought them in and planted them on the mountain of your own possession,
the place, O Lord, that you made your abode,
the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hands have established.
The Lord will reign for ever and ever.’
When the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his chariot drivers went into the sea, the Lord brought back the waters of the sea upon them; but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground.
Reflection
At the time of writing, we are in lockdown – how that will be different come August we don’t yet know. Yet the news is beginning to be full of amazing recoveries – patients of all ages being clapped out of intensive care by those who have treated them. The gratitude of all the patients to the NHS staff is wholehearted. They cannot thank them enough for bringing them safely out of harm. Yet the NHS has always been there, bringing people from the brink of death to full recovery. It didn’t make the news before. We often blame God for causing our misery, our unhappiness as if He makes it his business to make us miserable. But how much of our praise for when He brings us out of a dark time is as wholehearted as that of the patients today, or even of Moses having brought the Israelites out of Egypt? We complain when things go wrong – where is God, why has He allowed this to happen to me? But forget when we come out of it to praise Him that He has been there all along and has enabled us to come through. God is not just there for the good times and then to be a sounding board to let off steam when things go wrong. God is there all the time, working tirelessly with us, within us, inspiring us to incredible acts. So, whatever we face, may our praise be as uninhibited as His love is all encompassing.
Prayer
God of the incredible, you are an awesome God for whom nothing is impossible. May we never forget in our humanity the wonderful nature of your divinity. May our praise be from our heart and as loud as we can make it! You can bring us out of the darkest moments into your glorious light. Praise be indeed to our awesome God! Amen