International Sunday School Lesson September 29, 2024
Exodus 15:1–3, 11–13, 17–18, 20–21
Background
This is the celebration that the children of Israel made after their great deliverance from Egypt. God struck their tormentors with plagues. The Egyptians finally agreed to let them go. The Egyptians had second thoughts. The Egyptians pursued the Israelites. Deliverance came. God parted the Red Sea, and the Israelites walked over on dry ground. The Egyptians chased them. They were foolish enough to follow into the parted sea and the sea closed on them. Every Egyptian that went into the sea died.
The Lord is my Strength and Song
Exodus 15:1-3 (ESV) 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.
The phrase, “…. The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation …” is repeated several times in the Old Testament. I love that phrase. In fact, I set it to music with a choral piece about thirty years ago. I am putting a link in the comment section to the sheet music if your church or school choir want to perform it free of charge. Anyway, God is our strength. We might seem weak and helpless but our God loves us and He has infinite strength. God has a plan for us and His plans never fail.
https://www.noteflight.com/music/titles/3976e28c-8fca-479c-95ad-11863b90a043
Psalms 59:16-17 ESV But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. (17) O my Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.
We all have problems. We all face challenges. God cares about those problems. God is infinitely strong. He can take care of our problems.
No One Like God
Exodus 15:11 (ESV) “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?
Appreciate the uniqueness of God. Nothing is like Him. It isn’t even correct to say that nothing is like Him in the Universe. He is above the Universe. He is beyond any comprehension we might have about Him. Nothing and no one compares to God. Infinite strength. Infinite wisdom. Infinite holiness.
Jeremiah 10:6 ESV There is none like you, O LORD; you are great, and your name is great in might.
Calling upon the name of the Lord is the thing to do when we are in trouble. His name is great.
Steadfast Love
Exodus 15:12-13 (ESV) 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.
Consider the other side in today’s story. They resisted God. They rebelled against righteousness. They had good intentions but did not follow through with them. They were foolish enough to chase the freed slaves with their mighty chariots. There was no comparison from the freed slaves and the mightiest army on earth. The Egyptians should have won easily. But God was on the side of those freed slaves. The mightiest army on the face of the earth was completely destroyed because it was nothing compared to the Almighty hand of God.
Reign Forever and Ever
Exodus 15:17-18 (ESV) 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 forever and ever.”
The singers declared that God would perform His promise. The children of Israel were going to the promise land. God will plant them there.
Revelation 11:15-17 ESV Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” (16) And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, (17) saying, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign.
This is our future. God will setup His kingdom. We are on the winning side.
Sing to the Lord
Exodus 15:20-21 (ESV) 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.”
We should praise the Lord with music with every opportunity. Even if you are not a great singer. I mentioned that I am composer. I have been a composer as long as I can remember. I was making up little ditties in childhood. But, I am a horrible singer. Still, I sing praises to God. But, I don’t make congregations suffer through my singing. Sing to the Lord. Sing to the Lord in private if you sing like me. Sing in public if you sing like my wife and my daughters. But sing to the Lord. It is a great form of praise and worship.
Colossians 3:16 ESV Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Singing is a form of preaching. The largest book in the Bible is Psalms. It was originally a hymnbook. Every chapter of the Psalms was originally sung.
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