Joy: “Singing the Song” 7-21-24

Overview

Singing the Song of Joy

When Israel stood trapped between Pharaoh's chariots and the Red Sea, deliverance seemed impossible. Mountains hemmed them in, water blocked their path, and the army of Egypt bore down upon them. The people cried out in despair, accusing Moses of leading them out only to die Exodus 14:11. Yet God parted the sea, brought His people through on dry ground, and overthrew Pharaoh's forces with the returning waters. Out of that redemptive act came a song: "I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously… The Lord is my strength and my might, and he has become my salvation" Exodus 15:1-2.

This was meant to be a defining song for God's people, and Scripture shows Him bringing it back to mind again and again. Miriam reprises it with tambourine and dance Exodus 15:20-21. The psalmists return to it in Psalm 106 and Psalm 136, recalling how the Lord divided the sea because "his steadfast love endures forever." The song echoes through Deuteronomy, Joshua, Nehemiah, Isaiah, and Hebrews. God will not let His people forget the melody of His saving work.

Most remarkably, the first song recorded in Scripture becomes part of the last. In Revelation 15:3, the throngs of heaven sing "the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb." Two redemptions are bound together in one anthem: God's deliverance of Israel from Egypt, and Christ's deliverance of sinners from sin and death. We who deserved condemnation have been rescued through the shed blood of the Lamb, claimed in the waters of baptism, and assured by the empty tomb that the sacrifice has been accepted.

So sing the song. Amid the challenges, the difficulties, and the discord of life, the Lord keeps bringing this melody to mind and placing it on our lips. Whether circumstances are good or hard, the refrain holds: "The joy of the Lord is my strength." He who triumphed at the Red Sea and triumphed at Calvary is your strength, your might, and your salvation—and the song of joy He gives is one you will be singing forever.

Transcript

Would you open your Bibles, please, for our time and God's Word today, to Exodus 15th 3s

chapter. 8s

If you're using a Pew edition of Holy Scripture, you're going to find that in the Old Testament 9s

page 57. 14s

Exodus 15th chapter, for our study today. 16s

Have you ever had those times in life when a song continues to run through your mind? 21s

Perhaps you find yourself singing it during the day or humming it during the day or maybe 28s

the lyrics keep coming to mind. 34s

Well, that could be a good thing or a bad thing. 37s

I can't it, depending on the song. 39s

The Bible reveals to us that there are a host of songs recorded in Scripture. 44s

For example, numbers 21. 53s

The Lord said to Moses, gather the people together and I will give them water. 56s

Then Israel sang this song, spring up, oh well, sing to it, or song 18. 63s

song 18 is a song and in the prefectory comments it says. 71s

A song of David, the servant of the Lord who addressed the words of this song to the Lord. 77s

Bible reveals to us that Solomon, Solomon wrote 21,05 songs. 88s

The most famous of the songs. 96s

Was of course the song of songs or the song of Solomon, one of the books of Holy Scripture. 99s

And our text for today, it reveals to us a song. 108s

And what we're going to notice is God keeps bringing this song back to mind over and over. 116s

Again, what's the backdrop? 132s

backdrop is that the people of God were slaves under a very, very oppressive Pharaoh in Egypt. 138s

And God was going to free them, propelling them to the promised land. 147s

There were 10 plagues and the 10th plague that God had sent upon Egypt's Egyptians was the killing of the first born throughout the land. 152s

Only those that had their doorpost and lintal marked with the blood of the lambs would God pass over. 167s

And the rest, the rest of the first born would be killed. 175s

That evokes them a response from Pharaoh and Exodus, the 12th chapter, it tells us, 183s

then he summoned Moses and Aaron in the night and said, 190s

rise up, go away from my people, both you and the Israelites. 194s

Leave, leave. 202s

But then he has a change of heart because you see he realizes that he has just told his slaves to leave. 208s

Look, please, with me at chapter 14, verse 5, 221s

when the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the minds of Pharaoh and his officials were changed toward the people. 227s

And they said, what have we done? 237s

Letting Israel leave our service. 240s

And so, Pharaoh marshals up 600 chariots, 600 chariots, each of them having two soldiers in the chariots. 244s

He marshals up an infantry. 257s

He marshals up a cavalry and he himself takes the lead to pursue the Israelites. 260s

The Israelites, the trapped, they're absolutely trapped. 273s

To the west and to the south are mountains. 283s

To the east is water. 287s

From the north comes Pharaoh and his forces, they are absolutely trapped. 290s

And they know it. 300s

And they speak out with such distress and anger. 303s

Look with me, please, chapter 14, verse 11. 309s

They said to Moses, was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you've taken us away to die in the wilderness? 314s

What have you done to us, bringing us out of Egypt? 324s

Is this not the very thing we told you in Egypt? 330s

Let us alone and let us serve the Egyptians. 335s

For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness. 340s

Now what? 351s

Now what? 353s

My Bible says that God told Moses to raise his hand above the water and God pulled back the water into pillars. 357s

And an east wind was sent by God and it dried the basin. 369s

So that the people could cross the red sea with the waters pulled back and they could cross on dry ground. 376s

Then he had Moses lift his hand again and God sent a west wind. 390s

The Bible tells us and the west wind moved the waters downward. 397s

So it swallowed up Pharaoh and his forces. 408s

And this occasion, a song, a song. 416s

Look now at our text, chapter 15, verse 1. 425s

Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord. 432s

I will sing to the Lord for He has triumphed gloriously. 437s

Horse and writer, He has thrown into the sea. 443s

The Lord is my strength and my might and He has become my salvation. 448s

This is my God and I will praise Him. 454s

My Father's God and I will exalt Him. 458s

And the song goes on. 464s

The parting of the Red Sea, this redemptive act of God. 472s

This was to be a defining moment in the lives of the Israelites. 479s

And that song of Moses, it's reprised. 487s

Look, please, at verse 20 of chapter 15. 496s

Then the prophet Miriam Aaron's sister took a tambourine in her hand. 501s

And all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dancing. 506s

And Miriam sang to them, sing to the Lord for He has triumph gloriously. 511s

Horse and writer, He has thrown into the sea. 519s

And that song of Moses, God keeps bringing it to mind. 526s

Over and over and over again. 533s

Psalm 100 and 6, it reveals to us this. 538s

He rebuked the Red Sea and it became dry. 545s

He led them through the deep as through a desert. 549s

So He saved them from the hand of the foe and delivered them from the hand of the enemy. 553s

The waters covered their adversaries. 560s

It's not one of them was left. 562s

Then they believed His words. 565s

They sang His praise. 567s

Psalm 136, God once again brings the song to mind. 570s

O give thanks to the Lord of Lords for His steadfast love and doors forever. 576s

Who divided the Red Sea into for His steadfast love and doors forever. 583s

And made Israel pass through the midst of it for His steadfast love and doors forever. 588s

But over through Pharaoh and his army and the Red Sea for His steadfast love and doors forever. 596s

And in Deuteronomy 11, God brings the song to mind. 606s

And in Joshua 24, God brings the song to mind. 612s

In the Amaya 9, the song is brought to mind. 616s

In Psalm 78, the song comes back. 620s

In Isaiah 51, the song comes back. 623s

In Hebrews 11, chapter, the song comes back. 626s

The song over and over and over again as God brings it to the mind of the people. 630s

The song of joy, the song of joy. 640s

I remember well, my mother. 652s

She had a medley that she would sing around the house. 658s

And the first song that she would sing around the house 664s

was the joy of the Lord is my strength. 669s

It was really quite a witness because as I reflect on it now, she sang that song. 677s

She sang that medley. 683s

When things were really good, and when things weren't so good, 686s

when those events come along that just come along with life, 693s

she would still be singing the song. 699s

The joy of the Lord is my strength. 703s

Whether the circumstances of life were good or whether they were bad, 708s

it was just the same song that she would sing. 714s

The same song of joy. 721s

It can be hard, candid, to sing the song of joy in difficult times. 728s

But God keeps bringing to mind the song. 738s

The song of joy. 748s

And He empowers us. 752s

Whatever the circumstances, He empowers us to sing. 755s

The same. 765s

Now, look closer, please. 770s

Look closer here. 775s

The very first song recorded in Holy Scripture is the song of Moses. 779s

It's the very first song. 788s

And the very first song is part of the last song that is recorded in Holy Scripture. 791s

So the song of Moses, the first song recorded in Holy Scripture, is also part of the last song recorded in Scripture. 804s

Revelation reveals to us in the 15th chapter it says. 816s

And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God. 824s

Who's the they? 830s

The they are the throngs in heaven. 831s

So see the picture now? 836s

Get the throngs in heaven. 837s

And the Scripture says, and they sing the song of Moses, 838s

the servant of God. 843s

And then it says, and the song of the lamb, who's the lamb. 846s

The lamb is Jesus Christ. 853s

The lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 855s

So the first song is a part of the last song. 860s

And the last song is this combination of the two songs of praise. 867s

The songs of Moses and the song of the lamb. 874s

They're held together. 881s

The song of Moses celebrated the redemptive act of God, the deliverance of the people from Egypt. 885s

The song of the lamb celebrates the Lord Jesus Christ who delivers us from sin. 894s

See the picture here? 906s

In heaven. 908s

The song of joy and these two songs held together. 910s

These two songs of redemption. 914s

And we are sinners through and through. 917s

Thought word indeed, what we've done, what we've left undone. 923s

We deserve hell itself. 928s

And yet God sends his son to Lord Jesus Christ and on the cross. 933s

The Lord Jesus Christ delivers us from our sin. 937s

Through the shed blood of Christ we are delivered from the eternal condemnation that should come to us. 941s

God comes in the waters of baptism and delivers us personally applying the gospel to us, making his decision about us. 950s

The tomb is empty of our Lord declaring that the sacrifice has been accepted. 962s

The two songs are tied together the first song of joy, a part of the last song of joy. 972s

This incredible composition that communicates redemption, this glorious melody that we can sing. 984s

Genesis 15th chapter verse 2, 1008s

The Lord is my strength and my might and he's become my salvation. 1015s

This is my God and I will praise him. 1023s

He keeps coming and bringing the song of redemption to mind so that it continues to play in our mind and is transferred to the lips. 1029s

Beloved, amidst the challenges in life, sing the song. 1057s

Amidst the difficulties in life, sing the song. 1065s

Amidst the discord of life, sing the song. 1073s

For he will continue to bring the melody to mind. 1081s