Exodus 15 is unique. It is a song. It is not merely a song. It is the first song mentioned in the Bible. It is a song of praise and worship. It is a song that acknowledges the Lord delivering Moses and the Israelites from the Egyptians. He delivered them by parting the Red Sea so that thy Israelites might walk through on dry land. Exodus 14:22 tells us, “And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.” Then, as the Egyptians pursued them, we read in Exodus 14:27-28, “And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.”

Now, with their captors destroyed and the Israelites standing safely on the other side of the Red Sea, we see Moses and the Israelites singing a song of deliverance. Exodus 15:1 says, “Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.” I encourage you to read this entire chapter. In describing this event, we read in Psalms 114:3, “The sea saw it, and fled…” Psalms 77:15-16 describes it like this, “Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah. The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee; they were afraid: the depths also were troubled.” What a monumental event which produced the first song recorded in the Word.

Now let’s consider Exodus 15:13-15, “Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation. The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina. Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away.” Verse 13 acknowledges the hand of the Lord in leading His redeemed people out of captivity, guiding them with His strength to eventually take them into His holy habitation. This, I believe, refers to the land of Canaan. Verses 14-15 show the impact of the Lord’s deliverance of His people. People would hear of the Lord’s mighty arm in delivering His people and be afraid of Him and His power. Certainly it would not be the appearance of this huge group of people as they marched across the desert. I don’t believe there was nothing about them that would cause others to fear. But, it was the knowledge that God was with them and had conquered their enemy, Egypt, a mighty nation at the time.

The people of Palestina would be sorrowful. The leaders of Edom would watch in wonder. The might soldiers of Moab would be seized by trembling and fear. The people of Canaan would fall at their hands. It was Rahab, the harlot in Jericho, who told the two Israeli spies, “I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.” (Joshua 2:9-10) Yes, there was great fear towards the Lord’s people because the people of different nations had heard that God was with them and had worked powerfully on their behalf.

Although this is the first song mentioned in the Bible, this is not the last time this particular song is mentioned. We read of a future day in Revelation 15:3 which says, “And they sing THE SONG OF MOSES the servant of God, and THE SONG OF THE LAMB, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.” The song of Moses and the song of the Lamb will be in the hearts and on the lips of the Lord’s redeemed for eternity. (295.10)