Exodus 15:1-20

15:1 At that time, Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the LORD, saying, “I will sing to the LORD, for victoriously he has achieved victory; the horse and his rider he has shot 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. ⁴ “Pharaoh’s chariots and his army he shot into the sea, and his elite officers were sunk in the Red Sea. ⁵ The depths covered them; they went down into the deep sea like a stone. ⁶ Your right hand, LORD, made glorious by power, your right hand, LORD, smashes the enemy. ⁷ In the greatness of your majesty you overthrow your adversaries; you send out your burning anger; it consumes them like stubble. ⁸ At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up; the floods stood up in a heap; the depths solidified in the heart of the sea. ⁹ The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, my desire shall be satisfied over them. I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.’ ¹⁰ You puffed your breath; the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the grand waters. ¹¹ “Who is like you, LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, great in holiness, awesome in praiseworthy deeds, doing miracles? ¹² You stretched out your right hand; the land swallowed them. ¹³ “You have led by your grace this people whom you have redeemed; you have guided them by your strength to your holy dwelling. ¹⁴ The peoples have heard; they shudder; anguish has taken hold of the those who dwell in Philistia. ¹⁵ At that time the chiefs of Edom became disturbed; trembling has taken hold of the leaders of Moab; all who live in Canaan have melted. ¹⁶ Terror and dread fall upon them; because of the greatness of your arm, they are still as a stone, till your people, LORD, pass by, till the people pass by whom you have bought. ¹⁷ You will bring them in and place them on your own mountain, the place, LORD, which you have made for your dwelling, the sanctuary, Lord, which your hands have set up. ¹⁸ The LORD will reign forever and ever.” ¹⁹ For when the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, the LORD brought back the waters of the sea upon them, but the people of Israel walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea. ²⁰ Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out behind her with tambourines and dancing. ²¹ And Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the LORD, for he has achieved victory; the horse and his rider he has shot into the sea.”

victory songs

Moses and Miriam led the people of Israel in victory songs that day. Their fear had turned to praise, and their prayers for salvation had turned to worship. The people did not need the songs to recognize that they were still alive. They needed the victory songs to remind them that it was the LORD who had fought for them. So, today, we who have the faith of Moses and Miriam regularly gather in the LORD’s name and sing songs of praise, worshipping him. We need to regularly remind ourselves that we have a man of war fighting for us, defeating our enemies. We need to rejoice over every win, and anticipate the utter defeat of all sin and Satan at the final judgment. Our faith is in a God who finishes off the enemy.

LORD, we rejoice over you, because you have won the day. You have achieved victory over what we were afraid of. To you we sing victory songs.