The first poetry in the Bible appears in Genesis. See, e.g., Gen. 4:23-24; 9:25-27, 49:1-27. But the first reference in the Bible to a song and singing is in Exodus 15:1-18, 21. Moses and his sister Miriam lead the children of Israel in what has been called “The Song of the Sea.” This is to distinguish it from another poetic passage that is called “The Song of Moses” (Deut. 32).
The song has been appreciated for its power since ancient times. It is part of the morning Jewish prayer, the Shacharit. It is the first canon or song in the Greek Orthodox liturgy. It is also contained in the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. Perhaps Protestants should sing it and they can! It is one of my favorite Scripture Songs. Here it is with the accompanying piano and guitar chords: http://bit.ly/8aJfpg
Walt Kaiser analyzes the poem as follows:
General Outline:
1. A Retrospective Description of the Egyptian Overthrow 15:1b-12
2. A Prospective Prediction of the Israelite Conquest 15:13-18
There are four stanzas, each one structured in the same way.
I. Stanza One 15:1b-5
Introit 1b
Confession 2, 3
Narration 4, 5
Simile 5b “like a stone”
II. Stanza Two 15:6-10
Introit 6
Confession 7, 8
Narration 9, 10
Simile 10b “like lead”
III. Stanza Three 15:11-16a
Introit 11
Confession 12, 13
Anticipation 14-16a
Simile 16a “as stone”
IV. Stanza Four 15:16b-18
Introit 16b
Confession 17
Anticipation 18a “The Lord shall reign”
Summary: The heroic deeds at the sea were a pledge that God would fulfill His future promise of giving them the Land. In rich imagery and poetic parallelism, we read the story of God’s redemption of Israel from Egypt through His power plus His pledge to complete that work in their future “promised land” through His faithfulness.
I shared with my Sojourners three practical thoughts based on this “Song of the Sea.”
1. Our singing should focus on who God is and what He has done - not on our feelings.
15:1, 2, 3, 6, 7a, 11
2. Our attitude toward the future should be based on our gratitude about the past.
15:13
3. Our confidence is that He who has begun the work will complete it.
15:17 (Phil. 1:6)
If anyone thinks it is inappropriate for Christians to sing this “OT” hymn, consider the following passage in Rev. 15:2-4:
“And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God. And they sang the song of Moses , the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; For all the nations shall come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
In heaven celebrating who God is and what He has done will be supplemented with singing about who the Lamb is and what He has done (Rev. 5:9-13).
This is an example of reading the story of the Israelites at the sea in light of the big Story of God’s plan for His people. Where do you find yourself in this Story?