God’s people are a worshipful people. How can we not be, given all that we’ve seen and all that we know about His Word and His salvation?
Worship should come naturally to a Christian, just as it did in Exodus 15:2 on the banks of the Red Sea. This first Song of Moses (of three total in the Old Testament) was most likely a spontaneous eruption of adoration towards Jehovah as they observed the dead bodies of the Egyptians and pondered their own future path towards Canaan.
In moments like that, a song of praise is not only appropriate, it’s encouraged. Hebrews 13 calls worship the “sacrifice of praise to God, that is the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.” Ephesians 5:18-19 talks about “singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
“Thanks” is the key word here. When we worship, we’re saying “thank you.” Thank you, thank you, thank you. The Song of Moses was one gigantic THANK YOU for the deliverance of God. It talks about who He is, what He’s done, and the effects of what He’s done for His people.
It’s so obvious that we should glorify God that the first few verses state several objective truths: “The Lord is my strength and song;” “He is highly exalted;” “The Lord is a Warrior.” These are just facts, and that’s exactly how Moses states them.
Here’s another one: “This is my God, and I will praise Him.”
That type of response is obvious to us, but I don’t think it was intuitive to the people in Moses’ time. Right before they crossed the Red Sea, the Israelites were arguing about the merits of appointing a leader to return to Egypt. All of this occurs before the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai, where they’re told the mechanics of corporate Him.
Regardless, on the banks of the Red Sea, with dead Egyptians washing up on the shore, the nation of Israel is learning a new song—one that highlights who God is and the worship that is due Him. Notice how the song is deeply personal: God is “my” God and “my” strength. It’s a song that is sung by everyone but meant for the individual.
When we worship God, it has to be personal to us. When I sing the song “How Great Thou Art,” am I actually expressing how great God is? When I sing “Amazing Grace,” do I really think grace is that amazing?
I’m a big believer in the emotional part of worship, but emotion only drives worship—it doesn’t define it. In other words, I can’t glorify God through whatever I want. I have to worship Him the way He describes in Scripture, which is songs of praise from my lips and my heart. Worship that’s built around what I want isn’t worship of God but worship of self.
But when I worship God, emotion naturally has to be a part of it. How can I not be emotional saying thank you to a God who gave His Son to die for me? He is my strength, He is my song. He is my God, and I will praise Him.
