Songs of Encouragement
When I was growing up, I had no idea there was a connection between the Broadway musicals my dad loved so much and the songs of the Hebrew Scriptures. How so? Just as the songs in a musical move the story forward, so too do the songs in Scripture.
Moses’ song in Exodus 15:1–19 is a great example. It appears at a critical point in the Bible’s story of Israel’s redemption from slavery in Egypt. With the drowning of Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, Israel is now free to follow and serve the God who called them out of Egypt. At this pivotal moment, Moses and his chorus, the sons of Israel, break into song.
The song’s lyrics take us from the immediate past all the way into the distant future. The song’s first two sections (verses 1–5 and 6–10) each begin with praising God and end with describing His destruction of the Egyptian army. The third and final section (verses 11–18) of Moses’ song begins with praise and then moves the story ahead by ending with a vision of Israel’s future.
The third section begins with Israel’s immediate future (verses 11–16). The hostile surrounding nations will be dumbfounded as they witness God’s power in the exodus, and they will be unable to prevent Israel’s entrance into the land God promised their fathers.
In verse 17, the story jumps ahead about 1,000 years to the time of Israel’s monarchy. “You will bring them and plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance, the place, LORD, which You have made as Your dwelling, the sanctuary, Lord, which your hands have established.” “The mountain” and “the sanctuary” are literary allusions to Jerusalem and its Temple.
By listening to the song, we learn of Israel’s history from Exodus (redemption from slavery) to Joshua (the conquest and settlement of the land). The lyrics take us into 1 and 2 Samuel (the establishment of the Davidic dynasty and conquest of Jerusalem), and through at least 1 and 2 Kings (the building of the Temple in Jerusalem during Solomon’s reign). But the story does not end here.
No Broadway show will ever rival the finale of Moses’ song. Its final verse extols the story’s ultimate end: “The LORD shall reign forever and ever” (Exodus 15:18). The song is about God establishing His rule through the nation of Israel.
Israel’s story has a happy ending! What a great song for the nation of Israel to hear as they start their journey with God. No matter what happens, God’s plan will succeed, and His rule will be established forever. This is something Israel and the world still need to know today.
How do the human authors of musicals write songs that accurately tell the play’s story? They know the story’s end from the beginning. So does our God! He is the Author of history, the greatest song ever written: how the God of creation chose for Himself a nation, through which He would send His Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus) the Son of David, to redeem His people Israel and the nations, and to reign over His world.
Pay attention to the Scripture’s songs! They tell an amazing story with a happy ending for all those who trust the Author…
“And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-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 will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed.’” Revelation 15:3–4 (NASB95)
Written by Dan, Life in Messiah Board member
Do you have a favorite song from a musical production? In what way does that song help move the story forward?
The next time you come across a song in your reading of Scripture, take a moment to pause and consider the lyrics. How does the song fit into that specific passage of Scripture? Does it reflect the arc of God’s overarching plan to redeem the world and establish His reign?
As believers, the certainty that “the LORD shall reign forever and ever” (Exodus 15:18) is a source of hope and encouragement! Today, the Jewish people and the world at large are in great need of this hope, which can only be found in Yeshua. Is there someone with whom the Lord would have you share the Source of your hope this week?