Exodus 15:1-12

The LORD Is My Strength and Song

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1Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD: “I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted. The horse and rider He has thrown into the sea.

2The LORD is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.

3The LORD is a warrior, the LORD is His name.

4Pharaoh’s chariots and army He has cast into the sea; the finest of his officers are drowned in the Red Sea.

5The depths have covered them; they sank there like a stone.

6Your right hand, O LORD, is majestic in power; Your right hand, O LORD, has shattered the enemy.

7You overthrew Your adversaries by Your great majesty. You unleashed Your burning wrath; it consumed them like stubble.

8At the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up; like a wall the currents stood firm; the depths congealed in the heart of the sea.

9The enemy declared, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake. I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them. I will draw my sword; my hand will destroy them.’

10But You blew with Your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters.

11Who among the gods is like You, O LORD? Who is like You—majestic in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders?

12You stretched out Your right hand, and the earth swallowed them up.

Berean Standard Bible

Read aloud

After the LORD saves Israel from the Egyptians, Moses and the people sing to the LORD. They say they will sing because he has triumphed gloriously and thrown horse and rider into the sea. The song begins with God's action, not Israel's courage.

The people call the LORD their strength, song, and salvation. He is their God, and they will praise him; he is their father's God, and they will exalt him. The song names Him as a warrior, the LORD as His name, and remembers how his right hand shattered the enemy.

The enemy boasts about pursuit, plunder, and destruction. Then God blows with His breath, and the sea covers the army. The poem places those elaborate plans beside the ease of the LORD's victory. Egypt's strength cannot stand against Him.

The poem asks who is like the LORD, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, and doing wonders. The song is worship, memory, and interpretation: it teaches the people how to understand the rescue they have just experienced.

The people praise the LORD as both their father's God and their own salvation. His faithfulness across generations has become a rescue they themselves have received. Their song gives words to the awe of standing alive on the far shore: no power that threatened them is equal to their holy God.

Questions

1 Why do Moses and Israel sing to the LORD?

AnswerHe has thrown horse and rider into the sea and saved them. Their praise gives Him the credit for the victory.

2 What do they call the LORD in verse 2?

AnswerTheir strength, song, and salvation. He is their God and their father's God, worthy of praise and exaltation.

3 How does the song contrast the enemy's plans with God's action?

AnswerThe enemy boasts of pursuit, plunder, and destruction. God blows with His breath, and the sea covers them. Their plans cannot withstand His power.

4 What does the question “Who is like You?” proclaim?

AnswerNo one compares with the LORD in holiness, majesty, and wonders. The rescue reveals the greatness of the God Israel worships.

What This Means for Us

Israel gives its relief a voice by singing to God. Praise helps us remember both what He has done and who He is. When you give thanks, name the mercy you received instead of leaving gratitude vague. Sing a familiar hymn or read a verse of this song together.

The victory belongs to the Lord. We should not turn this account of His judgment into permission to harm people we oppose. Let gratitude make us humble before Him and generous toward those who still need help. The strength we praise is God's, not proof of our own superiority.

Prayer

LORD, you are our strength and salvation. Teach us to sing with gratitude and honesty, to remember rescue without pride, and to use our relief to care for people who are still under heavy burdens. Amen.

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