A good portion of the chapter is a song Moses and Israel sing after God delivers them from the Egyptians though the Red Sea.
“Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? You stretched out your right hand; the earth swallowed them. You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed; you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode. The peoples have heard; they tremble; pangs have seized the inhabitants of Philistia. Now are the chiefs of Edom dismayed; trembling seizes the leaders of Moab; all the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away. Terror and dread fall upon them; because of the greatness of your arm, they are still as a stone, till your people, O Lord, pass by, till the people pass by whom you have purchased. You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain, the place, O Lord, which you have made for your abode, the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established. The Lord will reign forever and ever.” (v11-18)
This excerpt from the song depicts exactly what God was going for by being the sole deliverer of His people from the hands of the Egyptians – Israel is praising Him, and the nations around them are cowering at the power of their God.
Israel correctly gives all glory and credit to the Lord their God for the redemption from Egypt. Not one line in the song indicates Israel did anything in this process, each accomplishment and wonder is attributed to God. It contains multiple phrases such as “Your right hand”, “You have guided”, “He has triumphed”, “the Lord is my strength”, “You overthrow”, “You send out”, “Your fury”, etc. They are giving credit where credit is due.
The second major theme in the song is reverence – not only has God gotten the attention of His chosen people, Israel, He has also caught the eye of their neighbors. The obvious ones are the Egyptians, who received the brunt of God’s power, though others are mentioned in the song as being wary of Israel’s God. “The peoples have heard; they tremble; pangs have seized the inhabitants of Philistia. Now are the chiefs of Edom dismayed; trembling seizes the leaders of Moab; all the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.” (v14-15) The neighbors quake with fear until the Israelites have passed by their territory – only then they can stop holding their breath (a paraphrase).
Roughly 930 years later, the prophet Jeremiah “retweets” (repeats) this same message from God: “Behold, I will bring to [them] health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security. I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me. And this [people] shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them. They shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for [them].” (Jer 33:6,8-9)
This theme of deliverance and God asserting His sovereignty over Israel repeats several times in the OT, and is eventually expanded to include all nations, not just Israel. Even in the OT people began to realize God was not just King over Israel, He ruled over the entire world. “And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, and said, ‘O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you.’ ” (2 Chr 20:5-6) “For the LORD Most High is to be feared, A great King over all the earth.” (Psa 47:2) “Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? Indeed it is Your due! For among all the wise men of the nations And in all their kingdoms, There is none like You.” (Jer 10:7) “And the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and His name the only one.” (Zech 14:9)
Father God, o ruler of the nations, Creator and King over all of the earth, we humbly bow in Your presence. Holy is Your name. We eagerly ask to help build Your kingdom here on earth, in alignment with Your will, as it is being built in heaven. We praise You for Your daily provision of sustenance and strength. Please forgive our rebellion and sin against You, and remind us to forgive those who have sinned against us, so that we may be delivered from the crushing blows of our enemies. May You guard our hearts against temptation and keep us on the straight and narrow path, the one on which You guide us through the depths of the sea. To You be all glory, honor and praise, forever and ever. Amen.
~ Conqueror in Training