[And He Walks With Me] Exodus 15
1-21 Certainly, the story of the exodus was wonderful, but Moses and the Israelites wanted to ensure it would be remembered for generations. One of the most effective ways to do that was to put the account to music. In doing so, they did three significant things. First, they gave themselves a powerful mnemonic device. Music is a highly effective tool for remembering things because it activates multiple regions of the brain simultaneously. Second, they began to flesh out the nation’s cultural heritage. Prior to the exodus, Israel was distinguished primarily by its bloodline and chosen profession. They were the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and they tended livestock. One could argue that they were distinguished by geography because they lived primarily in Goshen, but that was merely a region of the greater nation of Egypt. Now, however, they began to develop their own history and music. Given that the only instrument mentioned is the tambourine, it is likely that the song was more about rhythm than melody. Third, while it is not explicitly stated, there is at least a strong possibility that the song was written and originally accompanied by women. In fact, archaeologists have uncovered clay figurines dated to Iron Age Israel portraying musicians, and all of the percussionists are women.[89] At the very least, Miriam composed the condensed version of verse 21, which almost certainly became the chorus lodged in Israel’s collective psyche. In doing so, she cemented her place as the nascent nation’s chief historian and encourager of faith. Indeed, St. Paul recognized the importance of remembering things God has already done when endeavoring to rally confidence in his promises. In Philippians 4:6, he exhorted, Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God (emphasis added). What is thanksgiving except remembering with gratitude what God has already done? The song of Exodus 15:1-21, then, would become a critical rallying cry when things were unclear or even bleak.
6 The language here is significant. Instead of speaking of the Egyptian army as drowned or swept away, the song tells us God shattered the enemy. Archaeologists have found stone, wood, and clay objects, as well as pottery, which were inscribed with the names of neighboring rulers and references to those who would rebel against Egypt. Evidence indicates that a curse was pronounced over these objects, after which the objects were smashed to depict the destruction of the target. This language would have been highly provocative to any Egyptian who heard it.[90]
14 The Philistines migrated from Crete and Greece and settled in the region of Palestine during the 12th century BCE following a massive upheaval in the area. Egyptian inscriptions from that time refer to a decisive victory over “those who came on the sea,” though it is more likely they merely repelled the invaders and maintained border security.[91]
20-21 The inclusion of Miriam at this juncture is significant. Josephus asserts she was the unnamed sister who watched Moses as he floated in the basket on the Nile River,[92] but if this is true, this is the first time she is named. Further, that childhood incident is not mentioned. Instead, she is here identified by two descriptors. First, she was a prophetess, making her the third person, and first woman, in Scripture to officially bear the prophetic office. The first two were Abraham in Genesis 20:7 and Aaron in Exodus 7:1. In fact, Moses would not be described in the same way until Deuteronomy 18:15. The exact role of the prophet was not yet clearly defined. That would come over generations, but the most basic definition was someone who delivered God’s word for the moment.[93] Exactly what word Miriam delivered is not specified. Sometimes, that word was a purpose. Sometimes, it was a detailed plan. Sometimes, it was a law revealing something about his character. Perhaps it was here a chorus reminding the people what God had done for them, which they could recite whenever they needed encouragement. In any case, the title of prophet was not one which was given arbitrarily. Indeed, Scriptures identified at least three tests to determine a prophet’s legitimacy: (1) whether the prophecy came true (Deuteronomy 18:21-22), whether the prophecy aligned with the revealed word of God (Deuteronomy 13:1-3), and (3) whether the prophet exhibited a godly lifestyle (Jeremiah 23:9-18).[94] Further, those who were determined to be false prophets were to be executed (Deuteronomy 18:20). Consequently, the fact that Miriam was recognized as a prophetess is no arbitrary thing. Second, she was identified as Aaron’s sister. While it was customary for women to be identified by their relationship with a man, this connection is remarkable for at least two reasons. First, the most common identifying relationship was with a father or husband. Josephus claimed Miriam was married to Hur,[95] who would later hold up Moses’ hands when the Amalekites attacked in Exodus 17, but the plausibility of this assertion is seriously undermined by the fact it is not mentioned here. In Exodus 6:20 and Numbers 26:59, Aaron’s parents were identified as Amram and Jochebed. There was, then, nothing so wicked or obscure that they should be excluded from the record, which raises the question of why the author did not simply say that Miriam was the daughter of Amram. Second, in cases where a woman was not identified by her father or husband, one would expect her to be identified by the most prominent male with whom she was affiliated. In Miriam’s case, this was clearly Moses. In fact, according to the culture, she probably should have been called “Miriam, daughter of Amram and sister of Moses.” Why, then, is she identified only as Aaron’s sister? Perhaps the author’s purpose in identifying Miriam primarily with Aaron was to make clear that she was Aaron’s equal, though not Moses’.[96] This assertion was supported in Numbers 12 when Miriam and Aaron together criticized Moses and in Micah 6:4, where the Lord declared, I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam ahead of you (emphasis added). The bottom line is that Miriam was not a tagalong. Although the overall biblical account focuses on Moses as the main leader, and Aaron as the chief priest of Israel’s nascent religion, Miriam was there beside them, a leader in her own right.
22-25 After the events of Exodus 14 (i.e., the crossing of the Red Sea and destruction of the Egyptian army) and the song of Exodus 15:1-21, these verses are nothing short of astonishing. God just delivered Israel from certain doom, but as soon as they became thirsty, the people grumbled to Moses. The Hebrew term could be rendered “grumble,” “complain,” or “murmur” and implied the notion of obstinance. It is the same word used in Genesis to describe someone camping or staying overnight (e.g., Gen 19:2; 24:23, 25, 54; 28:11).[97] This suggests to me the image of a small child stomping her foot and refusing to move another inch because her parents are so unfair and mean. This is the first time the term appears in Exodus, but it will become a recurring theme, appearing in Exodus 16:2, 7; 17:3; 23:18; 34:25. It will subsequently appear repeatedly in Numbers with the same sense. As the Africa Bible Commentary notes, “The people are inconsistent: at one moment they are singing God’s praises, and the next they are grumbling about him.”[98] See notes on Exodus 14:11-14 and 14:30.
25-27 The word translated by the CSB as illnesses is not the same term used previously to describe the plagues of Egypt, but it certainly alluded to them. The term here is hammaḥălâ (הַמַּחֲלָה – H4245) and carries the idea of sickness or disease in general.[99] This promise, then, is that God will reward obedience by protecting the nation from things which would erode its strength, as did the plagues God unleashed upon Israel, and instead heal them, building the nation. This promise was then validated by their arrival at Elim and the abundance there: twelve springs and seventy date palms. Both twelve and seventy were significant numbers in the Bible. Twelve was the number of tribes in Israel and therefore suggested God would sustain the whole nation, and seventy was the number of elders appointed by Moses. Both represented completion, blessing, and spiritual order.
[89] Keener and Zondervan 2016, Exodus 15;1
[90] Keener and Zondervan 2016, Exodus 15:6
[91] Keener and Zondervan 2016, Exodus 15:14
[92] Josephus 2017, 44
[93] Mounce 2006, 1250
[94] Mounce 2006, 1251
[95] Josephus 2017, 56
[96] E.g., Livingston 1995, Kindle Loc 3882
[97] “H3885 – lûn – Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (KJV)”, n.d.
[98] Adeyemo 2010, Exodus 15:22-27
[99] “H4245 – maḥălê – Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (KJV)”, n.d.