God Who Delivered Israel From Egypt

Commentary

This is a song of the exodus. Since the sixth century the established church has used this psalm in ministering to the dying and at the burial of the dead. It was also a psalm for Easter, because Israel’s deliverance from bondage was seen as a type of our deliverance from the bondage of sin. As a lesson for us today we will explore it as a song of spiritual power.

 

1.     The roots of Spiritual power (vv. 1-2). Three principles for obtaining power from God are:

a.     Separation (v. 1) – Turning away from the world and listening to what God has to say. Israel went out of Egypt.

b.     Sanctification (v. 2a) – “Judah” was His sanctuary. Sanctification sets us apart for God. God will not give His power to a worldly, carnal person but only to those He can trust.

c.     Surrender (v. 2b) – “And Israel was His dominion.” Surrender is a key to a life of victory. God will not give His power to those who are not in submission to Him.

 

2.     The results of Spiritual power (vv. 3-8). Two results of spiritual power are:

a.     Things begin to happen (vv. 3-6) – Seas flee away, rivers part, and the mountains and hills begin to shake. When Israel put the waters of the Jordan between them and the old way of life, what was an obstacle became their protection and made it difficult for them to ever go back to Egypt and their past.

b.     Throngs begin to hearken (vv. 7-9). “Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob.” When God is moving in power, people will tremble, not at the preacher, but at the presence of God. This brings real conviction (v. 7) and true conversion (v. 8).

Application

I want to experience God’s power in my life to the point that the results listed above will be evident. I know this powerstarts with prayer, so I covet your prayers.