Exodus 15:1-3, 11-13, 17-18, 20-21
Throughout the world, people celebrate in different ways. In Oaxaca, Mexico, there is an annual festival, Noche de Rábanos (Night of the Radishes), that features three-dimensional art carved from radishes. Since 1974, a traditional Christmas dinner in Japan includes, perhaps unexpectedly, Kentucky Fried Chicken. One of the quirkier celebratory traditions in my life is the birthday lemon. Born out of necessity during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the birthday lemon is a fruit pierced with a lit candle. Rather than blowing our air and germs on a shared cake, members of my family would blow out the candle in the birthday lemon.
Even now, it remains a tradition. In part, the birthday lemon has stuck with us because we think it’s funny, but I think we also hold onto it because it reminds us that we found joy together during a time when joy was hard to come by.
The Song at the Sea
The Israelites knew a thing or two about finding joy in hard situations, and they certainly knew how to celebrate. The first thing that Moses does after leading them out of slavery in Egypt is to conduct a song. These verses, sometimes called The Song at the Sea (Exodus 15:1-18), describe the Israelites’ journey across the Red Sea to freedom, praising God along the way.
I can’t imagine it was an idyllic trip through the water, even if it was on dry land. My guess is that the Israelites feared the questionable walls of water surrounding them as well as the Egyptians pursuing them. Once they made it safely across and the water returned, they must have let out a big sigh of relief. Singing for joy was a natural response.
Have you ever been moved so much that words alone could not express your emotions? We may find it embarrassing to just break out into a song or dance — life isn’t a Broadway musical, after all. Perhaps the Israelites felt some of that embarrassment as they watched Moses lead them in song. But joy is infectious, and it finds ways to make itself known. Many of the Israelites sang along, maybe some danced and laughed, others may have jumped for joy. God’s deliverance and salvation were too overwhelming for mere words, so God’s people sang and danced together in praise. Once they had finished singing, they did it all over again.
The Prophet Miriam
This passage closes with Miriam leading the Israelites in a second song and dance. She brings out a tambourine, which was likely made while the Israelites were still slaves in Egypt since it was readily available after crossing the Red Sea. Even in the darkest days, days when joy was hard to come by and there was little to celebrate, the Israelites still hoped, longed for, and expected joy, even going so far as to craft instruments of celebration that were then deemed important enough to carry into the wilderness.
Miriam was an important leader for the Israelites. As a prophet, she would have been seen as both a religious and political figure in the community. Her song, “Sing to the Lord, for [God] has triumphed gloriously” (Exodus 15:21) very well may have first been sung by the Israelites during their years of bondage as Egyptian slaves. When sung by a free Miriam and the free Israelites, the words transcend to new heights; there is a new purpose and praise behind them. As a leader of her people, Miriam sings familiar words breathing into them new life and new meaning.
At this moment, the Israelites could have been angry about the past, hurt by how long they had been enslaved or pessimistic about the journey ahead. Instead, they are elated and joyful. The other emotions will come eventually, but, for now, they revel in their freedom and their praise of God. It is a reminder that we, too, should remember God in our best moments, not just when we are at our worst. Let us praise God with joyful hearts, full of gratitude for all that God has done for us.
Questions for discussion
- Share about a time when you were so moved that you needed more than words to express your joy.
- What has been your “Red Sea experience?” Share about a time when you’ve gone through a difficult time or distressing event and give thanks together for God’s provision and salvation.
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