Sayfadaki görseller
PDF
ePub

5. The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a

stone.

6. Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.

7. And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee; thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble.

8. And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together: the floods stood upright as a heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.

9. The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them: I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.

10. Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them; they sank as lead in the mighty waters.

11. Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?

12. Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them. 13. Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation.

14. The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina.

15. Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away.

16. Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, 0 Lord, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased.

17. Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O Lord, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established.

18. The Lord shall reign for ever and ever.

19. For the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the Lord brought again the water of the sea upon them: but the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea.

20. And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.

21. And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.

Bishop Lowth has remarked of the beautiful hymn which we have just read, that it is the oldest poetical composition extant in the world. Interesting, as it cannot fail to be to every thoughtful mind, from this consideration, as well as from the majesty of the style, and the remarkable dignity of its sentiments, it acquires fresh value in the eyes of the Christian, by the striking reference made to it in the writings of the New Testament. "I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire," says the beloved apostle, “and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints."'*

There must, therefore, be much of spiritual praise and thanksgiving in this hymn, extending far beyond the temporal subject, great and vast as that undoubtedly was, for which it was originally composed. Indeed, there are verses in it so consonant to the Christian's feelings, and so completely in unison with the best affections of his heart, that he feels them almost more applicable to himself, than he can imagine them ever to have been to the liberated Israelite; nay, that

* Rev. xv. 2, 3.

he cannot but acknowledge that they might well form the language of his lips, even amidst the chorus of eternity itself. "Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed, thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation. Thou shalt bring them in and plant them in the place, O Lord, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in; in the sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established." Where will such language be half as appropriate as in the courts of heaven? Thus to refer all to God; thus to trace our first redemption to his fatherly love, in sending his only Son into the world to die for us; thus to recount that not only in his love did he "redeem us," but that in his mercy he "led" us, that in his wisdom he "guided" us, that in his "strength" he brought us to his holy habitation. Surely these are words of which, if we are permitted to cross the threshold of that blessed place, how joyfully and how gladly we shall avail ourselves. What language could the redeemed and accepted sinner find more fitting to express his deep humility, his holy gratitude, his ardent, grateful love to that Father who appointed, to that Saviour who offered, the great atonement, and to that Holy Ghost, three persons and one God, who so mercifully and undeservedly applied it to his soul!

How delightful thus to trace so many of the attributes of the ever-blessed Trinity, as engaged in the salvation of each poor, helpless, guilty sinner; for if this song were sung by all who stood upon that sea of glass, and "who had gotten the victory," it must have been essentially true of each individual who bore

a part in it. Well, indeed, might they who were permitted to join in the hymn, unite also in the blessed, the exulting chorus, "The Lord shall reign for ever and ever." How blessed a thought to the heart of every true believer! crowns, kingdoms, worlds, even heaven and earth shall pass away, but that Being whom the pardoned sinner loves the best, and thinks of the most frequently, and desires the most ardently, and of whom he can with truth affirm, "Whom have I in heaven but Thee, and there is none upon earth, that I desire in comparison of Thee; that Being will not, cannot change: He is the dearest to the renewed heart now, and shall be so throughout eternity; for “The Lord shall reign for ever and ever."

EXPOSITION XXXVI.

CHAP. XV. 22-27.

22. So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; and they went out into the wilderness of Shur: and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.

23. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.

24. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?

25. And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord showed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them,

26. And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.

The Israelites having seen their enemies, as Moses expresses it, "dead upon the sea-shore," and having sung their exulting hymn of praise and thanksgiving, commenced once more upon their journey. They were soon practically instructed that their path was not to be an easy or a pleasant one, that self-denial was to form a continual and daily duty, and that, even with God for their leader, they should not be preserved from the distresses and disquietudes of the way. A lesson which cannot be too soon acquired by the young convert, if he would escape disappointment and repining. Never would the Lord Jesus Christ have so carefully urged his people to "sit down first and count the cost," if they who travel on this road had no cost to pay. Never would he have likened it to a race, a struggle, a battle, had it been merely a flowery path, a journey of recreation.

For three days did the Israelites advance from the shores of the Red Sea into the wilderness, and during the whole of the march, "found no water." Thus commenced at once their journey and their trials. But on the third day, they came in sight of the muchwished-for element, and we can easily imagine the eagerness and anxiety with which the whole of that vast multitude would rush forward to avail themselves of what they had been so long and earnestly expecting. What then must have been their dis

« ÖncekiDevam »