The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him. Exodus 15:2 (ESV)
This is part of what is known as "The Song of Moses and Miriam." The Israelites sang it after they had been rescued from the pursuing Egyptians who wanted to re-enslave them. They sang it to celebrate their deliverance after they had walked through the sea on dry sand, but the waters had closed over their enemies. And, I just realized that this song is repeated three times in the Bible. It is recorded here in Exodus, in Isaiah 12:2 and in Psalm 118:14. Wonderfully, it appears in both Isaiah and Psalms in chapters prophesying the Messiah.
But what captured my attention here is the phrase "my song." That God is my strength and salvation I understand. But how is He my song? Charles Spurgeon explained it this way:
… "The Lord is my song" that is to say, the Lord is the giver of our songs; he breathes the music into the hearts of his people; he is the creator of their joy. The Lord is also the subject of their songs: they sing of him and of all that he does on their behalf. The Lord is, moreover, the object of their song: they sing unto the Lord. Their praise is meant for him alone. They do not make melody for human ears, but unto the Lord. "The Lord is my song." Then I ought always to sing; and if I sing my loudest, I can never reach the height of this great argument, nor come to the end of it. This song never changes. If I live by faith my song is always the same, for "the Lord is my song." Our song unto God is God himself. He alone can express our intensest joy. O God, thou art my exceeding joy. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, thou art my hymn of everlasting delight." — from Jubilate, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, October 25, 1885
Jesus is the song, the song that God has been singing since the beginning of creation, the song that God gave to the world, the song He commanded us to sing. Not the song of the world that we had been singing. This is the new song about a new hope, a new covenant, the new wine poured into new wine skins. Jesus is our Song. He is the song we sing in the desert place, pursued by our enemies, backed up against devouring impossibilities.
The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.
"The heart that has been changed by the gospel sings the praise of the Savior. For only in Jesus, we have been redeemed. We have been saved from our sins that have separated us from our God. We have been raised from our spiritual death to walk in the newness of eternal life. We have received and have been sealed by the Holy Spirit, the guarantee of future and final redemption. We have been called out of darkness and into his marvelous light to proclaim his praises. He is our new song." -- K. Jason French1
But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. Psalm 59:16 (ESV)
By day the LORD commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life. Psalm 42:8 (ESV)
Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me. Psalm 63:6-8
Let the trees of the forest sing, let them sing for joy before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. 1 Chronicles 16:33
Let the trees sing. Let us all sing, for He is our song. And, the Song has arrived.
This is my story;
This is my song.
From the heights of heaven's glory
To the depths of earth's despair,
Came a love song in the darkness,
Came a song beyond compare.
And from the humble stable
God sang His lullaby,
A song of peace, as song of joy,
The music of the sky.
This shall be my alleluia;
This shall be my highest praise.
Let my every word and deed proclaim it;
Let me sing it all my days.
This shall be my benediction;
This shall be my dying phrase.
This shall be my alleluia;
Jesus is my song of grace!
From the golden streets of heaven,
To the shores of Galilee,
Came a love song for all people,
The music of eternity.
And from a wooden cross,
God sang His song of grace,
And filled the world with the sound of hope
And everlasting praise.
This shall be my alleluia;
This shall be my highest praise.
Let my every word and deed proclaim it;
Let me sing it all my days.
This shall be my benediction;
This shall be my dying phrase.
This shall be my alleluia;
Jesus is my song of grace!
-- "Jesus Is My Song of Grace," by Joseph Martin2
1 God Put a Song in Your Heart https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/god-put-a-song-in-your-heart
2 Listen to this wonderful song here Jesus Is My Song of Grace
Photo of trees by Jessica Dillon
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