Singing Songs of Praise

I just skipped out on another 3 days of devotions. Bad habits aside, I'm going to write what I think we should pull from Exodus 15.

1. Praise is intended to be for God. So I noticed something about a requirement I have towards worship: it needs to be something I can enjoy. This defeats the purpose and intent of our praise. Whenever praise becomes tailored to how it can best suit and benefit us, it runs the risk of becoming a self-indulging habit that loses direction in terms of to whom it is being directed towards. In other words, it becomes a praise toward us and our preferences, regardless of the words used. In this passage, praises to God can be spontaneous. Songs of praise in this passage are directed towards God, meaning the songs are sung as if God is the one the Israelites were talking to. It's one thing to sing a song for God, it's another to sing one to Him. And so the rest of the song is a recollection of God's wonderful works. If we look back at what happened in Egypt, it's only appropriate that they sing these songs of praise. For us, it means we should not criticize praise because it's not to our own liking, nor should be obsess over making sure all forms of worship are "correct" by our standards. The Israelites worshiped God with what they had for instruments. They felt a lot of emotion at the time. But all that matters is that the God who saves is the God who is being worshiped, regardless of the means to doing so, and the manner with which it is delivered, whether singing with passion and emotionally, or just reading songs of praise.

2. It's easy to forget what we were praising God for. In the passage, the Israelites traveled three days without water. Look at how quickly their hearts turned from God. In three days, the Israelites turned from praising God for all that He did, to grumbling against Him for not having water. In our shortsightedness, we forget within mere minutes, hours, or even days the glory of God. Why? Because we never gave up the idea that God is all about serving us, and not the other way around. A self-centered relationship with God is bound to lead to this mentality, that if God does not provide for me, He shouldn't receive the glory. In fact, He should receive all the blame because all He seeks is His glory. Or the other side of the coin is that "God must not be working through this situation, so I just need to try even harder". Look at the songs of praise. Notice how everything they praised God about, are things that they themselves could not do. Songs to God are a testimony of our humility before His power, and an acknowledgement of our own powerlessness in all things without Him.

3. God puts us to the test. Verse 25 to 27 is God's promise/challenge to Israel. If they do what is right by Him, then He will spare them from the plagues that He poured out on Egypt. Note that most of the laws God gives to Israel through Moses are important in terms of hygiene. This is in accordance with what He has promised: that the Israelites' physical health would be connected to their obedience to His laws. To us, we love to believe in a God that is flexible and ever-forgiving, succumbing to our desires like a genie and being forgiving in a sense that He crushes all consequence in our forgiveness. But that's not what is being displayed here. In fact, God calls us to praise, He calls us to obedience, and He calls us to faith/trust in Him, yet if we can't even fulfill those by our own petty standards, how can we live up to His standards. And notice that God asking us of these things is only fair because He deserves it, much like how He deserves the glory when the Egyptians were crushed, much like He deserved the credit for the Israelites' escape, much like how He deserves the glory and praise for the salvation of each and every one of us (verse 2), and much like how He deserved the credit for what was accomplished on the cross and the resurrecting power that came on Easter Sunday.

Jesus' act on Calvary demands the utmost praise directed to Him alone, puts in us to a faith founded on God alone, and calls us to an obedience that should take priority above all things in this world.