The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name (Exodus 15:3)



“The Warrior God"



Exodus 15:1-8



15 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:

“I will sing to the Lord,

for he is highly exalted.

Both horse and driver

he has hurled into the sea.

2 “The Lord is my strength and my defense;

he has become my salvation.

He is my God, and I will praise him,

my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

3 The Lord is a warrior;

the Lord is his name.



The Israelites who were blood descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were barely maintaining their identity as a people of God in Egypt. It was no wonder because they have lived in Egypt for 430 years after Jacob brought his whole family to Egypt to flee from famine. It was a long time. The story of their ancestors and their God probably passed down from generation to generation. But the personal relationship between God and the Israelites were not as strong as it should be. They did not have strong personal relationships with God like their ancestors. Most of the Israelites did not know who God is. Even Moses didn’t seem to have a good knowledge of God when he first met God. That probably was why God kept identifying Himself to Moses and Israelites as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Israelites are getting to know God of their ancestors personally only after they went through the ups and downs of the Exodus and Wilderness period. Today’s passage which is generally known as Mose’s song describes God whom they met through the Exodus from Egypt. This is the first impression of God for the Israelites. Who was God like? The song says that He is a great warrior. He hurled Pharaoh’s army into the sea with all of their horses and chariots. When He unleashed His anger, it consumed those who opposed Him like a stubble. By the blast of His nostrils, the waters piled up. His right hand shattered the enemy. What kind of God can you visualize from the song’s description of God? With a childlike imagination, I can visualize a big huge giant God that no one has ever seen before. His arm is so strong and powerful that He can easily lift and throw the whole army of Egypt. His feet are so strong that when He stumps the whole world thunders. His nose and mouth are so huge that the breath and blast from them whip the sea like a huge storm. No one dares stand before Him. Whoever stands in His way will be thrown away. That was a pretty strong first impression, wasn’t it? We know that there are many other aspects of God. But we should all always keep this warrior God vividly in our hearts before anything else like Israelites. Like the Israelites, the children sing “My God is so big. He is so strong and mighty that nothing My God cannot do.” Do you sing that in your heart too? Do you have this warrior God in your life? Awesome! Then, you shouldn’t be afraid of any enemy in your life. Hallelujah!