Exodus 15:1-21 Study Guide: God is a Warrior

Community Group Study Guide — God is a Warrior
Exodus 15:1-21

Study Information:
There are many statements in the Bible describing who God is; like “God is holy,” “God is love” and “God’s ways are above our ways.” If you were asked to describe God would you think to say “The LORD is a man of war?” This song of Moses praises God for fighting for Israel and being the warrior they needed when their enemies were too much for them. We tend to focus more on God’s care and compassion as modern Christians, and can sometimes neglect that God is a warrior who fights for his people. In this crucial part of the freedom story of Israel we notice that Israel did not fight, instead God fought and rescued them. It reminds us passages that focus on God’s justice, protective jealousy for his people and power like Romans 12:19 which states that we are not to avenge ourselves because vengeance belongs to the Lord, or 2 Thessalonians 1:6 that says “God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you.” God will fight for his people and this passage pushes us to praise God for his justice against his enemies because Christ the Lord is our strength and our salvation.

Let’s consider the song of Moses and the response of the people.

Moses Praised God For…
Exodus 15:1-18
… God’s glorious triumph (Exodus 15:1-5).
God had defeated the Egyptian military by conquering them with the sea. The ancient world saw the sea as a symbol of chaos and danger. Moses praised God for being the master over the sea. God tamed it with his wind and pushed it into two walls so his people could walk on dry land and be saved through the waters. Likewise, he used the sea as a weapon against his enemies. We know that God is the creator of everything and exercises his rule over all, but let’s not forget that the Israelites were re-learning who God was after 400 years being shaped by Egyptian culture and God is the one who triumphed over the Egyptian military and the sea (Exodus 15:4-5). This led Moses to conclude “there is none like God!”

… God for being their strength, song and salvation.
Moses made a stunning statement that Yahweh is a man of war (Exodus 15:2-3). This language of God being a warrior stands out in the biblical story. In a way the statement uses human language to describe God as we imagine someone with sword and shield, armor and spear. Yet he did not fight with chariot, shield and spear; God fought against the enemies of his people with his control over the sea. This truth should give us assurance of God’s promise of justice, especially when we feel like we’re overwhelmed by enemies like our sin, the world and the devil. God is not indifferent the suffering of his people, and even though we cannot always see it, God fights for us.

…the way God shattered his enemy (Exodus 15:6-12).
Moses recounted the details of the battle to praise God and so that his people would not forget. This includes the shattering of the power of Egypt, the enemy’s greed that caused them to pursue Israel which led to their destruction and vivid imagery that the blasts of the nostrils of God caused the waters to pile up! How’s that for an image?! Moses reflected again at the end “who is like you, O Lord (Exodus 15:11)?”

… God’s promise to lead them in steadfast love (Exodus 15:13-18).
The word “steadfast love” is a Hebrew word, Hesed, meaning God’s covenantal and loyal love. This is a promise for their redemption and blessing and God does not break his promises! This song includes foreshadowing their future deliverance and a confidence that God will fight for them. We learn that through Moses’s promise that God would cause the people to tremble in Philistia and Canaan, not because of the might of Israel but because of the might of God (Exodus 15:16). Likewise this steadfast love of God would manifest itself in God planting his people in the land so they would be built up and flourish.” This is praise for future deliverance and a confidence that God will continue to fight for them. Moses did not know it yet, but this steadfast love of God is why God sent his son Jesus. Jesus would fulfill our redemption by fighting for us through his holy life and sacrificial death on the cross. God’s steadfast love give us present confidence and future assurance because God will do whatever it takes to rescue and redeem his people.

All the People Worshipped
Exodus 15:19-21
All the people sang this song and worshipped with Miriam and a group of women leading with instruments and dancing (Exodus 15:1, 20-21). From the least to the greatest, God was forever faithful to rescue them and they responded with joy and worship. Maybe you’ve been to a sports game in a large stadium or a concert where the crowd erupted at the same time for something great that just happened. Imagine hundreds of thousands of people singing the same song and dancing. That would be a spectacular sight, and that is what happened when Israel rejoiced and celebrated their freedom.

The role of celebration and worship is powerful in forming our thoughts and affections for God and this is an example of the people of God recognizing that milestone as a unified group. We’d be wise to consider similar milestone moments and how we can celebrate and worship God by proclaiming who he is and what he has done because celebration forms our affections for God and give him the glory due to his name.

At your community group:
Take 15-20 minutes to share about how God has been at work in your life, prayer concerns and pray for one another.

How did God speak to you through the scripture and the sermon this week?


Discussion Questions:
Read Exodus 15:1-21

What are some reasons people can find it odd or uncomfortable to celebrate God for his justice and being a warrior for the people of God?

What does the song of Moses say about God? What statements or images stand out to you?

It appears that the first action of Israel after the Egyptian army was defeated was to celebrate and sing this song. How can celebrating change our hearts and affections for God?

How does God being a warrior give you assurance through hard seasons?