Shabbat Shirah — The Song of Moses
The Most Important Song You Should Know by Heart
The reading of Beshalach is one of the great Sabbath readings from the Torah. The special name of this special Shabbat is Shabbat Shirah — the Sabbath of the Song of Moses. This was actually the first biblical text that I learned by heart when I was in elementary school in Jerusalem in the early 1950's, and I still remember it.
What is a Biblical Epic Song? The definition of "epic" is: a story or a poem or a song that is heroic, majestic, telling of a great event, bigger than normal reality and sometime exaggerating some of the details to aggrandize the moment. The Bible has only three such epic songs — the Song of Moses, the Song of Deborah, and the Song of David.
The importance of the Song of Moses is not only when the children of Israel stood on the other side of the Red (Reed) Sea and watched their enemies fall into the great waves drowning their Egyptian enemies, but it is a prophetic song and also an eschatological song. The song predicts the building of the temple in Jerusalem by Solomon the son of David, and it also predicts the victory of God's people over their evil enemies.
The victory in these three songs is not that of Israel. It is God Himself fighting and winning the battle over His enemies. This is the importance of this song of Moses, and that is also why the saints have gathered around the throne of the Messiah all dressed in white and singing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb.
"Para History" — What's Really Behind Natural Events
The Song of Moses is the depiction of what I would call "PARA History" — it is a song that celebrates the transcendent history and describes the true and real forces that rule our universe. We, as human beings have a false impression that nature, the sun and the moon, and the stars, are the forces that drive the earth and our universe, the sun, and the oceans blue. This epic song, the song of Moses tells us what is beyond nature and what is above and behind the natural events that we somehow, out of ignorance and stupidity, attribute to NATURE, to PHYSICS, to accidental magnetic forces that keep our Earth spinning in a precise angle and keeps our planet Earth keeping time better than any Swiss expensive hand watch.
Moses and his epic song are telling us something different though. Many people nowadays attribute the events on the Sea of Reeds that the children of Israel crossed on dry land, to a Tsunami or a massive volcanic eruption that created the island of Santorini, or some meteorite that landed in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of the Aegean Sea — no, dear brothers and sisters.
The Song Itself
Here are the words of this song that were not only sung in the story of the exodus but will be sung again at the final victory of God's people:
"Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the LORD, and spoke, saying: 'I will sing to the LORD, For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea! The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father's God, and I will exalt Him. The LORD is a man of war; The LORD is His name. Pharaoh's chariots and his army He has cast into the sea; His chosen captains also are drowned in the Red Sea. The depths have covered them; They sank to the bottom like a stone. Your right hand, O LORD, has become glorious in power; Your right hand, O LORD, has dashed the enemy in pieces. And in the greatness of Your excellence, You have overthrown those who rose against You; You sent forth Your wrath; It consumed them like stubble. And with the blast of Your nostrils the waters were gathered together; The floods stood upright like a heap; The depths congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy said, "I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; My desire shall be satisfied on them. I will draw my sword, My hand shall destroy them." You blew with Your wind, The sea covered them; They sank like lead in the mighty waters. Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders? You stretched out Your right hand; The earth swallowed them. You in Your mercy have led forth the people whom You have redeemed; You have guided them in Your strength To Your holy habitation. The people will hear and be afraid; Sorrow will take hold of the inhabitants of Philistia. Then the chiefs of Edom will be dismayed; The mighty men of Moab, Trembling will take hold of them; All the inhabitants of Canaan will melt away. Fear and dread will fall on them; By the greatness of Your arm, they will be as still as a stone, Till Your people pass over, O LORD, Till the people pass over Whom You have purchased. You will bring them in and plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance, In the place, O LORD, which You have made For Your own dwelling, The sanctuary, O LORD, which Your hands have established. The LORD shall reign forever and ever.' For the horses of Pharaoh went with his chariots and his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought back the waters of the sea upon them. But the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea." — Exodus 15:1–19 [NKJV]
This Song Will Be Sung at the End of History
Moses is being honored in the last scenes of History in the Para-History of the book of Revelation of the Apostle John, reminding us of Who really is in control behind the scenes and behind nature and here we are given a revelation. It is the same revelation and shock treatment that those children of Israel must have experienced when they crossed the sea and hear Moses sing and Miriam his sister dance with the daughters of Israel with tambourines in their hands, without shoes and on the sandy east side of that Sea of Reeds.
Most nominal Christians ought to be dismayed to find out that right there after the return of Yeshua to Zion and after the collapse of the earthly system and governments and the victory over the BEAST (Satan), the saints will be wearing white and gathered around the Throne of the Lamb of God, the Messiah, and they will be singing the song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb. I would think that most Protestant Christians would like to sing "A mighty fortress is our God," or maybe "How Great thou art…." But here is what the text of Revelation says:
"Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete. And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God. They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: 'Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested.'" — Revelation 15:1–4 [NKJV]
When we gather around the Throne of the Messiah dressed in white, I don't think that we will have songbooks in our hands. So, it is important and blessed and useful to know the song of Moses by heart. God bless you and remember: nature is only another servant of the Lord God of Israel, the creator of this Universe and our planet Earth. He is the only ONE who is in control of all things in the earth and above the earth and under the earth's crust in the magma under our feet!
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Joseph Shulam
Founder
Joseph is the pioneering founder of Netivyah, one of Israel’s first official Messianic non-profits. Dedicated to restoring the Jewish roots of the faith, he has authored numerous books and lectured globally for over 50 years.
Glossary
Holiness (kedushah, קְדֻשָּׁה) means being pure, set apart, and living according to God's will as He instructed in His Word
Shabbat (שַׁבָּת) refers to the seventh day, the Sabbath, set apart by God as a holy day of rest, worship, and delight (see Genesis 2:1-3).
Torah (תּוֹרָה) means “instruction” or “teaching” and often refers especially to the Five Books of Moses. Psalm 119:1 reminds us that those who walk in God's Torah are blessed.
Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ) is the Hebrew name of Jesus, meaning "salvation"
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