|
Sermon on
The Song of
Moses and the Lamb
By Brian Pepper
|
Everyone loves singing the hymns written by Sir Isaac Watts.
"When I survey the Wondrous Cross", "O God, our help in ages past",
"There is a land of Pure Delight", and many others. If you look
through our new Church Hymnal you will be surprised to find how many
of our Songs of Zion were penned by Isaac watts. Besides these
wonderful hymns, there are those written by Charles Wesley, by Fanny
Crosby and many, many others.
A special song in the Book of Revelation
In the Book of Revelation we read of a very special song, one
that will be sung by every person assembled before the throne of
God. I would like you to turn with me to
Revelation 15:2-3, "And I saw as it were a sea of
glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten victory over the
beast, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on
the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the Song of
Moses the servant of God, and the Song of the Lamb, saying, great
and marvellous are thy works, Lord God almighty; just and true are
thy ways, thou King of saints."
St John the Revelator tells us that some day soon the Song of
Moses and the Song of the Lamb is going to be sung by God’s redeemed
people right up there in Glory Land. Yes, when we get to the Glory
Land that will be the song that we will be singing.
You will notice that the people who sing this song are those who
have gotten the victory over the beast. There is one thing that is
sure, you will never gain the victory over the 'beast' and his
'mark' unless you know what the beast and his mark is. That is why
it is important that we should study the prophecies of Daniel and
Revelation.
Character of Moses
There is one thing that is sure, this song will not
be easy to sing, because Moses stands for principle, for the Law of
God. Please turn with me to
Hebrews 11:24-25, "By faith Moses, when he was come to
years refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; choosing
rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the
pleasures of sin for a season;" What a wonderful character! Choosing to stand with God’s people
rather than the life of a palace.
Birth of Moses
Moses was born at the worst time
in Israel’s history, for Israel was a slave in Egypt. You know the
story of Moses, how his mother could no longer hide her little child
so she made a tiny ark or waterproof basket and placed it in the
water of the Nile. His mother left the basket in the care of the
daughter Miram. And there was the little girl sitting on the
riverbank, and suddenly she heard a noise. She looked up to see what
it might be and she saw Miss Pharaoh coming. She began to pray,
"Oh please God, do not let Miss Pharaoh see this child."
But God does not always answer our prayers just as we anticipate.
As Miss Pharaoh picked up the little baby and looked into its face,
something happened to her. The mother instinct spoke to her heart.
Little Miram, who was standing by, noticed the tender look on Miss
Pharaoh’s face, so she came over and suggested, ‘Would you like a
nurse?" With the answer the child went for her life to get her
mother and you know what mothers are like.
Decision of M oses
Moses early training prepared him to lead God’s people. As he
grew up Moses was educated in the leading University of Egypt, he
was trained to be a leader. Josephus, the great historian, says that
he was probably the greatest general that Egypt had ever had.
Ambassadors were there to do his bidding. He was just about to step
on the throne of Egypt. One day his mother said, ‘Moses I want
you to come for a walk." She led him down to the slums, to the
poverty area, and showed him a dirty, smelly people. She said,
"Moses, those people are my people, they are your people. You will
have to make your choice. Will you lead this people away from their
slavery? You will have to decide what you will do! Or, will you take
up the throne of Egypt?"
Moses had to make his decision. The only way that Moses knew how
to lead people was to run them through with a sword. You see his
ideas were those of Egypt. He killed a man one day and had to flee
right up into Libya. You just think of it! Moses had to unlearn all
the things he had ever learned. God had to teach him some very
important lessons such as meekness, humility and love.
How was Moses received by Israel?
And how did Moses own people receive him? Despite all that he did
for Israel, I have not read in the Bible that he ever received any
bouquets or baskets of flowers. Neither did any of the leaders come
and thank him for all that he had done, despite the fact that he
gave up all to help his people.
Exodus 17:4 says, "And Moses cried unto the Lord saying, what
shall I do unto this people? They be almost ready to stone me."
He could not ring the police. Have you ever been stoned by your
own church members? I hope not, but it can happen. Criticism can be
a deadly thing. God said to Moses, "You come apart from them and
I will destroy them."
Notice what God has to say in
Deuteronomy 9:14, "Let me alone,
that I may destroy them, and blot out their name from under heaven:
and I will make of thee a nation mightier and greater than they."
You just think of it! Moses could have said to himself, "
What, a whole nation like myself." Pride could have filled
his whole being to think that God would destroy this present Israel
and raise up a nation of Moses, a perfect people, upstanding men and
women just like Moses himself. But Moses did not do anything like
that. He was just like Jesus. He prayed and did his best to save his
people.
Moses
supplicates for Israel
In
Deuteronomy 9:25 we read, "Thus I fell down before the Lord
forty days and forty nights, as I fell down at first because the
Lord had said he would destroy you."
I have met no end of people who could criticise for 40 days and
40 nights, but never a person who has prayed for God's people for 40
days and 40 nights. But Moses did, and in verse 18 we are told,
"And I fell down before the Lord, as at the first, forty days and
nights: I did neither eat bread, nor drink water, because of all
your sins which ye sinned, in doing wickedly in the sight of the
Lord, to provoke him to anger."
Israel had committed many sins. Instead of worshipping the God of
heaven, they made images of wood, of brass, and even gold. Morally
they had sunken very low: adultery, fornication and many other sins
were prevalent at that time. And yet Moses was willing to be blotted
out of the Book of Life rather than have this people destroyed. Moses
was like that, he was just like Jesus. He had such a love for the
people that he would not let them go. In face of all the criticism
Moses put up with this people for 40 years, at last they reached the
border of the Promised Land and the people were moaning and
complaining every step of the way. Moses was so angry that he struck
the rock twice. God said to Moses, "I am sorry Moses, you will
have to die."
You can imagine how Moses felt. Yes, how would you feel if you had
been Moses? Do you know what he did? He began to pray. God told him
not to pray anymore. God said, "I will tell you what I will do, I
am going to give you a special privilege before you die. I will show
you the Promised Land."
Moses was a giant of a man. He was very special to God, and that is
why we will be singing the Song of Moses when we reach the Heavenly
Land.
Song of the Lamb
We will also be singing the Song of the Lamb. As God looked down
from Heaven he saw a people that were hardly worth saving. Yet
Jesus, with the great love He had for humanity, was willing to give
His life for a rebellious, critical and stubborn people. The worst
thing that both men had to stand was ingratitude.
When those two men up in heaven came down to talk with our Lord,
you read about it in
Luke 9:30,31, "And, behold, there talked with
him two men, which
were Moses and Elias. Who appeared in glory, and spake of his
decease, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem." They said, "Lord, up in
heaven,
there is only one thing that the angels can talk about and that is
your death for the people."
The marvel of it is how ungrateful human beings can be.
It
reminds me of a lifesaver who was living on the shores of a lake. He
awoke one morning to see a ship wrecked. As he hurried to the scene
of the tragedy he could hear the cries of distress. One after the
other he brought safely to the shore until finally out of exhaustion
he could go out no more, he gasped, "I have done my best."
Later on he was at a meeting being conducted by the evangelist Dr
Torrey and was called up on the platform. Dr Torrey asked him about
his experience, he answered and said, "Dr Torrey, not one of the
13 people that I saved came back to thank me."
Jesus had the same experience with the ten lepers. The greatest
curse of humanity is ingratitude, and yet we have so much to be
thankful for.
Song of
Moses the
Servant of God
Now I want you to notice that the redeemed sing the Song of Moses
the servant of God.
Exodus 15:1, "Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this
song unto the Lord, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord,
for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he
thrown into the sea."
The first song of Moses was a song of Triumph. To cross the Red
Sea was an impossibility, that is humanly speaking. But God changed
the impossible by opening up the sea. Yes, they were able to sing a
song of triumph.
God’s people have a greater experience before them: when the time of testing begins, when the fateful decree goes forth,
"That as many as would not worship the image of the beast should
be killed."
It will seem as though we are once again facing the Red Sea
experience, but God will give us the Victory.
|
|
|
|
|