Although the author of Psalm 114 is
not known, this Psalm is considered one of the world’s greatest masterpieces.
This short and beautiful Psalm is one of the six “Hallel” Psalms. Together with
Psalm 113, this was sung before the Passover meal. It carries the theme of
God’s deliverance of His people from Egypt, and settled them in the land of
Canaan.
Verse 1 states categorically that
God delivered Israel from Egypt. It recollects the time God delivered them.
This is a settled fact. They were living under the oppression of the Egyptian
bondage. They were in a strange land with people that spoke a language they did
not understand. The Psalmist referred to their language as a strange language.
Verse 2 tells us the reason why God delivered them. He wanted Judah to be His
sanctuary, and to demonstrate His dominion in Israel. It has been the desire of
God to live among them, and to lead and govern their lives. Today God still
wants to dwell among us and lead and rule over us.
In two verses, the Psalmist refers
to the two times that God stopped the flow of the water for His people to cross
over. In verse 3, He demonstrated His power by drying up the Red Sea for the
children of Israel to cross over, to escape the pursuing army of Pharaoh of
Egypt. Exodus 14 carries the full account. Then in verse 4, the water of River
Jordan again was parted for the people of Israel to cross over to Canaan, the
Promised Land. God’s power was again demonstrated through the quaking of Mount
Sinai, before God’s covenant people.
In verses 5 and 6 the author asked
a series of rhetorical questions to indicate that the Red Sea, the Jordan River
and Mount Sinai all behaved the way they did because of the presence of the
Almighty God, the God of Israel. Verses 7-8 tell us that the ultimate purpose
of Israel’s deliverance was to announce to the whole world the wonders of this
powerful God, to the end that they too might tremble and be in awe of Him. He
is both a God of mercy and also a God of great might. What a great delight to
know that we serve a mighty and merciful God! He wants us to yield more of
ourselves to His rule, so that He might demonstrate through us, His greatness.
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