Exodus 15:19-21 (NKJV)

 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.

Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. And Miriam answered them:

“Sing to the LORD,
For He has triumphed gloriously!
The horse and its rider
He has thrown into the sea!”

I wish sports fans would party like this when their team wins a championship. Tambourines and dancing are a lot better than creating a nightmare for the local police.

This is worship. God has done a great work and they are celebrating it. The celebration includes singing, dancing, playing musical instruments and, most importantly, praising God specifically for the great things He has done.

But the lesson here is that the things they are doing are not wrong. Singing, dancing, playing the tambourine and praising God all seem pretty obviously OK, but what about all the Egyptians who drowned? Is it OK to celebrate their deaths? What happened to loving your enemies?

But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, – Matthew 5:44 (NKJV)

The answer is that celebrating God’s judgment isn’t the same as executing judgment yourself. One of the reasons we are to love our enemies is that divine judgment is not our job. We should not presume to know what is in someone’s heart, nor what God’s plans are.

But celebrating what God has done doesn’t violate any of this. The people of Israel had witnessed God’s judgment on people who were their enemies – and His. Their partying doesn’t judge these people and definitely doesn’t execute judgment on them. They’re simply cheering the judge’s actions.

That’s OK.

Recall the ways that we have seen God glorify Himself recently. Some of them may have been painful, but His mighty hand is always a sight to behold. We cheer and we cry, but we should always marvel.

Spend some time making a list. See it all and praise Him for the way he choreographs His universe.

He’s more awesome when you take notes.

The weekly study guides, which include discussion questions, are available for download here:

https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies