The Thoughts of Wesley son of Cornelius

As seen in the comments of the previous posts, Uncle Jesse’s favorite hymn is “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” My guess is that this hymn brings hope to Uncle J, and the words are words of comfort and reassurance. We can see examples of memorable hymns in the Bible as well.

“But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. That day the LORD saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. And when the Israelites saw the great power the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant. Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD:

‘I will sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted.
The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea.
The LORD is my strength and my song;
He has become my salvation.
He is my God, and I will praise him,
My father’s God, and I will exalt him. …’”
TEXT: Exodus 14:29-15:2 NIV

The people of Israel had been saved from their enemy—Egypt. The writer of Psalm 118 alludes back to this famous hymn.

“The LORD is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.” (Psalm 118:14)

Seven hundred years after the Exodus, Isaiah faces a new enemy—Assyria and Babylon. Recalling the hymn of Moses, Isaiah writes:

“Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.” (Isaiah 12:2)

“Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing. Miriam sang to them:
‘Sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted.
The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea.’” (Exodus 15:20-21)