The Psalms - Psalm 114
Exodus Set to Music
by Rev. Jim Jester
June 29, 2025
SCRIPTURE READING: Psalm 114:1-2
“When Israel went out of Egypt,
The house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
2 Judah became His sanctuary,
And Israel His dominion.” (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION
We are still in the series on the psalms concerning the History of Salvation—God’s mighty acts. For those who were not here previously, I should remind you that the Book of Psalms is the hymn-book of the Bible. The Psalms are the oldest surviving complete collection of poetry in the world.
This collection of Hebrew poetry, the Book of Psalms, is not divided into chapters as the other books of the Bible are—it is the exception to the rule. It is not a book divided by chapters, but rather, it is a collection, just as a modern hymnal is a collection of hymns written by many authors at different times. There are no “chapters” in this book, only psalms. Just as in a hymn-book, each psalm stands on its own as a separate composition.
Psalm 114 is the second psalm of a series of psalms known as the Egyptian Hallel (Ps. 113-118), and is sung as part of Israel’s Passover ceremony. It is known as the “Song of the Exodus,” and it pictures God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt. It is likely that Jesus and his disciples sang the Hallel at their Passover feast recorded in the New Testament. It is also thought that this psalm was used to encourage the exiles on their return from Babylon. It has no introduction and no conclusion. It is an elaboration of the previous psalm. It begins and ends abruptly, without Hallelujah and without the name of the LORD. Verse one:
“When Israel went out of Egypt, The house of Jacob from a people of strange language.” (Ps. 114:1)
There is reference here to “Israel” and to “the house of Jacob.” “Israel” is the name of privilege and blessing. Jacob is the name of weakness and failure. We see that Israel left Egypt with its head held high, as it were. Egypt was “a people of strange language,” to Israel; meaning they did not feel at home among the Egyptians. The prophet Isaiah expressed this idea well: “No longer will you see those arrogant people, those people with their obscure speech you cannot comprehend, stammering in a language you cannot understand.” (Isa. 33:19, ISV) They were strangers in Egypt, which presupposes oppression and distress. That is always how things turn out when a people is mixed with another kind.
Israel’s deliverance from Egypt was the central act of redemption under the Old Covenant. It was to be constantly remembered and celebrated, and this song joins in the celebration. For Israel under the New Covenant, the work of Jesus at the cross and empty tomb becomes the central act of redemption. Likewise, we are called to remember and celebrate what God did to set us free by dying on the cross.
“The house of Jacob from a people of strange language,” represents the idea that Israel did not belong in Egypt, and though they lived there a little over 400 years, it was never truly their home. In a similar way, this present world system is a place of “people of strange language” for us whom God has redeemed through the Lord Jesus Christ. Those not redeemed tend to avoid people who are redeemed. God has pledged His gracious presence with his people to lead them on to victory;
“No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD” (Isa. 54:17).
It was by virtue of the covenant made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that Israel overcame their obstacles and inherited the promised land. And by virtue of a new and better covenant, God is on the side of his Church, and against her foes.
The family of Israel was delivered to be God’s dwelling place, and also to be his servants. Verse two:
“Judah became His sanctuary, And Israel His dominion.” (Ps. 114:2)
The leading tribe of Israel (Judah) represented the whole nation which became the dwelling place of God (His sanctuary). Israel always understood that God’s dwelling in the tabernacle was only symbolic of his presence with his people. The names Judah and Israel emphasize the fact that the realm of the ten tribes are included. This means they are again one people and that He is King of his people and they are his subjects. The New Testament verifies this:
“For he is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by abolishing in his flesh the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace.” (Eph. 2:14-15, RSV)
Judah is noted as chief of all the tribes, and from which the kingdom was to be seated, Genesis 49:10,“The scepter shall not depart from Judah.”The Messiah, Jesus, also was to spring from Judah.
“Israel His dominion:” Any place God dwells he dominates. God’s desire to make Israel His sanctuary was so they could honor Him as Lord and Master wherever they lived, but not merely as a “good-luck” charm. God is more interested in living in his people, than in a house built by his people; “You know that you are God's sanctuary and that God's Spirit lives in you, don't you?” (I Cor. 3:16, ISV)
GOD’S GREAT WORKS (v. 3-6):
“The sea saw it and fled;
Jordan turned back.
The mountains skipped like rams,
The little hills like lambs.
What ails you, O sea, that you fled?
O Jordan, that you turned back?
O mountains, that you skipped like rams?
O little hills, like lambs?”
The sea saw it and fled: Well, what does the sea “see?” Not the people, but Moses with his staff and behind him, the LORD Himself. When the sea “sees” that, it retreats. There is no thought of it forming any kind of resistance to God’s people. It clears a path, opening the door to freedom. Wherever the church has advanced, sin and evil retreats. Where this is not true it can only be the fault of the church.
As in other places in Hebrew poetry, the psalmist personified nature and described it as responding to God in fear or reverence. Here he mentioned the parting of waters at both the Red Sea and the Jordan River, at the beginning and end of Israel’s journey to the Promised Land. These events are a type of the restoration of Israel in the future.
“Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made a road in the depths of the sea so that the redeemed could cross over? 11 The scattered ones of the LORD will return, and they will enter Zion with singing. Everlasting joy will be upon their heads; they will attain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.”(Isa. 51:10-11, ISV)
Jordan turned back: The psalmist presents a beautiful picture. To him the presence of God with his people is everything, and in his lofty song he tells how the river was driven back. The same thing happened here as with the sea. When the water divided, it simply responded to the awesome presence of God. And guess where the river backed up to? It flooded back as far as the city of “Adam” (See Jos. 3:16). Adam? How significant is that? Can you think of any spiritual applications to this? With Adam is where our trouble began. This salvation goes back to the sin problem!
The mountains skipped like rams: This probably has reference to the strong earthquakes and other phenomena that happened at Mount Sinai (See Ex. 19:16-20) when God manifested His presence. The idea of “skipped like rams” also carries the thought of joy. We could say creation itself was happy that God brought this deliverance to His people. And didn’t Paul say that creation groans in waiting for the kingdom of God (See Rom. 8:19-23)? That is why nature, as it were, responded with a twofold way: fear and great joy.
What ails you, O sea: The psalmist challenged both the sea and the mountains. They were powerless to stand against the mighty presence of God. It’s even more foolish to think that mankind in any way can stand against God’s presence. Yet there are some in government and society in general that always oppose our God — a futile endeavor.
Questions are asked of the sea, the Jordan, the mountains and the hills—why they reacted as they did. It is as if the psalmist is calling them to witness to what has happened. They are asked what role they played when God led his people out to bring them to the sanctuary and to his kingdom.
THE EARTH HONORS GOD (v. 7-8):
“Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
At the presence of the God of Jacob,
Who turned the rock into a pool of water,
The flint into a fountain of waters.”
Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord: The psalmist called upon all the earth to honor Adonai in His mighty presence. Verse 7 is the first time in this psalm that God is referred to by any name or title . Up to this point, the psalmist has asked questions: Who is it? What did it? The author must have been teasing us as he wrote, knowing the answer and knowing we know the answer too, but holding it back. What could have caused the sea to part, the river to turn back, and the hills to tremble? It seems he has allowed our interest to build for dramatic effect.
Who turned the rock into a pool of waters: The psalmist remembered one more event which revealed God’s power over creation during the Exodus years, when God brought forth water from “the rock” or “the flint” (another name for the rock). This assured the people of God that His mighty presence works for them, not against them. The “Rock” is also a picture of the Christ (I Cor. 10:4); it is “struck” (killed), thus making Him a fountain of living water. “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” (Jn. 4:14)
As mentioned, Jesus probably sang this psalm together with His disciples on the night He was betrayed and arrested (Matt. 26:30; Mk. 14:26). He would grant the people of God a greater deliverance than out of Egypt. In that work all nature would be shaken (Matt. 27:45, 51).This is a miracle that all of Israel needs to have in our Christian experience. Our heart is “flint,”some harder than others, our eyes are dry and see dimly; we sometimes fail to respond with tears and regrets to the love of the Pierced One, and to the indictment that charges us with His death.
Psalm 114 ends without giving any specific instruction to the people of God, but simply declares His great works. He has no word of moral application, no warning, and no encouragement to give. Each person can draw their own conclusion as the Spirit leads them.
CONCLUSION
In all ages of the Church, Psalm 114 has been looked upon as the pattern and type of the soul’s deliverance by the sacrifice and redemption of Jesus the Christ. The soul was set free from Egypt, a type of the world. Egypt, at first, seemed so pleasant and prosperous, so Goshen-like, free from care, a life of ease; but soon its true character was revealed. They are a strange people, barbarous and tyrannical. The redeemed soul suddenly wakes up and realizes this.
In the Exodus, there was the indwelling of the Great I Am. He was worshipped, loved, and trusted day by day. There was willing obedience: He was Lord of their life; the soul became his domain.
Things that were once impossible suddenly happened (Ps. 114:3-8): The sea, a symbol of the power of spiritual death, “saw and fled.”“You hath he quickened who were dead…” (Eph. 2:1), is a true picture of what takes place at the conversion of the soul. Old things pass away. The course of life is turned in the opposite direction, as was the Jordan River. Conversion is a complete turning around in the principles and motives of life. The fixed habits and inclinations, all which seemed so firmly settled in our nature, are plucked up by the roots. The rock-like heart, so hard, barren and lifeless, becomes transformed as“standing water,” or “a fountain of waters,” as our Lord Jesus spoke of, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” (Jn. 7:37-38)The soul is blessed, and becomes a blessing.
How is all this to be explained? Men will ask this, and no answer will they find, except that it is the almighty presence of the Lord God of Israel. This is the standing miracle—the Exodus set to music—of the Christian Church.
