In His

Hallel Day 4 In His Presence: Digging Deeper

Leave a Comment

Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out In His Presence!

The Questions

1) Why does the Hallel song set focus so much on Israel coming out of Egypt?

2) The psalmist sings twice of the sea, of Jordan, and of mountains. What significance do these three carry?

3) What role does the presence of the Lord play in the anthem of this psalm? (verse 7)

Psalm 114

When Israel came out of Egypt—
the house of Jacob from a people
who spoke a foreign language—
2 Judah became his sanctuary,
Israel, his dominion.

3 The sea looked and fled;
the Jordan turned back.
4 The mountains skipped like rams,
the hills, like lambs.
5 Why was it, sea, that you fled?
Jordan, that you turned back?
6 Mountains, that you skipped like rams?
Hills, like lambs?

7 Tremble, earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
8 who turned the rock into a pool,
the flint into a spring.

Original Intent

1) Why does the Hallel song set focus so much on Israel coming out of Egypt?
From the time they were set free, Israel was commanded to retell the story of their exodus from slavery for future generations, which they did through song, written record, and oral tradition. Being set free from their 400-year slavery became one of the biggest mile-markers of their journey into becoming a nation shaped by God. What made their escape from enslavement so memorable and remarkable, was that it had absolutely nothing to do with their ability as a people. They weren’t even a nation yet! They had no government structure, no military presence, no power, and no land; the thousands of people who left Israel had absolutely no proof that pointed to themselves as being the reason they had been set free. Only an act of the Lord God could rescue such an utterly helpless people.

2) The psalmist sings twice of the sea, of Jordan, and of mountains. What significance do these three carry?
Like the marker of the great exodus from Egypt, so do these three words call to mind for the original audience three additional highly significant events in the history of Israel as it was being formed. The sea refers to the Red Sea, which all of the former slaves of Egypt crossed. Not such a big deal, right? Well, add in the fact that the multitude of thousands trudged across the Red Sea on dry ground, that they were being hotly pursued by the Egyptian army and Pharaoh himself, but God was holding the enemy back with a cloud of glory, and that God released the waters of the sea to effectively drown every Egyptian, including Pharaoh, right before their eyes, and you have an incredibly formative historic event! (Exodus 15:4) “Jordan” refers to the river Jordan, where Joshua lead the newly minted nation of Israel across as they stepped foot onto the long-awaited Promised Land. (Joshua 3:13-17) Israel was to take possession of this land; it was the fulfillment of the promise God had made to Abraham and his coming descendants hundreds and hundreds of years prior. Another pivotal moment in Israel’s history. The mountains “skipping” references God giving Israel the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, an event sandwiched between crossing the Red Sea and the Jordan River. Lightning flashed, thunder roared, and an earthquake occurred at the time of this momentous event when God gave Israel the rules of the covenant. (Exodus 19:16-20) He had already chosen them as His people and rescued them from slavery before they even knew about His law, let alone fulfilled a single aspect of it, but this was the giving of the Law by which Israel was to follow the Lord God.

3) What role does the presence of the Lord play in the anthem of this psalm? (verse 7)
Verse 2 can be easily overlooked, but it’s actually acting as the first bookend, which is completed by the declaration of the Lord’s Presence in verse 7. Both verses hinge on the powerful presence of the Lord. Verse 2 says Judah (Israel) became His (God’s) sanctuary where He ruled with all dominion, power, and sovereignty. God’s desire was always to dwell with His people, even from the Garden of Eden at the beginning of Creation, we see God walking with Adam and Eve in the cool of the evening to enjoy the depths of relationship with them. (Genesis 3:8) After God had given the 10 Commandments and many other laws at Mt. Sinai, he gave instructions to Moses and the people to build a tabernacle, a sanctuary, so God might dwell in their midst. (Exodus 25:8-9) He didn’t want to simply possess a people group for His own clout or sense of power, He wanted to be with them, to express His vast love to them, to invite them to truly know Him deeply and intimately. His heart was to shepherd them and show Himself faithful to them that, as they followed Him, they would reflect His magnificent love and faithfulness to the world around them so that all would know Him! (Ezekiel 24:15-16, Isaiah 42:6-7) By dwelling with His people, the same Presence of the Lord that made the Red Sea part, the Jordan River divide, the mountains shake, and solid rocks pour forth water (Psalm 114:8, Numbers 20:11), would be constantly abiding with His People! As Israel submitted to living God’s design for their lives, His Spirit would move among them and declare Himself to all nations!

Everyday Application

1) Why does the Hallel song set focus so much on Israel coming out of Egypt?
Thousands of years and hundreds of generations removed from the Hebrews’ liberation from enslavement at the hand of the Egyptians and their story is still being told, read, sung, and studied. What’s more incredible, their Old Testament story beautifully depicts the New Testament gospel. There are only 2 kinds of people, those who have trusted Christ for salvation and are now “slaves” to freedom because they have been made righteous in Jesus, or those who are slaves to sin because they are still dead in their sin nature. (Romans 6:16) Every person is a slave to sin without having trusted Christ for redemption; we have absolutely zero ability to free ourselves from the enslavement of sin, earning the punishment of eternal death and separation from God. Israel was not a nation, so are unbelievers not God’s people. They are owned by Satan, the ruler of Sin and Death. But God offers freedom from this slavery! He calls those who aren’t “a people” to be His people. (1 Peter 2:10, Romans 9:25-26) Only by His gift of grace towards us, and our willing reception of that gift through faith, can we be free and declared righteous in His sight, having victory over death and sin through Jesus Christ! (Romans 6:14, Romans 6:20-23) Do you have a freedom from sin story? Keep telling it! Declare it to yourself and others as a reminder of what God has done in setting you free from sin and death and alive to walk in the new life of righteousness!

2) The psalmist sings twice of the sea, of Jordan, and of mountains. What significance do these three carry?
These three events, while deeply significant in Israel’s formation as a nation, are mentioned in this Jewish song for a singular purpose revealed in verse 7, “Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob.” Why did the Red Sea part? Why would the Jordan River split in two? Why would the mountains skip and shudder like animals? Only because of the presence of the Lord God. The God who called Israel to be His, a people for His own possession, precious in His sight honored, and loved. (Deuteronomy 4:20, Isaiah 43:1-4) Jesus said in Matthew 9:26, “With man this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.” He said this in response to the disciples’ question of who could possibly be saved for eternity because the requirements for salvation are so, well, impossible (because it requires absolute holy perfection). What is utterly inconceivable for flawed human beings (living a perfect life without even one fault), is entirely possible for God (as exemplified in God the Son, Jesus Christ, as He lived the human life without a single sin). The same magnitude sung about in this sacred Hallel hymn is amplified in the life of the believer who has trusted Christ to do what he or she could never do, be declared righteous in the sight of God. Take some time to consider your own incredibly pivotal moments in your faith journey. Where has God left His indelible mark on your life because of His presence? Where are the events of your story radically different than they would be without the presence of the God who does impossible things?!

3) What role does the presence of the Lord play in the anthem of this psalm? (verse 7)
No body of water has ever split in two leaving a dry pathway to cross since the day God’s presence specifically called for that event for the purpose of declaring His glory to His people. In similar fashion, hearts trusting Jesus for salvation can live and move and act and speak and love others in radical ways because of God’s presence living within them through the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, God gave explicit instructions on how to build the Tabernacle so He could dwell with His people. This was incredible to have the Spirit of God with Israel! His presence was to be signified with the “Ark of the Covenant”, which was a large, ornate box covered in gold. Only the high priest could enter the holy of holies space within the Tabernacle where the Ark was placed, and even then, only once a year. Here, Israel could meet with God through the high priest. BUT NOW! Now, because of Jesus coming to earth, living righteousness out in everyday life for us, He became the high priest for each of us. He not only gives us access to God through His sacrificial death on our behalf, God Himself lives inside every believing heart! Not simply with, but inside! Fueled with this powerful presence of the Lord, every Christ-follower carries around a sanctuary (verse 2) for the Most High God. When we submit to the rule and reign of God’s Spirit, giving Him total dominion over our lives, His presence is made evident for all to see and know Him!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with In His Presence!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Hallel Week One!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Hallel Day 3 In His Presence

Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 114
Luke 22:31-39
Exodus 15:1-13

Hallel, Day 3

When Israel came out of Egypt
The house of Jacob from a people
Who spoke a foreign language
Psalm 114:1

Peter: I could feel the gruffness in my voice, as the chilled air lodged in my vocal chords, but still I sang … I sang with my brothers, and with Jesus as we sat together in the Upper Room, the smells from dinner still wrapped around us.

“When Israel came out of Egypt,” I thought, “freedom. Freedom for my ancient fathers who were slaves for four hundred years. Freedom, only from Yahweh.” It’s what we’d been celebrating with our Passover meal, remembering the night our ancestors were freed from bondage.

“Judah became his sanctuary,
Israel, his dominion”…
(Psalm 114:2)

Peter: “Sanctuary.” 

I thought of the ancient tabernacle, and the temple here in Jerusalem where Jesus taught. I remembered witnessing Jesus cleanse the temple shortly after I began following Him. The temple had become a place of business instead of worship, and Jesus drove out the money changers and animals from the dwelling place of God. (John 2:13-17)

Jesus: His Sanctuary, His dominion. Our will from the beginning, Abba, has been to dwell among Our beloved children, so they would not walk alone.

In the Scriptures, specific building instructions were given to Our people for the tabernacle so We could dwell with them.

Then the Father sent Me to live and dwell among Our people, and to fulfill the great rescue plan in motion since sin first entered this world.

Soon, the Spirit will be living and dwelling among and within Our people (John 14:26)…

“The sea looked and fled;
The Jordan turned back.
The mountains skipped like rams,
The hills, like lambs”…
 (Psalm 114:3-4)

Jesus: I’ve often heard my earthly father, Joseph, tell of the days when my Father freed them from slavery in Egypt before they came face to face with the Red Sea, an obstacle they could not cross on their own. They couldn’t be freed from slavery on their own. They couldn’t cross the Red Sea on their own.

And now, our people cannot have access to the Father alone. They need a Savior in order to cross over Jordan into the Promised Land of life eternal.

The commandments given on Mount Sinai were but an example
of rules impossible to follow,
laws impossible to keep,
a Red Sea impossible to cross,
a Jordan impossible to reach …
Old laws for an old covenant, but a new covenant is coming.

Peter: My eyes were fixed on Jesus, who sat with us; His eyes deep and reflective, but lost somewhere else. He was with us, yet He wasn’t. I could almost see the words we were singing penetrating His soul and I wondered what He was thinking.

I thought of the Red Sea my forefathers crossed only because Yahweh parted the waters and made the earth completely dry. As the former slaves walked through the parted sea, they looked back and saw their Egyptian pursuers stopped first by fire, then by water. (Exodus 15:4)

Then I thought of the Jordan River, crossed many years later by the next generation of Israelites as they finally stepped into the land promised to them by Yahweh. They already possessed the Ten Commandments, which they had not kept, and yet the Lord allowed them to cross the Jordan just as they crossed the Red Sea, with water parted before them (Joshua 3:13-17).

Imagining His thoughts matched my own, I continued singing along …

“Why was it, sea, that you fled?
Jordan, that you turned back?
Mountains, that you skipped like rams?
Hills, like lambs?”
(Psalm 114:5-6) 

Peter: I’ve sung this song my entire life, but I never fully believed these words could be true. But now, I’ve seen Jesus perform miracles upon miracles. I’ve seen creation obey His voice. (Mark 4:35-41)

“The seas must have fled, the Jordan must have turned back, the mountains must have skipped because creation obeys its Creator,” my scattered thoughts come together as I sing a little more loudly, a declaration mixed into the questions asked in this psalm.

“Why? Because all of creation must bow to the Creator. To Yahweh. To Jesus.” I look back at Him, with a deep stirring in my heart. This man whom I’ve called friend, who has been patient in my bluntness, gentle in my lack of faith, and who changed my name and told me to follow Him.

Even still, He tells me I will deny Him, but how could I? This man to whom creation bows? My Lord?

Jesus: Why? Why did the sea flea? The Jordan turn back? The mountains skip?

Because nothing, nothing will stop My Father from delivering His people. Nothing will stop Him from loving His people, and certainly nothing created will stand in the way of His love. His very creations will declare His goodness and His power and His glory.

“Tremble, earth, at the presence of the Lord,
At the presence of the God of Jacob,
Who turned the rock into a pool,
The flint into a spring.”
(Psalm 114:7-8) 

Peter: As the melodies swirl around me, I began to tremble. I could feel myself joining with the rest of creation, who cannot help but tremble when in the presence of the Lord, and I, I was in the presence of the Lord.

Jesus Christ.
The Messiah.
Here, before me.
Whose voice I can hear rising above my own. My voice fades as I grasp the full enormity of the words I’m singing.

Tremble at the presence of God. He’s here. Before me. With me. Right here, right now.
Tremble.

Jesus: As Abraham struck the rock and water poured out, I can feel the Father speak to me.

I will be struck, and I, the Living Water, will be poured out.
Out of the Rock, the Living Water flows. (Isaiah 28:16, John 4:14)
We will dwell among Our people.

Peter: “Jesus is here. He’s here and He is with us.” As the song ends, we allow a few moments of quiet to lapse before we begin singing the next Hallel . . .

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!
Join our Facebook Community!

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Hallel Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Hallel!