Daily Devotion for Day 17 of Lent 2016

Scripture Reading: Exodus 15 (NRSV)

Miriam sang and danced with
tambourines. I wonder if some
denominations want to censor this passage!

There is something about a song that can tell a story and allow it to stick with us in a way that is substantial.  It seems to stay with us better than without music.  That is why hearing a jingle can take you back to a product you haven't thought of in years.

Recent research has shown that music can even reach some dementia patients where other methods have failed.

So for the deeds of the escape from Egypt to be recorded in song is not a surprise. Much of the time when we see poetry or songs embedded in the biblical text, scholars believe that these are older traditions (older than the time the author was writing) that were added to the story that give it more weight.

The following miracle of the bitter water turning sweet could be a reprise of all that has come before.  The bitterness of slavery made the people complain to the Lord. God heard their complaint and moved to rectify the problem.  Their freedom was then sweet to them.

As we consider our own bitter situations in life, they come to all of us.  Sometimes we find that resurrection has come to them and we are made new.  Where have you seen a situation become sweet in your experience?



Picture by abbyladybug on Flickr.com, used through the Creative Commons license.