A Sea of Glass and a Song from the Past

Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished.

And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,

“Great and amazing are Your deeds,  
O Lord God the Almighty!  
Just and true are Your ways,  
O King of the nations!  
Who will not fear, O Lord,  
and glorify Your name?  
For You alone are holy.  
All nations will come  
and worship You,  
for Your righteous acts have been revealed.”  

Revelation 15:1-4

Do you ever wonder why we keep singing the same old songs? Musicians and music execs are always pushing new material in front of us, and yet we keep returning to the same albums and playlists. This tension exists in the Bible as well. A common refrain in the psalms is, “Sing to the Lord a new song!” (Psalm 33:3, 96:1, 98:1, 144:9, & 149:1). But even when the people of God stand on the threshold of a New Creation, they push “play” on a familiar tune. Some songs should never get old.

In this triumphant scene in Revelation 15, we see “those who had conquered the beast…standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses” (Revelation 15:2-3). Even as the Lord stretches our imaginations forward to the glory that is to come, He takes us back to an ancient song of salvation. We imagine standing beside this sea of glass (Revelation 15:2), but we’re also transported back to the far side of the Red Sea (Exodus 15). As the waters closed over Pharaoh’s army, Moses and the people of Israel sang:

“I will sing to the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously;  
  the horse and his rider He has thrown into the sea.  
The LORD is my strength and my song,  
  and He has become my salvation;  
this is my God, and I will praise Him,  
  my Father’s God, and I will exalt Him” (Exodus 15:1-2).  

The Lord’s deliverance of His people from Egypt is the paradigmatic picture of salvation in the Old Testament. The song of Moses highlights the Lord’s power and glory in conquering His enemies and saving His people. When the song returns in Revelation 15, it has aged well, like the hymn we learn as a child that means more and more as we sing it through the different seasons of life. It was true when Moses and the people sang it the first time, but now it means even more on the far shore of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Everyone who trusts in Him should join in the song of the Lamb—

“Great and amazing are Your deeds,  
  O Lord God the Almighty!  
Just and true are Your ways,  
  O King of the nations!  
Who will not fear, O Lord,  
  and glorify Your name?  
For You alone are holy.  
  All nations will come  
  and worship You,  
for Your righteous acts have been revealed.”  

Isn’t it fascinating that in these great moments of redemptive history, the Lord doesn’t just call us to say it, but to sing it? Speaking only engages our minds and our lips, but singing engages all of us—our thoughts, our affections, and our bodies. To many people, singing seems unessential, but for us, singing the songs of salvation is essential to our spiritual fitness. When we gather to worship the Lord, let’s take this to heart. The ancient songs of Scripture and the beloved songs of the Church have become our songs. The story of salvation they tell in melody, harmony, and lyric is our story. It’s not wrong to long for new songs. I imagine that one day the Lord will debut pieces of music so beautiful that only a glorified body with glorified ears could handle them. But let’s not forget, that even in glory, we’ll sing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb. Some songs should never get old.