Miriam: Worship Leader
Bible Readings
Take a few minutes to read the Bible verses listed and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in how this verse applies to you this week.
19 The covered the royal Egyptian cavalry and chariots with the sea, after the Israelites had walked safely through on dry ground. 20 Miriam the sister of Aaron was a prophet. So she took her tambourine and led the other women out to play their tambourines and to dance. 21 Then she sang to them: “Sing praises to the for his great victory! He has thrown the horses and their riders into the sea.”
Exodus 15:19-21
Memory Verse
Psalm 150:3-5
3 Praise God with trumpets and all kinds of harps. 4 Praise him with tambourines and dancing, with stringed instruments and woodwinds. 5 Praise God with cymbals, with clashing cymbals.
The story in today’s Bible reading is an important moment in God’s story—when he saved his people from slavery in Egypt. After sending Moses to demand the Egyptians let his people go, God sent plagues and gave the Israelites their first Passover. Then he led them across the desert and parted the Red Sea to shepherd his people to safety. And then how do the Israelites celebrate everything God had done? With instruments and singing!
Moses’ big sister, Miriam, led worship. It was Miriam who had watched over baby Moses as he floated in a basket in the dangerous waters of the Nile River until God caused Pharaoh's daughter to find him (Exodus 2:1-10). Years later, after God saved all of his people from the waters of the Red Sea, she used her gift of music to lead them in worship.
Music must have been an important part of worship in Israel. The Israelite women had timbrels (like tambourines) with them on the journey. They had left Egypt in a hurry but still packed musical instruments! But what were those instruments doing during all of those years of slavery and misery? Still worshiping God! Music is for times of celebration but is also a source of comfort when life is hard.
Miriam didn’t sing her song by herself; all the women joined her in leading the people in worship. Maybe there’s an opportunity for you to share music with others. You could make a list of the praise songs that you like. Maybe even make playlists for times when you feel happy or sad and share them with someone else. Do you play an instrument? Maybe you can play in your church, or a nursing home, or at school. Music can bring people together!
Prayer
Dear Jesus, thank you for the gift of music that points us to you in bad times and good. Bring a song of praise to my mind today. Amen.Related Resources
Heather Altena
Heather Altena grew up in West Michigan, moved to the West Coast, and now lives just two blocks west of Chicago. She attends Pullman Christian Reformed Church and works various teaching-, literary-, writing-, theater-, and computer-related related jobs for the Southwest Chicago Christian School Association. She and her husband, Christian, have four children in their teens and twenties and are learning the truth of the magnet on their fridge: "The first 40 years of parenting are the hardest."