An Expert Breakdown of Psalm 106:9-12: He Saves, We Sing

Context of Psalm 106:9-12

This passage comes from a psalm that recounts Israel’s history, highlighting both God’s faithful love and the people’s repeated rebellion.

Psalm 106:7-8 sets the stage by remembering how the Israelites doubted God at the Red Sea, yet He saved them anyway - not because they deserved it, but to show His great power and keep His promise. The deliverance described in verses 9 - 12 echoes the Exodus story (Exodus 14), where God dried up the sea, led His people through, and drowned Pharaoh’s army behind them.

After seeing this mighty act, the people believed and praised God - but as the next verses show, their faith was short-lived, and they soon forgot what He had done.

God's Power in Reversal: From Dry Ground to Drowning Waters

This passage uses powerful poetic contrasts to show how God completely reversed Israel’s situation - from trapped to free, from fear to faith.

The psalmist says, 'He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry,' painting God’s command as strong and authoritative, like a king silencing a storm. Then comes the dramatic flip: 'And the waters covered their adversaries' - the same sea that opened for Israel closed in judgment on Egypt. This is called synthetic parallelism, where the second line builds on the first, showing a full story: deliverance for God’s people, destruction for their enemies.

God turned the sea from a barrier into a pathway, then into a grave for their enemies.

The dry path through the sea becomes a symbol of God making a way where there seems to be no way, while the drowning of Pharaoh’s army shows that no enemy can stand against His power. These images echo later in Scripture, like in Isaiah 43:16, which says, 'He made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters,' reminding God’s people that He still saves by unexpected reversals. When God acts, He not only fixes problems but also transforms the entire situation.

Faith and Praise: The Right Response to God's Rescue

After seeing God split the sea and save them, the people finally trusted Him and burst into song - a moment of true worship sparked by His undeniable power.

This response - believing and praising - is exactly what God desires, not because He needs our applause, but because it shows our hearts are turning to Him. The psalm highlights this briefly, but it points forward to Jesus, who perfectly trusted the Father and led the ultimate song of redemption through His life, death, and resurrection.

They believed his words; they sang his praise.

Yet, as the next verses remind us, their praise didn’t last long - showing how easily we forget God’s goodness, similar to Israel's forgetfulness.

Baptism and the Song of Redemption: How This Story Fills Our Lives Today

This moment at the Red Sea is not merely ancient history; it illustrates how God still rescues and renews us today, especially through baptism and the song of faith in our hearts.

The apostle Paul makes this connection clear in 1 Corinthians 10:1-2 when he says, 'For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea and were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.' Here, passing through the Red Sea becomes a symbol of baptism - representing not only water but also unity with God’s people in His saving act. Later, in Revelation 15:3, those who have overcome the enemy 'sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb,' showing that our praise today joins that ancient chorus of deliverance.

They believed his words; they sang his praise.

So when you face a 'no way out' moment - a dead-end job, a broken relationship, a struggle with fear - remember: God makes dry paths through deep waters. You can respond like Israel did: trust His word and sing His praise, even before the full victory comes. That might look like thanking God in prayer when anxiety hits, or choosing trust when you’d rather panic, or sharing what He’s done with a friend over coffee. This story is not merely about the past; it is your invitation to walk in faith and praise today.

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