The Egyptian Hallel
Introduction
Hello everyone! Today we’re beginning a new series of studies called The Songs Jesus Sang! If you have your Bible, turn with me to Psalm 113.
Well, I was a nervous wreck about our recent election, and on election day I didn’t have much inner peace, even after searching out Bible verses on God’s sovereignty. So much lay in the outcome. So many Judeo-Christian values were at stake.
Watching the returns on television through the night, I was on pins and needles, staying up late to see the results. The next morning, I woke up discouraged. Not at the election, but at myself. I started beating myself up over my lack of faith. I knew I should have felt God’s pure and perfect peace regardless of the outcome. I should have remained calm and confident, knowing the Lord was in control no matter whether my candidates won or lost.
When I sat down that morning for my Quiet Time—my daily devotions—I opened the Bible to Hebrews 12, having read Hebrews 11 the day before, which was ironic; Hebrews 11 is the roll call of the heroes of the faith. The version before me was the New American Standard Bible, and I read Hebrews 12:2: “Looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith….”
“Oh Lord,” I prayed, “You began my faith; now perfect it!”
An old hymn came to mind, and I sang the first verse by heart:
O for a faith that will not shrink,
Though pressed by every foe,
That will not tremble on the brink,
Of any earthly woe!
That song became my prayer all day long. I asked the Lord to forgive my doubting heart and continue perfecting my faith, giving me one that will not shrink or tremble.
When we confront our fears and our spiritual foes with a combination of Scripture and Song, we’re delivering a two-fisted punch. In the spiritual warfare we face in life, nothing is more powerful than the lethal combination of Scripture and Song.
Colossians 3:16 (NASV) says, “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.”
Jesus did that better than anyone who ever lived. He thoroughly knew the Jewish Scriptures, and, like every Jew, He sang psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.
One occasion was especially poignant—the final Passover meal He shared in the Upper Room with His disciples. Both Mark 14:26 and Matthew 26:30 say, “And after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”
Try to imagine these twelve men (Judas Iscariot had already left), in that lantern-lit stone room. Their voices lifted in unison as they sang the songs they had known since childhood. Neither Matthew nor Mark tells us what they sang, but they didn’t need to.
We know.
They were singing the Egyptian Hallel—Psalm 113 through 118.
The Jewish scholar, Alfred Edersheim, tells us these were among the earliest hymns taught to children, for they were always sung at the great Jewish festivals. He also suggests that Peter and John had taken the Passover Lamb to the temple that afternoon. All twenty-four divisions of the priests were on duty, and lambs were being slain by the hundreds as the crowds sang or chanted Psalm 113 through 118. The two disciples returned with the slain lamb and roasted it on a pomegranate spit. As the sun sank in the West, Jesus and the other disciples assembled in the Upper Room.
From olden times, the Hallel was sung at these private Passover gatherings—Psalm 113 and 114 before the meal, and Psalm 115 through 118 at the end of the meal. Every commentary mentions this.
These were the songs Jesus sang from memory, lyrics He had known from childhood. And as He sang them that night with His eleven friends, He saw Himself in every verse. These songs were all about Him. That wistful evening, He was not only the singer of the songs—He was their subject.
Don’t you think we should know about what He sang that night, and why?
Why are Psalms 113-118 called the Egyptian Hallel? Let’s turn there and look. Psalm 113 begins with the words: “Praise the Lord!” The Hebrew term for praise is Hallel. The word “Lord” is Yahweh and Yah. When you put them together you get the word Hallelujah! Psalm 113 through 118 are songs of praise.
Now look at Psalm 114. It begins: “When Israel went forth from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of a foreign language, Judah became His sanctuary; Israel, His dominion.” The psalm goes on to describe the parting of the Red Sea, which was the single greatest miracle in the Old Testament.
So this collection of Psalms that begins with Psalm 113 and runs through Psalm 118 are called from olden times, “The Egyptian Hallel.”
What I want to point out is the remarkable way in which they walk us through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Step by step, as we read these Psalms verse by verse, we have the Gospel laid out for us in the unfolding logic of these prophetic songs.
This is a unique collection of Psalms that are grouped together for a reason. If you read Psalm 120 through 134, you’ll notice each one has a heading. Each is called a Song of Ascent. They represent a special collection within the Psalter (the book of Psalms). In the same way, we could take a pencil or pen and write “Egyptian Hallel” over each of the six Psalms that make up our study.
Let’s begin our study by reading them, one after another. There’s a power to reading the sacred Scriptures, and these Psalms are short. In fact, one of them is the shortest chapter in the entire Bible.
If you have your Bible with me, let’s turn to Psalm 113. I’ll read them in the New King James Version:
Psalm 113
Praise the Lord! [or Hallelujah]
Praise, O servants of the Lord,
Praise the name of the Lord!
2 Blessed be the name of the Lord
From this time forth and forevermore!
3 From the rising of the sun to its going down
The Lord’s name is to be praised.
4 The Lord is high above all nations,
His glory above the heavens.
5 Who is like the Lord our God,
Who dwells on high,
6 Who humbles Himself to behold
The things that are in the heavens and in the earth?
7 He raises the poor out of the dust,
And lifts the needy out of the ash heap,
8 That He may seat him with princes—
With the princes of His people.
9 He grants the barren woman a home,
Like a joyful mother of children.
Praise the Lord!
Psalm 114
When Israel went out of Egypt,
The house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
2 Judah became His sanctuary,
And Israel His dominion.
3 The sea saw it and fled;
Jordan turned back.
4 The mountains skipped like rams,
The little hills like lambs.
5 What ails you, O sea, that you fled?
O Jordan, that you turned back?
6 O mountains, that you skipped like rams?
O little hills, like lambs?
7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
At the presence of the God of Jacob,
8 Who turned the rock into a pool of water,
The flint into a fountain of waters.
Psalm 115
Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us,
But to Your name give glory,
Because of Your mercy,
Because of Your truth.
2 Why should the Gentiles say,
“So where is their God?”
3 But our God is in heaven;
He does whatever He pleases.
4 Their idols are silver and gold,
The work of men’s hands.
5 They have mouths, but they do not speak;
Eyes they have, but they do not see;
6 They have ears, but they do not hear;
Noses they have, but they do not smell;
7 They have hands, but they do not handle;
Feet they have, but they do not walk;
Nor do they mutter through their throat.
8 Those who make them are like them;
So is everyone who trusts in them.
9 O Israel, trust in the Lord;
He is their help and their shield.
10 O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord;
He is their help and their shield.
11 You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord;
He is their help and their shield.
12 The Lord has been mindful of us;
He will bless us;
He will bless the house of Israel;
He will bless the house of Aaron.
13 He will bless those who fear the Lord,
Both small and great.
14 May the Lord give you increase more and more,
You and your children.
15 May you be blessed by the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.
16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s;
But the earth He has given to the children of men.
17 The dead do not praise the Lord,
Nor any who go down into silence.
18 But we will bless the Lord
From this time forth and forevermore.
Praise the Lord!
Psalm 116
I love the Lord, because He has heard
My voice and my supplications.
2 Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.
3 The pains of death surrounded me,
And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me;
I found trouble and sorrow.
4 Then I called upon the name of the Lord:
“O Lord, I implore You, deliver my soul!”
5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;
Yes, our God is merciful.
6 The Lord preserves the simple;
I was brought low, and He saved me.
7 Return to your rest, O my soul,
For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.
8 For You have delivered my soul from death,
My eyes from tears,
And my feet from falling.
9 I will walk before the Lord
In the land of the living.
10 I believed, therefore I spoke,
“I am greatly afflicted.”
11 I said in my haste,
“All men are liars.”
12 What shall I render to the Lord
For all His benefits toward me?
13 I will take up the cup of salvation,
And call upon the name of the Lord.
14 I will pay my vows to the Lord
Now in the presence of all His people.
15 Precious in the sight of the Lord
Is the death of His saints.
16 O Lord, truly I am Your servant;
I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant;
You have loosed my bonds.
17 I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And will call upon the name of the Lord.
18 I will pay my vows to the Lord
Now in the presence of all His people,
19 In the courts of the Lord’s house,
In the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!
Psalm 117
Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles!
Laud Him, all you peoples!
2 For His merciful kindness is great toward us,
And the truth of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord!
Psalm 118
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
2 Let Israel now say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
3 Let the house of Aaron now say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
4 Let those who fear the Lord now say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
5 I called on the Lord in distress;
The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.
6 The Lord is on my side;
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
7 The Lord is for me among those who help me;
Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me.
8 It is better to trust in the Lord
Than to put confidence in man.
9 It is better to trust in the Lord
Than to put confidence in princes.
All nations surrounded me,
But in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.
11 They surrounded me,
Yes, they surrounded me;
But in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.
12 They surrounded me like bees;
They were quenched like a fire of thorns;
For in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.
13 You pushed me violently, that I might fall,
But the Lord helped me.
14 The Lord is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.
15 The voice of rejoicing and salvation
Is in the tents of the righteous;
The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
16 The right hand of the Lord is exalted;
The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
17 I shall not die, but live,
And declare the works of the Lord.
18 The Lord has chastened me severely,
But He has not given me over to death.
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness;
I will go through them,
And I will praise the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord,
Through which the righteous shall enter.
21 I will praise You,
For You have answered me,
And have become my salvation.
22 The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
23 This was the Lord’s doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day the Lord has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Save now, I pray, O Lord;
O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity.
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
We have blessed you from the house of the Lord.
27 God is the Lord,
And He has given us light;
Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will praise You;
You are my God, I will exalt You.
29 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
Conclusion
Did you notice the progressive nature of the work of our Lord Jesus as we read those? Over the next several episodes, we’ll tease this out. I think you’ll see why these are the songs of Jesus, and they will leave you with a Hallelujah.
The psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs we install into our memories and our minds are powerful and therapeutic forces within us, and they frustrate our enemy the devil. In my book, Then Sings My Soul: Book 3, I relate a story told to me by Cliff Barrows, the music director for the Billy Graham crusades.
Cliff’s father, Charles, was an avid member of the Gideons International, the organization that distributes Bibles to hotel rooms and hospitals around the world. On one occasion, Mr. Barrows traveled to Rangoon. The area was under an oppressive government, and Gideon Bibles had been removed from the hotel rooms.
While there, Barrows attended a meeting of the local Gideons who were trying to get Bibles back into the hotels. During the meeting two men were singing hymns in one end of the room, and the singing was disruptive. Mr. Barrows had trouble following the discussions because the two hymn-singers were going at it a few yards away. Finally he asked, “Why are those men singing while we’re trying to have this meeting?”
The local Gideon replied, “Because this room is bugged, and the singing confuses the enemy who is trying to listen to us.”
Cliff told me that story and then, glancing over to me, he said, “There’s a spiritual lesson in that. When we sing, it confuses the enemy and allows the Lord’s work to proceed.”
Let’s keep singing the psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs that lift up the soul, give honor to the Lord, and confuse the enemy!
Thank you for digging into the riches of the Psalms with me. Next week we’ll dive into Psalm 113. For more stories behind the classic hymns of the faith, check out my trilogy of books entitled Then Sings My Soul.
Thanks for tuning in, and may God be with you until we meet again.