SERIES C --- EXODUS FROM BONDAGE --- LESSON 13 --- PART 2

Miriam, the sister of Aaron and a prophetess, took a timbrel in her hand and led the other women as they danced, also with timbrels in their hands. Miriam sang this song:

Sing to Adonai,
For He has had a glorious victory,
And has thrown the horse and his rider
Into the sea.

When the celebrations were finished, Moses led the people of Israel away from the Red Sea into the wilderness of Shur. For three days they journeyed through the wilderness, but they found no water. At last, the people came to an oasis, but the water was bitter there and they could not drink it. Thus, the oasis was named Marah, which meant {Bitterness.} The people began to turn against Moses. [What shall we drink?] they murmured. Moses cried to Adonai and Adonai showed him a tree and told him to throw it into the bitter water. When Moses did so, the water became good to drink. Adonai gave the people of Israel a Law there at Marah which would prove their devotion to Him. [If you will listen carefully to My Voice and will obey it and will do what is right, I will not let you have the diseases which I sent to the Egyptians, for I am Adonai, Who heals you.] From Marah the people went on to Elim where they found twelve springs and seventy palm trees. There, beside the springs, they set up their camp.

COMMENTARY

MUSIC AND DANCING IN ANCIENT EGYPT

Victory in the final battle with Pharaoh brought the people fresh trust in Adonai and in Moses. And YHVH’s victory brought joy. This joy was expressed in a great song of praise, accompanied by dancing and the music of tambourines. The ancient Egyptians enjoyed listening to music and watching the dance at every possible moment. No important event went on without them; parties, religious rituals and festivals, royal parades, even funerals. The very wealthy owned their own musicians and dancers. Others hired them as needed. Very early Egyptian music was soft and gentle, like a whistled lullaby. But music from other countries like Palestine, Greece and Rome gradually influenced Egypt and their music became more complicated and exciting. Sometimes women musicians wore their hair in long braids with pom-poms at the end. They would move their heads to make the braids sway in time to the music. If the instrument was small enough, some performers played and danced at the same time. Men pretended to be hunters or made fun of women when they danced. But the favourites were dancing Pygmies, small bowlegged dwarf-sized black people captured from Africa. They resembled the Egyptian god Bes, the god of pleasure. A funeral dance was done outside the tomb door. Balancing tall reed crowns on their heads, dancers performed the {muu dance} to honour Osiris, the Egyptian god of the dead and of life after death. Perhaps they thought music would improve life in the underworld for the dead person.