22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter.
Bitter water would be pretty disgusting.
(That is why the place is called Marah.) 24 So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”
25 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink.
God made that happen.
There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test. 26 He said, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.”
Seems simple enough when you write it out like that. Even in the desert, surrounded by nothing, a group of people can find distractions as we will see later.
27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.
A logical thing to do after being thirsty for so long. Another reminder that God is the one sustaining them. He meets the needs of the whole group. We will learn more about God’s provision in the next chapter.
Scripture Discussed: Exodus 15:22-27
IIWAC: Listen And Pay Attention
Bitter water would be pretty disgusting.
(That is why the place is called Marah.[f]) 24 So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”
25 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink.
God made that happen.
There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test. 26 He said, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.”
Seems simple enough when you write it out like that. Even in the desert, surrounded by nothing, a group of people can find distractions as we will see later.
27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.
A logical thing to do after being thirsty for so long. Another reminder that God is the one sustaining them. He meets the needs of the whole group. We will learn more about God’s provision in the next chapter.
Scripture Discussed: Exodus 15:22-27