Exodus 15:22 - Meaning and Application

It seems Moses had a hard time getting Israel to leave the shore where they had just sung that great song of praise. They were so caught up in what they had seen, in the song itself, or in stripping the bodies of the dead, that they were slow to move on. Moses had to bring them away from the Red Sea into the wilderness. The comforts along our road to Canaan, the promised land, must not delay us. They should move us forward, even when a wilderness lies ahead.

Here we are told that in the wilderness of Shur they found no water (Exodus 15:22). This was a hard test for the new travelers, and it took some of the joy out of their triumph. God was training them to face hardship. David, in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water, looked toward God (Psalm 63:1).

At Marah they found water, but it was bitter, so bitter that after three days without water they still could not drink it (Exodus 15:23). It was either unpleasant to the taste, harmful to health, or so brackish that it made them thirstier instead of helping them. God can turn bitter what we expected to enjoy most, and he often does that in this world. He does it so our needs and disappointments with created things will drive us to the Creator, where true comfort is found.

In this distress, the people complained and argued with Moses, as if he had wronged them. Their whole complaint was, “What shall we drink?” (Exodus 15:24). Those who live by what they see, and not by faith, often turn their greatest hopes into their deepest fears. What looked like joy soon became grief.

Moses prayed. He cried out to the Lord (Exodus 15:25). He brought to God the complaints that had been brought to him, showing that even in his high place he depended on God all the time. This is a great relief for rulers and ministers when the people under them make life hard, because then they can take the matter to God in prayer. He is the guide of the church’s leaders, and under-shepherds must turn to the Chief Shepherd in every need.

God answered kindly. He pointed Moses to a tree, and when Moses threw it into the water, the water suddenly became sweet. Some think that wood had a special power for this purpose, because Scripture says God showed him the tree. We should honor God not only for creating useful things, but also for showing us how useful they are. Others think the tree was only a sign, not the cause, of the change, like the bronze serpent or Elisha’s bowl of salt in the waters of Jericho. Some take this tree as a picture of the cross of Christ, which makes the bitter waters of suffering sweet to all who trust him and helps them rejoice in hardship. Jewish tradition says the wood itself was bitter, yet it made Marah’s waters sweet. In the same way, the bitterness of Christ’s suffering and death changes the character of ours.

On this occasion, God also made plain terms with them. Now that they had left Egypt and come into the wilderness, they were under a clear test. He settled the matter with them there. He made a statute and an ordinance, and he proved them, meaning he tested them and received them as people whose loyalty would be shown. In short, he told them what he expected and what they could expect in return (Exodus 15:26).

What he expected from them was simple, obedience. They were to listen carefully to his voice and pay attention to his commands, so they would know their duty and not sin through ignorance. They were to do what was right in God’s sight and keep all his statutes. They were not to think that, because they had been freed from Egypt, they now had no master. No, they were to see themselves as God’s servants, because he had loosed their chains (Psalm 116:16; Luke 1:74-75).

What they might expect from him was this: “I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians.” This also warns that if they became stubborn and disobedient, the very plagues they had seen on their enemies could come upon them too (Deuteronomy 28:60). God’s judgments on Egypt were mercies to Israel, because they opened the way for their rescue. But they were also warnings meant to humble Israel into obedience. The Israelites must not think that because God had greatly honored them and made them known to the world as his people, he would excuse their sins and let them live however they pleased. God shows no favoritism. A rebellious Israelite would fare no better than a rebellious Egyptian, and they would learn that at a painful cost before reaching Canaan. Yet if they obeyed, they would be safe and blessed. The warning is implied, but the promise is clear: “I am the Lord who heals you.” He would take care of their well-being wherever they went. God is the great physician. If we stay healthy, it is he who keeps us well. If we recover, it is he who restores us. He is our life and the length of our days.

At Elim they found good water, and plenty of it (Exodus 15:27). Though God may, for a time, set his people to camp by Marah’s bitter waters, that will not always be their lot. Life in this world changes often, from better to worse and from worse to better. So we should learn how to be low and how to live well when things are full. We should rejoice as though we did not rejoice too deeply when we have plenty, and we should weep as though we did not stay under sorrow when we have little.

There were twelve springs, one for each tribe, so they would not quarrel over water as their fathers sometimes had. For rest and shade, there were seventy palm trees, where their leaders could sit under cover. God can find places of refreshment for his people even in the wilderness of this world. He provides wells in the valley of Baca, so they do not faint under long weariness. Yet whatever joys we find in this pilgrim land, we must remember that we are only camping here for a time. We have no lasting city here.