Exodus 15:22-26

Exodus 15:22-26

[22] So Moses  brought  Israel  from the Red  sea,  and they went out  into the wilderness  of Shur;  three  days  in the wilderness,  and found  no water.  [23] And when they came  to Marah,  they could  not drink  of the waters  of Marah,  for they were bitter:  therefore the name  of it was called  Marah.  [24] And the people  murmured  against Moses,  saying,  What shall we drink?  [25] And he cried  unto the LORD;  shewed  him a tree,  which when he had cast  into the waters,  were made sweet:  there he made  for them a statute  and an ordinance,  and there he proved  them, [26] And said,  If thou wilt diligently  to the voice  of the LORD  thy God,  and wilt do  that which is right  in his sight,  and wilt give ear  to his commandments,  and keep  all his statutes,  I will put  none of these diseases  upon thee, which I have brought  for I am the LORD  that healeth  thee.

What does Exodus 15:22-26 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The wilderness of Shur was a section of semi-desert to the east of Egypt"s border. It occupied the northwestern part of the Sinai Peninsula, and it separated Egypt from Palestine ( Exodus 15:22).
". . . wilderness does not imply a waste of sand, but a broad open expanse, which affords pasture enough for a nomad tribe wandering with their flocks. Waste and desolate so far as human habitations are concerned, the traveller [1] will only encounter a few Bedouins. But everywhere the earth is clothed with a thin vegetation, scorched in summer drought, but brightening up, as at the kiss of the Creator, into fair and beautiful pastures, at the rainy season and in the neighbourhood of a spring." [2]
This area has not changed much over the years.
Moses had asked Pharaoh"s permission for the Israelites to go a three-day journey into the wilderness ( Exodus 3:18; Exodus 5:3; Exodus 8:27), but now, having gone three days, the people found no water suitable for drinking. The water at the oasis later called Marah was brackish ( Exodus 15:23-24). This condition made the people complain again (cf. Exodus 14:11-12). In three days they had forgotten God"s miracles at the Red Sea, much less the plagues. This should prove that miracles do not result in great faith. Rather great faith comes from a settled conviction that God is trustworthy.
"When the supply fails, our faith is soon gone." [3]
". . . we may in our journey have reached the pools that promised us satisfaction, only to find them brackish. That marriage, that friendship, that new home, that partnership, that fresh avenue of pleasure, which promised so well turns out to be absolutely disappointing. Who has not muttered "Marah" over some desert well which he strained every nerve to reach, but when reached, it disappointed him!" [4]
Some commentators have seen the tree cast into the water as a type of the cross of Christ or Christ Himself that, applied to the bitter experiences of life, makes them sweet. What is definitely clear is that by using God"s specified means and obeying His word the Israelites learned that God would heal them ( Exodus 15:25). Throwing the wood into the water did not magically change it. This was a symbolic Acts , similar to Moses lifting his staff over the sea ( Exodus 14:16). God changed the water. He is able to turn bitter water into sweet water for His people.
The "statute and regulation" that God made for Israel were that He would deliver them from all their troubles. Therefore they could always count on His help. God"s test involved seeing whether they would rely on Him or not (cf. James 1).
The words of God in Exodus 15:26 explain the statute and regulation just given. The Israelites would not suffer the diseases God had sent on the Egyptians (i.e, experience His discipline) if they obeyed His word as they had just done. They had just cast the tree into the pool.
God was teaching His people that He was responsible for their physical as well as their spiritual wellbeing. While doctors diagnose and prescribe, only God can heal. [5]
"We do not find Him [6] giving Himself a new name at Elim, but at Marah. The happy experiences of life fail to reveal all the new truth and blessing that await us in God [7]." [6]
This is one of the verses in Scripture that advocates of the "prosperity gospel" like. They use it to prove their contention that it is never God"s will for anyone to be sick (along with Exodus 23:25; Psalm 103:3; Proverbs 4:20-22; Isaiah 33:24; Jeremiah 30:17; Matthew 4:23; Matthew 10:1; Mark 16:16-18; Luke 6:17-19; Acts 5:16; Acts 10:38). One advocate of this position wrote as follows.
"Don"t ever tell anyone sickness is the will of God for us. It isn"t! Healing and health are the will of God for mankind. If sickness were the will of God, heaven would be filled with sickness and disease." [9]