Exodus chapter 15 picks up immediately after the Hebrews crossed the Red Sea and God covered the pursuing army of Egypt. Moses and the Israelites begin to sing spontaneous song of praise. They sing of God’s triumph and His greatness; “The Horse and the rider He has hurled into the sea… He has become my salvation… He is my God and I will praise Him…The Lord is a warrior… You threw down those that opposed you… In Your unfailing love You will lead the people You have redeemed… the nations will hear and tremble… until Your people pass by… You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of Your inheritance… The Lord will reign for ever and ever“. Something supernatural happens when we sing out our praise to God. Not only do we remind ourselves of His greatness, but He is invited in. While we praise God, He pours out His spirit on us. Psalm 100 encourages us to “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise“. Wherever you are right now, you can enter His courts!
Next we read that, “Moses lead Israel from the Red Sea… for three days they traveled and did not find water…When they came Marah, they could not drink the water because it was bitter. So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, WHAT ARE WE TO DRINK?” We are so much like the Israelites; our first reaction is to grumble rather than praise. When Moses prayed, “The Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water and it became sweet“. Much like our lives before we accepted Christ, many of us were bitter, but when we accepted the gift of Christ on the wooden cross, our lives were changed. We still looked the same on the outside, but inwardly God purified us.
Then, the Lord made a decree and “tested” them. “If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His eyes, if you pay attention to His commandments 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“. We are so stubborn; most of us react to this with resistance. We want to do our own thing, but this is exactly why we study God’s Word. God does not wish to take away our joy, but rather add His joy to our lives, John 10:10 Jesus declared, “I have come that you may have life and have it more abundantly“. I want an abundant life, how about you?