Exodus 15:22-27
Have you ever experienced the provision of the LORD in the ordinary things of life like clothing, food, and water? Some people never think about thanking the LORD for these ordinary things. Yet life is made up of common things. Most of us do not have spectacular happenings in our lives. We are not where the great things happen. We are just where the routine, ordinary, mundane things of life happen.
But we know that God cares about the ordinary things of life. The Bible tells us that in God, we live and move and have our being. In other words, if God withdrew His hand of blessing, everything would go to pieces. So, we can say with confidence, GOD LEADS IN THE COMMON THINGS. One very good illustration of God meeting the common needs of His people is found in Exodus 15:22-27.
22. So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water.
23. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink from 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; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, 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 hearken 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 upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.
27. And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters.
From this text, I will show you the WAYS in which God leads in the common things of life. They are just little phrases taken right out of the Scripture.
First, Moses Brought Israel from the Red Sea.
The people of Israel were moving from Egypt to Canaan. They were on the way, and God was leading them. God couldn’t have led them if they weren’t moving. Moses was God’s man for that hour and for this move. God had put Moses in charge. So, Moses was leading the people of Israel as they moved from Egypt to Canaan.
They went on a three-day journey into the wilderness. Remember how Moses had asked Pharaoh to let them go three days journey into the wilderness to worship God? They had gone on a three-day journey into the wilderness, and they faced a predicament; they were not able to find any water to drink. That’s pretty serious. You are traveling through an arid, semi-desert area, and there is no water that is suitable for drinking.
The route they were taking was unknown to them. They had never gone this way before. They didn’t know where the wells or the oases were. Yet God was leading them as He had promised He would. The pillar of cloud was guiding them in the daytime, and the pillar of fire at night was a light to them. God was keeping His promises that He made to them for this journey.
So, the LORD led them from the Red Sea three days into the wilderness, and there was no water. That must have been distressing because water is the second element for survival. The elements of survival are air, water, and then food. Under normal conditions, you can survive about 3 days without water. But without water, they wouldn’t survive very long in the heat of the Sinai Desert, especially if it were summertime.
I have found that God leads in the common things of life in this 22nd verse. He leads when you are ready and moving, not before. God never forces anyone to follow His will. But if you are moving, God will lead you. There is no way He can lead you if you are standing still. So, Moses brought the children of Israel from the Red Sea. They were on the move from Egypt to Canaan; therefore, God could lead them, using the common things of life like water.
The second way in which the LORD leads in the common things in life is told in verse 25,
Moses Cried unto the Lord
Here’s the point I want you to remember: God was close enough to hear. Moses could cry unto the LORD, and the LORD heard him. Well, I don’t know how loud Moses cried. Maybe he didn’t cry very loud at all. I believe the Hebrew word chahal means to speak, to call, but not necessarily to shout. But Moses cried to the LORD.
I remember the words of a song that speak of God’s ability to hear. The songwriter wrote, “He’s as close as the mention of His name.” You don’t have to shout or scream to get God’s attention. He’s not sleeping, or hard of hearing, He’s not inattentive to your needs. You don’t even have to speak aloud. You can just call out to Him in your heart and mind. He’ll hear you!
Because the water was bitter, the people complained. They had walked three days into the wilderness and hadn’t found any water. Now the water they found was bitter. It was water they couldn’t drink. So, they said, “What shall we drink?” I’m sure that when they tasted that water and realized it was undrinkable, that was extremely frustrating to them.
God provided an answer for Moses. When Moses cried to the LORD, the LORD led him to a tree. He told Moses to cut down that tree and put it into the water. Miraculously, the tree sweetened the water and made it drinkable.
Many times, the answer to our prayers is close by, even though we may not see it. Many times, right beside us is the way God is leading. He doesn’t necessarily lead us in spectacular ways. He just leads us by using the common, everyday things of life.
So, Moses cried unto the LORD, the LORD heard him and showed him the tree. He put the tree in the water, and the water became sweet. Then the LORD made a proposal to the people of Israel with a special relationship. I want you to pay very close attention to what He said in verse 26: “If you will diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD your God and will do that which is right in his sight and will listen to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon you which I have brought upon the Egyptians.”
Here is a proposal, here is a covenant that God is entering into with the people of Israel. He is simply asking them to listen, to pay attention, to do, and to keep. To keep His statutes, to observe to do them. To walk in love before Him in loving obedience. In response, God would show His love by keeping them healthy. “I am the LORD that heals you.
Well, He had healed the water, and He said I am the One Who heals you. That is beautiful, isn’t it? The healing ministry of the LORD. Because we live in a world that is affected by sin, even those who follow the true God get sick. But when we live life in obedience to God’s commands, we are spared some of the diseases that come to those who violate His commands. For example, I don’t worry about getting sexually transmitted diseases because I understand that God’s commands regarding moral purity are for my protection. There is safety in obedience.
I want you to notice something more. God’s love flows out when we respond in love to Him, in loving obedience to Him. You see, we can’t expect to experience the LORD to lead or direct us if we are rebellious, if we do not want to listen; if we do not want to follow; if we do not want to walk in the way where He leads.
So, when Moses cried unto the LORD, the LORD heard him and then said, “I am going to talk with you, and I want you to listen to me.” It’s that kind of mutual relationship that makes life so meaningful when you are walking with the LORD, when you know Him as your own personal God. This experience illustrates the way God leads in the common things of life. Moses brought the children of Israel from the Red Sea, and Moses cried unto the LORD, and the LORD heard him.
Then in verse 27, there are these three common but interesting words:
And They Came
They were led by the LORD, and so we would expect them to go from one place to another. This is exactly what happened. They first of all went three days journey into the wilderness and came to Marah, where the water was bitter. First, there was no water, and then there was bitter water. Now they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and three score and ten palm trees. Here was good water. So, no water, bitter water, and then, plenty of water.
You know, the LORD often deals like that with us. He takes us to the place of extremity so that He might be able to provide for our needs. This is what He did with the people of Israel. No water, bitter water, and then plenty of water. Now if they had not followed the LORD, they would never have come to the place of abundant water.
So, God leads in the common things of life, providing you will follow Him. That is the important part you must catch. I can say all I want to about God’s leading, but then if He doesn’t have any followers, He can’t be a leader, can He?
God will lead you in the common things, but you must be willing to follow Him. You must be willing to acknowledge Him that He is leading and directing. Thank God, He does lead in the common ordinary things of life. God does lead and provide when we cry unto Him. He is close enough to hear us, and He will answer. He will show us what to do like He showed Moses.
Thanks, J. Mark, for this teaching from Exodus. The Bible is incredible, and each generation can learn from all that is written in this wonderful book. For example, people everywhere want to be free. In Exodus, the children of Israel were enslaved by the Egyptians. You know the story Moses led them to “freedom.” But were they really free? Why did they want to go back to Egypt? What does it mean to actually be free?
The common answer to that question is doing what I want to do when I want to do it. This is a nice thought, but is this what it means to be free? We have the freedom to make many choices, despite the fact that there are many people who are not living freely. They are not slaves to the government or to other people, but they are slaves.
II Peter 2:19 calls us slaves to what has mastered us. You see, instead of being in slavery like the children of Israel, many people are slaves to their own desires. With their free choice, a small choice was made. That one small choice grew into an addiction.
Thankfully this does not have to be the end of the story. Jesus tells us that if “He sets us free, then we will be free indeed.” This, my friend, is real freedom.
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This brings us to the end of today’s program, thanks again for being with us. We look forward to being with you next week. I will leave you with the words of Jesus from John 8. “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Go and live in that freedom.
*This episode is an exposition of Exodus 15:22-27 by J. Otis Yoder, re-recorded by J. Mark Horst, with an opening and closing by Arlin Horst.