Exodus 15:22-27

In the Wilderness of Shur

v. 22. So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; they left the last fountain of fresh water behind them and marched out into the desert which extends along the eastern shore of the Gulf of Suez, the western arm of the Red Sea; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water.

v. 23. And when they came to Marah, probably the modern Hawara, thirty-three miles from the place where they had crossed the sea, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter, not merely saltish, but disagreeably repugnant; therefore the name of it was called Marah (bitterness).

v. 24. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? So quickly did the children of Israel forget the many evidences of God's mercy in Egypt and the miraculous deliverance at the Red Sea.

v. 25. And he cried unto the Lord, for counsel and assistance; and the Lord showed him a tree, indicated some wood to him, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet, as palatable and wholesome as the best drinking-water. In this way the Lord overlooked the weakness of His children and helped them out. There He (God) made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there He proved them,

v. 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. That was the test which the Lord proposed, namely, that the children of Israel should keep His commandments, laws, and ordinances. In that event He would prove Himself their true Physician in keeping from them the plagues which struck the Egyptians, and they could depend upon this promise as upon a definite ordinance.

v. 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. In this beautiful oasis the people had an opportunity to refresh themselves from the fatigue of the journey and to prepare for the continuation of the journey. Days of joy and comfort follow after periods of suffering and trial.