Day 36, February 5

Ex. 15:22 – 17:7 Sweet water, manna, and quail / Water from the rock at Horeb

Ex. 17:8 – (chap)18 The Amalekites attack the Israelites / Jethro’s wisdom

Ex. 15:22-17:7

15:22-27 First test. After 3 days they found no water. Israel complained that the water they found was bitter; Marah. The Lord responded with a tree cast into the waters to make it sweet. It was there He told them to trust in Him and that if they diligently heed the voice of God, He will not heap bitterness/ diseases on them, since He will be their Healer, unlike what He did to the Egyptians.

In the New Covenant Christ does not give us diseases. He heals them all. He is the Branch cast into the waters of our sin/ bitterness to heal us.

16:1-5 Second test (Who says God does not test anyone?). Fifteenth of Second month. Remember that date, it is significant. First death by thirst, now death by hunger. Children of Israel in the Wilderness of Sin, complained about no found and had selective memory of Egypt, saying they had lots of bread and barbecue there. God told Moses he will rain bread from heaven but as a test of their ability to hear him, day after day, and be patient, they are only to gather a quota daily. On the sixth day the quota would be doubled, so they will have a portion for the Sabbath.

The key is to desire and take heed to His Voice, no matter how loud your natural appetites dominate for fulfillment right now.

16:6-16 So quail/ meat was sent in the evening so that you shall know that the Lord brought you out of the land of Egypt [I mean they did not know this by now, especially after the Red Sea], and manner/ bread was sent in the morning, so that you would see His Glory your hears your complaints. In other words, your complaints are not greater than, nor invalidate His Glory. You complaints do not represent reality. His Glory does.
16:17-21 Looks like at night, manna turns into worms.
16:22-30 On the sixth day they were to gather twice. It did not turn into worms that night. Some people were hard of hearing and went out to gather on the Sabbath, causing the Lord to ask “How long do you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws?”

Note a lot of people will argue that the 10 commandments are not part of the law. Wrong. The commandments and laws did not start with the 10 commandments. God considered all these instructions concerning the quail and manna as also his laws. How much more the 10 commandments

16:31-36 One manna was kept in a pot and placed before the Testimony. This pot of manna will later be found in the ark of the covenant along with Aaron’s rod. It is a white seed.
The lesson as Moses indicated in Deut 8:3 was that man should not live by bread alone, but should long for and live by every word from God, even above your natural desires being fulfilled.
17:1-2 They journey from Egypt to Succoth, to Etham at the edge of the wilderness, through the Red Sea, to the Wilderness of Shur, to marah (bitter waters), to Elim and oasis of 12 wells of water and 70 palm trees, to the Wilderness of Sin on the way to Sinai. They went to Rephidim and once again had no water nor drink. Can you mark your own journey where your intense but natural appetites then to drown God’s Voice?
17:3-7 This is where Moses struck the Rock, for water to come out. This was named Massah [tempted] and Meribah [Contention] because they tempted the Lord. How? By asking if the Lord is among us? They tempted the Lord to keep being a genie to prove He was with them. This was their contention.
This contention was what led Paul to write to not follow their example of lusting after evil things. The Rock was a type of Christ.

“Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, 2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. 6 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. “[1 Cor. 10:1-4]

17:8-14 Their first war. Remember God had them avoid the Philistines. We are introduced to other characters: Joseph the general of the army, and Hur. They won with Hur and Aaron holding up Moses’s hands. Because of the cowardly act of the Amalekites, God vowed to utterly blot their memory from under heaven. That is a big time threat.
So Jehovah Nissi, “The Lord our Banner” is not a cute flag carrying, women prophetic dancing, praise tagline. This is The Lord the ultimate War God to make war with Amalek from generation to generation until He wipes them out.
18:1-6 Jethro, Moses’ father in law when he heard what the Lord had done, he met Moes with his wife and two sons at the mountain of the Lord, Sinai.
18:7-12 This was Jethro’s summary: “Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods; for in the very thing in which they [the Egyptians” behaved proudly, He was above them.”
18:13-27 Jethro wisely gave Moses advice on how to delegate, so he does not spread himself too thin.