Hello and welcome to today’s exciting Bible study on Exodus 15. In this chapter, we will discuss the songs of praise of Moses, Miriam, and the Israelites. According to biblical scholars, the events of Exodus 15 occurred around 1446 B.C.
As usual, I encourage you to turn to Exodus 15 in your Bible. Kindly invite the Holy Spirit to guide you as you read and study Exodus 15. I mention this in all the Bible Studies because it is only through the Holy Spirit that we get fresh revelation and knowledge to understand the word of God. No one else can teach you better than the Holy Spirit Himself. I am using the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, just in case you want to know.
In the Bible Study on Exodus 14, we read and learned about the Israelites crossing the Red Sea on dry land. Today, in Exodus 15, we will learn about the songs of praise by Moses and Miriam and how the bitter waters were made sweet at Marah in the wilderness of Shur.
Backstory on Exodus 14
In Exodus 14, the Lord warned Moses that Pharaoh would harden his heart and pursue the Israelites, but this would ultimately showcase His power. As predicted, Pharaoh did harden his heart and set out after the Israelites with 600 choice chariots and the entire Egyptian army. When the Israelites saw Pharaoh and his forces approaching, they were filled with fear and lamented to Moses. In response, Moses cried out to the Lord, who instructed him to lift his rod and part the Red Sea.
As Moses obeyed, the Lord sent an east wind that caused the waters to stand on both sides like a wall, allowing the people to cross on dry land. Pharaoh and his chariots followed the Israelites into the sea, but when they realized that the Lord was fighting for the Israelites, they were afraid and they attempted to flee. During the morning watch, the Lord asked Moses to lift his rod again over the sea causing the waters to return to their normal depth, completely engulfing Pharaoh and his army in the midst of the sea. The Lord utterly destroyed them, instilling fear in the hearts of the people. As a result, the Israelites believed in Him and in His servant Moses.
Without any further delay, let us study together and learn what is Exodus 15 about, shall we?
Exodus 15 Summary
Moses and the children of Israel celebrated by singing a song to the Lord, praising Him for His glorious triumph over Pharaoh and his army. They declared the Lord as their strength and salvation, exalting His power as a warrior. They recounted how Pharaoh’s chariots and forces were cast into the sea, drowning like lead. The Lord’s mighty hand shattered Israel’s enemies, and His wrath consumed those who opposed Him. The waters of the Red Sea were miraculously gathered up as a heap and the waters congealed, allowing the Israelites to escape on dry ground while the enemy sank.
They sang how their enemies would now be afraid hearing of what the Lord had done. The people recognize the Lord’s unmatched holiness and His wonders, as He led them to safety and promised them a blessed dwelling place. Moses’s song concludes with a proclamation of the Lord’s everlasting reign, contrasting the fate of the Egyptians with the Israelites’ safe passage on dry land through the sea.
Moses’s sister and prophetess Miriam then took out her timbrel, and all the women followed her with timbrel and dances, and she told the women to praise the Lord who had thrown the horse and its rider into the sea.
Moses led the Israelites from the Red Sea into the Wilderness of Shur, where they traveled for three days without finding water. Upon reaching Marah, they discovered the water was bitter and complained to Moses about their thirst. In response, Moses cried out to the Lord, who showed him a tree that, when thrown into the water, made it sweet. The Lord then established a statute and tested the people, instructing them to heed His voice and follow His commandments, promising to protect them from diseases that afflicted the Egyptians. Later, they arrived at Elim, which had twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees, where they camped by the water.
Exodus 15 Commentary
1. Exodus 15:3
The Lord is a warrior who fights for His people, and His name is The Lord. He is kind and merciful, but also righteous. Vengeance belongs to Him, and He takes vengeance on the enemies of His people.
2. Exodus 15:6
Moses and the Israelites celebrate the right hand of the Lord, which symbolizes power and strength. Interestingly, for a vast majority of the world—about 85 to 90 percent of people—the dominant hand is the right hand. Additionally, when Jesus ascended into heaven, He took His place at the right hand of the Father, representing all-encompassing power and strength.
3. Exodus 15:11
There is no one like the Lord God. No other god can even come close to His power and might. He is Almighty, meaning all power and might are with Him. He is Omnipotent. His power is not divided among many. His power is all-encompassing.
4. Exodus 15:13
The Lord leads the people He redeems. While this originally speaks about the Israelites, it applies to us as modern-day believers as well. He is our Shepherd, guiding us and moving us forward with His strength.
5. Exodus 15:16
Moses speaks about the passing over of the people whom the Lord has redeemed. This truth extends to us as well, for we have been purchased and redeemed by the blood of His one and only Son, Jesus Christ.
6. Exodus 15:23-25
Marah literally means “bitter.” The ancient Marah was a spring of water, and scholars suggest its location may be Ain Hawarah, although they are only about 40% confident in this identification. The waters of Marah were bitter, and the Lord instructed Moses to cast a tree into the waters, which then became sweet.
Similarly, the Lord also promises in His word to turn tears of sorrow into tears of joy, transforming bitterness into sweetness. The tree that was thrown into the water, while a natural object, holds spiritual significance. This act of casting the tree made the water a life-giving source (satisfying the thirst of the Israelites), emphasizing the transformation of bitterness into sweetness. The living waters given by the Lord satisfy our spiritual thirst for Him and are sweet, not bitter, and we draw from Him every day as we build our spirit in the Holy Ghost.
Why does the Lord test His people?
The Lord made a covenant and an ordinance for the Israelites and tested them. Why did He need to test His people? He knows every aspect of His creation, but people have the free will to choose whether to follow Him or obey Him. The first man and woman He created disobeyed Him, thereby leading to our fall and separation from God, and He sent Jesus to redeem us. The angel (Lucifer) that He created also rebelled against Him, and some of the angels joined him, and they fell like lightning from heaven onto the earth because God expelled them from heaven.
Therefore, it is fitting that God tests His people, who are also His creation, to understand their hearts because we as humans are created in His image and we have free will in life, and not everyone chooses to serve the Lord. To keep our hearts pure, we need to immerse ourselves in the Word of God rather than the world and remain in Jesus Christ.
7. Exodus 15:27
It is interesting to note the place called Elim, where there were twelve wells of water. The tribe of Israel also consisted of twelve tribes, all of which were present during the Exodus. Additionally, there were seventy palm trees at Elim, which corresponds to the total number of people who traveled with Jacob to Egypt, as mentioned in Genesis 46:27. Nothing in the Bible is coincidental; everything is interconnected.
Exodus 15 Lessons
What can we learn from Exodus 15?
1. Praise the Lord
We should praise the Lord just as Moses, Miriam, and the Israelites did for every good thing in our lives and for His deliverance. Your enemy may not be the Pharaoh of Egypt, but it could be temptation, bondage to sin, or even an addiction to food or anything else that harms the body, soul, or spirit. Begin to praise the Lord even before He delivers you from your bondage, and continue to praise Him after your deliverance.
2. He will satisfy your thirst with living water
Just as He quenched the thirst of the Israelites in the wilderness by providing drinkable water at Marah, He will also satisfy you with living water, and you will never thirst again. He can transform your bitter tears of anguish into tears of joy, just as the bitter waters of Marah were made sweet.
3. He tests His people to see if they have learnt something from their past
God brought the Israelites out of slavery, and they witnessed the ten plagues He brought upon Egypt. He established laws and ordinances and tested them to see if they would follow Him as their Lord or abandon Him to serve idols and false gods, even after having witnessed that He is the Lord.
God tests His people to see if they trust Him and are obedient to Him. When everything is going well, many tend to neglect Him and live their lives as they wish because they have already obtained their needs from God. And, when people worship false gods, they are insulting God by calling man-made objects (idols, statues, etc.) God.
Conclusion
This concludes the bible study on Exodus 15. I hope you enjoyed this free bible study and found it helpful in your Bible study journey. Feel free to share it with your friends and family. Also, share your thoughts and what the Holy Spirit has revealed to you about Exodus 15. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. I will get back to you as soon as I can.
Until next time!