Exodus 15b
08 May 2026 - Theology
Sanctification is Testing
Now that God has justified his people, He wants to sanctify them. Sanctification requires a human response of obedience.
It will take 40 days for the people to get to Mt. Sinai. The number 40 indicates a period of testing for the people, where they will emerge reshaped. God is taking his people to Mount Sinai, but on the way, He will present them with three tests: testing their heart, soul, and might.
It is important to note that these tests are not pass/fail; they are not either/or.
Deuteronomy 8:2 - “And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.”
“to know” (Hebr. yada) = to know experientially
God tests not because He isn’t aware of what is in our hearts, but because He wants to experience it and prove what is in our hearts.
In the Jewish mind, a test is always about two things: what you give, and what you get.
- Give: show God what is in your heart
- Get: an opportunity to learn something new from God about who you are becoming This is true sanctification - to show God, and to grow in God.
The Bitter Water at Marah
Exodus 15:22-27
This is the first test - God wants to test their hearts.
Heart = the seat of the will; involves choice or volition. Are you going to choose to obey, or choose to disobey?
If we look again at Deuteronomy 8:2 above, we see that God is testing the will of the people, whether they would follow His commandments.
Deuteronomy 8:3 - “And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.”
God wants His people to choose to live by the word of the Lord.
Marah = bitter; also means rebellion
The people are at a danger of being in a state of rebellion.
Exodus 15:25 - “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,”
Moses cried out to the Lord, and He tells Moses to get a tree (stick) and throw it into the water. This was not the staff Moses had been using, but a different stick. Moses obeyed, and the waters were made sweet.
Exodus 15:26 - “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.”
Here is the test: God gives His people a statute, and wants to know if they will follow it. What was the statute? There is no command or law in these verses!
The Midrash gives an idea for what the statute could be: that the weak and the marginalized drink from the water first.
Exodus 15:27 - “And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters.”
Here at Elim, there were:
- 12 wells
- 70 palm trees (threescore + 10 = 3*20+10 = 70)
In Hebrew Numerology:
- 12 = people of God (12 tribes)
- 70 = community, leadership
Before there was one well, and now there are 12 wells, and 70 palm trees. There was enough water for everybody if they waited on the word of the Lord. God wants to see what is on the heart of His people, and also wants to teach them to wait on His provision, where there will always be more than enough.
References:
- The Hebrew - Greek Key Study Bible (KJV Version)
- The BEMA Podcast, Episode 20: With All Your Heart