Moses and the Israelites were camped at Rephidim and the people were thirsty again. They quarrelled with Moses, which means they verbally attacked him because it was HIS fault! This passage says that the people "tested" God here and so God named it "Test and Struggle" (in Hebrew, of course). Eventually, God told Moses to strike a rock and water poured out, enough for as many as two-million people! That rock was a symbol of Christ, who would be "struck" for us, and who would give us Living Water which saves us!

When Moses and the Israelites arrived at Mt. Sinai from Egypt, God gave them a conditional promise (or covenant). IF they obeyed Him, THEN they would receive wonderful blessings and become the Lord's treasured possession. He promised to carry them on eagle's wings. But could they actually do the IF part? They said they could! Time would tell.

This episode is all about manna. How did it get its name? What did it look like? What did it taste like? How did everyone end up with an omer of manna even if they originally gathered more or less initially? God gave the Israelites their first two commands which they were to obey when it came to manna. What were those commands? Did they obey? And when did the manna stop?

As the Israelites continued their trek from Egypt to Mt. Sinai, they found themselves in another predicament: They were hungry! Maybe today we would call it "hangry" because they were hungry AND angry! They blamed Moses (again) for all their troubles and claimed (for the third time since leaving Egypt) that they were going to die and thought about how much better life was as slaves (true?). God heard them and once again showed them that He was much greater than Pharaoh by providing them with manna and with quail. God told them that the manna was a "test" for them. What kind of test?

When the Israelites arrived at a place called Marah they were thirsty, but the water there was "bitter" so they could not drink it. What did they do? Complained. God heard them and when Moses threw a piece of wood into the water, it became sweet and they could drink it. Isn't that weird? What was that all about? Eventually the people came to Elim where they found twelve springs of fresh water, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. It is quite a story!

The Israelites were able to walk through the sea on dry land as they escaped the clutches of Pharoah and his army. However, the Egyptian chariots had a difficult time crossing over the same terrain. Why? As God's people passed through the sea, both God's "pillar of fire" and His "pillar of cloud" were in action at the same time, which was very unusual. In the end, the fate of the pursuing Egyptians was similar to what happened to the locusts during the plagues in Egypt. All of this is an example of how the wrath of God results in praise!

As the Israelites stood at the edge of the sea with no means of escape, they heard Egyptian chariots storming towards them and they were frightened. They were certain that they were about to be killed. They saw Pharaoh in the distance and thought he had all the power in his hands. But God told them to simply "stand and see" while He fought this battle for them. How sad that He had to remind His people again where they could find the power they needed, whatever their circumstances.

The Israelites had left Egypt behind and were camped at a place "by the sea." Geographically speaking, there were interesting aspects about this location which made it a precarious and curious place for them to be. Could this be why Pharoah thought he could catch and capture the Israelites (besides the fact that he had Egyptian chariots and they did not)? What was so special about the Egyptian chariots? And what about those pillars, one of fire and one a cloud, which went before the Israelites? We also find them mentioned later in Isaiah and in Revelation!