15:22-26 The wilderness of Shur was a section of semi-desert to the east of Egypt's border. It occupied the northwestern part of the Sinai peninsula, and it separated Egypt from Palestine (v. 22).
". . . wilderness does not imply a waste of sand, but a broad open expanse, which affords pasture enough for a nomad tribe wandering with their flocks. Waste and desolate so far as human habitations are concerned, the traveller [sic] will only encounter a few Bedouins. But everywhere the earth is clothed with a thin vegetation, scorched in summer drought, but brightening up, as at the kiss of the Creator, into fair and beautiful pastures, at the rainy season and in the neighbourhood of a spring."259
The water at the oasis later called Marah was brackish and not suitable for drinking (vv. 23-24). This made the people complain again (cf. 14:11-12). In three days they had forgotten God's miracles at the Red Sea. This should prove that miracles do not result in great faith. Rather great faith comes from a settled conviction that God is trustworthy.
"When the supply fails, our faith is soon gone."260
". . . we may in our journey have reached the pools that promised us satisfaction, only to find them brackish. That marriage, that friendship, that new home, that partnership, that fresh avenue of pleasure, which promised so well turns out to be absolutely disappointing. Who has not muttered Marah' over some desert well which he strained every nerve to reach, but when reached, it disappointed him!"261
Some commentators have seen the tree cast into the water as a type of the cross of Christ or Christ Himself that, applied to the bitter experiences of life, makes them sweet. What is definitely clear is that by using God's specified means and obeying His word the Israelites learned that God would heal them (v. 25). Throwing the wood into the water did not magically change it. This was a symbolic act, similar to Moses lifting his staff over the sea (14:16). God changed the water.
The "statute and regulation"that God made for Israel were that He would deliver them from all their troubles. Therefore they could always count on His help. God's test involved seeing whether they would rely on Him or not.
The words of God in verse 26 explain the statute and regulation just given. The Israelites would not suffer the diseases God had sent on the Egyptians (i.e., experience His discipline) if they obeyed His word as they had just done. They had just cast the tree into the pool.
God was teaching His people that He was responsible for their physical as well as their spiritual well-being. While doctors diagnose and prescribe, only God can heal. Benjamin Franklin wrote, "God heals the patient, and the doctor collects the fee."262
"We do not find Him [God] giving Himself a new name at Elim, but at Marah. The happy experiences of life fail to reveal all the new truth and blessing that await us in God [cf. Gen. 15:1; Exod. 17:15]."263
This is one of the verses in Scripture that advocates of the "prosperity gospel"like. They use it to prove their contention that it is never God's will for anyone to be sick (along with 23:25; Ps. 103:3; Prov. 4:20-22; Isa. 33:24; Jer. 30:17; Matt. 4:23; 10:1; Mark 16:16-18; Luke 6:17-19; Acts 5:16 and 10:38). One advocate of this position wrote as follows.
"Don't ever tell anyone sickness is the will of God for us. It isn't! Healing and health are the will of God for mankind. If sickness were the will of God, heaven would be filled with sickness and disease."264
15:27 At Elim Israel learned something else about God. Not only would He deliver them (v. 3) and heal them (v. 26), but He would also provide refreshing drink and nourishing food for them as their Shepherd (cf. Ps. 23:2).
A method of God's dealing with the Israelites as His people that He frequently employed stands out clearly in these incidents. God did not lead the Israelites around every difficulty. Instead He led them into many difficulties, but He also provided deliverance for them in their difficulties. This caused the Israelites to learn to look to Him for the supply of their needs. He still deals with His children the same way.265
