The big picture
Exodus 15 begins with Israel turning sight into song. The sea crossing is interpreted through praise that gives the victory to the LORD, contrasts the enemy’s many intentions with a single decisive act, and reaches forward toward a land the singers have not yet entered. Miriam then leads the women in a public response that repeats the song’s central line. The chapter refuses to let that high point remain suspended. Three days into the wilderness, there is no water, and the water at Marah cannot be drunk. The same people who sang of divine strength now face thirst. Provision comes with testing and instruction, and the chapter closes at Elim with twelve wells and seventy palms. The movement is from triumph to ordinary need without pretending the two belong to different kinds of faithfulness.
Central truth
Moses, Miriam, and Israel answer the sea deliverance with praise to the LORD, celebrating his overthrow of the pursuers and his mercy in leading a people toward his dwelling. At Marah, the Lord makes bitter water drinkable and turns Israel’s urgent need into a test of listening, before leading them to Elim’s abundant water.
The study notes have a page of their own
The movement by movement analysis, the words to trace, the verse by verse notes and where readers differ are written for someone studying alone. They are on the Deep Personal Reflections page for this chapter. This page is the lesson.
A chapter-specific teaching brief
These anchors come from this chapter itself. They help a teacher use the Level 1 overview, the Level 2 study, and the Scripture text as one lesson.
Open with the chapter’s first image
Exodus 15:1: “Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the…”
Slow down at the turning point
Exodus 15:15: “Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away.”
Keep this word trail visible
LORD, waters, hand, people, right, horse
What to explain, in order
Teach the passage in this order. Each step names the verses it rests on, so every point can be shown in the text before it is applied.
Exodus 15:1–21
Exodus 15:1-3
I will sing unto the LORD
Open by reading 15:1 aloud with the class, and point out "Then", which ties the song to 14:31. Teach the opening as a summary of chapter 14 in poetry. Explain "triumphed gloriously" as being highly exalted. Then 15:2: strength, song, salvation, and "my father's God", connecting this rescue with the God of Abraham. Explain "The LORD is a man of war" in 15:3 as the God who fights for his people, which 14:14 promised. Teach this first because the whole song grows from these lines.
Exodus 15:4-10
Thy right hand, O LORD
This section retells the sea in images: chariots cast into the sea, captains drowned, depths like a stone, waters standing up "as an heap". Explain the right hand as a figure of power and the "blast of thy nostrils" as the east wind of 14:21 described as God's breath. Then the enemy's boasts and God's single answer. Teach this section slowly, reading it aloud, because poetry works by sound and repetition. Keep the focus on God's power rather than on the drowning itself.
Exodus 15:11-12
Who is like unto thee
Stop at the central question. Read 15:11 twice. Explain "among the gods" as a comparison with the powers Egypt worshipped, which God has just judged (12:12). Explain "glorious in holiness" as the splendour of God's otherness and purity, and "fearful in praises" as worthy of awe when he is praised. Teach this as the theological heart of the song: what the sea shows is not only that Israel was saved, but that there is no one like the LORD.
Exodus 15:13-18
Thou in thy mercy hast led forth
Now the song turns ahead. Explain "mercy" here as God's steadfast covenant love, and "redeemed" and "purchased" as words of buying back. Then the nations: Philistia (Palestina), Edom, Moab, Canaan, all trembling. Point out that "till thy people pass over" repeats the language of the sea for a future crossing. Then the planting and the sanctuary. Teach this step to show that deliverance has a destination: God brings his people to himself, and he reigns.
Exodus 15:19-21
Miriam answered them
Read 15:19 as the prose summary, then 15:20-21. Explain the timbrel as a hand drum. Point out that Miriam is called a prophetess, the first woman given that title in Scripture, and that she leads all the women. Explain "answered them" as singing in response, perhaps antiphonally. Teach this last so the song closes as the people's whole response, and so that learners see Miriam leading worship without anyone needing to explain her away.
Exodus 15:22–27
Exodus 15:22
From the song to the desert
Start by reading the last line of Miriam’s song, 15:21, and then 15:22 straight after it, so the class hears the drop. Explain the wilderness of Shur as dry country east of Egypt, and three days as a long time without water for families and animals. Do not hurry. The Book of Exodus puts the thirst immediately after the triumph on purpose: the people who saw the sea divided now have to learn whether they will trust God in ordinary need. Teach this first so that the murmuring is understood against a real emergency, not invented ingratitude.
Exodus 15:23-24
Bitter water and a complaint
Read 15:23 and explain the name: Marah means bitter, and the place is named for what they found there. Point out that the water is present and useless, which is harder than no water at all. Then read 15:24 and explain “murmured” as grumbling or complaining under the breath, a word that will return in 16:2 and 17:3. The people direct it at Moses. Ask the class what they would have said. Teach the complaint as a turn away from the God who had just delivered them, while keeping their question, what shall we drink, in its human urgency.
Exodus 15:25a
He cried, and the LORD showed
Read the first half of 15:25 and slow down on the verbs: Moses cried, the LORD showed, Moses cast, the waters were made sweet. Explain that the word for showed is related to the word for teaching and instruction, so God teaches Moses what to do. Do not speculate about the tree’s species or properties; the text gives none. If someone raises the Christian reading of the tree as a picture of the cross, name it as a reading the church has made, not a claim of the verse. Teach this as the centre of the account: the remedy came from God and was received by obedience.
Exodus 15:25b-26
A statute, a test and a name
Now read the rest of 15:25 and 15:26. Explain “proved” as tested, and set Deuteronomy 8:2 beside it, where the wilderness tests whether Israel will keep God’s commandments. Underline every listening word in 15:26: hearken, do, give ear, keep. Then read the promise and its frame: none of the diseases brought on Egypt, “for I am the LORD that healeth thee”. Explain that God gives himself a name here, the LORD who heals. Teach this after the miracle because the miracle becomes a lesson: the God who sweetened the water is the God whose voice must be heard.
Exodus 15:27
Elim
Close with Elim. Read the verse and let its abundance be felt: twelve springs, seventy palms, a camp by the water. Explain that the account is short and that its shape matters, bitter water then plenty, testing then rest. Teach Elim last so the class does not think the test was God’s final word. Point out that Elim was not far from Marah, and that the people could not see it from where they murmured. Avoid building a code from the numbers. The lesson the passage supports is that the God who tests also leads to refreshment, on his timetable.
Where learners get stuck
The misreadings this passage tends to produce, and how to answer each from the text.
Exodus 15:1–21
"This song celebrates killing people."
The song celebrates God's rescue of a people who were about to be destroyed: "my hand shall destroy them" is the enemy's boast (15:9). The deaths are real, and the song does not pretend otherwise. But its focus is God's justice against an army that pursued slaves to kill or recapture them, and its centre is "Who is like unto thee" (15:11). Teach it as praise for deliverance, and do not let the room turn it into gloating.
"Verse 11 proves the Israelites believed in many gods."
The verse asks "Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods?" and the expected answer is no one. God has just judged "all the gods of Egypt" (12:12). The comparison declares the LORD's supremacy over every rival power, whatever they are. Teach learners to read the question as a confession of uniqueness. Other passages, such as Deuteronomy 4:35, state the same faith in other terms.
"Miriam just repeated what Moses sang; she was not important."
She is called "the prophetess" (15:20) and leads "all the women", and her line becomes the refrain of the song. Micah 6:4 later names Moses, Aaron and Miriam together as those God sent before Israel. Teach the class to see Miriam as a leader of Israel's worship. Repetition in Hebrew song is a mark of emphasis, not of lesser importance.
"Once you have been rescued, you should always feel like singing."
Verse 2 is a people's praise after a specific rescue, sung the day they saw it. The Psalms also include lament and silence. Teach the song as a model of praise with a reason, and do not use it to shame learners who are grieving or struggling. The next verses, 15:22-24, show the same people complaining three days later, which the Book of Exodus records honestly.
Exodus 15:22–27
“The Israelites were just ungrateful complainers.”
They had gone three days without water (15:22) and then found water they could not drink (15:23). The need was real and dangerous. The text does fault them for murmuring against Moses (15:24) rather than turning to God, as Moses did (15:25). Teach both sides: the need was genuine and their response was wrong. That keeps the class from despising them and from excusing themselves when they do the same.
“The tree had healing properties that made the water drinkable.”
Exodus 15:25 says “the LORD shewed him a tree”, and when Moses cast it in “the waters were made sweet”. It gives no species, no chemistry and no claim that the wood itself did the work. The emphasis falls on God showing and Moses obeying. Speculation about natural properties moves attention from the God who is named in 15:26 as the one who heals to a piece of wood the verse does not describe.
“If I obey God, I will never get sick.”
The promise in 15:26 is spoken to Israel in covenant, with conditions, and it refers to “these diseases” which God “brought upon the Egyptians”, the plagues. It is not a general guarantee to every person in every age. Scripture shows faithful people who were ill, such as Timothy in 1 Timothy 5:23 and Paul in Galatians 4:13. Never use this verse to suggest that someone’s illness proves disobedience.
“God tested them by making them suffer for no reason.”
The text says “there he proved them” (15:25) and then states the purpose of the test: whether they would hearken to his voice (15:26). Deuteronomy 8:2-3 explains the wilderness testing in the same way, to humble Israel and teach that man lives by God’s word. The test is aimed at trust and listening, and it is followed by provision at Marah and abundance at Elim (15:27).
Learning objectives
- Identify the deliverance celebrated in the opening refrain.
- Explain how the song attributes victory to the LORD.
- Contrast the enemy’s boasting with the divine response.
- Trace the movement from past rescue to anticipated arrival.
- Describe Miriam’s named role and the women’s response.
- Distinguish poetic imagery from additional physical measurements.
- Trace Israel’s journey from the sea to Elim.
- Identify the obstacle at Marah.
- Contrast the people’s murmuring with Moses’ appeal.
- Explain what “proved” means in Exodus 15:25.
- Identify the condition attached to Exodus 15:26.
- Distinguish the reported tree from proposed symbolism.
Teacher preparation
- Read Exodus 14:21–31 before 15:1–21; keep the song attached to the actual deliverance.
- Mark addresses to the LORD and the enemy’s speech in verse 9; plan distinct reading voices.
- Explain “lust” as the enemy’s desire in verse 9, and “timbrel” as a hand percussion instrument.
- Chart the sea, the nations hearing, and the promised dwelling; verse 17 looks forward.
- Offer spoken reading; require neither musical performance nor personal disclosures about enemies.
- Read Exodus 15:1–21 first; mark the abrupt move from singing to thirst.
- Explain “proved” as tested and “threescore and ten” as seventy.
- Prepare a route strip: Red sea, Shur, Marah, Elim; avoid disputed modern identifications.
- Underline every listening and obedience expression in Exodus 15:26.
- Retain the healing promise’s audience and conditions; prepare to challenge blame directed at sick people.
Evidence and interpretation checks
Explicit
Locate the opening victory refrain in Exodus 15:1, the LORD’s enduring reign in 15:18, and Miriam’s title and response in 15:20–21. Establish from Exodus 15:25 that the Lord shows Moses a tree; Moses casts it in, and the water becomes sweet.
Scripture-supported
Compare Exodus 15:8–10 with 14:21–28: the song’s wind and waters interpret the deliverance already reported in the preceding account. Compare Exodus 15:25–26 with Deuteronomy 8:2: wilderness testing concerns whether Israel will heed God’s commands.
Strong inference
Infer from Exodus 15:13–17 that rescue grounds confidence about the journey’s destination; the singers look beyond merely surviving the shore. Infer from Exodus 15:22–25 that rescue has not yet produced settled trust; mark this as an interpretation of the contrast.
Possible or traditional reading
Present identifying the mountain and sanctuary specifically with Zion as a possible reading of Exodus 15:17; the verse itself does not name that location. Treat Marah’s tree as a proposed Christian analogy to the cross; Exodus 15:25 does not make that identification.
Limit
Do not infer a surviving melody, exact musical arrangement, or physical anatomy for God from Exodus 15:6–8, 20–21; its praise uses poetic imagery. State that Exodus 15:25–27 supplies neither the tree’s species nor a promise that every obedient individual will avoid every illness.
Discussion with answer guidance
1. Why does the opening refrain name the horse and rider rather than Israel’s weapons?
What a good answer contains
"I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea" (15:1). The subject of every verb is God. Israel has no horses or riders of its own, and 14:14 promised, "The LORD shall fight for you". A good answer sees that the song credits the victory entirely to God, and that the horse and rider stand for Egypt's military power. A weak answer imagines Israel's warriors or praises Moses.
Show teacher guidance
Use verses 1–4 with 14:14: the LORD overthrows the pursuers; Israel’s battle skills receive no credit.
2. What do “my strength,” “my song,” and “my salvation” contribute?
What a good answer contains
"The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God" (15:2). Strength is what they lacked by the sea; song is what they now have; salvation is what he did. The singular voice is the people speaking together. A good answer ties each word to chapter 14. A weak answer turns verse 2 into a demand that every learner feel the same emotion now, which is not what the verse requires.
Show teacher guidance
Read verse 2 as communal praise grounded in rescue, not a compulsory emotional script for learners.
3. How does the enemy’s long list of intentions end?
What a good answer contains
"The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them" (15:9). Six boasts. Then one line: "Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters" (15:10). A good answer feels the contrast between the long list of human plans and God's single act. A weak answer misses the sudden reversal.
Show teacher guidance
Read verses 9–10 together: repeated plans to pursue, overtake, plunder, and destroy meet the LORD’s wind and the sea. Let the abrupt reversal carry the force.
4. What question stands at the center of the claims about power and holiness?
What a good answer contains
"Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?" (15:11). The question expects the answer none. It echoes 12:12, where God judged "all the gods of Egypt". A good answer sees the comparison as a confession of God's uniqueness, not a description of a council of gods. A weak answer either ignores the question or thinks it admits other gods as equals.
Show teacher guidance
Use verse 11: none is like the LORD. The comparison does not report a gathering of gods.
5. Where does the song look after the sea, and what remains ahead?
What a good answer contains
It looks forward: God has led the redeemed people (15:13), the nations will hear and fear (15:14-16), and God will "bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance" (15:17), ending with "The LORD shall reign for ever and ever" (15:18). A good answer notices the future tense and that the destination is God's dwelling place. A weak answer reads verse 17 as if Israel had already arrived in Canaan.
Show teacher guidance
Trace verses 13–18 through mercy, the nations’ fear, promised planting, dwelling, and reign. Correct any claim that verse 17 reports arrival already completed.
6. How does Miriam’s response connect with the opening of the song?
What a good answer contains
"Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances" (15:20). Her words in 15:21 repeat the opening line of 15:1. A good answer sees Miriam as a prophetess leading worship and giving the refrain, so the whole people sing, men and women. A weak answer reduces her to background or treats her verse as a minor addition after the real song.
Show teacher guidance
Compare verses 1 and 20–21: the prophetess leads the women with timbrels and dances and repeats the victory theme. Do not make her disappear behind Moses.
7. What changes between the song at the sea and the arrival at Marah?
What a good answer contains
At the sea Israel sang; three days later they have no water. “they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water” (15:22), and when they reach water at Marah “they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter” (15:23). The change is from celebration to real, physical crisis. A good answer takes the thirst seriously; three days without water in a desert is dangerous. A weak answer treats the people as simply ungrateful and skips over the need.
Show teacher guidance
Identify three waterless days, then undrinkable water (15:22–23). Do not dismiss the need as imaginary.
8. Why is finding water at Marah not yet a solution?
What a good answer contains
Because the water is bitter: “they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter” (15:23). Finding water and having water to drink are not the same thing, which is why the place is named Marah, bitterness. A good answer notices that the disappointment is sharper than the original lack; hope rises and is dashed. A weak answer treats arriving at water as the end of the problem and misses why the people murmur at exactly this moment.
Show teacher guidance
Point to bitterness in 15:23; distinguish water from usable water.
9. How do the people and Moses respond differently to the same crisis?
What a good answer contains
“the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?” (15:24). “And he cried unto the LORD” (15:25). Both face the same crisis; the people turn on their leader and Moses turns to God. A good answer sees that the question itself is reasonable and that the direction of it is the difference. A weak answer invents a speech for Moses, or makes his prayer calm and polished when the text says only that he cried.
Show teacher guidance
Compare murmuring against Moses in 15:24 with his crying to the Lord in 15:25; do not invent a speech for him.
10. What does the Lord show Moses, and what happens next?
What a good answer contains
“the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet” (15:25). God shows, Moses throws, and the water is changed. A good answer keeps that order and gives the credit to the LORD, who showed the tree. A weak answer supplies a chemical explanation about the wood that the text does not give, or makes the tree itself the hero. The verse cares about who showed it, not what kind of tree it was.
Show teacher guidance
Follow 15:25: tree shown, tree cast, water sweetened. Reject an unreported chemical explanation.
11. Which words prevent verse 26 from becoming an unconditional health slogan?
What a good answer contains
The verse begins “If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God”, and goes on to doing what is right, giving ear to his commandments and keeping his statutes (15:26). The promise is that God will put “none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians”. A good answer keeps the condition, the covenant setting and the reference to Egypt’s plagues. A weak answer turns the verse into a guarantee that faithful people never fall ill.
Show teacher guidance
Begin with “If” and identify hearing, doing, and keeping. Retain the specific reference to diseases brought upon Egypt.
12. What does Elim add to this short account?
What a good answer contains
“they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters” (15:27). After bitter water comes abundance and rest. A good answer sees provision and relief, and notices that the same God who tested at Marah leads to Elim. A weak answer turns twelve and seventy into a code for the tribes and elders as though the text said so; readers may note the numbers, but the verse simply describes plenty.
Show teacher guidance
Identify twelve wells, seventy palms, and encampment (15:27). Accept provision and relief; do not insist on numerical codes.
Responsible application
Heart and habits
Ask learners to evaluate a praise statement that contains no identifiable divine action; revise it using the concrete rescue named in verses 1–4.
Relationships and community
Use Miriam’s participation to discuss how a fictional teaching gathering can include distinct contributors without demanding musical performance from everyone.
Let praise remember accurately
Draft two lines of praise about this passage that join mercy and judgment without mocking the dead or turning deliverance into self-congratulation.
Responsible words about healing
Ask the class to revise an imaginary poster promising that faithful people never get sick, using the actual boundaries of 15:26.
Session plans
Two timings of the same lesson. The shorter keeps the reading, the central discussion and one response; the longer gives the confusions and the application their own time.
Exodus 15:1–21
45 minutes
The shore becomes a song
Read 14:30-31, then 15:1 together aloud.
The victory credited
Read 15:1-5. Ask questions one and two and take confusion one.
The boast and the answer
Read 15:6-10. Ask question three.
Who is like thee
Read 15:11-12. Ask question four and take confusion two.
Toward the dwelling
Read 15:13-18. Ask question five.
Miriam and handout
Read 15:19-21, ask question six, read the key verse together and give out the sheet.
90 minutes
Songs that remember
Ask which songs the group knows by heart and why. Then read 14:30-15:1.
Strength and song
Read 15:1-3. Ask questions one and two and take confusion four.
The right hand of the LORD
Read 15:4-10 aloud, perhaps in two halves of the room. Ask question three and take confusion one.
Who is like thee
Read 15:11-12 and 12:12. Ask question four and take confusion two.
Planted on the mountain
Read 15:13-18. Ask question five and explain "redeemed" and "purchased".
Miriam the prophetess
Read 15:19-21 and Micah 6:4. Ask question six and take confusion three.
Write a verse
In small groups, write two lines of praise naming one specific thing God has done, using the application.
Handout and prayer
Read the key verse together and close by singing or reading 15:21 together.
Exodus 15:22–27
45 minutes
From song to thirst
Read 15:21-23 without stopping. Take questions one and two, and write the route strip on the board.
Two responses
Read 15:24-25a. Take question three and confusion one, and ask what each response looked toward.
A tree shown
Take question four and confusion two. Keep the order on the board: cried, showed, cast, sweet.
The LORD that healeth thee
Read 15:25b-26 and underline the listening words. Take question five and confusions three and four, with care for anyone who is ill.
Elim and the handout
Read 15:27 and take question six. Choose one application, read the key verse together and close in prayer.
90 minutes
After the high point
Ask the group when a spiritual high was followed quickly by a hard week. Then read 15:20-22.
Three days and bitter water
Read 15:22-23 and explain Shur and Marah on the route strip. Take questions one and two.
Murmuring and crying out
Read 15:24-25a with 16:2-3 and 17:2-4 to show the pattern. Take question three and confusion one.
What the LORD showed
Take question four and confusion two. If the cross reading arises, label it as interpretation and move on.
Test and healing
Read 15:25b-26 and Deuteronomy 8:2-3. Take question five and confusions three and four. Pause for prayer for those who are sick, without suggesting cause.
Elim
Read 15:27 and take question six. Ask what changes in our reading of Marah once we know Elim was next.
Application
In pairs, take one application and name one current bitter place where they could cry to the LORD instead of murmuring.
Handout and prayer
Read the key verse together, point to the take-home line, and pray using the name in 15:26.
Adapting the lesson
Exodus 15:1–21
Children
Bring hand drums or shakers and teach children the line of 15:21 to say together while they shake them, like Miriam and the women. Explain that God's people were so thankful he saved them from the army that they sang. Keep the focus on God being strong and kind. Do not describe the soldiers drowning; say the army could not catch them.
Youth
Ask them to bring or name a song that means a lot to them and say why. Read 15:1-11 and ask what the song says about God, line by line. Talk about the difference between praise that has a reason and singing that does not. Give anyone who is struggling permission to say that they do not feel like singing, and read 15:22-24 to show that Scripture is honest about that.
Adults
Explore the structure of the song, its echoes in later Scripture (Psalm 106:12, Isaiah 12:2, Revelation 15:3), and its theology of God as warrior and king. Discuss the ethics of celebrating an enemy's defeat with care. Give attention to Miriam and to the role of women in Israel's worship, presenting the text without importing debates it does not address.
One to one
Read 15:1-2 and 15:11 together. Ask the person to name one specific thing God has done for them. If they can, help them write a line of praise in their own words. If they cannot, let that be honest, and read 15:13 as a word about God leading his people forward.
Exodus 15:22–27
Children
Bring two cups, one of plain water and one of water with a little lemon, and let children taste the sour one and say how it feels. Explain that the people were very thirsty and the only water was bitter. Then tell how Moses prayed and God showed him what to do. Finish with a picture of Elim with twelve wells and many palm trees. Do not say that sick people did something wrong.
Youth
Ask how quickly they go from a great day to a bad mood when something goes wrong. Read the passage as three days, one disappointment and two different reactions. Let them discuss what murmuring looks like now, on phones and in group chats. Treat 15:26 carefully: it is a covenant promise to Israel, not a health guarantee, and some of them may be living with illness.
Adults
Adults can trace the murmuring pattern through 15:24, 16:2 and 17:3, and read Deuteronomy 8:2-3 on the purpose of testing. Spend time on the name “the LORD that healeth thee” and on how the church holds that name together with illness that is not healed. Be pastoral: some will be carrying long-term sickness or caring for someone who is. Let Elim stand as a word of rest, not a formula.
One to one
Ask the person what their Marah is right now, the place where what they hoped for turned bitter. Read 15:24-25 and ask which response feels closer. Pray together, crying to the LORD as Moses did. If they are ill, read 15:26 carefully and make clear it is not a verdict on them. End with 15:27 and leave the timing of their Elim with God.
Song and video learning lab
A song or video may interpret, compress, or dramatize the text. Its value becomes clearer when its choices are compared with Scripture.
- Before the media: the exact passage and its central movement.
- During the media: the words, people, events, and emotions the artist emphasizes.
- After the media: what it clarifies, what it leaves out, and what belongs back in the biblical text.
Handout
One page for learners to take home. The print button prints this section alone.
Exodus 15:1–21
The passage in brief
After crossing the sea, Moses and the Israelites sing a song to the LORD. They praise him for throwing Pharaoh's horses and chariots into the sea and call him their strength, song and salvation. The song describes the waters piling up and the enemy's boasting, then God's breath covering them. It asks, "Who is like unto thee, O LORD", and looks ahead to God leading his people to his own dwelling place. Miriam the prophetess leads the women with drums and dancing.
A verse to keep
The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
Exodus 15:2 · King James Version
Questions to take home
Who does the song say won the victory at the sea?
What question stands at the centre of the song in 15:11?
Where does the song say God is leading his people?
This week
Write one line of praise this week that names something specific God has done, and read it aloud.
Exodus 15:22–27
The passage in brief
Three days after singing at the sea, Israel finds no water, and then finds water too bitter to drink at Marah. The people grumble against Moses; Moses cries to the LORD. God shows him a tree, Moses throws it into the water, and the water becomes sweet. God tests his people there and calls them to listen to his voice, naming himself the LORD who heals. Then he leads them to Elim, with twelve springs and seventy palm trees.
A verse to keep
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,
Exodus 15:25 · King James Version
Questions to take home
What was the difference between the people’s reaction and Moses’ reaction in 15:24-25?
What does God ask of his people in 15:26?
What does Elim in 15:27 tell you about how God leads?
This week
When something turns bitter this week, pray before you complain, and tell God plainly what you need.
Music and video connected to the passage
Related media appears when its Scripture reference overlaps this study. Music and video can illuminate a theme while the biblical text remains the foundation.
