15:20-21 Miriam, the brother of Aaron (and also of Moses), is described as a prophetess. Most of the important religious roles in ancient Israels were assigned exclusively to men. All of the priests were men, and only men could enter into the inner areas of the tabernacle and temple. However, prophesying was an exception. There are several cases in the Old Testament of women being called prophetesses. Besides Miriam, Deborah and Huldah are notable examples.
Prophets had the important role of conveying God's message to his people. God spoke to them, often through dreams or visions, and they proclaimed what they saw to the people. Despite the fact that men held most positions of power, these prophetesses were granted great authority due to the way that God spoke through them. Deborah was a judge. Huldah was sought out and obeyed by king Josiah.
The way God used prophetesses to bring His word to the people might be seen as a foretaste of what would happen in the church, when women were proclaimed to be full participants in the Kingdom of God.
15:22-24 Once again, the people complain as soon as they face difficulty. This is already the third time they are recorded as complaining, and it is the first of three stories in a row in which they grumble. Of course, going three days without water is no small thing. However, one might expect them to remember the parting of the sea three days before, or God's power displayed in the plagues just a short time before that, and conclude that God would provide for them now. But instead, they grumbled. We, of course, are nothing like them. We never grumble about anything.
15:25 When Moses threw a piece of wood into the bitter water, it was made sweet. Here is an early Christian interpretation of this event, from Gregory of Nyssa, whom I referenced earlier:
After they had crossed the sea, a three days' march ensued, during which they made camp at a place where they found water so bitter that they could not at first drink it. But wood placed in the water made the drink agreeable to those who were thirsty.
The history agrees with what now happens: for to the one who has left behind the Egyptian pleasures which he served before crossing the sea, life removed from those pleasures seems at first difficult and disagreeable. But if the wood be thrown into the water, that is, if one receives the mystery of the resurrection which had its beginning in the wood (you of course understand the "cross" when you hear "wood"), then the virtuous life, being sweetened by the hope of things to come, becomes sweeter and more pleasant than all the sweetness that tickles the senses with pleasure.In short, it is the power of the cross that changes our lives from bitter to sweet.
In this verse, it also states that "there the Lord tested them". What exactly was the test? What do you think the purpose of the test was?
15:26 God promises that if His people obey Him, He will not inflict any plagues on them. This might be a seemingly positive statement that strikes us in a negative way: it may not have occurred to us that God's own people could be subject to plagues. However, merely being born an Israelite does not guarantee freedom from God's judgment. God will judge all sin equally, whether committed by His chosen people or by others. One must live a righteous life in order to receive God's blessings. This theme is intensified in the New Testament. Christ revealed that "those who believe are children of Abraham" (Gal. 3:7), regardless of there ancestry according to the flesh.
Incidentally, how do you think this will turn out in Exodus? Will the Israelites be faithful, or will they disobey God and be subject to plagues?
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