2-5-15. Exodus 15:25b-27. Listen To God, Be Saved From Judgment And Be Healed. –my devotional
2-5-15. Exodus 15:25b-27. Listen To God, Be Saved From Judgment And Be Healed. –my devotional
Exodus 15:25b-27 Kevin E. Jesmer
Key verse 15:26, 2-5-15
“He said, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.”
God places before us a test. For those who pass the test, God’s healing and blessings are just around the corner. Look at Exodus 25b-27, “…There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test. 26 He said, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.” 27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.”
God was testing his people, that is, he was putting before them a choice. Would they resist and rebel against the Lord, or would they humbly submit and obey? If they resisted and rebelled, then they could expect what came upon the Egyptians, with the ten plagues and so much suffering and aguish until they repented. But if they chose to humbly submit and obey, then they would be healed as a people, as a nation. God used the bitter waters as an example. If he could make the waters pure enough for the people to be quenched, simply by the servant of God, Moses, tossing in a piece of wood, then God could surely heal them as a nation.
What did they need to get healed of? They had spent the last 400 as slaves in Egypt. They had acquired many characteristics that were not conducive to become a kingdom of priests and holy nation as God desired them to be. Think about slave life and the things that had become imbedded within them; Having no initiative; Having no hope; Living for mere survival; Hatred and bitterness towards slave drivers; passive aggressive behavior; chronic complaining; no thankfulness…and the list goes on and on. These are like spiritual sicknesses. They could have had literal physical sicknesses, like TB and influenza etc. But God promised to heal them if they chose to humbly submit to the Lord. Look at verse 26 again, “He said, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.”
How do we listen carefully to the Lord our God and do what is right in his eyes and pay attention to his decrees? This is the goal. On our own we are so weak that it is enough for us simply to survive and take care of the basic needs of our immediate family. Some can not even do that. We can barely overcome, if at all, the sinful desires that arise in our hearts. How can we follow the Lord, to the degree that he expects in this passage? We cannot on our own. We need to confess this. When we have lost all hope in our own strength then we come to Jesus and we trust in his power alone. He will write his law on our hearts. He will help us to follow his word. We can walk spiritually as Jesus holds our hand.
Obedience to the word of God and following the voice of God is imperative. Jesus will lead us to the Kingdom of Heaven because of our faith in him, but we cannot accomplish anything fruitful in this life without obedience. If you are a student and do not obey the truth that you should study everyday, then you will fail. If you don’t follow the policies at work and keep up some momentum, you will be fired. If you don’t work at your marriage you will get divorced. This list goes on and on. If you don’t study God’s word, or meditate on the Gospel truths, you cannot grow in spiritual maturity or bear much fruit. Listening carefully to God, studying his word to learn of his commands, and deciding to do what is right in his eyes, is imperative.
When they chose the right, humbly coming to and submitting to the Lord, then God abundantly blessed. Look at verse 27, “Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.” The next stop was Elim, where there was abundant water. God’s abundant blessings are just around the corner for those who pass God’s test, choosing the way of humble obedience to the Lord.
God promises to heal his people. He does this first of all, by forgiving us. God heals people by his power, love and grace and through his word. Healing comes in various ways. But if God heals us, we are healed, from the depths of our heart. Our healing is complete. We may be at varying stages of our healing. For some it happens quickly and suddenly. Others may take a lifetime. Some may not be healed completely until they enter in the eternal kingdom of God. But God heals and his healing will be complete for everyone who believes.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for listening to all my grumbling. Thank you helping me to pass the test and choosing humble submission to you. Thank you for healing me. It is all because of your grace.
One Word: Pass God’s test. Healing from God is just around the corner.
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