25 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink.

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. Exodus 15:25-27

Throughout Moses’ interaction with the Lord, God has been giving him object lessons. With Pharaoh, it was 10 very important object lessons: the plagues.

This time he used a piece of wood that turned the bitter water into potable water. Remember, there were more than a million people that would have to drink from this, so this was no small miracle.

The decree the Lord gave would be repeated many times in the Old Testament. And of course, the Israelites would forget God and go about their own selfish and sinful ways. He had delivered them, provided for them, protected them, and was now guiding them.

What more could they want?

What more could they need?

Well, it turns out a lot. They were part of the human condition that leaned toward sin and rebellion every chance they got.

We’re part of that same condition.

We have everything we need in Christ, and still blow it. The Holy Spirit wants to lead us and empower us, but the spirit of this world constantly pulls us away and pressures us to be dissatisfied and discontented and to compromise.

So we go back to the basics: prayer, Bible reading, and fellowship with Godly individuals.

And we do it all over again tomorrow, and the next day.