Moses and the Israelites sang God a song saying how they praise God for destroying the Egyptians in the Red Sea. Then they came to Marah, but the water there was bitter and undrinkable. The people began to grumble and Moses cried to God.  So God told Moses to throw some wood into the water to make it drinkable.  God then told the people that if they obeyed his command and listen to him he will not bring any sickness on them because he is a God that heals. When you follow God's wisdom, he does guide you through life and away from regret as well as setbacks.      

Exodus 16:

In the dessert of sin, the Israelite grumbled again to Moses saying that it would have been better they had died in Egypt, where they had plenty of meat to eat and they ate as the wanted, than to be brought here in the name of freedom to die in the desert.  Slaves are always conditioned to fall in love with the master's land of affliction than to return to freedom in their own land. They fail to understand that the masters has plenty because they are the free laborers generating their wealth without pay as long as they stay there. For the masters to have plenty, they have to make the slaves stay by indoctrinating them against the benefits of their freedom. God then told Moses that he will rain bread from heaven in the morning and meat in the evening. God rained manna down in the morning, which fell like flakes on the ground but was bread, and quails flew down in the evening. Each one was to gather enough manna for each morning and get double on the 6th day.  The other portion was for the Sabbath, but there should be no food left over till morning, except the portion reserved for the Sabbath.  It seems God does not like to leave any food till morning. First it was the lamb for Passover, and now manna from heaven in the desert.  Those that disobeyed saw that the manna turned to maggot and smelled badly when left till morning, except the manna left till the morning of the 7th day (Sabbath) when there was no manna to gather.  The manna on the ground melted away when the sun got hot, so they had to gather their manna early in the morning before it melted away and it tasted like wafers made with honey.  God told Moses to keep some manna for generations to come (it was later stored in the Ark of the Covenant) and they ate manna for 40 years until they got to the border of Canaan - the promised land to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel).                                                     

Exodus 17:

The Israelites could not find water as they traveled, so they grumbled to Moses again.  Moses asked why they were testing God because they we saying again that being slaves in Egypt was better than dying of thirst in the desert as free people.  Moses asked God for help because the people were prepared to stone him, so God told him to go ahead of the people with the elders and strike the rock at Horeb with his staff.  Soon the Amelekites attacked the Israelites and Moses sent Joshua to lead a defense against them.  Moses, Aaron, and Hur went to the hilltop.  Whenever Moses raised his hand they were winning the battle, but when his hand dropped they were losing.  So Aaron and Hur made Moses sit on a pile of stones and held his hands up until they defeated the Amelekites. God told Moses to write down that God will eliminated the Amelekites from the earth and Joshua is to hear it. God was preparing Joshua for leadership and wanted him to know that God had the power to support him and be with him.                

Exodus 18:

Jethro, Moses' father-in-law and priest of Midian, heard all God had done for Moses and the freedom of the Israelites from Egypt.  Moses had sent his wife and two sons to visit Jethro, but they later all came to see Moses in the desert.  They met and Moses told Jethro all God has done to assist them.  The next day, Moses sat as judge among the people all day and Jethro asked why he did this. Moses replied that he resolves the people's disputes through God's will and laws, but Jethro thought that it was too tasking for one person.  So Jethro advised that he teaches the people God's laws and ways, choose competent men that hate dishonest gain, and make them lead in 1000s, 100s, 50s, and 10s. This would lighten Moses' work load and they will only bring extreme matters to him.  Moses took the advice and Jethro returned.  It is always good to listen to our elders because they speak with experience.       

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