by Jen | Oct 20, 2026 | 22-27, DISO studies, Exodus 15, Jen
NEW TO THIS STUDY? START HERE.
Hello! How’s the weather where you are? It’s that time of year again, and I’m loving the lower temperatures here in central Florida. We’re installing an electric fireplace in our family room, and I can’t wait to enjoy cozy evenings with a “fire” that doesn’t smoke or require clean-up… just dusting every month or so!
Last Week’s Work
CROSS-REFERENCES
From my review of the cross-references, I was impressed by the many times God repeated His promises of blessings and prosperity for obedience. They appear in Leviticus, Deuteronomy 7, Deuteronomy 12, Deuteronomy 13, Deuteronomy 28, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, and Ezekiel.
Those promises are expanded to include consequences for disobedience in Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and Ezekiel. And I noticed Leviticus 26 also mentions the promise of forgiveness when the Israelites confessed their sins.
I also noted God is portrayed in numerous passages as the One who heals. One instance of this really stood out to me: in 2 Kings, Hezekiah was deathly ill when he wept and prayed for healing, reminding God of the king’s faithfulness. God heard and healed him as a fig poultice was applied to his boil. And that detail connects to the plague of boils the Egyptians and their livestock suffered while Israel was still enslaved in Egypt. In addition, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Hosea all wrote of the LORD’s healing power, and James also comments about it, further recounting the power of prayer to move God to heal.
OTHER TRANSLATIONS
I compared four versions (Amplified, New International Version, New Living Translation, and Good News Translation) of verse 26 and didn’t have any aha! moments: the versions were all pretty consistent.
COMMENTARY
My review of several commentaries helped me appreciate another comparison I didn’t catch in week five: Moses’ reaction to the bitter water (prayer and then action—listening and obeying God’s direction) versus Israel’s reaction (grumbling against Moses).
I also observed difficulty can serve as proof we’re doing what God directed us to do. Sent to humble us, it breaks down our self-confidence, so we appreciate and ask for God’s infinite assistance.
I experienced this firsthand recently with technical issues on this website. In the past, I’ve struggled to resolve them in my own strength. I began down that same road this time, grumbling all the while. By His grace, the LORD led me to an affordable alternative with technical help who quickly resolved the issue. Even better, I shouldn’t have to deal with it again for at least a few years! God is so good when we listen, trust, and obey!
Dig-In Challenges
This week, let’s wrap up this study of Exodus 15:22-27 and align with what we’ve discovered:
- PRAY: Use my prayer from week 2, or your own.
- ALIGN: Review your study notes (or what I’ve posted since week 2) and consider what you’ve learned in this study.
- ALIGN: Then, think about how the Spirit has convicted you through this study. In other words, where has He shown you misalignment between what we’ve discovered and how you practice your faith?
- ALIGN: Next, look to God’s Word for guidance to correct that misalignment. For me, this is often a verse from the study text or from one of the cross-references.
- ALIGN: And finally, reflect on how you can practice thoughts or actions that align more closely with what you’ve discovered here.
- To make this stick, I commit for at least three weeks to change my thoughts [by focusing daily on my correction verse(s), above] and/or actions [by stopping or starting an activity as the Spirit leads].
by Jen | Oct 13, 2026 | 22-27, DISO studies, Exodus 15, Jen
NEW TO THIS STUDY? START HERE.
Welcome back! As I started refining my grasp of this passage, the Spirit led me to wonder where this incident falls in the general timeline of Israel’s departure from Egypt. I thought the reference to the diseases God inflicted upon the Egyptians might indicate their departure from Egypt was still fresh in their minds.
Last Week’s Work
LITERAL CONTEXT
As a matter of fact, Chapter 14 relates the story of their miraculous escape from Pharoah and his army (by crossing the dry bed of the Red Sea). And the text of Exodus 15 prior to the study passage records the songs the people sang as they worshipped God for annihilating their Egyptian enemies.
WRITING TYPES
This text is narrative, and I believe it records actual events as God liberated the nation of Israel from servitude to the Egyptians and relocated the whole nation to what would later be known as Sinai.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
The ESV Global Study Bible Introduction dates the Israelites’ departure from Egypt about 1446BC, and Moses is the primary credited author of it, as well as Genesis, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. It’s also clear from the outline of the book in the introduction that this incident took place at the beginning of the Israelite’s journey away from Egypt.
The original audience for Exodus was the Israelite nation and their descendants, and it was written to preserve their history as a people.
INTERLINEAR RESEARCH
I was curious about the terms translated listen and give ear in my focus verse. The first reference is to the Hebrew term shama (H8085) is defined in the Lexical Summary section on biblehub.org as to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.). The entry for Exodus 15:26 specifically mentions obey as well.
Give ear is translated from azan (H238). There’s a topical discussion of the root concept that indicates it conveys the idea of listening with intent, discernment, and readiness to respond. Though the words are different, I think they say basically the same thing, that the Israelites were expected to listen closely to the LORD and obey Him.
What struck me most about this discussion is the importance of hearing God in the context of relationship. God doesn’t want to be a remote sovereign. He wants to be the One we turn to in pain and dis-ease. And that leads right into my examination of rapha (H7495), your healer. I discovered in the Topical Lexicon section of Biblehub this word always refers to the Lord’s work bringing wholeness where damage, disease, or disorder has intruded. As in this case, it doesn’t apply just to humans: the altar of the LORD, water, and land have also been healed by YHWH Rapha! This makes me think of God’s great love for us that even in the fallen world we inhabit, He heals (though sometimes this doesn’t look the way we want or expect it to!).
Dig-In Challenges
Here’s my study plan for the coming week if you want to work along with me:
- PRAY, of course.
- REFINE: Consult a concordance or online cross-reference study tool [I’ll be going here] to find and read through the available cross-references for your focus verse(s) and log what the Spirit shows you.
NOTE: For your study, follow the above link, then use the Prev or Next buttons below the verse text to go to your focus verse(s).
- REFINE: Next, compare at least a few other translations of your focus verse(s) and write about what you find in your study journal. I’m planning to compare the ESV, AMP, NIV, NLT, and GNT versions starting with this biblehub.com page. After following this link, you can navigate to your verse(s) by entering the reference in the Enter Reference or Keyword box at the top of the page and clicking the spyglass icon there.
- REFINE: Last, I plan to check a few commentaries on my focus verse, Exodus 15:26. If you already have a favorite study Bible or commentary, feel free to review it, too. If you don’t, I recommend bibleref.com if you’re new to the Bible or Bible study: it’s easy to follow, and you can find information about the whole book and certain passages. If you’re looking for something with more detail, try the commentary section of StudyLight.org. There, you can access multiple verse-by-verse commentaries on Exodus 15:22-27 by clicking the box for your focus verse, then clicking the name of the commentary listed immediately under the text of the verse you chose. I recommend you review more than one commentary and listen to the Spirit’s guidance on them.
I encourage you to do what you can this week to dig deeper into God’s Word. I know you’ll find immense treasure there. And I hope you’ll check in with me again next week!
GO TO WEEK 7 >
by Jen | Oct 6, 2026 | 22-27, DISO studies, Exodus 15, Jen
NEW TO THIS STUDY? START HERE.
Hello again. This past week the LORD, your Healer, took on new meaning for me. We were just a few days into our week-long Caribbean cruise when my husband mentioned he wasn’t feeling well. This is a man who’s been sick fewer than five times since I met him over twenty-five years ago. Naturally, it wasn’t long before I felt unwell, too. Praise God, Frank recovered quickly, but my healing didn’t start until after we arrived back in the US two days ago. I’ve made amazing progress since then, though. I’ve yet to recover my appetite (the worst thing to lose when you’re on a cruise!), but my Healer has relieved me of all the other symptoms. Thank You, Father God!
Last Week’s Work
COMPARISONS
The Spirit showed me three contrasts in this study text:
CAUSES/MOTIVATION
I discovered two causes in verse 23: the reason Israel couldn’t drink the water at Marah was because it was bitter; and the location was named Marah [because] the water there was bitter.
I was really drawn to the cause connection explained in my focus verse, though: … I will put none of the [Egyptians’] diseases on you… for [because] I am the LORD, your healer. Granted, the promise of keeping them healthy is conditional (see below), but the reason the LORD would not infect Israel was because of who He is, not necessarily because of what they did. And that reminds me of a song from a few decades (!) ago by Casting Crowns!
Anyway, I think this is an important thing to remember about our LORD. He is Almighty God and worthy of our respect and obedience. But He is also our Healer: the Father who so wants His children to be healthy and whole that He sent His Son to pay the ultimate price for the sins human nature predisposes us to commit. We can’t help ourselves, so Jesus took all our sin to the cross, then rose again as a sign God accepted that sacrifice for all believers’ sins, past, present, future. Thank You, Jesus!
CONDITIONS/METHODS
As I mentioned above, the conditional promise in my focus verse in key here: If Israel would
- diligently listen to God’s voice, and
- do what is right in God’s eyes, and
- give ear to His commandments, and
- keep all His statutes,
Then Israel would not suffer the diseases the Egyptians had. This makes me curious. In Step 4, I want to see if God kept that promise, even though I know Israel failed repeatedly to follow those directives.
Dig-In Challenges
This coming week, I’m planning to:
- PRAY. Of course!
- REFINE my understanding of this text by making a note of all the types of writing (instruction, law, letter, narrative, poetry, and/or prophecy) I discover in Exodus 15:22-27, then reading through Exodus 14, 15:1-21, and Exodus 16. This is more context than I normally read, I know, but I feel the Spirit leading me to examine all of this, so I’m sure I haven’t taken this passage out of its literal context. I also want to confirm whether the author provides other details related to my personal treasure.
- REFINE: Next, I’ll research the book’s historical context by referencing the introduction to the book of Exodus, starting here. If you’re working along with me, note any relevant or interesting facts you uncover in your review of these materials. Based on the writing type (from step 2, above) and what you discover in the introduction, should Exodus 15:22-27 be interpreted literally?
- REFINE: Last, I’ll be looking up the meaning of a few words and phrases from my focus verses using an interlinear Bible tool. I like Biblehub.com’s Hebrew tool for this research. To use it, follow the link above. You can quickly access a verse by selecting it from the dropdown box showing 15:26 at the top of your screen; or you can scroll to it by clicking the right-pointing arrow (to the right of the verse citation, Exodus 15:26) for higher numbered verses. Once you locate the verse, click the number in the Strong’s column that corresponds to the English word or phrase you’re researching. Note anything the Spirit highlights for you in the information provided.
I encourage you to use these tools and dig as much as you can this week. I pray the Spirit will bless your efforts, my friend!
GO TO WEEK 6 >
by Jen | Sep 29, 2026 | 22-27, DISO studies, Exodus 15, Jen
NEW TO THIS STUDY? START HERE.
Last Week’s Work
Hi there! Did you have a chance to dig a little deeper into Exodus 15:22-27 this week? I had a limited amount of time to devote to study, but the LORD used it in amazing ways, as He always does!
REPETITION
I noticed just one repeated concept in these six verses: water. It appears in four verses: once in the first two verses, and twice each in two other verses. Two-thirds of the six verses mention this subject, which I believe makes it important, and I can’t help but think it may allude to something more than ordinary water. It reminds me of Jesus’s first recorded miracle (turning water to wine at a wedding) and how often He performed miracles of healing. But I’m getting a little ahead of myself… right now I’m just observing what the passage says, looking for gems that might help me when I seek to understand more about verse 26 (one of the two that do not mention water).
SPECIAL STATEMENTS
I found four types of special statements in this short passage. The first is the prayer Moses cried to the LORD about Israel being unable to drink the bitter water at Marah. The other three I found in my focus verse, in the conditional blessing and/or promise that the LORD would put none of the diseases of the Egyptians on Israel if they followed the four commands (see the List section, below) He laid out for them.
LISTS
As mentioned above, the one list I located in my focus verse details the four commands the LORD instructed Israel to obey to remain healthy:
- Listen to the voice of the LORD your God,
- Do that which is right in his eyes,
- Give ear to his commandments, and
- Keep all his statutes.
Tall order! I am so glad that Jesus came to make a way for us to stay in relationship with the LORD our Healer that doesn’t involve being “perfectly perfect in every way.” Praise God for that!
Dig-In Challenges
- PRAYING the prayer we wrote for Step 1.
- MINING comparisons by reading through the passage again looking for statements of difference or similarity in or related to your focus verses. These may be statements featuring key words such as like, as, is, are, or of; qualitative comparisons indicating how one item is more or less than another; and/or contrasts which highlight or discuss how one concept differs from another.
- MINING: Next, look for causes or motives by focusing on key words or phrases I call cause connectors. In the ESV translation of this study text, look for the connectors because, for (where it means because), and therefore in your focus verses, then check the text surrounding the connector for an action and the reason or explanation for that action. For example: in the sentence,
I went to the store, for I was out of milk:
The action = went to the store for [because] the reason = out of milk.
NOTE: the word for doesn’t always connect actions and reasons. To determine if it does in your verses, read the sentences containing it while substituting the word because in place of for. If the sentence(s) created from this exercise make(s) sense and mean(s) the same as the original, look for the action statement before the for and the stated reason after the for.
With therefore, you’ll find the reason first, and the action after:
I was out of milk, therefore I went to the store.
The reason = I was out of milk, and the action = I went to the store.
- MINING: Finally, see if you can find any conditions for action in this study text, and/or descriptions of how action happens or should happen.
– For example, does the text say if or when a certain condition exists, some action takes place?
And/or
– Does the author describe a method or process (for example, specific steps) taken to achieve something?
Or
– Does he indicate how action is accomplished more generally by or through attributes or actions (e.g., saved by grace, through faith (Ephesians 2:8)?
– Finally, does the text include any adverbs (typically words ending in ly) that describe how action happens?
These exercises are a bit more involved, but I’m confident you can do this with the Holy Spirit! Don’t forget to check your How to Dig Into Scripture Ourselves guide, and you can always reach out to me at [email protected] if you have questions.
GO TO WEEK 5 >
by Jen | Sep 22, 2026 | 22-27, DISO studies, Exodus 15, Jen
NEW TO THIS STUDY? START HERE.
Hello again! This is my favorite time of year, when temperatures begin to drop in the northern hemisphere, American football starts, and there’s still enough daylight to get in an after-dinner walk in my neighborhood before dark! I hope you’re able to enjoy some of the beauty of the new season wherever you are!
Last Week’s Work
I believe the Spirit made it clear to me that I should concentrate my study on the Wow! about the LORD testing Israel and giving them three specific rules. The verse also identifies the LORD as Healer, which fits nicely into our study series for this year, but those commands are what made me sit up and take notice. Last week I noticed two of them are directives to listen. But this week, the Spirit used the other command, do that which is right in [God’s] eyes, to remind me again of my previous study of Ruth and its setting at the time the judges ruled. In that same week, our pastor preached from Judges, citing its repeated refrain,everyone did what was right in his own eyes. I remember that statement well: it seems to be the very opposite of the LORD’s command in Exodus 15:26. I was WOW!ed all over again and ready to start mining this passage for characters, locations, and timeframes!
WHO (CHARACTERS)
I noticed four characters mentioned in this passage:
WHERE (LOCATIONS)
- Red Sea: where Moses and Israel left.
- Wilderness of Shur: the region Moses and Israel entered.
- Marah, also referred to as there: the place where Moses and Israel couldn’t drink the bitter water, and where the LORD “healed” the bitter water, made a statute and a rule for Israel.
- Elim: where Moses and Israel journeyed next, a place with plenty of water and lots of shade.
WHEN (TIME FRAMES)
The single time phrase I noticed was three days. This was the amount of time Israel walked from the Red Sea into the wilderness of Shur. I don’t know about you, but I can barely go three hours without a drink of water (and a restroom!), let alone three days!
Dig-In Challenges
Here’s my plan for this week:
- PRAY the prayer I wrote last week before I study. Then I’ll…
- MINE: Look for repeated words or phrases in this passage and check for synonyms or pronouns that refer to the same concepts.
- MINE: Locate any special statements (blessings, commands, curses, prayers, promises, requests, and/or warnings) in the passage.
- MINE: Note any lists (3 or more similar items) mentioned in Exodus 15:22-27.
- Record what the Spirit prompts so I can use it in Steps 4 and 5.
Remember, you can download this printable summary of the DISO process for more specific instructions. I’ll share what I discover with you next week, so I hope you’ll join me then.
Next week I’ll be unable to post my results from home at my usual day and time, so I’ll post them early (hopefully) or as soon as I can. Either way, they should be available no later than Monday, October 5.
GO TO WEEK 4 >
