exodus 17 and 18

Read Exodus 17 and 18 at Bible Gateway.

The Hebrew paragraph divisions in our chapters today are:

Exo 17:1-7 {p} YHVH provides water from the rock at Massah and Meribah
Exo 17:8-13 {p} Amalek fought with Israel + Joshua defeated Amalek
Exo 17:14-16 {p} YHVH will have war with Amalek from generation to generation
Exo 18:1-27 {p} YHVH is greater than all the gods

More strong themes! The lack of water at Massah and Meribah sounds like another incident we have just read – the lack of drinkable water at Marah (Exo 15:22-26). In fact, these two lack of water incidents are matching elements of a larger chiastic structure:

Exo 13:17-17:16 {px4+sx18+p+sx4+px5} torah portion beshalach

1a) Exo 13:17-15:21 {px4+sx18+p+s} Wilderness journey + war with Egypt + YHVH’s triumph/ memorialized:

1) Exo 13:17-22 {p} All the congregation of Israel set out on their journey by the way of the wilderness;
2) Exo 14:1-31 {p+p+p} Egypt fought with Israel + YHVH defeated Egypt through Moses;
3) Exo 15:1-21 {sx18+p+s} Song of Moses + dance of Miriam (YHVH triumphed gloriously);

1b) Exo 15:22-26 {s} Contention at the waters of Marah:

1) Exo 15:22-23, Israel went out into the Wilderness of Shur + found no water;
2) Exo 15:24, Israel complained against Moses;
3) Exo 15:25a, Moses cried out to YHVH;
4) Exo 15:25b, YHVH showed Moses how to make the bitter water sweet;
5) Exo 15:25c-26 {s} There YHVH tested Israel;

1c) Exo 15:27-16:1, Israel came to Elim (twelve wells + seventy palm trees);

1d) Exo 16:2-3 {s} Lack of bread in the wilderness;

1e) Exo 16:4-5, YHVH will rain bread from heaven + that He may test them;

1f) Exo 16:6-12, Israel saw the glory of YHVH;

1g) Exo 16:13-15, Manna from heaven;

1h) Exo 16:16a, The thing that YHVH has commanded;

central axis) Exo 16:16b-27 {s} Gathering manna day by day + not gathering manna on Sabbath; i.e., Sabbath rest taught;

2h) Exo 16:28-30, Sabbath rest is YHVH’s commandment;

2g) Exo 16:31, Israel called its name Manna;

2f) Exo 16:32, That future generations may see the bread from heaven;

2e) Exo 16:33-34, Aaron will keep bread from heaven + as a Testimony;

2d) Exo 16:35a, Provision of bread in the wilderness;

2c) Exo 16:35b-36 {p} Until Israel came to Canaan;

2b) Exo 17:1-7 {p} Contention at the waters of Massah and Meribah:

1) Exo 17:1, Israel went out from the Wilderness of Sin + found no water;
2) Exo 17:2-3, Israel complained against Moses;
3) Exo 17:4, Moses cried out to YHVH;
4) Exo 17:5-6, YHVH showed Moses how to bring water from the rock;
5) Exo 17:7 {p} There Israel tested YHVH;

2a) Exo 17:1-16 {p+p+p} Wilderness journey + war with Amalek + YHVH’s triumph/ memorialized;

1) Exo 17:1-7 {p} All the congregation of Israel set out on their journey from the Wilderness of Sin;
2) Exo 17:8-13 {p} Amalek fought with Israel + YHVH defeated Amalek through Joshua;
3) Exo 17:14-16 {p} Moses: “The LORD is my banner” + war with Amalek from generation to generation.

At the place of no water, there YHVH tested Israel, and there Israel tested YHVH. We touched on this yesterday. His test for us, is Do you know the meaning of My name? Do you trust Me? And our test of Him is by our complaints. LOL. You know, I had always known that complaining and discontent were not fruits of the Spirit. But it was not until I started studying Torah, and asking to learn how to apply Torah in my life, that God really delivered me of a discontented spirit. If YHVH is on His throne, and He is, then all that happens to me He has His eye upon. For all that happens to me, He has either planned, or has a plan for deliverance, if I will but learn to rest in Him (what is the central axis of the structure? LOL). I have said it before and will say it again, it was when I began resting on the Sabbath that I started becoming acutely aware of just how far away I really was from true Sabbath rest. Fortunately for us, our Abba is a gentle and patient teacher!

The strong paragraph of Exo 18:1-27 also forms a chiastic structure:

1a) Exo 18:1-6, Jethro arrives to Moses;

1b) Exo 18:7-8, Moses met his father-in-law + Moses tells Jethro how YHVH judged Egypt;

1c) Exo 18:9-10, Jethro rejoiced in YHVH;

central axis) Exo 18:11, “Now I know that YHVH is greater than all the gods; for in the very thing in which they behaved proudly, He was above them;”

2c) Exo 18:12a, Jethro sacrificed to YHVH;

2b) Exo 18:12b-27, Aaron + elders met Moses’ father-in-law + Jethro tells Moses how to judge Israel;

2a) Exo 18:27 {p} Jethro departs from Moses.

For further reading:
exo 17-18, war with amalek from generation to generation
The Tares Among the Wheat by Brad Scott