Shortly after being delivered by God through the Red Sea, the Israelites complain when they face their first challenge in the Wilderness: no water to drink. Moses is told to cast a piece of wood into bitter (undrinkable) water, which miraculously becomes sweet. We consider two lessons from this encounter: first, the danger of complaining against God; and second, the pattern of unusual things in Scripture that involve wood and water (hidden in this story but revealed by a prominent early Christian writer).
Teaching Notes
First Steps in the Wilderness and a Water Crisis (Exodus 15) - Lesson Outline (PDF)