In Exodus 15:22–17:7, God reveals Himself to Israel through lived experience in the wilderness. Having known God primarily through stories and acts of judgment, the people now come to know Him personally as He walks with them after their deliverance. Through bitter water made sweet, bread from heaven, water from the rock, and victory over their enemies, God calls His people to behold who He truly is. These encounters shape Israel’s understanding of the Lord not only as powerful, but as personal and faithful.
God shows Himself as the One who heals, provides, saves, and brings victory. Each need in the wilderness becomes an opportunity for God to reveal His name and character. The same covenant God who bound Himself to Israel binds Himself to His people today. He has not changed, and He remains worthy of trust in every wilderness He leads His people through.
The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him. – Exodus 15:2 (ESV)