阅读经文 

我们今天读到的《出埃及记》发生在神带领祂的子民过红海的惊人故事之后，神击退了他们的敌人，用海水淹没了他们。（参出 14:1-15:21）

现在以色列人脱离了埃及的奴役，神正带领他们穿过干旱的沙漠。他们最开始遇见的水不能喝，后来神用了一棵树，让摩西扔进水里，才除去了苦味。

后来他们最终来到了以琳，意思是“大树林”——这个地方有七十棵棕树，旁边有十二股水泉。这些棕树和水泉代表了长途跋涉之后，神给祂百姓的祝福。在圣经里，数字7和10常常象征着圆满和完全，我们知道70=7x10。不仅如此，数字12代表神所有的百姓，因为以色列有12个支派，都是雅各（以色列）12个儿子的后裔。

因此，以琳是一个表明神应许的可靠性的地方。在那使他们精神焕发、生机勃勃的水里，百姓可以品尝到神应许的看顾和甜美。在棕树凉爽的树荫下，百姓找到休息和安舒的庇护，使他们免受恶劣的沙漠阳光的伤害。所有这一切，都预示着丰盛的祝福在神信实的伟大故事中终将来到。

Our reading in Exodus today comes after the amazing story of how God brought his people through the Red Sea and then defeated their enemies by having them swallowed by the sea (Exodus 14:1-15:21).

The Israelites were now delivered from slavery in Egypt, and God was leading them through a dry desert. The first water they discovered wasn't drinkable until God used a piece of wood, thrown in by Moses, to take away the bitterness.

Then eventually they came to Elim, which means "large trees"—a place of 70 palm trees growing by 12 springs of water. These palms and springs represented the fullness of God's blessing for all his people after a long, hard journey. In the Bible, the numbers 7 and 10 often signify fullness and completion, and we can see that 70 = 7 x 10. Further, the number 12 represents all of God's people, because Israel was made up of 12 tribes, all descended from the 12 sons of Jacob (Israel).

Elim was therefore a place indicating the reliability of God's promises. In the water that refreshed and sustained them, the people could literally taste the sweetness of God's promised care. And in the cooling shade of the palm trees the people found rest and soothing protection from the harsh, desert sun. All of this pointed ahead to abundant blessings still to come in the great unfolding story of God's faithfulness.