In the "bitter water" episode in Exodus 15:22-25, the bitter water represents the culture of Egypt which God had not yet extricated from the Israelites, an amalgamation of bitterness of bondage and the joy of deliverance. God still had to cleanse their consciences of acquired sinful habits, analogous to God's putting us through the sanctification process now. The tree represents Jesus Christ (the root and shoot of Jesse) and the Tree of Life—His Words for our spiritual growth and maturity. When ingested, the water cleansed by God's Holy Spirit leads us to a happy and productive life. The object lessons we learn in the sanctification process (the learned habits of resisting sin) will enable us to follow our Elder Brother and Savior who learned by the things He suffered.