Exodus 15:22-27
Then Moses led the people of Israel away from the Red Sea, and they moved out into the desert of Shur [meaning - a wall - the Egyptians had built a border wall along the north-eastern side - another meaning of Shur is sour]. They travelled in this desert for three days without finding any water. When they came to the oasis of Marah, the water was too bitter to drink. So they called the place Marah (which means “bitter”).
Then the people complained and turned against Moses. “What are we going to drink?” they demanded. So Moses cried out to the Lord for help, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. Moses threw it into the water, and this made the water good to drink.
It was there at Marah that the Lord set before them the following decree as a standard to test their faithfulness to him. He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.”
After leaving Marah, the Israelites travelled on to the oasis of Elim, where they found twelve springs and seventy palm trees. They camped there beside the water.
In this passage the Israelites are moving on after the excitement of the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea and the destruction of their tormentors - it only takes 3 days in the wilderness for the them forget the miracle and their praises and resort to complaining and blaming Moses for their plight.
They found themselves in the Shur area where they were brought face to face with the starkness of the desert terrain and how little life sustaining water there was for them to drink. Moreover, what water there was at Marah, tasted bitter and wasn't drinkable.
Fascinatingly, God deliberately led them on from the miraculous to the barren bitterness of the wilderness. God was testing their faithfulness to Him. How would they fare? Not too well, it seems. Round one was a failure.
How encouraging for us.
If you're feeling fed up to the back teeth of the bitterness of lockdown, confinement and restrictions of all sort, fearful of disease and death - you are in good company with the Israelites.
After nearly a year of enduring this crisis - and finding nothing but bitter disappointed hopes of a return to normal - perhaps we too are secretly complaining to Jesus?!
Look at the Israelites, one obstacle after another confronting them as God moved them onwards out of slavery. From the Red Sea victory to a the sourness of a desert border wall. Then the promise of water - only to find that it wasn't the answer to quench their thirst.
When the tree was thrown into the water though, that made the difference. Can we see a lesson here for us?
What about throwing the tree of the cross into our bitter waters? Doesn't that change everything and make our own bitter spiritual waters sweet? To know that whatever is in front of us, we have an eternal "sweetener"? The message of the cross gives hope in our deepest despair.
It was there, at the bitter waters of Marah, that the Israelites were promised God's healing power. He promises to be their healer as they commit their way to Him:
“If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.”
Perhaps too, there's a lesson for us to know where the Source of all healing is - in the Lord Jesus. Yes, reach out to medical services, but realise that they are vessels in the hands of God - He is the source of our healing.
Also note that the Lord led the people on past the bittersweet waters, after He had tested them. Leading them to an oasis of seventy trees and twelve springs of clean water.
Remember if you're camped by bitter waters, you're not staying there - God is moving you onwards to an oasis where your needs can be met - there you can rest.
He leads me beside still waters - He restores my soul....
Psalm 23:2
New Living Translation
He lets me rest in green meadows;
he leads me beside peaceful streams.
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