Exodus 15:22-27 "So
Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the
wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and
found no water. And
when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah,
for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord
shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters
were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and
there he proved them, And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord
thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give
ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of
these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I
am the Lord that healeth thee. And
they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and
ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters."
As you read through
the book of Exodus it is easy to start to skim over the passages that
just seem to tell the day-to-day happenings of the Children of Israel's
journey to the Promised Land. However, we must remind ourselves that
the story of their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land was a physical example of our Spiritual journey from total depravity to life
eternal with Jesus. There are many parallels that can be seen throughout the Israelites story but I wish to just touch on the ones I gleaned from this particular passage.
To put this is in context let me just refresh your memory of what was going on in Chapter15. The first part of the chapter is
devoted to recording the songs of Moses and Miriam after God
miraculously delivered them from the army of Pharaoh and lead them
across the Red Sea. After this great celebration with singing and
dancing it is time for the Children of Israel to move on. This is where
these verses (22-27) enter the story. The Israelites have traveled
through the wilderness with no water for 3 days and then when they get
to Marah where there finally is water the water is undrinkable (bitter). The
people immediately start complaining. Moses cries out to God and God
shows him to cast a tree into the water and the waters become sweet.
God, through Moses, then promises the people that if they will hear Him
and keep His commandments then He will not punish them as He did the
Egyptians. After that He leads them to Elim- an oasis.
This passage really
spoke to me as it showed it a physical sense our spiritual journeys. God
reaches down and brings us out of Egypt (our depraved state) and shows
us the path to Eternal life. The journey is not easy, this life is a
wilderness full of trials. However, God does not let us face the
wilderness alone, if he did we would turn back to Egypt and the our life
of sin just as the Israelites wanted to time and time again. Instead,
God is not only with us, He is there protecting and leading us as a
pillar of fire.
He is there as we face
seeming insurmountable opposition and just as He did with the Red Sea
he opens a way for us to walk in the midst of it. It can be scary
because even as we can feel the dry land beneath us and see the pillar
of fire ahead of us we are tempted to look at the walls of water and
think of what would happen if those waters came crashing down on us. Yet
we know if we trust in the Lord and look to Him we will make it through
this trial and come out on the other side unscathed.
After coming through trials that bring us closer to God it is easy in
that moment to turn to Him and trust Him with our whole heart. However,
our faith will not be measured only by these good times but by the tough
times as well.
After this period of
celebration, the Israelites are lead through the wilderness. They are
still on their way to the Promised Land but God is testing their
endurance. In our spiritual Journey, God will lead us through deserts
and these are not to drive us away from Him in despair but are to draw
us to Him as we pant for the "living water" of Christ.
Eventually, the
Israelites come upon some water in Marah. The lesson taught here is one
not to be missed. After the trials of the wilderness, God has lead us to
what we think should be a refreshing spot. But God is here showing us
more of His wonder. The cup that he as prepared for us now is one we see as bitter and "unhealthy" yet God in His Providence uses it to pull us to Him.
The tree
that God shows to Moses to redeem the situation reminds us that when Jesus died on the tree at Calvary, he drank the bitter cup reserved for us. And because of that the
waters we are offered are sweet and refreshing. This is a great hope
for us. We will never have to drink of the waters of death, Jesus has
already taken that for us.
After this amazing
demonstration of God's power, He speaks to us and reminds that He will
never leave us or forsake us, that He will never plague us with the
plagues of sin (the Egyptians). Yet He also reminds us that we are to
follow His commands. After He has made this promise and the Israelites
have accepted the condition, He leads them to an Oasis, a true resting
place on the road to Eternal life in the Promised Land.
This Passage as a whole is one filled of Hope as it reminds us to look to God in ANY and ALL situations. God knows us, knows our hearts. He loves us. What may seem to us as bitter cup, He will turn to sweetness. He uses many means to accomplish His goals through us and if we are willing to be an empty vessel that He can fill with His Will, we can accomplish so much more than we could ever dream for His Kingdom
In Christ,
Mercy Faith Barrett
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