On Dealing with Bitter Waters
Is there anything more refreshing than a cold drink of water? On a hot summer day with the sweat pouring down your brow and your dry throat crying for relief from the thirst, is there anything more refreshing than a cold glass of water? A coke is good. An energy drink helps. But there nothing that really satisfies your thirst like a cold drink of water.
The annual Phila Distance run was held last Sunday as 13000 runners ran the 13.1 mile event. I ran in the first Philadelphia distance run in 1978. I ran it in less than 2 hours at the age of 55. But how refreshing it was to drink a cold glass of water after such a grueling and perspiring run. There is nothing like water. A person can live a long time on bread and water. But you cannot survive too long without water. Your body begins to dehydrate and you are in for big trouble.
I went into the hospital about a year ago suffering from dehydration, hemorrhaging in the brain from an injury I received when I was mugged earlier in the month, and distress over my wife’s diagnosis of lung cancer. Water is often compared with life itself. We can’t live too long without water.
Can you think of a situation more desperate than being in a hot desert with no water anywhere to be found? People have gone mad and become delirious for want of water. Can you imagine yourself going without water for days at a time?
But this brings us to the situation in our text today. The people of Israel have escaped bondage in Egypt. Moses has led them out of Egypt and across the Red Sea. They have miraculously escaped the pursuit of Pharoah’s army which was drowned in the sea while the people of Israel walked over on dry ground. It is a time for great celebration over what the Lord has done. Now they are on their way through the wilderness to the promised land.
But it wasn’t too long before they are faced with the reality of the situation. Sometimes we are so thrilled and elated over something good that has happened in our lives that we overlook some realities that are starring us in the face. Sometimes our bubbles of enthusiasm burst when we face reality.
So it was with the Israelites. After 3 days journey their supply of water given out. There is nothing like going without water for 3 days that will cause you to face the reality of the situation. They cannot live on excitement and enthusiasm. They need some water to drink in order to live.
Doing some research, I discovered that after the first day’s journey they stopped at a place where there was water, but it was too salty to drink. The flocks could drink from that water, but not the people. The second day’s journey brought them to another stopping place, but there was no water there. The people were getting a little anxious now. But Moses told them not to worry.
Remember Moses had spent 40 years in this part of the wilderness. He knew that another day’s journey would bring them to a place known as Malha in the Arabic language. Moses knew that the water at Malha was fresh and good to drink. Moses told them, “Hold on for another day and you will find fresh water to drink.”
So despite their weariness and thirst they march on refreshed by the anticipation of drinking from that well of fresh water. But when they arrived at the well the next day they found the water was bitter. What happened to the fresh water? What went wrong? Had Moses lied to them? What made the water turn bitter and undrinkable?
There is a logical explanation. A rainstorm had come up earlier and the rain had washed the mineral salts down from the cliffs into the valley, causing the water in the well to become salty, bitter, and undrinkable. What are you going to do when the storms turn the waters of your life into bitterness?
The water at this place was normally fresh and good to drink. But rainstorm had polluted the water, making it undrinkable. How frustrating and disappointing can it be when the waters of your life turn bitter. Can you image the frustration of the people as they drank the water, but had to spit it out because it was bitter and salty? With tired and aching bodies they press forward anticipating a cool refreshing drink of water to quench the awfulness of their thirst. But the water is bitter to taste. They renamed the place, Marah, which means bitter in Hebrew.
What do you do when the waters of life become pungent and acrid--as tasteless and bitter as a dose of quinine? What do you do when you encounter unpalatable and unpleasant situations on the journey of life? How do you deal with bitter waters? What do you do when you face the bitter waters of disappointment in life.
We looked forward in anticipation to getting that job we applied for. But we soon found out that someone else had gotten the job. Bitter waters of disappointment. Sometimes we can almost feel that thing we want in our hands. But when we reach out to grab it, it disappears almost into thin air. Bitter waters of disappointment.
Sometimes we wonder why bitter waters come. Perhaps God had a lesson He wanted to teach this band of Israelite wanderers. Perhaps He can teach us the same lesson. Perhaps he wanted to test their faith, to see how much dependence they were willing to put on Him. For after all, the waters were bitter, but God was still God. The waters were bitter, but God was with them yet. Had they forgotten so soon who it was that had smitten the first born of Egypt and had left Pharoah’s army drowned in the sea?
God’s hand was not shortened. Bitter waters were no problem to Him who could roll up the waters of the sea like a mighty scroll. His spirit still moved upon the face of the deep. He was the same God who had divided the waters from the waters, gathered them together and called them seas. He was the God who made everything good.
Some people become embittered by bitter waters. When life hands them a raw deal, when hopes fizzle and dreams fade, they respond with bitterness. Why did this have to happen to me? They shake their fists in the face of God and destiny and cry why, why, why, God. How dare you inflict me with this illness. How dare you take away my child or my wife or my husband? How dare you, God. They respond with the Job’s wife syndrome; Oh to curse God and die! Some people many years later still carry bitterness in their hearts over some tragic experience earlier in life. We probably have heard of people who became so embittered by a bitter experience that they turned their backs on God, left the church, and lost their faith.
But there are some people who take bitter waters of life in stride. They refuse to let bitter waters embitter their lives. Their creed is that all things work together for good to those who are the called of God.
What we have to recognize is that the waters of life are not bitter all the time. The waters at this well were drinkable most of the time. But the storms washing down rains containing minerals made the water bitter. Most of the time we get along fairly well in the waters of life. Most of the time things are going relatively well. Sometimes they aren’t that great, but most of the time they are alright. Most of the time we are blessed and highly favored of the Lord.
We tend to focus on the bad things that happen to us in life. But most of us can say that the good days have outnumbered the bad days. Thank God trouble doesn’t last always. Weeping shall endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. The latest thing in counseling now is solution focused counseling. When people come in with some problem, we want to find out what is going on when the problem is not present. Things aren’t bad all the time. Most of the time God has blessed us, and things are going along quite well.
But then there are those storms of life which turn our waters into bitterness. What do you do when the waters of life become bitter? What do you do when the storms of life bring an unexpected illness, the sudden loss of a loved one, the loss of a job, a crisis in the family, a child caught up in the drug scene?
Often times the storms of life come on us unexpectedly, turning our waters into bitterness. We speak about the calm before the storm. But you have to be prepared for the storms which bring bitter waters. Sooner or later we will experience the bitter waters of life. Just keep living a little longer. Bitter waters will come. Look back over your life and be reminded of the ups and downs of your life. Remember those storms that came and disrupted your normal way of living. Somehow and in someway we have been adjusting to bitter waters all of our lives.
Maybe your mother or father died when you were young. You had to adjust to the bitter waters of living without them. Maybe a marriage that you thought would bring you happiness broke up, ending in divorce. You had to adjust to the bitter waters of living single again. All of us here could give a testimony of a time bitter waters came into our lives. We could spend time trading bitter water experiences.
I first preached this sermon 30 years ago. I said in that sermon that I didn’t know what bitter waters faced me on my journey of life. But since that time I have experienced many bitter waters. The death of three wives---bitter waters. The sickness of my second wife for five years with Lou Gehrig’s disease where she could not talk or move any of her limbs--bitter waters. Declaring bankruptcy--bitter waters. The death of my third wife in February of this year after only 3 years of marriage--bitter waters. My stepdaughter kicking me out of the house on the same night my wife died---bitter waters. Being mugged outside of my house and sustaining brain damage--bitter waters. Bitter waters of loneliness. I couldn’t tell you right now if I died suddenly who would arrange for my funeral. I don’t have any next of kin.
We could spend some time trading bitter water experiences. Your experiences may not be my experiences and my experiences may not be your experiences. But they are still bitter water experiences.
But the important thing is how do we handle bitter waters. Let’s see what happened in our story.
The first thing we see is that the people complained against Moses. But since Moses had brought them out of captivity through the power of God, they were complaining against God. They complained against Moses. How come you brought us out into this wilderness so we could die of thirst. It’s all your fault Moses. We should have stayed back in Egypt. At least we would have some water to drink.
How many times have we complained when the bitter waters of life came. Despite our best efforts we have had a pity party. Why me? What have I done to deserve this? We have all been there. We like to hold up Job as the example of patience. But Job bitterly complained against God over his state. He even asked God why was he born. We like to put our best faces on in times of bitter waters. We say, “Child, I’m just leaning and trusting in the Lord.” That may be true. But if we were brutally honest we are asking ourselves why is this happening to me. It’s only human to respond that way.
Look how often David complained to God in the Psalms. Especially in the Old Testament the saints complained to God. They cried out, ”How long. How long must I go through this.” Even Jesus cried out to God in the garden. He asked God to let this cup pass from Him. It’s natural to complain and feel sorry for ourselves. But you don’t stay in the complaint mode. Sooner or later you have to turn to God.
A lot of pressure was on Moses. It’s hard when some 20,000 people are blaming you for their misfortune. Moses couldn’t handle the situation by himself. In some places we find Moses complaining to God about these people he was leading. But in time of bitter waters, turn your complaint into a cry to God. Moses cried to God. Who else could help him in a time like this? Who else could he call upon? Who else would understand all about it? Turn you complaint into a call on God. Call a halt to the pity party and call on God. Call on Him. He understands. When all around your soul is giving away, call on Him. Moses cried out to God. God heard his plea and answered.
But God did a strange thing. God, the creator of earth and water, God who brought everything into existence by the sound of his voice, God for whom nothing is too hard, did a strange thing. God who could have spoken to the waters, making them sweet, did a strange thing.
He showed Moses a tree. When Moses cast this tree into the waters, the bitter waters became sweet. There were certain trees whose barks had the power to precipitate the mineral particles which embittered the waters so that they became sweet and clear. The tree was there all the time. God showed Moses the tree. But when Moses saw the tree he knew what to do with it. He cast it into the waters and the waters became sweet.
Sometimes the answer or the solution for our bitter waters is close at hand. God will show us what we can do to sweeten up the waters of life. God has trees right at hand---trees with the medicinal qualities to heal the putrid waters and turn bitterness into sweetness. God has shown us a tree.
Sometimes he shows us the tree of prayer. Maybe the only thing you can do in the midst of bitter waters is to fall on your knees and have a sweet hour of prayer. Sometimes that sweet hour of prayer that calls us from a world of care can sweeten the bitter waters of life. Cast the tree of prayer into the bitter waters of life.
Sometimes he shows us the tree of his word. God’s words are sweet to the taste. Sweeter than honey to your mouth. Let the promises of God sweeten up the waters of your life. Promises like, ”when thou pass through the waters I will be with you and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee.” Promises like, “thou shall not be afraid for the terror by night nor the arrow that flies by day.” Promises like, “he shall give his angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways.” Let the word and the promises of God be for you a tree to sweeten up the waters of life.
But God has another tree to show us. He couldn’t show Moses this tree. But God prepared a tree one day from which the cross of Calvary was fashioned. God has shown us this tree. This is the sweetest tree of all. This is the tree that took away the sting and bitterness of death. On this tree Jesus cast himself in the bitter waters of death that life might become sweet for humankind.
Thank God for that tree. Little tree, nurtured and tended by the hand of God himself. Little tree, you never dreamed that you were destined to bear upon your bark the Saviour of the world. O little tree. Trees make a playground for children. They shelter the tired and the weary That was all right for the other trees of the forest. But you little tree, were destined for better things. You were destined to be cast into the bitter waters of death so that life might become sweet for somebody. You grew up, little tree. From you was fashioned that Old Rugged Cross, so despised by the world. But I’ll cherish that old rugged cross, till my trophies at last I lay down. Thank God for the tree of Calvary.
Are you at bitter waters right now? Has some storm come and cast you into the bitter waters of life? But there is good news for you. God has a tree that can sweeten up the waters of life. Find that tree so that even in the midst of bitter waters, life can be sweet. God will show us a tree to sweeten up our bitter waters.
But the tree won’t do you any good unless you take advantage of it. Thank God for the tree which is Jesus. Jesus drank the bitter cup of death to sweeten up our lives. He cried, “If it be thy will let this cup pass from me.” But he drank it. He drank it all that our lives might be sweeter. He plunged himself into the bitter waters of death that our lives might be sweet forever more. What a joy to know Jesus. He’s sweet I know. We’ve sung that song many times.
But more than that is that He’s sweet on me. I know Jesus is sweet. That’s no problem. But the thing that blows my mind is that He is sweet on me.
Sometimes you have a person that you are really sweet on. You think that person is the sweetest person on earth. But you come to find out that that person is not sweet on you. That person doesn’t care anything about you. What a letdown. Unless you are sweet on each other, the relationship is not going anywhere.
But the thing I like about it is that Jesus is sweet on me. Despite my faults and failures, He is still sweet on me. When you go through the hard times of life it’s good to know that you have a loved one who is sweet on you no matter what you are going through. I used to have sweethearts like that. I don’t have a sweetheart like that anymore. I had three sweethearts, Gabrielle, Florence, and Lenora. All of my sweethearts have died.
But I still have someone who is sweet on me. Jesus is sweet on me. He loves me with an everlasting love. How do you know he is sweet on you, preacher? The Bible tells me so. Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so. We love him because he first loved us.
I don’t know how many bitter waters I may yet have to go through. Life may not be through putting me through bitter waters. But as long as Jesus is sweet on me, I don’t have to worry. I’ll be alright. He’ll look after me because he is sweet on me. He’s sweet on me. Dark clouds may rise and strong winds may blow. Bitter waters may come. But I’ll tell the world wherever I go, that I have somebody who is sweet on me. The good news this morning is that you too have somebody who is sweet on you. He’ll look after you, care for you, and see about you, because he is sweet on you. How do you deal with bitter waters?
