"Then Moses led the people of Israel away from the Red Sea, and they moved out into the desert of Shur. They traveled in this desert for three days without finding any water. 23 When they came to the oasis of Marah, the water was too bitter to drink. So they called the place Marah (which means “bitter”).
24 Then the people complained and turned against Moses. “What are we going to drink?” they demanded. 25 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. 26 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.”
27 After leaving Marah, the Israelites traveled on to the oasis of Elim, where they found twelve springs and seventy palm trees. They camped there beside the water." -Exodus 15:22-27
A people had been shackled for so long, broken under the whip, they must’ve lost so much hope, figured nothing could change, that happens in life, when we get stuck, for years even, more, we start to lose hope and start to think I’m never getting out of here. I’m never getting better. I’m never getting over this. We lose hope and it seems impossible. Time has a way of doing that doesn’t it? Waking up.. having coffee, going through the day, trying to survive life, sitting alone at home, watching tv, not liking ourselves in our own skin. Things we wish were different but they won’t change. How much more so for Israel, in abject slavery for so long.
How could they believe that things would ever change? But then something happened so fast. Something that seemed so completely impossible, and then it just suddenly happens.
How much can we all relate to that? When God saved us, and changed us, how long had we waited, how long had we given up hope? For me it was years.
It feels like nothing will change. Then it suddenly does. And you can hardly believe it.
What did the Israelites think, as they walked on the bottom of red sea, on the dirt at the bottom of the sea, with walls of water on both sides. Did they look with awe and think, this isn’t happening, this can’t be happening, we’ve been slaves so long. How can this be? And yet its happening.
Israel had seen all the miracles of God, they saw the plagues fall on Egypt, and Passover them, they were kept safe, and yet, as they headed into the wilderness, into the desert, millions of people together in the desert, they traveled three days and three nights, not finding any water.
Think about that though, the human body can only survive three days without. I’m sure they probably had some water along with them, but not enough for so many millions to survive on.
But that would be scary, imagine not having water for 3 days, we can’t imagine not having water for one day. And our scripture today says God did that specifically to test them.
Then they find an oasis in the desert. And I’m sure they’re all so relieved at that moment, they see the palm trees, the grass, the waters, and think oh praise the Lord we found water.
Often times, this is the moment God will test us. I want you to see this in your own life. This is the moment we all face from time to time.
It looks like something good is about to happen. We can see it. We approach it. And suddenly it’s pulled away from us. It’s gone again.
Even the FBI and law enforcement understand this concept. With one journalist, who had gained access to classified information, and refused to give up the source, they arrested her, and put her in jail. Very scary experience. Shes in tears in her bed in jail afraid, of the inmates, counting the days, and she’s in there for several months. And finally she gets word, shes going to be released.
She is so relieved, so happy, shes won, they’ve relented, she gets her stuff together, gets out the doors, goes home to celebrate with family, as soon as she gets home, the police arrive, and re-arrest her. And she’s back in. They would do that strategically to weigh on the emotional faculties of the individual, with the goal of recovering the confidential information.
Something similar you could say is happening here. They arrive at marah. And they gather around the pool. And they realize, the waters are bitter, they are poisonous, no one can drink the waters. They are in big trouble.
The people go crazy and complain to Moses, what are we going to do? We’re going to die in the desert. We laugh at the Israelites thinking why don’t they trust God? But how often do we do the same thing? Where is our faith when life is hard?
It even says the people began to turn against Moses, like outright rebellion. What is your response when you thought you had finally found hope and it’s taken away again? We go through that don’t we. We have to try and respond better than the people who rebelled against Moses. Can we respond with faith when everything is taken away and we’re left back at square one?
Then we see that Moses calls out to God. And God answers. God shows Moses a tree, a branch, wood, and he tosses it into the water, and the bitter waters became pure. God was testing them. How would they respond? They responded with rebellion.
Then it says in verse 25-27: "It was there at Marah that the LORD set before them the following decree as a standard to test their faithfulness to him. 26 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.”
27 After leaving Marah, the Israelites traveled on to the oasis of Elim, where they found twelve springs and seventy palm trees. They camped there beside the water."
Despite marah being bitter, just near by the was the oasis of Elim with twelve springs, one spring for every tribe of Israel. Amazing.
But this is where we find our name of God for today, God said I am the Lord who heals you, Jehovah-rophe.
The bitter water of marah really to us represents how we are marred in sin. We are marah, marred in sin, bitter in sin, dirty, undrinkable, filthy, covered in sin.
And just as Moses tossed the tree into the waters, we must come to a tree to be saved, the tree of the cross of Jesus Christ. Then there Jesus heals us and makes us new, as pure as the waters of marah that were purified by God through Moses.
The Lord says I am the Lord who heals you. Jehovah rophe. Only God can heal us. Only God can turn our bitter waters pure. Who else could do such a thing? There was no solution before to our problem. Only God could solve it.
The people continue to rebel against Moses in their journey through the wilderness, and many were bitten by snakes and became sick from the poison. But God made a way for them to be healed, he had Moses craft a bronze snake, and lift it up on a pole, and the people would look upon it and be healed. And Jesus compared these events to himself, when he spoke to Nicodemus and he said, just as Moses lifted up that bronze pole in the desert so also the son of man must be lifted up, on the cross, so that everyone who believes may have eternal life. (John 3:14-15).
He is the healer in the Old Testament. And Jesus became our healer in the New testament. Jesus traveled near and far healing people who were lepers, healing people with deformities, healing people who couldn’t walk, who couldn’t see, and healing broken hearts, driving out demons, and speaking the truth. God is our healer.
Yet God also tests us, just like Israel at the waters of Marah. He purifies us like gold, removing the impurities. And these tests show what’s really in our hearts. And show the work that God is doing and the progress being made as he conforms us to the likeness of Jesus. But it all starts of God. Of us recognizing we can’t fix the problem ourselves, but must turn to God our healer to make us well.
That is your challenge today. To Turn to Him for your help, and not rely on self to cleanse those filthy waters of your heart. Only God can do that. So invite him to. Admit your sinfulness, and receive Christ’s healing. He will also heal more than just your sins though. He will heal your physical health problems. He will heal your broken heart, your depression, your anxiety, your troubled emotions. Reach out to Him for healing. Also recognize he doesn’t always heal us right away. He often tests us. And allows us go through struggles to build our faith in Him. So if you’re in the wilderness, continue to trust God your healer, who is with you in the difficulties as well. Amen.
