Have you ever experienced a beautiful moment ruined by something unexpected and revolting? This past week I experienced that very thing.
We took the kids over to Legoland this past week for a day of fun and they loved it! It really is a cool place, seeing all the huge different Lego builds they’ve done over the years. We got there early, did a few rides, walked around a bit, and it was time for lunch. So we went to this burger place, got a table outside, and sat down outside at some tables with umbrellas over them.
It was then that a beautiful moment began.
The weather was nice, not to hot but not too cold, and a few birds got my attention. They were bouncing all around the tops of these umbrellas over the tables, hoping for some scraps of food no doubt, but they got my attention for how beautiful they were. At first I thought they were just plain black crows but the closer they got and the more they came into the sunlight, I noticed there was a hint of blue in their feathers that stood out. I kept looking at them and noticed there were many shades of blue mingled among the black feathers, and I was a bit awestruck, thinking to myself, ‘Wow, I’ve never noticed how stunning these birds really are.’
It was a nice moment for sure, and I was enjoying a calm sense of wonder when…one of the birds hopped around to the top of the umbrella and pooped all over of it. Moment’s over! The lovely moment of worshipful awe at God’s creation was done. Clearly the scraps of burger didn’t sit well with this bird, as beautiful as the bird was, it was as disgusting watching it empty its bowels in such a surprising and unexpected manner.
Such is Israel in our passage this morning.
It was great a moment to behold as God parted the Red Sea! Israel was backed into a corner, trapped with no way of escape, and God came to fight for them! And fight He did, destroying their enemies and saving them! Truly it was a wonder to behold, and they praised God for it singing the great ‘Song of Moses’ … but how quick the tables turn. Three days later their praise turned to protest, their delight turned to despair, their triumph turned to trouble, their glory turned to grumbling.
Today we witness a beautiful moment come to an end by the sin of Israel. Yet, as ugly as it is, God enters in, uses this moment to teach them, and brings sweetness out of their bitterness.
So much to glean here.
The text is Exodus 15:22-27, let’s take it in a few sections.
What Took Place (v22-25a)
“Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” And he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.”
The text begins in v22 saying Moses “made Israel set out.” This is interesting, isn't it? What does this detail mean? I think it leads us to believe that Israel didn’t want to leave the shore of victory. That they were so taken up with the sight of the dead Egyptians and the singing of praise that they didn't want to move on. They wanted to linger in the exhilaration of the moment. But onward they needed to go. They couldn’t stay at the Red Sea forever. There’s a Promised Land ahead, and the path to it lies through the wilderness.
So Moses has to convince them to leave, and finally they do. But this is when their trouble begins. They go three days into the wilderness and can’t find water. Think about that. Three days. You ever gone three days without water? Three days without water is pretty much the limit of human endurance, so can you sense what this was like for them? The dust of the wilderness in their throats. Their children crying. Their livestock weakening. The wonder of the Red Sea replaced by the weariness of the desert. The creeping doom of their own death by dying of thirst. And then…they see it. Water! Can you imagine the shout that went up? “Water! Water!” I bet they ran to it, scooped it up, took large gulps only to find that the water was revolting, bitter, unfit for human consumption. So they called this place Marah[1] which means Bitter.
So what do they do? They grumble. Crazy fact, but this is the first time grumbling is mentioned in the Bible.[2] It is certainly not going to be the last, as this would become the theme of Israel’s wilderness wandering. Now, no before we come down hard on them for such a horrible response, we need to realize that this really was a life-or-death emergency for them.[3] They had no water! It was either drink or die, but this water was so bad they couldn’t bring themselves to drink it. So to them, they were about the meet their death…again.
At this point what should they have done? They should have cried out to the Lord to help them. Remember they knew who God was. They knew that God answers prayer. They knew that God had power. They knew that God can do wonders, and they had witnessed it all firsthand! All they had to do was the look up and see the pillar of cloud and fire that had guided them to this very point. It was not an act of random chance that brought them here, God brought them here, so God can take care of them! But what do they do? v24, they grumbled against Moses.
Do you see yourself here? Grumbling is far too common. Christians grumble about all kinds of things. We grumble about little things. At home we grumble about the brand of cereal our wives bring home, or the jobs your husbands have leave undone, or the state of the home, that the appliances are old or wearing out, how things are too dirty, or how cluttered the kids rooms are. The same grumbling happens at church. You don't like how this was handled or how that was done, or that we sang this song instead of that song, or that the church coffee tastes bad, or that our services start too early to go to late. These are little things aren’t they?
We also grumble about big things too. Persistent sins you cannot overcome, dissatisfaction at work, misfortune in love, family strife, hardship in relationships, friendships dissolving, chronic conditions continuing to plague. And more.
Question: are you a grumbler? When little things or big things don’t go the way you desire, does a low-grade boil begin in you that leads grows until you complain, moan, or whine about it?
Church, we all encounter bitter times in life, we will. This text is a warning to us, that those bitter moments don’t need to make us bitter. Paul even says this in 1 Cor. 10, that we have all this written down about Israel for our instruction, that we might not grumble like they did. Do you see the real issue in this passage for Israel? The problem wasn’t the water itself, it was the bitterness in them! John Calvin notes in his comments on this passage, “God might have given them sweet water to drink at first, but by the bitter water He was making their own bitter hearts known to them.”
In this dire moment, behold the kindness of God. Look at v25a. Not all the people are grumbling. Moses doesn't grumble, what does he do? In glaring contrast to the people, Moses cries out to the Lord.[4] How wonderful to see him do it, his one little prayer accomplished infinitely more than all of Israel’s grumbling. And God responds in a unique way, for sure, by showing him a log, or a tree that he can cast into the water so that water becomes drinkable. So he does, and the bitter waters become sweet.
This is the big lesson for us today. God can turn what is bitter into something sweet. Much more on that in a moment. There is an echo of past things to notice in this. Moses, the one who was drawn from the water as an infant, the one who struck the waters of the Nile with his staff making them undrinkable, and the one who just led Israel through the waters of the Red Sea, is now used by God to provide sweet drinkable water in the wilderness.[5]
What is this? Scholars debate what's going on here, whether there was some kind of tree or root that had the ability to purify water in this region. But no such healing tree has ever been discovered.[6] So, what is this? It's another supernatural wonder, it's a miraculous moment as God provides exactly what His people need when they deserve it the least. It is the mercy of God giving to His grumbling people. He led them here, he let them feel the dire nature of this trouble, because he wants to teach them dependence. And so often, it is only by first tasting what is bitter that leads us to enjoy God's sweet provision.
That’s what took place, now see…
What God Was Doing (v25b-26)
“There the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them, saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in His eyes, and give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.”
These verses give us another view of these events, showing us what God was doing in them with His people. And here we learn why God brough them into this trial. Why lead them to bitter water just to sweeten it? Why not just lead them straight to Elim in v27? Because God was testing them. Testing them, not for His own information, but for their education. He wanted them to see what was in their hearts. You see, the wilderness was God's classroom and the first lesson was this: what you do when you’re thirsty reveals who you really are.
Out of this test comes a “statute and a rule” as v25b says. How interesting to see that God gives them a law, before He officially gives them His Law at Sinai.[7] What’s He up to in this? I think God is teaching them the terms of the covenant. He is saying to them, “I’m not just your Rescuer; I am your Lord. I’m not just the God who saves you, I’m the God who sanctifies you.” The people need to learn how to do life with God. They need to know that if they listen and obey great blessing will come, and more so, God promises that if they obey, He will be their Healer.
This is a profound reality, the Lord their Healer. This can be taken wildly out of context, as if it were a blank check God wrote to them promising that they’ll never fall ill ever again. This is not what it means. Rather the whole scene helps us interpret what it means for God to be their healer. What He did to the waters, He can do for them, if they walk in His ways. v26 says it, “none of the diseases...that I put on the Egyptians.” Remember the plagues God put on the Egyptians? These destroyed them. And yet here, Israel faces the ‘plague’ of thirst and is healed. If they listen to His voice and look to His provision, God promises to heal them.
Lastly see…
Where God Took Them (v27)
“Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water.”
After Marah comes Elim. Twelve springs[8] and seventy palm trees.[9] Lesson? God provides in abundance. But don't miss it: they had to go through Marah to get to Elim. If they had stayed at the Red Sea, they would never have seen Marah, but they also would never have reached Elim.
The abundance of Elim is grace upon grace. It’s more than enough. It’s God saying, “I see you. I know your thirst. And I have provided an oasis for you.” Israel must be careful. They likely would want to turn Elim into their permanent home. But they’re still in the wilderness! Elim, as great as it is, is just a rest stop on the way to Canaan. Enjoy the refreshment, yes(!), but keep moving forward.
Conclusion:
Church, there is so much to learn here.
First, this text teaches us where we are as Christians.
Israel’s experience teaches us of our own. We too walk through the salvation of the Red Sea and come into the wilderness where God deals with our sins before we come into the Promise Land. In other words, what comes after salvation for us? Does God take us home right away to heaven? No. He saves us and begins to sanctify us. The Christian life isn’t a ‘happily ever after’ kind of story. No. God saves us gloriously, yes…but we then set out on a long and arduous journey to the Promise Land. To put it another way, going through the wilderness was not necessary for Israel’s salvation, but it was necessary for Israel’s sanctification. And the same is true for us![10]
So while it's great to sing the praises of God after being saved by Him, it’s another thing to keep singing His praise while we live life confronting the problems of ordinary life.
This text teaches us where we are as Christians. As Israel is living in the in-between, so are we. We have been saved, and He is leading us home, but we’re not there yet. We are on the long road home and God is using it to make us holy. Knowing this keeps us from having the wrong expectations in life. Don’t expect heaven in the wilderness, expect the wilderness in the wilderness. That’s our life now. It won’t always be like this, but for now it is. And in it all, God is teaching us to trust and obey.
Second, this text teaches us that God can turn what is bitter into something sweet.
What God did for Israel is stunning, and it becomes all the more stunning when we realize that God desires to do the same for us. Do you have bitter things in your life right now? Whatever it is, bring it to the front of your mind…and, hear it. God desires to sweeten all that is bitter to us. How? By a tree. Is it strange to think about it like this? As God provided a healing tree for Israel here, so too He has provided a healing tree for all our bitterness in the cross of Christ. There we find healing in the truest and deepest sense of the word. There we see the Lord Jesus who suffered for us, who embraced the bitterness of death for us. There He cried out, ‘I thirst!’ so that we could be given the living water that never runs dry. He gladly took cup of Marah and drank it to the dregs so that our cup could overflow with the abundance of Elim.
Church, in the cross God desires to sweeten everything that is bitter for us. I really do mean this, but the question of how needs to be asked, right? How can the cross sweeten our bitterness? Simply put, there is a way to apply the gospel to all that is bitter to you.
Are your relationships bitter? Look to the Cross. See how Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for us. Let that ‘tree’ sweeten your dealings with others.
Is your job bitter? Look to the Cross. See how Christ served even unto death. Let that ‘tree’ sweeten your work ethic.
Is your health bitter? Look to the Cross. See the One who was wounded for our transgressions. Let that ‘tree’ remind you that your ultimate healing is secure in Him.
Some of you are living by the waters of Marah today, in a bitter moment, trial, test, or season. If this is you, don’t grumble, look the tree God has provided and plead with God to make these things sweet.
Others of you are living by the waters of Elim today, in a sweet moment of enjoyment! If this is you drink deeply, enjoy it! Rest under the shade of the God’s grace to you. But don't get too comfortable. Remember that you’re on the long road home, and that you’re not home yet. Use the strength you gain at Elim to prepare for whatever may come.
[1] The same name Naomi would take onto herself due to her own significant sufferings.
[2] John D. Currid, Exodus vol. 1, EP Books, 320.
[3] Douglas K. Stuart, Exodus – NAC, B&H, 365.
[4] Stuart, 367.
[5] Robert Alter, The Hebrew Bible, Norton, 1:277-278.
[6] Currid, 320
[7] Victor P. Hamilton, Exodus: An Exegetical Commentary, Baker, 243.
[8] Possibly one for every tribe among Israel to come.
[9] A number of completion and perfection.
[10] Phil Ryken, Exodus – PTW, Crossway, 380.
