Exodus 15:20 – 21 “Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her with tambourines and dancing. And Miriam sang back to them:
“Sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted;
the horse and rider He has thrown into the sea.”
CELEBRATION!!!! The bodies of Pharaoh’s soldiers and horses are lying all over the seashore! The Israelites are safe! Right now the only appropriate response is singing and dancing! But celebrations can only last for so long before it’s time to move on.
V. 22 – 26 “Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the Desert of Shur. For three days they walked in the desert without finding water. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink the water there because it was bitter. (That is why it was named Marah, or “Bitter.”)
So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?” And Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a log. And when he cast it into the waters, they were sweetened. There the LORD made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there He tested them, saying, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His eyes, and pay attention to His commands, and keep all His statutes, then I will not bring on you any of the diseases I inflicted on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.”
“Hey, God! What are you doing??? You bring us into a waterless desert and then the first water we can find in THREE DAYS tastes horrible! Is this your idea of a joke?” From the euphoria of celebration, the Israelites are now plunged into gloom and doom. Nobody, including Moses, has yet figured out that God wants to teach them things through the desert experience; instead, the Israelites figure that the miraculous deliverance from Pharaoh means that God is going to make everything smooth.
“A week or two in the desert….. a few stops for water….. and we’ll be in the Promised Land! No problem!”
APPLICATION: Notice these things:
1. GOD USED A NEED TO GET THEIR ATTENTION: Moses led Israel from the Red Sea into the desert for three days. That was long enough for the Israelites to use up all the water they had and to become thirsty. Remember there are also large herds of animals requiring regular watering as well.
2. GOD DID NOT MEET THEIR EXPECTATIONS: Until now, water had never been a problem. The Israelites were used to getting their drinking water from the Nile or from wells or canals. Suddenly the Israelites realized that they were in a hostile environment and began doing what they did best – they complained! There is a wonderful word in Yiddish, “Kvetch.” “Kvetching” is not merely grumbling; it’s grumbling plus whining, plus nagging, all at once! There’s no doubt that the Israelites were kvetching!
3. GOD USED THE NEED FOR WHOLESOME DRINKING WATER TO TEST AND TEACH THE ISRAELITES IMPORTANT LESSONS. “There the LORD made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there He tested them, saying, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His eyes, and pay attention to His commands, and keep all His statutes, then I will not bring on you any of the diseases I inflicted on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.” God was fully aware that hidden in the baggage of many Israelite families, there were small statues of Egyptian gods or charms and amulets indicating worship of the Egyptian pantheon of gods. God wanted the Israelites to become a holy people, and there could be no shortcuts.
By healing the waters of Marah using some kind of wood, God wanted to demonstrate to the Israelites that He was fully capable of keeping them whole and healthy. But to receive these promises, the Israelites would have to:
a)listen carefully
b)do what was right in God’s eyes, not in theirs
c) pay attention to God’s commands and
d) keep all God’s statutes.
Hundreds of years later, the Prophet Samuel would tell King Saul that “Obedience is better than sacrifice and attentiveness is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance is like the wickedness of idolatry.” (1 Samuel 15:22-23) The Israelites were already rebelling – not a good start to a long journey!
After using the bitter waters of Marah to get the attention of the Israelites, God first healed that water and then led them on to a wonderful oasis.
v. 27 “Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there by the waters.”
So many times, we want God to fulfill our expectations, to make everything smooth for us; meanwhile, God is trying to use the difficulties of our situations to teach us and to reach us. We must learn the same lessons as the Israelites: a)listen carefully b)do what is right in God’s eyes, not in ours c) pay attention to God’s commands and d) keep all God’s statutes. But we don’t want to obey! We want God to do our will in His Name, and that will never happen!
Psalm 95:7-8 says, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts…” Have you ever heard God’s voice? If you have, obey quickly! That voice is the voice of your Heavenly Father, who loves you far better than any earthly father can ever hope to. That voice is the voice of the Father who sent his only Son to die for your sins, so that you could join Him in heaven, if you would just believe.
PRAYER: Father God, we believe, but help our unbelief! Help us not to complain or grumble or kvetch! When we find ourselves in tough spots, let us learn everything that you want to teach us and let us listen carefully to you and obey. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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