Exodus 15 Bitter Waters Made Sweet
22 So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of Shur. And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 23 Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah. 24 And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet.
There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them, 26 and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.”
27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees; so they camped there by the waters.
The waters at Marah were bitter and undrinkable. Were they full of sulfur or contaminated in some fashion? We don’t know; however, God showed Moses some wood that he cast into the water, making it sweet. There is an interesting theory that the waters of Marah were bitter due to the spiritual state of the Israelites. According to the narrative in the Book of Exodus, the Israelites had been wandering in the desert for three days without water. When they arrived at Marah, they found water, but it was undrinkably bitter, leading to their complaints and dissatisfaction.
The bitterness of the water symbolized their spiritual emptiness and lack of faith. They were described as being spiritually void and thirsty, which reflected their inner turmoil and discontent. This event served as a test of faith and highlighted the importance of trust in divine provision during challenging times.
God used this bitter water as a teaching point, promising that if the Israelites would obey God, following His commandment and keeping all His statutes, He would protect them from all the diseases He had brought on the Egyptians. God emphasized that He was the Healer.
Reading this story, we realize that the Israelites failed to hold their peace or to practice it; in fact, their peace was quite fragile, depending on everything going smoothly. As soon as anything went wrong, BANG! The Israelites were complaining again. Now God was informing His people that peace was conditional: obey Him and have health and peace. Refuse to obey God, and that peace would evaporate.
Centuries later, Paul Rader would write a wonderful hymn referring to those bitter waters.
ONLY BELIEVE
1. Fear not, little flock, from the cross to the throne,
From death into life He went for His own;
All power in earth, all power above,
Is given to Him for the flock of His love.
Refrain:
Only believe, only believe;
All things are possible, only believe;
Only believe, only believe;
All things are possible, only believe.
2. Fear not, little flock, He goeth ahead,
Your Shepherd selecteth the path you must tread;
The waters of Marah He’ll sweeten for thee,
He drank all the bitter in Gethsemane.
3. Fear not, little flock, whatever your lot,
He enters all rooms, “the doors being shut,”
He never forsakes; He never is gone,
So count on His presence in darkness and dawn.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving and caring for us. Lord, help us to remain peaceful even when our situation is bitter. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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