Making the Bitter Times Sweet

Exodus 15:22-27

The Waters of Marah and Elim

We often face difficulties and crisis in life. These difficulties or crisis can be caused by external environment changes; failures or adversities found in our works; health problem or accident; or maybe just some unhappy moments in life, for example, losing an opportunity to serve, falling out of love with someone, breaking off friendship with someone, or getting poor result in our study, etc.

During the above miserable times, it is very difficult to get rid of the disturbed state of mind, and we tend to react irrationally and faithlessly.

Exodus records events of God performed many miracles, e.g. causing the waters of the Red Sea to be parted and thus enabled the Israelites to cross over the Red Sea on dry ground. After crossing over, the waters went back to its place, and the Egyptian armies who were behind them were hurled into the Sea.

The people of Israel feared the Lord and His servant Moses after witnessing the mighty works of God (Exodus 14:31). They celebrated with shouts of joy at the shore of Red Sea, dancing with tambourines and singing songs of victory and praising the Lord.

However, this was just a start! After a while, they went from the Red Sea to the Wilderness of Shur. What problems did they encounter in the wilderness?

Lives in the Wilderness

The Israelites had experienced great victory in crossing the Red Sea. Then they expected “heaven” to be right before them but they ended up entering the wilderness. The wilderness was a place of barrenness, without water and food. It was a place of difficulties and without hope. It was a place inferior to Egypt, a flourishing land even though they were enslaved there!

The Israelites were puzzled, and wondered why the Lord had led them to such a place. Moreover, they had walked for three days. They became weak and thirsty physically and they could not stand it anymore, and they were about to fall…….

It was then they suddenly saw the water before them! They were overjoyed, and they rushed to the water and drank the water so as to quench their thirst. Again, the people felt that they were deceived. They were frustrated, for what they tasted the water which was bitter! They spilled out the bitter water. They could drink it! Again, they plunged into despair.

The people could not stand it so they grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”; “Why did the LORD lead us into such a depressed state where we suffered and would die here?”

This can be likened to the experience of some Christians. After we have been saved, we start hoping for heaven before us in our hearts. Yet we come to a place of bitter water. We also doubt God and murmur against Him. We enter our wilderness like how the Israelites had entered their wilderness!

We start to have doubts and queries and we seek to find a way out for ourselves. But we encounter false hope. It is man’s natural response to grumble against God and make complaints about men, and we might even blame the church leaders or the pastor for not being helpful, resourceful and caring enough.

Persevere Through Marah, Trust and Obey the LORD

Then Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink. This place was called Marah where they encountered bitter water. There the LORD issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test. (v25)

Thank God! Though our faith is weak, and while we are still grumbling against God, He bring forth His healing for us, and turn our bitter water into sweet water. It does prove that God cares for our weaknesses and imperfections.

Many times, believers will grumble and even flare up in great anger whenever they come to realize the weakness, deficiency, failure and imperfection of their church and their pastor. However, is it not also the right of the church and the pastor to grumble against the weaknesses and imperfections of their members when they happen to spot them?

We should not grumble against one another, but instead, we should make allowance for each other’s weaknesses and imperfections.

God wanted to test the people at Marah. This was the first test the Israelites went through after their departure from Egypt. God tested them with the purpose that they might learn to trust and obey. That means grow in faith, learn to submit to God’s leading and to obey God’s ordinances and decrees.

He said, “If you listen carefully to the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.” (v 26)

“listen carefully…..do what is….in his eyes….pay attention to….keep all his”. It was clearly indicated here: First, we must listen to the Word of God, and second, we must carry out His instructions.

Today, there are many people who refuse to listen to the Word of God, but they are quick to make criticism and complaint, and voice out their dissatisfaction. If we were to humble ourselves first and to listen and try to understand and sympathize with each other, then the voices of criticism and complaint can be minimized very much.

The Marah experience is a test for believers, and the Lord tries to teach us and equip us through this practical life experience, so that we learn to submit to His will and obey His commands. God can turn the bitter water into sweet water, so we should turn our complaints to submission too.

Are we obeying God’s commands in our walk with Him? If we do obey, trust, and submit to God, He will be able to protect us and to help us overcome all difficulties. God turned the bitter water into sweet water in Marah, shows that He could change the lives of those who trust in Him, from bitterness to sweetness.

The first lesson Jesus taught His disciples had to do with water too. At that incident, Jesus turned the water into wine, and the useless water became the best wine consumed in the wedding feast. It displayed His power of salvation and transformation.

Jesus died and shed his blood on the tree. This tree is in our lives as we abide in Christ and the blood of Christ has cleansed us from bitter water. He promised that those who trust in Him shall have rivers of living water flown within them (John 7:38).  The living water is the sweet water of the Holy Spirit outpouring, and it gives strength and joy to our lives!

So, we have Christ is enough. We are not afraid of encountering Marah! It is noteworthy that as we recount our past, we will discover that happy days were not the most memorable moments, but moments where we had tasted the bitter water in Marah! All these wounds and bitter waters were signs of God’s grace for us as we persevere and continue to trust and obey God at Marah.

Love the LORD Some More

The Scripture tells us that as the Israelites continued to travel from Marah, they reached Elim and there, they found twelve springs and seventy palm trees. They encamped near the water of Elim (v27).

Elim was an oasis with springs of water and trees, and it was a place full of resources. This place was about seven miles away from Marah, and the distance between the two places was close. The people of Israel reached Marah and they murmured there. It is sad they fixed their eyes there without seeing Elim, which was just a few miles before them.

Are you trapped in Marah, overwhelm by failure, lost, imperfection, dissatisfaction, self-centeredness, etc., that cause you not to see the Elim in front of you?

We do not know our future, but we must keep preserving a little more, trusting God one more day, and loving Him a bit more, for Elim is not far around the corner!

It is a real hardship to study, to work and to serve, and we might not see good result after our hard work. Nevertheless, let us continue to strive forward, and persevere as we suffer through the process.

Is it that the condition caused by the pandemic seems to be not getting better and the economy is showing no signs of improvement? Are people getting tired of seeking and praying to God? Are there areas in our lives where we are yet to become perfect?

Let us hold on to God and stick close to Him and follow Him as usual at our Marah. Let us rely on Christ who will empower us with His Spirit’s outpouring. The Holy Spirit will sanctify us from within, that we will find joy, peace and satisfaction in abiding with Christ.

And the oasis is indeed not far away from us now. The adverse environment—Marah will turn to Elim soon!