| 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 [meaning: “bitterness”]. 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. 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.” Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water. |
| —Exodus 15:22-27 |
The whole tribe of Israel, approximately two million people strong, had left Egypt by the miraculous hand of God. They had seen God defeat their Egyptian captors who had pursued them to the Red Sea, where God parted the waters for the Israelites and drowned their enemies with those same waters.
If you read Exodus 15, you see there the victorious song they sang, led by Moses and Miriam. They had bright hopes and a marvelous future in the Promised Land ahead of them. Yet, in verse 22, the story changes when God shows His people that He intends to test them before giving them this promise.
They finally found water after three days of thirsty travel. But, at Marah they could not drink because of the bitterness. That which should have refreshed them, would only have poisoned them. God directed Moses to find a log of wood he could throw into the water to make it sweet so that they could drink. God “healed” the water.
After they had taken a drink, God shared with them His intention to test them in the wilderness. He also made a pact with them that He would “heal” them of all the diseases of Egypt if they would pay attention and obey His commands. Once He promised them this, they moved on and He brought them to an oasis in Elim of rich, verdant, lavish palm trees and springs of water.
This story reminds me of friends who have lived in the “wilderness” of their lives far longer than they could have ever imagined. The “water” they have had to drink tastes bitter and putrid. This story from Exodus reminds me to pray that God would send “healing” to these bitter waters while He assigns them to dwell in Marah, so that they witness God’s sustaining presence.
Of course, while they may have imagined that Marah was God’s place of blessing for them, they haven’t even begun to imagine that He has an Elim for them down the road. This better destination is described in Exodus 15:27:
Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water.
This was not only a place to drink, it was a place to stay for a while. This was a place of God’s provision for His chosen people. This was a place where they would find true respite from the difficulties of life against which they had previously struggled.
When we pray for those who may be traveling in the “wilderness”—even our own selves—we need to pray that God will give sustenance in Marah with His healing of life’s waters, but ultimately that He will lead them and us to Elim, a place that holds the abundance of His blessing—a place where they and we can at last find camping ground!
