“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. And the people complained against Moses, saying, ‘What shall we drink?’ 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” (Exodus 15:23-25 NKJV).
The passage is a powerful example of God opening our eyes to His availability. Just after the Israelites had been delivered from Pharaoh’s army, they went into the desert where they had no water. God led them to the waters of Marah which was bitter and deadly and therefore not good for drinking. But why will the good God do that? I believe it is show them His sufficiency, availability and relevance in their lives no matter the situation or circumstance they may find themselves.
We may have been faced with “bitter waters” many times in our lives. Situations, problems, or tragedies will arise to challenge our walk with God. The Holy Spirit has come to provide the wisdom, counsel, or might we need to turn those waters of life from bitter to sweet! God told Moses to take the tree and put it into the water. Moses’ obedience brought a miracle, and the miracle brought a revelation: God did not want them to drink bitter waters. He wanted to reveal their hearts in order for their hearts be changed where needed. The experience revealed that while Moses was God centred, Israel was not and that God is a good God; and Israel needed to know that. If they would simply obey Him, He would care for them.
Unfortunately, even after the great miracles, Israel would not continue to walk with God. They refused to listen to His instructions. Psalm 81 opens us into God’s heart as He was reaching out to His nation. “But My people would not heed My voice, and Israel would have none of Me. So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, to walk in their own counsels” (Ps. 81:11-12 NKJV). Israel would not heed the counsel of God and no wonder they wandered in the wilderness. The Psalms tells us what would been the resultant effects had Israel heeded the counsel of God. “Oh, that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways! I would soon subdue their enemies, and turn My hand against their adversaries. The haters of the Lord would pretend submission to Him, but their fate would endure forever. He would have fed them also with the finest of wheat; and with honey from the rock I would have satisfied you” (vv. 13-16).
Their experience could have been much different. If they had learned the lesson from the bitter waters of Marah, they would have seen how to reach out for counsel and wisdom from Jehovah God. Counsel came to them as it does to us. The tree at Marah represents the Branch: Jesus Christ. He will turn the bitter waters of our lives into sweet.
May the tests of life bend us towards Jesus, that we might open ourselves to Him at every new depths, heeding His word and experiencing His healing. By the grace of God, may we make the journey and know His healing that we might live the Jesus life. Amen.