The bittersweet connection

The fifteenth chapter of Exodus begins with Moses and the people of Israel singing a song of joy to the Lord for his triumph over the Egyptians in the Red Sea. They had just witnessed the power of God like few people ever will – first through the 10 plagues and then through the miraculous parting of the Red Sea followed by it collapse upon Pharaoh and His army. And so, with timbrels and dancing the Israelites celebrated this victory in song, praising the Lord for his goodness, his power, and his love for his people.

Unfortunately, their celebration and thanksgiving did not last very long. Verse 22 says that from the Red Sea, they “Went three days in the wilderness and found no water.” When they finally stopped at their first camp, it was at a place known as “Marah,” a Hebrew word meaning “bitter” because the water there was bitter. Upon discovering this, they people grumbled at Moses, asking him what they were supposed to drink.

What is powerful about this story is that God certainly knew the waters of Marah were bitter before he ever brought his people there, and had he wanted to, he could easily have arranged somehow for them to have fresh water before they arrived; but he didn’t. As he would do on many other occasions, God was intentionally testing his people to see what their reaction would be in the face of circumstances that suggested that he was either unable or unwilling to provide for their needs.

Hearing the people’s grumblings, Moses cried out to the Lord, and God showed him a tree which, when Moses put it into the waters, made them sweet. (Verse 25) This again causes me to wonder, why? I mean, God could easily have had Moses just lift his staff over the water and make it sweet, but he didn’t. God’s solution to this “bitter” situation into which he led his People was not to remove them to some other place where the water was better, but rather to introduce something sweet into the water, thereby making a bitter situation sweet.

I believe this incident illustrates a principle that God often uses in our lives as well.

At certain points in our lives we all find ourselves in a bitter situation. Without question God has the power to miraculously deliver us from that situation, but the chances are he probably wont – at least not right away. Instead, he will probably show us something in that situation that, like the tree he showed Moses, will make that bitter situation sweet.

But this story has more to tell us. After leaving Marah, God led his people to their next camp – a place known as “Elim,” where we are told, “There were twelve springs of water an seventy dates palms, and they camped there, beside the waters.” In his love and care for his people, God saw to it that the very next camp after the “bitter” waters of Marah was one with abundant fresh water – 12 springs in fact, enough for each tribe to have its own fresh water source! And, to top that off, there were 70 palm trees bearing dates – a middle-eastern delicacy and dessert item.

If you are in a situation right now that has left a bitter taste in your life, look around for a “tree” of some kind that will make that situation sweet. If you can’t find anything, ask God to show it to you, and He will. And, if you’ve been there a while already, don’t let yourself give into the temptation to grumble against God. Trust that He is still leading and guiding you to each “camp” on your journey of faith, and keep in mind that there’s an “Elim” up ahead!