The story thus far …
400 years of enslavement passed, and finally, the Children of Israel were released from bondage. Immediately after their departure, they were pursued by their former enslavers. Pharaoh and his army were not prepared to lose their wealth or their workforce. The Children panicked in response to the unexpected about-face.
Caught between the pharaoh and the deep Red Sea, they were sorely afraid. They were sure that Moses, their leader, conspired with God to effect their demise. They desperately wished they had opted to remain enslaved in Egypt! Oh, how they grumbled and complained!
Moses, directed by YHWH, their God, told them that they would experience God’s salvation at work for them. Having no alternative, they allowed God to be God, and what a victory did they witness!!!!
They walked away from their pursuers on dry ground in the middle of the sea, leading them into a watery ambush. The Egyptians who pursued them on the same path all perished as a result of YHWH’s intervention. The Children of Israel were elated; their mourning turned to dancing (like Psalm 30:12-13), and they acknowledged YHWH as their eternal sovereign.
Three days later… disaster struck.
There was no water anywhere. Having left the abundant waters of the Red Sea into safety, they were stuck somewhere in the wilderness without water.
What happened next?
Did the Children of Israel perish? Would they cry out to their eternal God?
Learn more, and see how it applies to our own lives as we consider Today’s Holy Nougat.
Exodus 15:23-24 AFV
[23] And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah because it was bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah.
[24] And the people murmured against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”
Marah Murmurings
Siblings, it was worse than we thought. When they finally found water, it was not potable! The water was bitter, and possibly dangerous for their health. That was perhaps a worse fate than finding no water, because it is likely that someone drank heedlessly, to their detriment.
Self-Check
If we were caught in their dry, dusty, drought-laden sandals, what would we have done?
Would we once again sing of God’s goodness and eternal reign?
Or would we become desperate, and forgetful?
Digging Deeper
Unmindful of God’s miraculous action days prior, the Children of Israel succumbed to mind-numbing fear. And in their fear, they murmured against Moses. Any grievances they had harboured against Moses saw the light of day as the Children of Israel expressed their dismay and disappointment. The original Hebrew tells us that murmur (complaint, groans, or grumbles) has its roots in a word that means enduring negatively. Thus, the people launched the equivalent of an all-night complaining session!
The water was bitter, but they were more so.
Gone were the songs of deliverance and loyalty to God.
Gone were any signs of the faith they had recently professed.
Gone was every emotion save for bitterness.
Now David suggests that exacting any form of violence against God’s elect, is tantamount to railing at God. He probably learned this from his mentor, Samuel the prophet, who was told that the people’s desire for a king was not a rejection of Samuel. Rather, it was a reflection of YHWH’s sovereignty (see 1 Chronicles 16 for David’s story, and 1 Samuel 8 for Samuel’s rejection).
This is also a lesson for us. When we are led by God’s chosen, we must be careful about what we say to and about them.
James 3 warns us about the terrible tongue, which both blesses and curses without compunction. He might have been thinking of those who followed Y’shua, or even others who followed him. He could easily have been speaking of you and me, or of the Children of Israel.
As we close, I offer yet another reminder – Jacob was renamed Israel by God after wrestling all night with an angel of God. The word Israel is synonymous with contention. While that is not what we most often remember, it is part of their DNA. But it doesn’t have to be ours.
When we face the bitter waters of life, we must seek to be better, not bitter.
Prayer Point
Lord, grant that we turn to You, when dry, distressed, and disconsolate at the edge of the bitter waters life brings. Guide us safely through the wilderness we pray, in Y’shua’s name, amen.
—
May all we seek be found in Christ
