So, the Children of Israel have just left Egypt, escaping God’s judgment in the process and they have just crossed the Red Sea. Now they find themselves three days into their journey into the Wilderness and suddenly they’ve run out a water. Oh dear…

 

Ok, so before we go any further lets just back track and look at the types (the pictures) of what we’ve looked at previously.

 

Egypt-the world with all its bright light and colourful temptations

The blood on the doorposts-Escaping God’s judgment (being saved from Hell)

The Red Sea-Christ's death for us-becoming identified with Christ and escaping the world and Satan (Pharaoh)

The Wilderness- the world for a Christian (nothing there for them anymore)

 

So now we come to Exodus 15, after walking through the wilderness for three days, the people are thirsty, and they approach this lovely oasis. But disaster! The waters are bitter (probably salty or infected with some natural chemical) and Moses gets it in the neck.

 

“Why have you brought us here to die in the Wilderness?” grumble the people. Moses prays to God, and God tells Moses to throw a log into the water. Suddenly, the water becomes drinkable and the Children of Israel are able to continue their journey. Great story, but what does it all mean?

 

It says in verse 1 that they went three days and found no water. What do we learn from this? Well, when we become saved, it might take us a little while to realise, that actually the world doesn’t (or shouldn’t) have the same drawing power for our time or attention. So, the things we did or enjoyed before we were saved, no longer have the same attraction to us. Following the picture we have here in Exodus, they found there was no water. There was nothing there that could sustain them.

 

 

It also says they travelled three days, before they ran out of water. Two things here, firstly, it may take us a little while to come to it, that the things of this world no longer satisfy us, it doesn’t happen straight away, some habits are hard to kick! Secondly, the three days, would speak of death, specifically the Lord’s death (He was three days in the grave) We can only come to this point through the death of Jesus. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, they came to the oasis, but found the water was bitter. Like the Red Sea, but slightly different, the waters of Marah would speak of Death. Now when we are saved, we don’t just go plain sailing to glory (unfortunately!) There are difficulties and tests along the way. Particularly difficulties come about when we lose a loved one, and whether you are a Christian or not, there is never an easy way to deal with that. They are bitter waters indeed! 

 

But God has a remedy. He tells Moses to throw in the wood to the water. The bitter waters become sweet. For the Believer, because Christ has died, death has lost its sting. We no longer fear death, and although it may be horrible when we loose a close member of our family, if we are sure they belonged to Jesus, there is a sense of joy mingled in with the tears, knowing they are with their Saviour. In this way then, we would see the Lord Jesus as the wood that made the waters sweet. 

 

Isaiah 43:2 says this:

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

    and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you

 

For the family members, or the person who has died, there is now nothing t be feared from Death. It can also refer to any test we go through though, there are many trials and tests down here, but Christ has gone before, every temptation, every false rumour, every hurtful word was thrown at the Lord, and He came through each time, because of His perfect record, we have a way through as well.

 

 

 

But Christianity isn’t all doom and gloom. We are not, as Paul says, the most miserable of men. So the other side of these bitter-sweet waters, is the refreshing springs of Elim. An over abounding display of the blessings that God wants us to come into. the seventy palm trees would represent victory, a fitting end after a testing time. There is a great resource to be found in God. But we cannot get to it until we have started on this wilderness journey; until we have judged the world; seen the world for what it is; and are now walking through the barren wilderness landscape that formally held many attractions for us.

 

Its easy to just wander aimlessly through the wilderness, its even easier to stay back the other side of the Red Sea, and easier still to stay inEgypt itself. Which path will you take?