From Livestream
by Josh Linton on October 16, 2016
So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them (Exodus 15:22–25, KJV).
God delivered the Nation of Israel from bondage in Egypt, but their exodus led them into the wilderness. Three days after crossing the Red Sea, the dry desert parched their throats and the Israelites were desperate for water. While their thirst seemed unbearable, it became the center of their world. They forgot it was the Lord who just saved them in Egypt. A new day brought a new trial, and it seemed their current problem was too big for God.
Israel came to the waters of Marah, which were undrinkable because they were bitter. Instead of turning to God for an answer, they sought the bitter waters, which was not the solution to their problem. The Nation of Israel didn’t think about what God actually had in store for them, or how He could take care of their situation.
After crying to Moses for water, he went to the Lord and asked for help. It was after Moses intreated of the Lord, God showed him a tree. This tree provided wood, which they were able to cast into the waters. The waters became sweet and everyone was able to drink.
What can we learn from this Scripture setting? All God wants us to do is ask Him for help and He will supply. He’s created a solution to our problem before we even face it! God planted a tree in the wilderness to supply the wood to work a miracle for His people long before they were in the wilderness and long before they became thirsty. Everything we could ever need has already been supplied in Jesus. All we need to do is just trust Him to work and know He can meet our every need.
Jesus provided a different tree for the rest of us to change our bitter world of sin. The cross at Calvary transformed us from our life of sin, and made a way for all of us to spend eternity with Jesus. But, it’s up to us if we want to take the road to salvation. Do we repent, receive the baptism of water and of the Spirit, or stay in the bitterness of the world?
We have a choice every day to trust in God—to allow Him to work in our lives, or grieve His Spirit. Will we listen to Him or will we follow our own plan? We need to choose who we will serve (Joshua 24:15) and believe that He is greater than any situation we face. We shouldn’t take any thought for our life because God will always provide (Matthew 6:25–30).
If we allow God to work in our present situation, He will not only bless us but lead us to a place of abundance. After the bitter waters were made sweet (Exodus 15:25), God led Israel to Elim. Elim had 12 wells of water, 70 palm trees, and was an oasis that provided more than enough for the Israelites (Exodus 15:27). All we have to do is trust God to lead and guide us, and we’ll find everything we ever need in Him.
