How quickly we travel from gratitude to griping! Murmuring often follows hard on the heels of miracles. Israel had just burst into song because God had thrown the horse and its rider into the sea (15: 21). I’ll tell you what had obviously not been thrown into the sea – their bad attitude! Just days removed from God’s deliverance Israel began complaining. Moses was finding that it was easier to get the Israelites out of Egypt than to get Egypt out of the Israelites!
Three days without water in the desert is serious stuff but instead of prayerfully trusting God to meet their need as He had repeatedly over the past weeks they defaulted to fault finding. [T]he people grumbled to Moses (15: 24). They were at Marah (meaning bitterness) because God needed to test them (15: 25). God brought them to a place called bitterness because that is the place where their souls already resided.
Bitterness is such a subtle creature. He lurks in the dark, shadowy corners of life waiting for just the right moment to pounce his prey. Sadly, bitterness always bags multiple victims when he attacks (Heb. 12: 15). If bitterness could rear its ugly head with the smell of salvation’s salt water still in Israel’s nose he may be crouching at our door as well.
Some of us have done a pretty good job cleansing ourselves of every impurity of the flesh but not necessarily every impurity of the spirit (2 Cor. 7: 1) and yet sins of the spirit often contribute to sins of the flesh (Heb. 12: 16). Bitterness not only provides a pretext for complaining; it also serves as an excuse for numerous other sins as well.
Thankfully, we need not live at Marah. Marah’s bitter water can be sweetened by Calvary’s tree (15: 25). There Jesus bore the ultimate bitterness – the undeserved wrath of God – so that we might live at Elim – the oasis in the desert of life – all of our days.
Perhaps you have suffered a great injustice. If so give it to Yahweh-Rapha (the LORD who heals you) (15: 26). Springs of living water await you.