“Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree.
When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet.”
Ex 15:25

The Red Sea had parted. Pharaoh’s army had been completely destroyed as the wall of water held back by the Hand of God collapsed and inundated them. Out broke the celebrations, the timbrels, the songs, the recounting of the miracles in the days leading up to the most famous account of deliverance of a people ever told.

Israel probably expected smooth sailing after this! But it was not to be. God “brought Israel from the Red Sea…into the Wilderness” (v. 22). He could have brought them to an oasis, but that would have to wait. God chose to test them. He chose to place an object lesson before them, since it was not His intention only to deliver the children of Israel. The Red Sea was indeed the culmination of a series of events which revealed God as powerful, matchless, awesome. Through it, they, and we, learned that those who are bound can be set free. Jehovah saves!

Moses took them three day’s journey into the Wilderness when their thirst became pronounced, and the only water they could find was bitter. What they needed now was not a Deliverer. They needed a Provider. They needed not just a revelation that God could rescue them, but that He was quite willing and able to nurture and sustain them as well.

The hard truth is that not even fairytales paint a rosy picture of life. There are ogres and giants and wolves with big teeth in the fairytales I read as a child! These are a reflection of real life, harbingers of the bumps and bruises that are the common experiences of palace and pauper existences alike.

Since we should not be surprised when our path leads us to bitter waters, then why do we complain when it happens? It is one thing to distance ourselves from our enemies; it is another to get along with our friends. Both are needed. Considering all that Moses had just risked and accomplished for them, it does seem quite heartless to start lambasting him after only a few days.

Moses had to act fast. This “test” could spell mutiny if he was not able to come up with a solution, pronto! Unless God showed him what to do, he was going to be looking at two and a half million thirsty, and angry men, women, and children. Now, the “answer” to the problem would not be logical. If you are expecting a logical answer to your situation, you are probably looking in the wrong place! It is not that God is illogical; it may be that He is beyond, or superlogical. When He chooses to use the foolish things to confound the wise, or the weak things to humble to strong, God is not working within, or on, our terms. So how does Moses solve this crisis? Simple. Get ready now. Don’t shake your head, though I can’t say I would blame you if you chuckle a bit. God showed Moses a tree, which he proceeded to throw into the water to heal it. As you let this picture settle, it may help to consider something…

This story was always going to be about more than just the Nation of Israel. The Red Sea was never going to be the sole possession of a people fleeing slavery 2,500 years ago. The songs of the horses and riders being thrown into the Sea have been sung around the world in more languages than you can shake a staff at. Pharaoh’s futile attempts to keep any person who would follow and trust God in bondage is an allegory for any people at any time, anywhere, who believe.

So what is the message behind the story of the bitter water of Marah? No less profound, though maybe not quite as obvious. You see, Jesus was hung on a tree. I know we call it a cross, but in many places it is also referred to as a tree. And while the tree (cross) is what saves us, by faith; the tree is also that which continues to nurture and sustain us all throughout our journey. The tree brings peace. The tree empowers us to drink to our heart’s delight. The tree heals, even as it declares in the very next verse that God is Jehovah Rapha (The Lord our Healer), promising “I will put none of the diseases on you which I put on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you” (v. 26).

Finally, the tree turns all that is bitter into sweetness. The true gospel does not falsely proclaim that we will go from triumphs to parties to oases and then go around again. We go from Red Seas, to Wildernesses. We go from singing and dancing, to hard times and disappointments. We really do need more than a Deliverer, and thank God, He has come not just to deliver. He comes to test us, to see if we will turn to him rather than attack each other. He comes to see if we will find the tree to heal our bitter waters.

And if that is not enough, He goes one step further. He doesn’t just make it so the Israelites can drink the water. He changes the water. When He heals it, what was once bitter now becomes…sweet. This is the perfect capstone rounding out the image of this God who came and sought a people who were oppressed and forsaken. He came to them as a Deliverer. And He also came to them as a Provider. He even came to them as a Healer. But when He made the water sweet? Well, this is something that only a Father would do.