Êxodo 15

Êxodo 15

Cole - As we see in (Exod. 14:1-4), the Lord specifically directed Moses to take Israel to a place where a large body of water was in front of them and the Egyptian army was bearing down behind them. They were trapped. Why would God do that? So that Israel would see their own utter weakness along with God’s power and provision when He parted the sea and delivered them from Pharaoh’s army. So, they learned their lesson, right? In Exodus 15:22, after the miraculous deliverance at the Red Sea, Israel went three days into the wilderness and found no water. Surely they knew that if they trusted God, He could provide water, right? But instead they grumbled. They hadn’t yet learned to trust in the Lord. In Exodus 16, the people complained about being in the wilderness with no food and threatened to return to Egypt. But God provided manna. In Exodus 17, again they needed water. But rather than trusting the Lord who had already miraculously delivered them and provided water and food, they grumbled. Then (Ex 17:8), Amalek fought against Israel. Why were they having all these problems? Weren’t they God’s chosen people? Weren’t they the ones through whom God’s promise to Abraham and His purpose would be fulfilled? Wasn’t God leading them? Then why did He allow all of these problems? Because God’s way is to take His people on the scenic route because His purpose is to build a people who trust in Him for His glory. But we don’t trust Him as we should until we see our weakness and His faithful power and provision. THE HEALING TREE Exodus 15:22–25 - James Smith (Handfuls of Purpose) There is sometimes not much between our songs and our sorrows. In verse 1 they sing a new song unto the Lord; in verse 24 they murmur against Him. Immediately after Christ had received the baptism of the Holy Spirit He was assailed by the tempting devil. The Marahs and the Elims are not far apart (v. 27). After the joyful song of victory comes the bitter experience of Marah. Faith will be tried, faith must be tried. God forbid that the bitter things of life should only stir up within us the murmuring heart of unbelief. As long as the pillar cloud of His presence is with us every unpalatable cup can be sweetened. There is a power in the “Tree of Life,” the Cross of Christ, sufficient to transform and transfigure all the Marahs in our everyday life. But we have here a very great and real need. “They could not drink of the waters, for they were bitter” (v. 23). The people murmured, saying, “What shall we drink? Where shall we find satisfaction? Who shall show us the good?” Here is the language of needy, disappointed souls. Their name is legion. Moses does not join the murmurers, but “cries unto the Lord.” Happy, victorious soul, who has learned to pray instead of to grumble. Now see how the remedy is provided, how God in wisdom and mercy and power meets all their need. Have we not here in type the Gospel of the Cross? It was— I. A Tree. “The Lord showed him a tree” (v. 25). There was a tree in the garden of Eden, but defended by a sword of flame. The fruit of this tree of life man could not pluck. There is another tree that was first laid on Christ, then Christ was nailed to it. “He bare our sins in His own body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24). The fruit of this tree of life is now within the reach of all. II. A Tree Pointed Out by the Lord. “The Lord showed him a tree” (v. 25). No man could have found this tree had not the Lord revealed it. Jesus Christ is the gift and revelation of God. “The only begotten of the Father, He hath declared Him” (John 1:18). “Jesus Christ set forth to be a propitiation for our sins” (Rom. 3:25). The Father pointed Him out at Jordan, when He said, “This is My beloved Son.” “No man knoweth the Son but the Father, and he to whom the Father will reveal Him” (Matt. 11:27). III. A Tree Revealed in Answer to Prayer. “Moses cried unto the Lord, and He showed him a tree” (v. 25). The Lord Jesus Christ has been revealed by God in answer to the deep cry of human need. For the outcast and desolate Hagar the well was pointed out (Gen. 21:19). It was when Abraham had the knife uplifted over the beloved Isaac that God showed him a ram in the thicket (Gen. 22:13). It is to sin smitten, soul-convicted sinners Christ the Saviour is revealed. “What must I do to be saved?” He showed me Jesus. IV. A Tree Near at Hand. From the construction of the words we infer that it was growing or lying near by. God’s remedies are always at hand. The tree of life is not afar off, “the Word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth” (Rom. 10:8). But, alas, it is so often true that there is one standing among you whom ye know not. We think of Mary saying, “Tell me where thou hast laid Him,” knowing not that this was He. And of the man who was born blind to whom Jesus said, “It is He that talketh with thee”. V. A Tree Accepted and Applied. Moses took the tree and “cast it into the waters” (v. 25). The divinely appointed remedy must be brought into contact with the polluted and bitter waters of life. Man does not need to provide the cure, he has but to take it and apply it. The poor, withered woman touched Him and was healed. The healing power is not in our faith, but in the Christ whom we trust. “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the children of God” (John 1:12). VI. A Tree that Made Bitter Sweet. “The waters were made sweet” (v. 25). The unwholesome mass was changed. The waters that could do no good were immediately made useful. Let Christ in and the bitter pool of the heart will be sweetened and its waters made to gladden the souls of others. The power of Christ’s Cross transforms all trials into blessings. This is a tree that will not rot. When the shepherds came and saw the Babe in the manger “they returned, glorifying and praising God” (Luke 2:20). They went back to their work with lives sweetened with the power of the glorious Gospel. C. H. McINTOSH -- Exodus 15:22. It is when we get into wilderness experience, that we are put to the test as to the real measure of our acquaintance with God, and with our own hearts. There is a freshness and an exuberance of joy connected with the opening of our Christian career, which very soon receives a check from the keen blast of the desert; and then, unless there is a deep sense of what God is to us, above and beyond everything else, we are apt to break down, and “in our hearts, turn back again into Egypt.” The discipline of the wilderness is needful, not to furnish us with a title to Canaan, but to make us acquainted with God and with our own hearts; to enable us to enter into the power of our relationship, and to enlarge our capacity for the enjoyment of Canaan when we actually get there. Exodus 15:23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitte; therefore it was named Marah. Marah - Nu 33:8 Marah - Ru 1:20 Bitter Waters at Marah A BITTER WATER TEST WORSE THAN NO WATER <> BITTER WATER! This is actually the second test after leaving Israel, their first test having occurred at the edge of the Red Sea as the Egyptian army hemmed them in! Now we have a second test of their faith and here it is actually called a test! And when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah - Put yourself in their sandals. Someone at the front of the caravan yells "I see shimmers of sunlight on water! There's water up ahead!" And they hurry to get there and find it is even worse than no water, for it is bitter water! Now this must have seemed to the Israelites as almost like a cruel joke to finally come to water but find it undrinkable. Adrian Rogers - Now, God led them to this place of bitterness by His providence. They were not there by mistake. They were not there by happenstance. They were not there because of bad luck. They were not there because they could not read a map. The way that they got to this place was by the providence of God, for they were led by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. They were exactly in the place that God wanted them, by His unfailing providence. Currid - This is a good example of the writer of Exodus’ penchant for using plays on words. The name of the location, ‘Marah’, is the Hebrew word for ‘bitter’. So the name of the site reflects the noteworthy event now taking place there. Marah (04785)(marah from verb marar) is the name of the spring of bitter water in the Sinai peninsula. It aptly describes the water the Israelites found in the Desert of Shur, three days after they escaped from the Egyptians at the Red Sea (Exo. 15:22-26). In its only other appearances in the OT, the name is used twice in the itinerary list of the wilderness wanderings in Num. 33:8f, clearly referring to the Exo. 15 passage. Bitter (04751)(mar) is an adjective most often used figuratively to express the emotional response to a destructive, heart-crushing situation. It is used in a literal sense - bitter grape clusters (Dt. 32:32); bitter water (Ex 15:23); food in general (Pr 27:7). Although an adjective, mar can function alone as the noun bitterness (Isa. 38:15, 17) or as an adverb, bitterly (Isa 33:7, Ezek 27:30, Zeph 1:14). Mar can describe results of continued fighting (2 Sa 2:26). Figuratively modifies Esau's cry (Ge 27:34; Esther 4:1; Ezek 27:30); bitterness of death (1 Sa 15:32); or to describe a person discontented (1 Sa 22:2); provoked (2 Sa 17:8); anguished (Ezek. 27:31); ruthless (Hab. 1:6). Naomi's name for herself (Ru 1:20). Victor Hamilton gives a good survey of the figurative uses - Some of these situations are: (1) in the case of a woman, barrenness and sterility, 1 Samuel 1:10; (2) an unfulfilled death-wish, Job 3:20; (3) family turmoil, Genesis 27:34; (4) the exploitation and deprivation of minority peoples, Esther 4:1; (5) personal suffering and hardship, Job 7:11; Job 10:1; Isaiah 38:15; (6) a hostile and precarious situation, Psalm 64:3 [H 4]; grief over the apostasy of believers, Jeremiah 2:19; (7) the Lord's judgment on unbelievers, Zeph. 1:14; (8) discontentment with lacklustre leadership, 1 Samuel 22:2; (9) the thought of death, 1 Samuel 15:32; (10) the crumbling of dreams and aspiration, Ezekiel 27:30, 31. (TWOT online version) Baker - One instance of this word that deserves special attention is the "bitter water," that determined the legal status of a woman accused of infidelity (Nu 5:18, 19, 23, 24, 27). This was holy water that was combined with dust from the Tabernacle floor and ink (see Num. 5:17, 23) and then was ingested by the accused. This water was literally "bitter" and would produce "bitterness" or punishment if the woman were guilty." (Complete Word Study Dictionary – Old Testament) Mar - 38x in 35v - bitter(15), bitter thing(1), bitterly(4), bitterness(11), discontented*(1), embittered(1), fierce(1), fierce*(2), great bitterness(1), greatly distressed(1). -- Gen. 27:34; Exod. 15:23; Num. 5:18; Num. 5:19; Num. 5:23; Num. 5:24; Num. 5:27; Jdg. 18:25; Ru 1:20, 1 Sam. 1:10; 1 Sam. 15:32; 1 Sam. 22:2; 2 Sam. 2:26; 2 Sam. 17:8; Est. 4:1; Job 3:20; Job 7:11; Job 10:1; Job 21:25; Ps. 64:3; Prov. 5:4; Prov. 27:7; Prov. 31:6; Eccl. 7:26; Isa. 5:20; Isa. 33:7; Isa. 38:15; Isa. 38:17; Jer. 2:19; Jer. 4:18; Ezek. 3:14; Ezek. 27:30; Ezek. 27:31; Amos 8:10; Hab. 1:6; Zeph. 1:14 Related Resources: What is Marah in the Bible? What is the meaning of bitter water in the Bible? What does it mean that God is Jehovah-Rapha? If we are on the mountain, then praise Him for His blessings! If we are in the valley, then praise Him for His faithfulness. -- Pastor Alan Carr Robert Rayburn - Water, of course, is always a matter of life and death, but nowhere more so than in the dehydrating heat of the desert. [Durham, 213] I remember being arrested by the comment of General Charles Gordon on this episode of Israel’s history. General Gordon, if you remember, was the hero and martyr of Khartoum, one of the great military figures of Victorian Britain. Gordon was a devout Christian and a very interesting figure, a man who played important roles in the military history of both China and Africa, and, along the way, identified, in the environs of Jerusalem, one of the possible sites of the Lord’s crucifixion, known still today to archaeology as “Gordon’s Calvary.” If you remember, Charlton Heston played him in the epic movie Khartoum. Anyway, it was this Charles Gordon who said that, in his view, Israel’s grumbling for water was a small sin, and would be thought so by anyone who knew the desert. [In Trench’s biography, 130] Joseph Parker - Hast thou come, my friend, in thy wilderness way, to the place of bitter waters? Canst thou not drink of the stream, even though thy thirst be burning and thy strength be wasted? Know thou, there is a tree the leaves of which are for the healing of the nations! A tree? Truly so; but a tree as yet without a leaf,—a tree bare as the frosts and the winds of the winter can make it,—the great, grim, dear, sad, wondrous cross of the Son of God! Some have sought to touch the wells of life with other trees, but have only aggravated the disease which they sought to cure. By the grace of heaven, others have been enabled to apply the Cross to the bitter wells of their sin and grief, and behold the waters have become clear as the crystal river which flows fast by the throne of God! What is your Marah?— a wayward child, an unsympathetic companion, an ungodly home, crushed hopes, physical infirmity, an empty life and heart? Each heart knows its own bitterness. There are right and wrong ways of facing life's Marahs. At Marah, Moses needed water as much as Israel, but as the people murmured, he prayed. True speech is prayer not complaint. The danger is that bitter waters make us bitter. It is only as we believe that such waters are in the plan of God and are permitted for spiritual enrichment of our life, that, like Jesus, we, too, can become noble in suffering. We greatly err if we regard all chastening as being deserved. Some of the saintliest of souls are the deepest sufferers. There is a vast difference between chastisement and correction by punishment. Chasten is associated with "chaste," meaning "pure," and divine chastening results in beauty and purity of character. God only chastens those He loves. "For You have tried us, O God; You have refined us as silver is refined." Every joy or trial Falleth from above, Traced upon our dial By the Sun of Love. (From Like a River Glorious) Exodus 15:24 So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?" Ex 14:11 16:2,8,9 17:3,4 Nu 11:1-6 14:1-4 16:11,41 17:10 Nu 20:2-5 21:5 1Co 10:10 Php 2:14 Jude 1:16 What - Ex 17:3 Ps 78:19,20 Mt 6:25 ISRAEL'S FIRST EPISODE OF GRUMBLING Sadly this would not be the last episode of grumbling - see Ex 16:2, 7, 8, 17:3, Nu 14:2, 27, 29, 36, 16:11, 16:41, 17:5, Josh 9:18 Spurgeon makes an interesting (albeit suppositional) comment - “I think, if I had been there, I should have suggested that Moses should use that rod of his. Did he not divide the Red Sea with it? Why not just put his rod into the water, and stir it up, and make it sweet? Oh, yes, you know, we are always for running to old methods! But God is a Sovereign, and he will work as he pleases.” Alan Carr - They forgot about the plagues, their deliverance, the miracle at the Red Sea. They forgot that up until that time, the Lord had been in absolute control. They forgot that God is Master of life. Both of the good times and the bad. We will cruise through life enjoying the Lord's blessings and many time we will take them for granted! But, just let a difficulty come and we wring our hands, hang our heads in defeat and worry about what to do! We forget that the same God who was in control in the good day is still on the throne in the bad day! He is in charge of all of life - Rom. 8:28! (Ill. The Disciples on the boat, John 6:1-21. They rejoiced in His miracles, but when the storm came, they forgot what they had just seen Him do.) Sounds just like us, doesn't it?...Every experience, whether good or bad, x-rays our heart and reveals us exactly as we are. This bitter time at Marah revealed certain characteristics about the Israelites that they probably would rather have not known. However, I am afraid that we are just as guilty of some of these same things. Let's face it, you can learn a lot about yourself when the bottom falls out of your life! (Lessons Learned at Life's Bitter Pools - Exodus 15:22-27) So - Term of conclusion. Because the water was bitter. Adrian Rogers - Can you believe it? Can you believe it? I mean, they're saying, "Our God is the true God! Glorious, wonderful, majestic is His name! He's God forever and ever!" And, three days later—not three weeks later, but three days later—they are griping, grousing, complaining, murmuring, criticizing, carping, and finding fault—the same people. It's unbelievable. But, here they are—three days later, they're complaining; they're murmuring. Now, I want to remind you that they were there where they were by the providence of God. Nothing had gone wrong when they got to Marah. They had not sinned. And, when they had got to Marah, God had not failed. They were there in the plan of God, the will of God, and the work of God. And, you could write over it Romans 8:28: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28) Now, so, I want to tell you, friend, in the providence of God—the unfailing providence of God—you're often led to a place of bitterness. Do you understand that? Please understand it, today. Don't get the idea that if you become a Christian—that if you come through the Red Sea by the blood of the Lamb—that your problems are behind you. It is simply not so. And, if you get that sort of an idea in your mind, then you're going to think, somehow, that you have sinned or that God has failed when you come to a place of bitterness. They were there by the unfailing providence of God! God had led them there: the pillar of cloud by day, the pillar of fire by night, which represents to us the Holy Spirit. Jack Arnold - The outward grumbling was the inward expression of unbelief. Israel had witnessed the ten super­natural plagues in Egypt, had experienced the miracle of crossing the Red Sea, had the pillar of cloud and fire with them at that very moment, and they grumbled. They had forgotten all the beautiful things God had done for them. Men have such short spiritual memories! The Jews, when they hit this crisis, should have said, “God has sent us here and God will get us out somehow.” But instead, they looked to themselves and their own needs, and murmured in unbelief. They panicked; they crumbled; they failed under pres­sure because they refused to believe God for their needs. They became disillusioned, and took their bitter, soul frustrations out on Moses. Moses was a humble and meek man, but when the sons of Israel said, “What shall we drink?” he could have said, “Where is your song of faith now? Where is Exodus 15:1-19 in your experience?” How did they get into this state of mind? They were running on emotions and not on the Word of God, and, when the chips were down, they crumbled because they had no faith in the promises of God. (Sermon) The people grumbled at Moses, saying, "What shall we drink? - This is the first use of grumble in the OT and from this inauspicious beginning the beat will continual reflect a rebellious attitude by the Israelites against their leaders. Note that the question per se would seem to be a fair question. But clearly their attitude was far from genteel! Grumbled (murmured) (03885)(lun) is a word that has two meaning that are very different. Here in Exodus 17:3 the meaning is clearly grumble or murmur (see below for the 15 uses of lun translated with the sense of grumble in NAS). One use means to lodge, spend the night, abide (see those uses here). We are concerned with the meaning to grumble or murmur. Lûn in the Niphal, the verb carries the thought of being "obstinate" or "stubborn," from the idea of "remaining" or "persisting" in a negative sense. Hence, there is a resultant definition of "grumbling" or "complaining." The Septuagint translates lun with the verb gogguzo which means to murmur, mutter, make complaining remarks or noises under one's breath. Gogguzo is an onomatopoeic word derived from the sound made when murmuring or muttering in a low and indistinct voice with the idea of complaint. All uses of lun - Ex 15:24; Ex 16:2; Ex 16:7; Ex 16:8; Ex 17:3; Nu 14:2; Nu 14:27; Nu 14:29; Nu 14:36; Nu 16:11; Nu 16:41; Nu 17:5; Jos. 9:18; Ps. 59:15 ISRAEL LEARNED SOME LESSONS ABOUT THEMSELVES - Click full Sermon by Alan Carr Life is like a giant laboratory. Every experience, whether good or bad, x-rays our heart and reveals us exactly as we are. This bitter time at Marah revealed certain characteristics about the Israelites that they probably would rather have not known. However, I am afraid that we are just as guilty of some of these same things. Let's face it, you can learn a lot about yourself when the bottom falls out of your life! They learned: A. They Were Living For Self - They were only concerned with their bodily satisfaction. Forgotten were the great things God had just recently done in their lives. Instead of being caught up in His wonder, glory and worship, they were totally consumed with their personal needs! Does this sound familiar you? When we get into a tight spot, we seem to forget the greatness of God and our world suddenly gets very small. We tighten the boundaries of our lives until we are the centerpiece and the focus of every thought and motive. We must remember that God doesn't want us living for self and selfish needs. He wants us to live for Him! When we do, He has promised to take care of life's trials - Matt. 6:33! B. They Were Walking By Sight - Israel was guilty of looking for satisfaction in the world around them, instead of the God who bought them. Then, when their expectations failed them, they became disappointed with God. How many times have we been guilty of the same thing? We expect something, some job, someone to make us happy and all the time, we never look for joy in the one place where it will always be found - even in the bitter times of life! (cf Neh. 8:10; Luke 10:20; Phil. 4:4) Our duty as believers is to learn to depend on the Lord, completely and totally, for every situation in life. We are to be a people of faith, Ro 1:17. When we step outside of faith and walk by sight, we have left God's best and have entered sin - Ro 14:23. C. They Were Never Satisfied - These people, just 3 days before, had seen the Lord destroy the greatest army in the world! They had seen God part a great sea and deliver them. Then they had seen Him take that same sea and use it to defeat their enemies. When these things happened, they opened their mouths and praised the Lord in song. Now they are standing by a pool of bitter water, complaining because the Lord didn't do it their way, in their time! How like us! When we are up on the mountain, we can be so quick to glorify God and even stand publically and give Him thanks. However, just let a little trial come our way and we whine, gripe and complain about the terrible time we are having to go through. Isn't that silly? Sure it is! God's plan for our lives is that we learn to give Him glory in every situation life throws at us. If we are on the mountain, then praise Him for His blessings! If we are in the valley, then praise Him for His faithfulness. Whatever we face in life, we are to praise His Name - (Eph. 5:20; 1 Thes. 5:18; Phil. 4:6) (Job and his attitude - Job 1:21) (David - Ps. 34:1) Illustration - Lady I used to work with. Had a serious bout with cancer. God healed her and all she said about it was, "Thank God, for several months, I didn't have to shave my legs at all!" Now there is an attitude of gratitude! THEY LEARNED SOME LESSONS ABOUT THE LORD A. He Is Aware Of Our Needs - God knew what they would face at Marah. He, Himself had planned their journey. He knew about their need before they did!) Ill. Nothing in your life takes God by surprise! He is already in tomorrow and He knows what you will face when you get there, Matt. 6:32. He knows of that sickness you have yet to develop. He knows of your grief while the one you are grieving still lives. He knows about that bill that has yet to be mailed. I am glad I serve a God who knows what I need before I ever need it. He is aware! B. He Is Able To Meet Our Need - Moses was commanded to cast a tree into the waters and, when he did, they were made sweet. God, in His wisdom, had already prepared that tree for the meeting of their need. When they arrived, He was ready. He manifested His power an they got what they needed from the Lord. He is able to meet our need as well! When man was placed on this earth, he had no needs. God placed a perfect man into a perfect world. There, in the garden, Adam had everything he could possibly need. Yet, when man sinned, he became a needy creature. Not only did he need salvation, he also needed the very basic essentials of life itself. When Jesus came and died on Calvary, He repaired everything Adam had destroyed. Through His death on that tree, He was able to make the bitter waters of life sweet again! Through His death on the cross, we find everything we need to have our needs met. When we are in a right relationship with God, through the shed blood of Jesus, we are in a position to have every need of life met by His power. Through the cross of Christ, the bitter waters of life are made sweet again! Through the cross, God is able to meet our need. Not only of salvation, but in every area of life. The cross unlocks His power in our lives. God is abundantly able to meet any need you face as you go through the bitter times of your life - Philippians 4:19+ And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 3:20+ Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, Psalm 50:10-15 “For every beast of the forest is Mine, The cattle on a thousand hills. 11 “I know every bird of the mountains, And everything that moves in the field is Mine. 12 “If I were hungry I would not tell you, For the world is Mine, and all it contains. 13 “Shall I eat the flesh of bulls Or drink the blood of male goats? 14 “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving And pay your vows to the Most High; 15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.” C. He Has Already Provided For Our Need - Years before Israel arrived at Marah, God caused a seed to germinate in the very place where they would need it. He looked ahead and prepared a way before a way was ever needed. He does the same for us! Did you ever realize that your need, as frightening as it may be, is only the evidence of God's supply in waiting? (Phil. 4:19+ You will never face a need in life that God hasn't already met! If that ever sinks in, it will change our lives forever. It will totally destroy worry, doubt and fear. It will liberate us from selfish interests and give us peace about all of life! Conclusion - At Marah, God revealed Himself to Israel as Jehovah Rapha: (Jehovah Rophe) The LORD our Healer. If Israel had never faced this bitter time, they would have never known this aspect of God's character. Just as Job would have never known that God could restore him unless he first lost everything (Read Job's testimony Job 42:5-6). Just as Lazarus would not have know the joy of life, if he hadn't did. Mary and Martha would not have known that Jesus was the "Resurrection and the Life" (Jn 11:25-26) unless they had first known grief. What I am saying is that the Lord uses the bitter episodes of life to reveal himself more fully to His children. When we stand at the bitter waters of our Marah's, and we will, God help us to know that He is on His throne and that He is in control. God help us to look for His hand and His waiting provision. If you are like me, these are lessons which need to be taken to heart tonight. If you are struggling tonight, I beg you to bring it to Jesus. When you take the witches brew of your life, with all of it's goods and bad's, and through in the Cross, it all straightens out! He can make sense of any mess. The key is learning not to kick, but to rest in His power and to allow Him to have His way in your life. Is there a need that needs to be brought to the cross tonight? If so, then now is the time! Murmuring Exodus 15:24 - James Butler - Sermon Starters When Israel arrived at Marah on their way to Sinai after their escape from Egypt, they ran into a water problem. This caused them to murmur against Moses. Murmuring seemed to be one of the favorite activities of the Israelites. The book of Exodus especially reports much murmuring from the Israelites. People today are not much different. If a problem arrives, the first thing they often do is murmur and complain rather than act more productively. FIRST—THE REASON FOR THE MURMURING "The people murmured." The reason the people murmured was because they focused on their circumstances more than on God. That will always cause one to murmur sooner or later, for circumstances in life seldom inspire to joy but are often inspirers of complaining and pessimism. When Paul exhorted the church at Philippi to rejoice, he did not say to "Rejoice in your circumstances" but "Rejoice in the Lord" (Philippines 4:4). Paul was in prison when he wrote this exhortation and he was nor murmuring but praising God because he focused not on his dire circumstances but on his delightful Christ. SECOND—RAPIDITY OF THE MURMURING "The people murmured." It had only been a few days since the Israelites had been delivered by the miraculous events at the Red Sea. The speed at which they murmured is condemning. The speed at which we complain is also condemning. The praise for blessing is hardly declared out of our mouth before we are murmuring. That says our faith is not very deep. Murmuring dishonors God and criticizes Him for circumstances He ordered for us. We need to be as quick to praise and thank God for blessings as we are to complain to God about our difficult circumstances. THIRD—THE REVILING IN THE MURMURING "Against Moses." The murmuring especially criticized and discredited Moses. But it was not Moses' fault. Moses was not their problem, rather he led them to a solution. How often people criticize and discredit their benefactors. Oftentimes, the people who have served their country the best are run out of office the quickest. Furthermore, if you have helped someone, do not be surprised if they eventually turn against you. Many who serve the Lord know this experience. Some pastors who have taken a small salary so the church would stay solvent and who have done much for the welfare of the church are often run out by the people, and sometimes the ringleaders of the people against the pastor are those whom the pastor has spent the most time with and helped the most. No one experienced this reviling more than Jesus Christ. Scripture reports about Christ "He hath done all things well." (Mark 7:37). Yet the people rejected Him and crucified Him. Those who murmur will murmur against the best. Exodus 15:25 Then he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet. There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them. cried - Ex 14:10 17:4 Ps 50:15 91:15 99:6 Jer 15:1 a tree - 2Ki 2:21 4:41 1Co 1:18 a statute - Jos 24:21-25 proved - Ex 16:4 De 8:2,16 13:3 Jud 2:22 3:1,4 Ps 66:10 81:7 Pr 17:3 Jer 9:7 1Pe 1:6,7 BITTER CIRCUMSTANCE BIRTHS PRAYER Bitter circumstances drove Israel to grumbling and Moses to prayer. Where do they drive us? Then he cried out to the LORD - Moses turns his eyes from the circumstances to the One Who controls circumstances! He did what Israel actually did back when they experienced Egyptian oppression "And the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God." (Ex 2:23) Notice they did not grumble but sighed! And when they signed, they cried! Moses takes this approach and his cry "rose up to God!" The last time this same Hebrew verb was used in Exodus was of Moses in Ex 14:15+ where Yahweh asked him "Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward." It is also notable that the same verb for cry out is used when Israel felt trapped by Pharaoh's army and "became very frightened; so the sons of Israel cried out to the LORD." (Ex. 14:10+). THOUGHT - To whom do you cry when the test, pressure, adversity, affliction, trial comes? It's okay to "sigh" but then we need to choose to "cry" to the LORD Who Alone is sovereign over all circumstances in every life! Let me encourage when in the slough of despond, to make the choice (enabled by the Spirit) to Cry out to Your Heavenly Father! Cried out (06817)(tsaaq) cry out, to summon. It refers to shouting, complaining loudly, to pleading for relief or justice, calling for help. Uses of tsaaq in Exodus - Ex 5:8; Ex 5:15; Ex. 8:12; Ex. 14:10; Ex. 14:15; Ex. 15:25; Exod. 17:4; Exod. 22:23; Exod. 22:27; The rabbinic midrash speculates that Moses asked God why God created brackish water. God replied, “Instead of asking philosophical questions why don’t you do something to make the bitter waters sweet?” (Sarna, “Exodus,” p. 413). This is precisely what Moses did. And the LORD showed him a tree - Currid notes that the verb showed "is from a root which in the Hiphil pattern means ‘to teach/instruct’. The noun Torah, or law, is a derivative of that verb. Thus God is directing Moses how to change the nature of the water." Wiersbe on the tree - To make “the tree” a picture of the cross of Christ is to go beyond what this passage teaches. Certainly God’s children find victory in their trials by identifying with Christ in His death (Rom. 6) and resurrection (Rom. 8), but that isn’t the lesson of this passage. The emphasis is on trusting God and obeying Him, knowing that the will of God will never lead us where the grace of God can’t keep us. When we experience trials, our complaining is evidence of unbelief, but our obedience is evidence of faith. and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet - Now this an interesting juxtaposition of man's responsibility and God's sovereignty. Clearly God did the sweetening, but because it was clearly Moses who threw in the tree, it served as a visible means of maintaining his leadership. Guzik who I use and respect has this quote (only part is given) - "In his work on the Exodus journey, Buckingham explains how this may have worked. The chemicals in the sap of the broken limb drew the mineral content down to the bottom of the pools, and left only good water on top." ED COMMENT: WHY MUST WE LOOK FOR SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATIONS OF SUPERNATURAL EVENTS? GOD DID IT AND THAT SETTLES IT! IT WAS A MIRACLE AND BY NATURE MIRACLES ARE EVENTS THAT DO NOT JIVE WITH NATURAL LAWS OF SCIENCE. THAT'S WHY THEY ARE CALLED SUPERNATURAL! Alan Cole writes that “Medieval commentators delighted to see here a reference to the cross, by which the bitterest of life’s waters is sweetened.” There He made for them a statute and regulation - There is no specific statue or regulation given in this verse but if you keep reading the context (Ex 15:26) there is certainly a general principle given that obedience brings blessing and disobedience brings judgment. Currid observes that "The last part of the verse is a parenthesis or an editorial. We are not told of what the pre-Sinaitic law consisted. However, Yahweh apparently tested Israel by that law through the episode of the bitter water. Israel obviously failed the test. The lesson seems to have been that the Hebrews were totally dependent upon God for their survival. They needed divine guidance and aid, apart from which they would surely perish." Jack Arnold - God put them in the desert with no water so they would learn to trust in Him, for He had promised to meet every need they had in the desert. It is as if God said, “Let’s put you out in the desert and find out whether you Jews have a dynamic faith or just emotionalism. Is your faith based on temporary thrills and frills and excitement or is it based on the solid promises of God?” God sent them out to do spiritual combat as their first test in boot camp so as to toughen them up to fight bigger battles later. God sent them into this situation to teach them total de­pendence upon Him for everything. They were not to rely on themselves but on God. God sends difficult experiences into the Christian’s life to teach him not to depend upon himself and carnal means to solve problems but to trust wholly in God for the solution. (Sermon) THOUGHT - Life is often bitter and frustrating for the Christian, but God has brought all experiences to develop faith. When a person lives his Christian life on emotionalism, he soon burns out and becomes bitter when problems and pressures come to him. A person, who has run on shallow and superficial experiences, even in all sincerity, will become bitter when life’s pressures are on because he does not have a divine viewpoint to­wards life. (Sermon) Adrian Rogers - Do you know why God brought them to this place of bitterness? It was a place of test. It was a place where God was going to prove them. That wilderness was God's proving ground. When the Ford people, the Pontiac people, and the Chrysler people, or whomever it is—when they build an automobile, what do they do? They put that automobile out on the proving ground, and they ride it over those rough roads and those potholes. And, they ride it through water; and they ride it through heat; and they ride it through all of these things—hundreds of miles—screeching, turning, twisting, jamming on the breaks, and spinning it around. They want to see: Can it stand the test? Is it safe for the road? They're proving the automobile. They're testing the automobile. Now, God, unknown to them, was testing them. You see, God is a strange teacher. He gives the test first and the lesson afterwards. And, that's what He did to these people. He gave them a test. And, I want you to know how they did on the test? They failed it miserably. They're like the boy who went to his college professor and said, "Professor, I don't believe I deserve this 'F' that you gave me." The professor said, "Son, I don't believe you deserve it either, but it's the lowest grade we had." That's how bad they failed this test! I mean, God was putting them to the test, and, ignominiously, they failed the test that God gave them. And, how did they fail the test? Well, they failed the test by murmuring when trouble came. And, I want to tell you something, friend: When God gets ready to prove you—when God gets ready to test you—He's not going to test you in the good times; because that's not a test. He's not going to test you in the middle of a revival meeting—that's not the test. He's not going to test our church when statistics are up, and it's growing, and people are being baptized, and the budgets, this year, are more than they were last year, and all of that—that's no test. Anybody can serve God in the sunshine. You see, they were leaping, dancing, praising, shouting, singing, and glorifying God when they came out of Egypt through the Red Sea. See. Anybody can shout in the sunshine, but can you sing in the shadows? That's the test. The test is not how you behave when it's victory all around. The test is how do you behave when God brings you to bitterness—when God brings you to Marah, where there's no water. There, the Bible says, God brought them, that He might test them. Now, He didn't test them that He might know what was in their hearts. He already knew what was in their hearts. He wanted them to know what was in their hearts. He wanted them to understand the weakness and the frailty of their human nature, if, indeed, it was there in them APPLICATION - When most Christians come upon a bad situation, they want to bailout. They want to change their environment, change their circumstances, and change their location. However, this is not usually what God wants. God wants Christians to learn to trust Him in the circumstances so they can develop their faith and live as super naturalists. There are no accidents with God. God ordains every situation in life, and He wants us to learn from our experiences. We all have our Marahs, and we are all being tested. Why? Does God hate us? No, because God loves us and wants us to become strong Christian warriors. God takes us through boot-camp experiences to toughen us up to fight future battles. Faith does not develop in easy situations, in success circumstances, but in pressure situations. We must see where the Israelites failed and learn from their failures. Never run from your Marahs. “Do not fear; stand fast and see the deliverance of the Lord.” Do not do like the Jews. They grumbled; they expressed unbelief; they became bitter; they blamed Moses; they did everything wrong when they were put into the pressure cooker. Remember, God does have a solution for every problem of life. Throwing the tree into the water symbolizes the applying of the Word of God to experience, or the mixing of the promises of God with faith. It is the application of the Bible to a bitter experience, which makes a bitter experience sweet, because then we get a divine viewpoint on the situation. (Sermon) And there He tested them - Yes, Yahweh tested Israel. And yes He still tests those who belong to Him. But he does not test us to break us but to make us better. For believers today, He tests us so that we will grow more and more like His Son. And we rest assured He will not give us more than we can bear according to 1 Cor 10:13+. THOUGHT - Tested (see nacah/nasah below) is translated in the Septuagint here in Exodus 15:25 (also in Ex 16:4, Ex 17:2, Ex 17:7, Dt 8:2) with the peirazo a neutral verb that speaks of encountering a trial which can either be a positive test (as used in Hebrews 11:17) or if resisted and/or reacted to can become a temptation (as in Gal 6:1+ = "lest you too be tempted"). If we make the choice to regard the trial/test as from the LORD and for our good (considering it "joy" as James 1:2-4+ describes), then the result is spiritual growth, growth in Christ-likeness. On the other hand if we react like Israel did, and we choose to regard it as onerous, unwanted and unnecessary, we will begin to grumble and fall into sin which can take a variety of shapes and sizes. Tested (05254)(nacah/nasah) in most OT uses has idea of testing or proving quality of someone or something and doing so often through adversity or hardship. As the following context makes clear (note "to see," lit., "to know," in 3:4), the purpose of this divine test was to determine if Israel was truly loyal. An examination of parallel passages shows that such divine tests were designed to reveal otherwise hidden character qualities. Testing which shows what someone is really like generally involves difficulty or hardship. Nacah/nasah in OT - 34v - Gen. 22:1; Exod. 15:25; Exod. 16:4; Exod. 17:2; Exod. 17:7; Exod. 20:20; Num. 14:22; Deut. 4:34; Deut. 6:16; Deut. 8:2; Deut. 8:16; Deut. 13:3; Deut. 28:56; Deut. 33:8; Jdg. 2:22; Jdg. 3:1; Jdg. 3:4; Jdg. 6:39; 1 Sam. 17:39; 1 Ki. 10:1; 2 Chr. 9:1; 2 Chr. 32:31; Job 4:2; Ps. 26:2; Ps. 78:18; Ps. 78:41; Ps. 78:56; Ps. 95:9; Ps. 106:14; Eccl. 2:1; Eccl. 7:23; Isa. 7:12; Dan. 1:12; Dan. 1:14 Related Resources on Tests: Commentary on 1 Peter 6-7 Commentary on 1 Corinthians 10:13