Bitter/Sweet

Exodus 15:22-27- Moses led the people from the Red Sea. The Red Sea that had seen the Children of Israel completely delivered out of their Egyptian bondage. A place of total, convincing, unquestioned miraculous victory. But just a few days after, they were thirsty and needed water. For three days they searched and finally water was spotted! But when they arrived they found that the water was not fit for drinking. That's when the trouble started. As long as they were all in the same boat and looking for water, they shepherded their resources and made the water they carried go as far as they could. But when the promise of fresh water turned into disappointment, they turned against their leader.

Moses went to God in prayer, but God answered in a strange way. The Lord showed Moses a tree. Moses broke off a branch from the tree and tossed it in the water. I think of the insurance commercial where the farmer yells at the woodchucks, "Hey, you dang woodchucks! Stop chuckin' my wood!"

When the wood hit the water, Moses declared it fit to drink, and it was. What a strange way for a prayer to have been answered. What if Moses had had his own idea of how God should have answered and dug his heels in until God revealed reverse osmosis water purification technology to him? There would have been an entire nation of skeletons left as a monument to Moses' thoughts of how things should work.

God reserves the right to meet our needs in the way He wants to do it. He will not be limited by our plans or opinions. He used this circumstance to speak to them a promise that serving Him faithfully (meaning even when our circumstances don't coincide with our expectations) He will be faithful to us.

After leading them to the place of bitter waters, and after He showed them that He could meet their need anywhere He placed them, God led them to a true oasis with palm trees and a dozen good wells. He was the same loving Heavenly Father at Marah as He was at Elim. No mistakes, no crisis in God's view. He was in charge all the way.