Bitter Waters Made Sweet (Exodus 15:22-27) *All verses in NKJV*
– Exodus 15:22-27, So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the
Wilderness of Shur. And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 23 Now when
they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the
name of it was called [d] Marah (literally bitter). 24 And the people complained against Moses, saying,
“What shall we drink?” 25 So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he
cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for
them, and there He tested them, 26 and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God
and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put
none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals
you.” 27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees; so
they camped there by the waters.
– We have been going through the book of Exodus… 400 years of slavery, 10 plagues, Israel delivered
out of Pharoh’s hands, the Red Sea parted, and the people walked through on dry ground.
– The Israelites had escaped slavery in Egypt, but now find themselves walking through the desert
wilderness for 3 days without any food or water.
– The story of the Exodus is the story of the Lord God’s protection of His people. The Lord fights for
them, provides for them, heals and sustains them, and brings them peace and comfort.
– The Lord our God supplies everything His people could need. He sustained his people in the desert
wilderness and sustains us through the “wilderness” seasons of our lives today.
– The LORD, aka Yahweh or Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament is the same Lord “made flesh”
in Jesus Christ, our Savior, our Lord, our King. Jesus is God. He is all we need.
1. The Lord is our Protector.
– Exodus 15:22, So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness
of Shur. And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water.
– The Hebrews have gone through a lot! They saw the Lord’s fight for them against the Egyptians at
the shore of the Red Sea, and will see it again when they have victory over the Amalekites.
– Exodus 14:13-14, (As the Egyptian army approaches and backs them up to the Red Sea) And
Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He
will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more
forever. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”
– In Exodus Chapter 17, Amalek attacked Israel. During the battle, Moses was up on a hill with his
hands raised, and the Israelites were winning. When his hands fell, they began to lose. Moses was
tired, but Aaron and Hur held up his hands for him, and they won the battle.
– It was really the Lord God fighting the battle through them, giving them the victory.
– Exodus 17:15, And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-Lord-Is-My-Banner;
– In Hebrew, its Jehovah Nissi, “The Lord is my Banner.” What is the significance of a banner?
– A banner represents who you are fighting for, and who is fighting for you. It is flown over the
battle as a reminder. It represents your protection and your covering.
– Your “banner” represents who you are, and what you believe.
– Banners are raised in honor and remembrance, as symbols of victory, and as a declaration to
everyone who sees it of what you stand for, and who you stand with.
– Moses built the altar and called it, Jehovah Nissi, “The LORD is my banner.” WE can also declare
the Lord, Jehovah Nissi. He is the One who fights OUR battles and gives us the victory!
– The Lord fights for me and is worth fighting for, even if I find myself in the Wilderness. The Lord
fights the battles that we can’t even fight for ourselves.
– Each believer should expect the LORD to lead them into a “wilderness” so that we can learn to trust
Him. So we can know Him by faith. To expose where our hearts really find comfort and hope.
– Isaiah 41:10, Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen
you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
– Psalms 18:2-3, The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in
whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3 I will call upon
the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.
– Psalms 28:7, The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him.
– Joshua 23:10, One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the Lord your God is He who fights for
you, as He promised you.
2. The Lord is our Provider.
– Exodus 15:23&25a, Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for
they were bitter… 25 So (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.
– Jehovah Jireh means, The Lord will provide. He provided the Israelites with water in the desert.
– “Provision” is a word in our Americans context that may have lost some meaning. Some of us
remember times when God provided for needs in obvious ways like a check in the mail to cover rent
or the generosity of a friend to pay for a hospital bill.
– We recognize these as God’s provision, but we rarely depend on provision.
– We learn from Jesus that we don’t need to worry, because God is our provider…
– Matthew 6:25-33, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or
what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the
body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into
barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by
worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies
of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all
his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which
today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little
faith? 31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall
we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you
need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things
shall be added to you.
– When we think about “Jireh”, we should think bigger than physical needs. More than just jobs,
friends, money, bills… even more than food, clothes, or shelter.
– Phil 4:11-13, (The Apostle Paul said) Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in
whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound.
Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to
suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
– “Jireh” is bigger even still! It is bigger than the Lord providing strength, or contentment, or any
other physical or mental thing…
– The name "Jehovah Jireh" is first seen in Genesis 22. Abraham was told by God that he was
going to be the father of many nations, but he was old and had no kids. God provided a miracle son
for him. Then God tells Moses to offer that precious son, Isaac, and a burnt offering (basically, kill
him.) Abraham is going to be faithful, raised the knife, and in the last second God provided a ram, an
animal Abraham could sacrifice in place of his own son.
– Genesis 22:14, And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is
said to this day, “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”
– Jehovah Jireh, the Lord will provide, is rooted in the context of the most profound need a person
can face… a substitution for our own death. The Lord has provided atonement for sin, and salvation
to his enemies, through His son, Jesus Christ.
– 2 Cor. 5:21, For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him (Christ Jesus).
– Romans 5:8, But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.
– God provided his own son to be the final sacrifice for sin, so that we could have eternal life.
– Our God provides. He provides basic needs like fresh water, but also provides immeasurable things
like eternal salvation. That is TRUE provision!
3. The Lord is our Physician.
– Exodus 15:25b-26, There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested
them, 26 and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His
sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you
which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.”
– This is a pattern we will continue to see through Exodus and the rest of the Old Testament. God’s
people are in crisis, they cry out to God and God saves them, God calls them to obedience offering
blessings and protection, the people eventually forget about it causing them to fall into crisis again….
– If his people obey his commandments, he will protect them from harm, and heal their diseases.
Basically, don’t act like the Egyptians and you won’t get treated like the Egyptians.
– Jehovah Rapha means, The Lord Who Heals.
– The Hebrew word, Rapha, is used sixty times in the OT, and it means to restore, to heal, to cure,
and to repair. This is what God wants to do in our lives if we will be obedient to His commandments.
– We talk a lot in this church about obedience to the Lord, and His blessings for obedience. We know
that our God is a healer, and Jesus and the apostles healed countless people during their ministries.
– Likely, in all of our lives, we have experienced some form of brokenness that needs divine healing.
God can heal us physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually…. Wholey and completely.
– I don’t need to convince you that our God is “the Lord who heals.” BUT… a harder question to
answer is why he chooses to heal some and not others? Why are some protected from
disease and not others? This was just as true in the Bible narrative as it is in our lives today…
– It’s a hard concept to make peace with. I can tell you Jesus healed to draw a crowd to preach to, or
he healed to show he had the power and authority of God, or healed out of simple compassion… BUT
that isn’t much comfort for you if you have not been the one healed.
– Some preachers or ministries will say you aren’t healed because your faith is weak, or you aren’t
worthy, or you have sin in your life, (or aren’t giving enough money to the church)… and if you fixed
those things, you would receive your healing… BUT we don’t see that solution in the Bible either.
– I don’t know why some people don’t receive a physical, emotional, or mental healing and other do.
I think it would be unhelpful for me to guess. What I do know is spiritual healing is available to all!
– Sometimes, when the infirmed were brought to Jesus for healing, he instead forgave them of their
sins. In fact, that’s one reason why the Pharisees wanted to kill him. (Mark 2:1-12, Matthew 9:1-8)
– Our Father, Jehovah Rapha, sent His son Jesus to us to heal or hearts, save our souls, and set us
free from sin and death! That is eternal healing available to all who would receive him as Lord. It is
what we need most of all!
– Many commentators make the connection that the tree God provided to Moses that made the water
sweet, was representative of the cross being added to our lives to make the bitter life a sweet one.
(I think that is a stretch…)
– I DO know that true healing only comes only through the cross of Christ.
4. The Lord is our Peace.
– Exodus 15:27, Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm
trees; so they camped there by the waters.
– One well for each of the 12 tribes… I’m not even going to try and talk about the deep meaning and
great benefits of the 70 palm trees…. I would refer you to Pastor Chris McMichael’s book, Redemptive
Botany.
– All of their basic needs were met: shade and shelter, comfort, cool water, & rest from the journey…
– God is the one who brings calm where there is chaos, and stability where there is struggle. Those
who trusted in Him found comfort and calm in the midst of their worst storms, struggles, and battles.
– There are many names for God, but one we don't hear enough in prayers is "Jehovah Shalom."
– Jehovah Shalom means, “The Lord is Peace”. (Or, The Lord is Our Peace.)
– This name first appears in the book of Judges. In the days of Gideon, the children of Israel were
living in a constant state of fear, uncertainty, and anxiety because the Midianites, had been attacking
them, and stealing and destroying their supplies. The people were living and hiding up in mountain
caves in fear, and Gideon was distressed.
– The angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, calling on him to lead Israel and deliver them from their
tormentors. Gideon was afraid, but the Angel of the Lord came to bring him peace.
– Judges 6:23-24, Then the Lord said to him, “Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not
die.” 24 So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and called it [f] The-Lord-Is-Peace. To this day
it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
– Our lives can be troublesome and painful, creating fear and anxiety inside us. Israel suffered in the
desert, Gideon suffered at the hands of his enemies, and we can feel pressed on all sides… BUT,
Jesus Christ is the Lord, and is our peace! We can find rest in him.
– Romans 5:1, Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ,
– John 16:33, These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you
will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
– Col 3:15a, And let the peace of God rule in your hearts…
– Isaiah 26:3, You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts
in You.
– God is always true to His promises. These scriptures show us that He is faithful to provide peace to
all who call upon His name and choose to abide in His presence.
– This can be hard to remember in the midst of the crisis. I have a lot of experience dealing with
crisis… OTHER PEOPLE’s crisis. It is completely different when it is your own.
– Experiencing fear and anxiety is part of the human condition. Don’t hide from it. Deal with it.
– Like the angel reminded Gideon to be at peace right before the biggest battle of his life, the Lord
has given you words to bring you peace before the battle of each day begins.
– Phil. 4:6-7, Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication,
with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses
all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
– I read this verse every morning and remind myself: My peace does not depend on external events,
and I won’t allow myself to get swept up in the “urgency” of the moment. Look up, take a breath…
Let me close with this:
– Standing by the bitter waters of Marah, Moses did what the people failed to do. He cried out in
prayer to the Lord, and the Lord showed them grace and mercy.
– Jehovah Nissi, The Lord is my Banner. He is our protection, and fights our battles.
– Jehovah Jireh, The Lord will Provide. He has provided us Jesus as the atoning sacrifice for our sin.
– Jehovah Rapha, The Lord who Heals. Our souls are made whole through salvation in Jesus Christ.
– Jehovah Shalom, The Lord is our Peace. The Lord gives us peace as we put our faith in him.
– You can have this too, if you give you life to Christ!
Alter Call
– prayer –
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