The Exodus and the wilderness · Exodus 15
The Bitter Waters of Marah
Moses brings Israel away from the Red Sea, toward the wilderness of Shur. After three days of walking, the people still find no water. At Marah, the water is so bitter they cannot drink it: the place gets its name from this. The people murmur against Moses: “What shall we drink?” Moses cries out to the LORD, who shows him a tree. He throws it into the water, and the water turns sweet. There the LORD tests the people and makes them a promise: if they listen to his voice and do what is right in his sight, he will put none of the diseases on them that he brought on the Egyptians. “I am the LORD that healeth thee.” Then Israel comes to Elim, where twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees await them. They camp there by the water.
What happens
- Three days in the wilderness without finding water Exodus 15:22
- At Marah, the water is too bitter to drink Exodus 15:23
- The people murmur against Moses: “What shall we drink?” Exodus 15:24
- Moses cries out to the LORD, who shows him a tree: the water turns sweet Exodus 15:25
- “I am the LORD that healeth thee” Exodus 15:26
- At Elim: twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees Exodus 15:27
Who is in this story
The lesson
When the water is bitter, we can murmur or we can cry out to the LORD. Moses cries out, and God turns the trial into a spring of life: he reveals himself as “the LORD that healeth thee,” and leads his people from the bitterness of Marah to the springs of Elim.
And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.
Quick quiz on this story
How many days does Israel walk in the wilderness without finding water?
Israel leaves the Red Sea, heads toward the wilderness of Shur, and walks three days without finding water, until they reach Marah. Exodus 15:22
What does Moses do to make the water of Marah sweet?
Moses cries out to the LORD, who shows him a tree; when he casts it into the waters, “the waters were made sweet.” Exodus 15:25
Complete the LORD’s words at Marah: “I am the LORD that…”
The LORD promises to put none of Egypt’s diseases on Israel if they listen to his voice: “for I am the LORD that healeth thee.” Exodus 15:26
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