From Exodus 15 to the end of Exodus 18 is a distinct section of the book. To understand it properly, it must be remembered that as yet Israel was not under law, but under grace. The careful reader will find in this statement the key of many of the events recorded. For example, the murmurings recorded in chapters 15, 16 and 17 are borne by the Lord with long-suffering and tenderness, and their needs are ministered to out of the fullness of His unwearied love. But after Sinai, murmurings of the same character are the occasion of judgment, for the people had been, at their own request, put under law. Being therefore under the reign of righteousness, transgressions and rebellion are instantly dealt with according to the requirements of the law, whereas before Sinai, being under the reign of grace, they are borne with.
The wilderness journey of Israel had now to be entered upon. The strains of their song had scarcely died away before they commenced their pilgrim journey.
“So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord showed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there He made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there He proved them, 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. And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters” (Ex. 15:22-2722So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. 23And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. 24And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? 25And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord showed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them, 26And 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. 27And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters. (Exodus 15:22‑27)).
Three Days
This, then, was their first experience: “They went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.” The expression “three days” in Scripture is frequently associated with death, and so here the three days mean the distance of death. They had, in figure, passed through death, and now they must learn it practically. If God in His grace gives us a perfect standing before Him, if He associates us with Christ in His death and resurrection, the object of all His ways with us is to bring us into practical conformity with our new position. The children of Israel must thus be taught that, as a consequence of deliverance from Egypt, the world had become desert to them and that this must be entered into by the acceptance of death. This is the fundamental necessity for every believer. There can be no progress, no real break with the past, until death is accepted, until he reckons himself dead to sin (Rom. 6), dead to the law (Rom. 7), and dead to the world (Gal. 6) — hence the character of God’s dealings with souls. He will teach them experimentally — as in the case of Israel before us — and thus enable them to apprehend the true character of the path on which they have entered. And what was the first experience of Israel? They found no water. Like the psalmist, they were in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is (Psa. 63). Every spring on earth is dried up for those who have been redeemed from Egypt. There is not a single source of life — nothing that can minister in any way to the life we have received in Christ. But how blessed it is for the soul to apprehend this truth! Starting on our pilgrimage, elated with the joy of salvation, how often are we surprised to find that the sources at which we had drunk before — and drunk with delight — have now run dry. We ought to expect this, but never is the lesson learned until we have gone the three days’ journey in the wilderness. It is indeed a startling experience to discover that earth’s resources are exhausted, but it is an indispensable requisite if we would know the blessedness of the truth that “all our springs are in Thee.”
The Bitter and Sweet
They passed onward and came to Marah. Here there was water, but they could not drink of those waters, for they were bitter. This is the further application of the same principle. First, there was no water to drink; second, when it is found, it is so bitter that it could not be drunk. This is the application to the soul of the power of that death by which they have been delivered. The flesh shrinks from it and would refuse it altogether. Truly it is Marah — bitterness — and accordingly it troubled the people and they murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? What a contrast! A few days ago, as with one heart, they sang, with exultant joy, the praises of their Redeemer; now the song is silent, and discordant murmurs take its place. So is it with the believer — now filled with praise, and shortly after, the flesh complains and murmurs because of the trials of the wilderness. But Moses intercedes for them, and the Lord showed him a tree, which, when cast into the waters, made them sweet. This is a beautiful figure of the cross of Christ, which utterly changes the character of the bitter waters. “Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness.” Or, as Paul cries, “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Gal. 6:1414But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. (Galatians 6:14)). Bring the cross into the bitterness of Marah waters, and at once they become sweet to the taste — are welcomed as the means of deliverance and blessing.
Obedience
Here is a most important principle — a principle always applicable to the walk of the believer. It is found throughout the Scriptures and in every dispensation, namely, that the enjoyment of blessing is dependent upon obedience; that is, the enjoyment of the blessing of believers (for the children of Israel were now redeemed) is dependent upon their walk. They were to be guarded from the diseases of Egypt, if they would diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord their God and would do that which was right in His sight. In the same way our blessed Lord says, “If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him” (John 14:2323Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. (John 14:23)). This principle cannot be too much insisted upon. There are many believers who have known the joy of salvation, but who are yet without the conscious enjoyment of a single blessing. The reason is that they are careless of their walk. They do not read the Word or “give ear to His commandments,” and they are consequently walking as seems right in their own eyes. What wonder is it, therefore, that they are cold and indifferent, that they are not in the conscious enjoyment of the love of God — of fellowship with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ? It is to the obedient ones that God comes, and delights to come, in the sweetest manifestations of His unchanging love; it is to those who have a conscience about every precept of the Word and are seeking, in the power of the Spirit, to be found in obedience in every particular, to those whose delight it is to be doing the will of their Lord and whose one aim it is to be at all times acceptable to Him, that He can draw near and bless according to His own mind and heart. Nothing can compensate for the lack of an obedient walk. All our blessing — as to its apprehension and enjoyment — is made dependent upon it. It is moreover the means of growth and the condition of communion.
Refreshment and Rest
It is on this account that it is immediately added, “They came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters.” That is, they at once found refreshment, rest and shade — the wells and the palm trees being, as one has said, “types of those living springs and of that shelter which had been provided, through instruments chosen of God, for the consolation of His people.” How welcome the rest to the already weary pilgrims! And how tender of the Lord to provide such grateful refreshment for His people in the wilderness! As the Shepherd of Israel, He thus led them, as it were, into green pastures and made them to lie down by the still waters, to comfort and strengthen their hearts.
Adapted from E. Dennett