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. 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 Marah. And the people complained against Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?" 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. (Exodus 15:22-25) The miracle of the Red Sea was spectacular, but beyond the Red Sea, Israel faced a long trip through a difficult, dry desert. After three dry, thirsty days they finally found water. Yet when they found the pool of water, it must have seemed like a cruel joke - the water was bitter and undrinkable. They named the place Marah - which means, "bitter." God had a plan. He directed Moses to take a tree - or perhaps a portion of the tree - and throw it into the polluted pool. Somehow, the tree made the waters sweet and drinkable, and God supplied their need. How did the tree work? Jamie Buckingham, in his book on the Exodus journey, believed that the chemicals in the sap of the broken limb drew the mineral content down to the bottom of the pool, and left only good water on top.
Posted on: Mon, 16 Sep 2013 08:57:30 +0000