They came to a place named Marah. There was a spring there, but the water was bitter. They complained.
God directed Moses to cut a tree and throw it into the water. The water became sweet! As they drank, God made a regulation: (Exodus 15:26 NASB)
If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the LORD, am your healer.Most of us know that the children of Israel repeated their complaining frequently after this incident! They had a reputation for being grumblers and rebellious against God! When God was ready to give them the Promised Land, they balked!
In response to their rebellion, God let them wander in the wilderness for forty years until that generation of adults all died. Then, God led their children into the Promised Land!
The Psalm-writer recounts this as he speaks to his own generation: [Psalm 95:7c-11 NASB]
Today, if you would hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as in the days of Massah in the wilderness, when your fathers tested Me, they tried Me, though they had seen My work.
For forty years I loathed that generation, and said they are a people who err in their heart, and they do not know My ways. Therefore, I swore in My anger, truly they shall not enter into My rest.
God is full of grace and mercy. However, if we continue in our obstinance and rebellion, God will judge us! And He will condemn us.
Many people find it difficult to believe that a loving God would condemn someone to Hell. This passage reminds us that He will!
If we harden our hearts against God, we earn His anger. God expects to be able to direct our lives. God wants us to be soft in His hands. When we are, He will be our healer. When we aren't, He will keep calling us and working with us; but ultimately if we fail to respond, He will judge us justly!
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