Today's Journal
MARAH
Marah is a Hebrew word that means "bitter." It appears in the Bible as the name of a place where the Israelites found bitter water after crossing the Red Sea. (Exodus 15:23-25) The Israelites had just crossed the parted Red Sea and escaped from the armies of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. Three days after the deliverance and into the wilderness, the people “grumbled against Moses” and complained about the bitter water and said, “What are we going to drink?” (15:24)What to do? “So Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he threw it into the water, the water became drinkable.” (Exodus 15:25) What was this tree that had such power? I think it was a visible symbol the Lord used with the faith of Moses to provide water for the whiney people. I also believe it was a limb from the Tree of Life to remove bitterness from the water and from the hearts of the complaining people.
When Marah is removed from hearts, the bitterness and unforgiveness, hopelessness, despair and fear… it is the Tree of Life that rescues us and turns our bitter to sweet. That Tree is the Cross.
“Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.” Jesus