Digging Deeper: Marah in the Desert

After Pharaoh finally let the Israelites go, Moses led them out of Egypt and they made camp by the Red Sea.

But Pharaoh changed his mind again and he pursued them in order to kill them.

But God Himself fought against Pharaoh and He appeared as smoke and fire to give darkness to the Egyptians and light to the Hebrews.

He also sends His "wind" to divide the Red Sea so the Israelites can cross over to safety. He then lures Pharaoh into this trap, only to crush Pharaoh and his army with the waters of chaos.

Exodus 15 includes a song attributed to Moses and Miriam after God had destroyed Pharaoh’s army.

The text of this song is likely much older than the texts of the rest of the Exodus story.

The ancient Israelite understanding of this event was that God was making Israel into a new creation.

The Red Sea, like all seas in the Old Testament, serves as a symbol of chaos and death.

When God parts the sea, He does so with His “wind” or “Spirit,” (Hebrew: Ru’ach) bringing order to chaos.

And God condemns all other gods, represented by Pharaoh and his army, to be lost forever in the chaos, but He brings his people through to the other side - out of death and into a new life.

God led his people out of Egypt and through the desert. He wanted them in the desert. He could have taken them along the coastal route, but He chose instead to lead them through the desert in order to test them.

The desert is a place of testing because in the desert you cannot make it unless you rely completely on God.

God didn't just want to see what His people believed and knew in their hearts; He wanted to see that belief put into action in their lives.

He continued to appear to them as a pillar of smoke by day and a pillar of fire by night.

After traveling for two days, God led the Israelites to a well.

However, the water was bitter and they couldn't drink it.

And the Israelites became angry and began to whine and grumble against Moses.

So God told Moses to put a stick in the well, and the water became sweet.

The place was named “Marah,” which means “bitter” because the water was bitter, and because the Israelites had a bitter spirit.

The Hebrew root of the word "Marah" also refers to "deliberate, defiant disobedience."

The Israelites failed their first test. They showed God what was in their hearts... and their hearts were bitter.

But God still chose to provide for their needs anyway, and he showed them that they needed to rely on Him to heal them of their bitterness, just as he turned the bitter water sweet.

God then led them away from "Marah" and they came to a place called Elim where there were twelve wells and seventy palms.