Digging Deeper: More Marah in the Desert

Not too long after the time of testing at the bitter well of Marah, God led the Israelites to another desert where there was again no water. And the people once again began to whine and grumble against Moses.

Moses asked, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the LORD to the test?”

And Moses complained about them to God, claiming they were about to stone him.

So God told him to go hit a rock with his staff.

And When Moses did so, water began gushing forth from the rock and everyone had enough to drink.

Moses called the place “Massah and Meribah,” which means “testing and quarreling.”

Now the book of Numbers later tells a very similar story about water coming from a rock.

While wandering around the wilderness because of their rebellion, the people of Israel arrived in the Desert of Zin.

And we find out that it was here that Moses’ sister Miriam passed away.

And once again there was no water and the people rebelled against Moses, saying, “We’d be better off dying from God’s plagues, or dying in Egypt!”

And God told Moses and Aaron to gather the people at a nearby rock, and he said, “Speak to the rock…and it will pour out its water.”

But instead, Moses was filled with disappointment …and rage. He'd had it with these people. He was done with them.

And Moses screamed at the people, calling them “marah.”…or bitter.

This is the same word used to describe the bitter well water that they had encountered back when they first left Egypt. It is the same word used to describe the bitter spirit that the Israelites had towards Moses and towards God when they were led out into the desert. It’s the same word that Isaac and Rebekah used when their son Esau went out and married several pagan women. It’s the same name that Naomi gave to herself when she returned back to her hometown with Ruth at her side after her husband and both of her sons had died.

Marah.

Bitter.

Moses became just as bitter as the people he was leading. And he disregarded what God had said to him. He violently struck the rock twice with his staff …and water came out.

But God told Moses and Aaron that they had represented Him poorly, and he said, “Neither one of you will enter the Promised Land.”

Instead of gently speaking to the bitter hard rock with the words of God’s “still small voice,” they used the rod of violence – adding marah upon marah – bitter upon bitter.

They forgot that God is not always accusing… nor does he harbor our sins forever. And when we lose hope in our bitterness and we defy him to his face… he is still slow to anger and abounding in love… for his desire is that no one should perish.

And he still gave water to his people.