Exodus 15:22-27 | Sweet Water | Rich Jones

you do that let's take our Bibles this morning and open to Exodus chapter 15 we're gonna begin in verse 22 as we're studying through the book of Exodus the title of our message this morning is sweet water let's pray and look to God's Word father thank you so much we love your word we love your heart that you reveal through your word and God that you send it by your Holy Spirit in power to transforms us God we just look forward to what you would do through your word in our lives this morning in Jesus name Amen all right here we are studying through Exodus and at this point now Israel has been set free from their slavery their oppression of Egypt they've gone now into the deserts the plagues have all come to an end God is leading them it says by a pillar of cloud by day pillar of fire by night interesting also as we were looking at it last week he did not lead them directly into the area of the Philistines which is like a doorway into the Holy Land even though it was a direct route and in fact there was a highway leading to it maybe 120 miles but he said no it did not lead him this way because they would immediately encounter war and they would be discouraged in return so instead God led them around by the way of the wilderness to the sea now the Egyptians see this and they think that the Israelites are wandering aimlessly through the desert so they have a change of heart about letting them go and they get the Egyptian army ready and pursue them to either destroy them or return them and they think Israel is trapped but as we saw last week one of the greatest miracles of the Old Testament God parted the sea they went across on dry land the Egyptian army followed only to be destroyed when the waters returned over them that brings us to chapter 15 which happens three days later so God led Israel three days journey beyond the sea into the wilderness they're distressed because there is no water they come to a place called Marla it's called Mara later given that name it means bitterness because they come to this place called Mara and there in fact is water but it's brackish it's bitter it's salty and so here Israel learns a great spiritual lesson and there are many lessons for us in this because now they're travelling through the desert and they're faced with this question how are we gonna live what are we gonna drink what are we gonna eat and for them it's going to become a question of faith see the problem is this when they got to Mara and they're thirsty and yet and yet the water is brackish it's salty it's bitter they respond to it by grumbling see how you respond when you encounter bitter things has everything to do with your faith and this is going to become a great lesson for Israel so let's read the account of it we're gonna begin in verse 22 and just read a few verses and then look to see how God would apply it when then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went out into the wilderness of Shur and they went three days into the wilderness and they found no water when they came to Marah they could not drink the waters of Marah for they were bitter therefore it was named Mara which means bitter so the people grumbled at Moses and they said what shall we drink in other words they're not like asking the question like what are we going to drink no other saying it like an accusation like what are we gonna drink like they're grumbling and angry so Moses cried out to the Lord and the Lord showed him a tree and he threw the tree into the waters and the waters became sweet now there's not like this chemical reaction that the tree has with the water no this was what God was doing he was using this as a picture an illustration of his power to heal the bitterness of the water and then it says something interesting and says there he made for them a statute and a regulation and there he tested them and he said this if you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God if you'll do what is right in his sight if you will give year to his commandments and keep all of 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 and here he gives one of the names of God one of the foundational understandings of who God is is found in his name and this is a famous one I am Jehovah Rapha I am the God who heals you and then verse 27 I love verse 27 because he says then they came to a lean where there were twelve Springs of water and seventy date-palms and they camped there beside the waters like how refreshing is that God wanted them to come to a place of refreshing but he wanted them to see what was in their heart so he brought them to Marah and this is a very important thing because there are great lessons for all of us beginning with this one don't let bitter things make you bitter Israel's just beginning a 40-year journey and they must learn to trust God along the way bitter things are gonna happen in life all of us are going to experience bitter things we live in a dark world we live in a world of evil it's broken and we all if you have not experienced that you will there are bitter things that happen in life the Israelites cross the sea and it's very interesting because when God parted the sea and brought Israel through and then closed it back over the Egyptians he did several things one he demonstrated his power to strengthen their faith truly destroyed the Egyptian army but three it became like a burning the ships kind of a moment you know I mean by this they're not going back the sea has closed them in and it's like you know when a conqueror goes to you know some Ford land and then he has all the soldiers watch as he burns the ships like you're not going back it's victory or nothing right and the same idea you're not going back you must move forward and that means they can't go back for provisions they got to trust God along the way so there were they were in the desert and they're thirsty they see water up ahead everyone's hopes are lifted that is until they drank the water found it bitter and they respond by grumbling like what shall we drink they're complaining they become bitter don't let bitterness or bitter things make you bitter one of the great lessons of this is in the book of Ruth in the Book of Ruth we see a powerful picture here is Naomi and her husband are living in Israel and times were hard times are very very hard and so they decide to move over across the Jordan to the area of Moab and things continue to get bad there they move with their sons their sons names were Mae long and cheer Leon and the reason why those names are important is because of what they mean can you imagine is their son May long his name means sickly and Chileans name means wasting away how bad the things have to get before you name your son sickly and wasting away and then to no one's surprise they die and her husband dies and she says I'm going back and then of course we know part of this story that's beautiful is that Ruth who is married to her son Malin says I'm going with you your people will be my people your God will be my god and she goes back and the other daughter-in-law married to Chile on does not return her name is Orpah by the way Oprah the modern Oprah her name actually she was named after Orpah in case you her birth certificate says oppa but we couldn't be couldn't say it sir okay it's that side no completely so Naomi comes back to Israel and they see her coming and they say is that Naomi in other words she looks like she's been beat up and weathered troubled is that Naomi and she says don't call me Naomi call me Mara she means bitterness don't call me Naomi call me Mara for God has dealt bitterly with me see what happened she has become bitter bitter things have made her bitter another thing is God wasn't finished with her story and God isn't finished with your story either don't let bitter things make you bitter because here's what we see out of the story God teaches faith along the way God is teaching faith Israelites that lived as slaves for hundreds of years they didn't know how to live us free and they certainly didn't know how to live by faith they needed to understand they needed a new way of lives and says God gave them a statue God gave them a principle of wisdom they must learn to trust God's ways right his principles his wisdom his word it's right gonna learn a new way of living new way of thinking and God does the same for us God gives us wisdom God gives us principles of his word and he wants us to trust his way is better his ways good his ways right his way is the way a blessing see when we came out of the world to come to faith we came out of all of the experiences of the world and the world has its own set of principles many people live by the principles of the world but God wants to show us no there's a different way I don't want you living by the principles of who you were I want you to live by these principles this wisdom is better God's Way is better see in the world they have principles and then they have a statute you might say to go along with that in other words if somebody speaks meanly to you but you give us big mean right back if someone treats you harshly you're gonna treat harshly right back if someone cusses at you you can cuss right back it's the principle for that turnabout is fair play it's only fair you see there's a way of even looking at of the principles of the world are right there God says no that's not how I want you to live I have different principles than that pray for those who persecute you forgive those who trespass against you you're in the kingdom of God now there's a whole different set of principles that work down different way of living turn the other cheek be gracious forgive see God wasn't just taking them out of Egypt and then bringing them to another place he's bringing them to a relationship he's teaching them faith along the way and the same is true with us he's not just bringing us somewhere he's changing us he's changing as the wilderness becomes a school of discipleship and we're on a journey and it's a school of discipleship I love Psalm 25 because it gives us this picture and it's really powerful verses 8 to 13 he writes the Lord instructs sinners in the way I just love that because it's so straightforwardly spoken is we can see what he means the Lord instructs sinners in the way he leads the humble and justice he and he teaches them his way it says all the paths of the Lord are loving-kindness and truth who is the man who fears the Lord he will instruct him in the way he should choose and his soul will abide in prosperity hey the blessings of the Lord will follow when you live by the principles and the wisdom of God God did not bring them tomorrow to punish them or make life difficult he led them tomorrow to show them what in their heart and it's a very interesting lesson that comes from this bitter water this salty water interesting lesson salty water actually makes you more thirsty there are three days in the wilderness beyond the sea someone sees water you can imagine them clamoring to rush to get the first drink and then they spit it out it's bitter there's a reason you don't drink salty water it will make you sick and instead of quenching your thirst it actually makes you more dehydrated now in case you're interested in the science of the thing the reason for that is that when you drink salty water your body has to take good water out of the rest of your body to purge it to dilute it to get rid of it so you actually end up more dehydrated than when you started and the fill is lost at sea and there's no fresh water their thirst drives them their thirst tempts them to drink salty water but drinking salty water it will eventually kill a person the more you drink the more dehydrated you get and it becomes a tremendous picture of worldliness because there are many things in this world that people think will satisfy but actually have the opposite effect the world will leave your soul more empty and more unsatisfied and even more thirsty because what happens is that people are looking for love if I can quote the famous American philosopher Waylon Jennings they're looking for love in all the wrong places but the question is why are they looking for love why they're looking for love because there's this there's a part of us that longs for love God made us as a people to love we need love we need relationship and they're hungry I mean they're thirsty they're longing and so they start looking for love in all the wrong places and what happens is that it makes worse off than when they started actually makes him more dehydrated that water doesn't satisfy that thirsty water it's like a a woman that my wife and I know to win from man to man to man looking for the perfect soul mate she was married like six or seven times and these times she met a new man he seemed like he could do nothing wrong he was like a knight in shining armor and then a few months later he could do nothing right salty water it doesn't satisfy looking for love in all the wrong places it's like the Samaritan woman that Jesus met at the well and at one point Jesus says to her whoever drinks of this water will thirst again but whoever drinks of the water that I give living water will never thirst and she says sir give me this living water now his answer is very interesting to me okay so she says sir give me this living water so he answers by saying go get your husband and come back and she said sir I have no husband he answers you have said rightly that you have no husband for in fact you've had five husbands and the man you have now is not your husband she says sir I perceive that you are a prophet he then begins to explain that he is the one sent by God as the Messiah he is that living water and he who receives that living water it will spring up in him like a well and you can worship God in spirit and in truth see if you drink of that bitter water if you drink of that salty water it's bitter for a reason so that you long for that which is sweet it's like the story of the prodigal son when when in Luke 15 he receives his inheritance early and so he spent it all in worldly living he goes to the city all the parties the women all the stuff that the world has to offer and he spends it all then a famine hits the land and he can't even get a job finally he gets a job but the worst job a Jew could ever have feeding swine pigs he said oh this is bad you cannot get worse oh no it gives worse because at some point he actually begins to be jealous or envious of the pigs because they have food and he does not and I love Luke 15 because it tells us that he got to a point it says Luke 15 verses 17 to 18 but when he came to his senses that is a glorious moment when it occurs to someone I'm worse off than when I started this that I'm searching for I'm looking in all the wrong places to find and I'm actually thirstier and more unsatisfied than when I started and then it occurs to them I gotta go I gotta go back I need God in my life I need God in my heart he says he came to his senses and he said how many of my father's hired men have more than enough bread and I'm dying here with hunger I will get up and I will go to my father that is that point I'm going back you see the bitter water the salty water makes you long for something sweet and then so then we learn this lesson how to look at of Exodus 15 don't grumble watch don't grumble watch for what God is doing when the Israelites passed through the sea at first they're like overjoyed at the power that the miraculous hand God demonstrated but something changed in three short days right day one it tells us earlier in this chapter that they're like singing and shouting and dancing day one this is you know this is you know the Lord is my strength at my song and he shall become my deliverer okay that's a terrible song okay that's why they say something like that right videos in Hebrew and they're like shouting and dancing the Lord is my strength and my song right day one day two the kids start saying are we there yet all day long are we there yet and they're dragging their shoulders the Lord is my strength and my song day three they're grumbling where's the water God did not bring them tomorrow to make them bitter God brought them to Marla to show them that there was bitterness already in their hearts the situation does not make a person bitter it shows us what's already there when Jesus was being nailed to the cross did he respond out of bitterness did he say you'll you will pay you will pay for this one day one day when you stand before the great throne of my father you will regret what you did to me Jesus didn't say that you know what he did say Father forgive them they know not what they do he didn't speak out of bitterness because he didn't have bitterness don't you find it interesting how God brings us into situations that reveals who we are that shows us what we need to see about our own hearts those things that God needs to change along the way one of the illustrations of this comes out of my life I was down at the coast I was coming back as by myself and I was coming out of Lincoln City and if you know that area you know that as you're coming out of Lincoln City there are two lanes that merge into one name now the way that works in America when you have two lane merging into one lane we take turns that's how it works in America and now I know that cuz I've been in Africa and it doesn't work that way there but it was stop and go is heavy traffic and so you know I was behind this person and and the person had let you know they had gone forward and the person over here in this Lane came in behind them which is to say my turn is next that's the way it works in America and so I can have you know worked up and then the car next to me just went right up and I thought oh what they obviously didn't see me so I moved up a little farther and then they moved up then it started to occur to me I don't think he wants to let me in and then sorry I went up a little further and he went up really close and then I could feel you know what I'm saying here I could feel and I so I pulled him behind him and then my headlights are like shining right you know into his windshield through his car and I could see his wife like you know and I'm thinking yeah go you go he needs it he needs it go get him sister and then I'm sitting back there and the whole way home I'm like really I got I was burning over that really and God was like convicting me showing me that needs to get worked out see the heart is the key this is what Jesus said in Luke chapter 6 verse 45 he said this is the good man out of the good treasure of his heart will bring forth what's good and the evil man out of the evil treasure will bring forth what's evil for the mouth speaks the life is lived from that which fills the heart that's why Philippians chapter 2 verses 14 to 15 are such great verses this is what Paul Rudd to us do all things without grumbling or disputing now our flesh does it like that verse in our flesh hey if we feel like grumbling we want to be able to grumble and if we if we feel like disputing we reserve the right to dispute if we feel like disputing and God says that's not how the kingdom of God works that's how the world works no he says I get a different word for you than that do all things without grumbling do all things without disputing so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent children of God see children are like their father there have there to be having the nature of their father God is our Father now you be children of God above reproach notice this in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation you are living even now in a crooked and perverse generation are we not he says listen when you're living in a crooked and perverse generation then you've got to live differently he says among whom you appear as lights in this world God wants you to appear as light God wants to show that that there is a transformation that comes as you travel through this world and then here's another great lesson out of Exodus 15 that God can turn bitter waters sweet when the Israelites murmured and grumbled Moses cried out to the Lord Lord showed him the street he threw into the waters and the waters became sweet it was the power of God he's demonstrating to him that he is the power that heals the bitter water it's a great lesson that God can bitter in the sweet the question is faith is it not like will you trust the Lord or not that's what he's saying God let them be thirsty that he might teach them to trust he answered their thirst but he gave them a statute and the promise a statute wisdom principles and a promise found in his name this is summarized beautifully for us in Deuteronomy chapter 8 verses 2 to 3 Moses said you shall remember all the way which the Lord your God led you in the wilderness these 40 years that he might humble you testing you to know what it was in your heart whether you would keep his Commandments or not he humbled you and let you be hungry and then fed you with manna and Jesus explained that manna in a beautiful way when he said that bread that comes from heaven is the son of God that was sent as the bread of life but notice what it says he lets you be hungry he fed you with manna that he might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone but by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord in other words it's not about the bread it's about that which you take in from the word that transforms it's not about the water it's about that which you drink that satisfies the soul man does not live by bread alone but by everything that proceeds from the mouth of God it's in our faith when Moses cried out to God God showed him this tree he throws to the end of the water there's no chemical reaction of this tree he shows him the power of God to heal the water but the tree it's like a picture of the cross of Jesus Christ that which he did on the tree of Calvary is the remedy that we need to cast into the midst of the the bitter things in a first Peter chapter 2 verse 24 he bore our sins in his own body on the tree that we having died to sin might live for righteousness by whose stripes you were healed what an interesting comparison what a parallel Galatians 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law having become a curse for us for it is written cursed is everyone who hangs on the tree God has provided everything we need so that our hearts are no longer bitter but instead learning to trust walking with God holding onto a promise romans chapter 8 verses 31 and 2 what then shall we say to these things if God is for us who is against us he who did not spare his own son but delivered him over for us all how will he not also with him freely give us all things he gives them a statue gives them a principle and he gets my promise and that promise is found in his name I am Jehovah Rapha the God who heals he showed him the provision of this tree that made the bitter water sweet and he gave them this promise see he answers troubles by giving a promise ah sure you can just see a theme that runs through the scriptures in other words take hold of this promise take hold of this promise God reveals himself they learned his name jehova rapha jehova the Lord who heals God reveals himself in his names and has revealed something that we must always remember God is a source of healing and there is no other when I was in Bible College I learned the names of God on flashcards I would write the name and the meaning on the other side but see that's that's one thing to learn the names of God in your mind is one thing but to learn the names of God by experi using their power and then writing them on the tablets of your heart is a whole nother thing God wants us to take hold of these promises because these promises are found in his name and then he gives them a statute and principle give heed to the voice of the Lord and none of these diseases that came upon Egypt would be upon you and it was very interesting the principle the the the promise is found in the commandment and when the Jews would follow the laws given to them by God in fact they were kept for many diseases the God gave them laws about sanitation what to eat what not to eat about handling dead bodies he actually gave them even instruction on how to do their bathroom business while they're in the desert many people don't know that but he was showing them sanitary right ways to do your business in the desert and they actually did keep them clean and the Jews for example the Jews were forbidden to eat rats rats were considered unclean they could not eat snakes they could not eat roaches I mean not that you would not you want to but they're unclean and so they have none of them in their camp and so in Europe in the days of the Black Plague there were many people in Europe that thought that Jews were responsible because they didn't get the plague because they were following the laws that God had given to them is this not true spiritually does it not heal when we forgive those who have trespassed against us if we have a thankful and joyful spirit as God asks us to have does that not keep us from many troubles when we trust God and walk in faith does that not bring many blessings so then it says that they came to a place called aleem where there were twelve Springs and seventy date-palms God did not want them to camp at Marah he wanted them to pass through Marah on their way to aleem when it dim to see it's a great lesson here in the way you got to learn this lesson on the way on the journey you got to learn this lesson don't let bitter things make you bitter but take hold of this I am Jehovah Rapha I am the God who heals let me heal your broken heart let me heal your broken life turn to me for help for hope and you will find that refreshing that comes that strength that abides Psalm 84 because it speaks of it it shows us that man verses 5 to 7 how blessed is the man whose strength is in you in whose heart are the highways to Zion passing through the valley of baka in other words the valley of weeping the valley of bitterness passing through the valley of baka they make it a spring the overflowing of God in your life actually begins to impact in effect the valley of bitterness that you're walking through the early rain covers it with blessings they go from strength to strength that's the heart of a person that's being transformed on the way he wanted them to learn that they needed to get the bitterness of Egypt out of their hearts and move to the place of blessing for there were 12 strings and 70 date-palms there how refreshing how renewing is that that's praying father thank you so much we're so blessed by seeing your heart after us and for revealing who you are that you are Jehovah Rapha what a promise found in that name at church today as we're praying as we're before the Lord I don't know what bitter things you've experienced I don't know what bitter things you carrying but I do know this he is Jehovah Rapha he is the God who heals will you in fact trust him to heal your broken heart that he would heal the bitterness of whatever you've been carrying that you would carry it no more that you would lay it down and you would lay it down here this is the place where God says I am your healer I am Jehovah Rapha don't carry that any more on this journey I want you to be free I want you to be free you've got to lay it down be free God will heal your brokenness God will heal the bitterness you got a drink of sweet water refreshing to the soul he'll bring you to aleem he'll refresh your soul but you got to trust in this promise you have to trust in this promise I am the God who heals would you let me heal lay it down lay it down today would you if you would come to this place of saying to the Lord you are my healer you are my Jehovah Rapha I let go I let go of the hurt I let go of the brokenness and let go of the bitterness heal my heart heal me today Lord you are my Jehovah Rapha would you just I'm gonna ask that you just raise your hand just receive that today just say that to the look will you just raise your hand and by raising your hand you're like declaring this you're my Jehovah Rapha you're my healer God I give to you all that I've been carrying I don't want to carry it any more anyone else Church there's but you're not alone there's many hands anyone else I don't want to carry this anymore father thank you so much you are that God who heals the promise is found in your name and we hold on to that we give you thanks we give you on or we give you praise for answering us with the promise of your name we give you that today in Jesus name and everyone said can we give the Lord praise and glory and

Channel: Calvary Chapel Worship Center - Hillsboro, Oregon

Views: 3,834

Rating: 4.9215684 out of 5

Keywords: The Bible, God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Holy, Pastor Rich Jones, Pastor Matthew Dodd, Calvary Chapel, Faith, Grace, Revival, Truth, Prayer, Salvation, Calvary Chapel Hillsboro, Exodus, Matthew

Id: tGsiIGd2k8Y

Length: 38min 44sec (2324 seconds)

Published: Sun Dec 16 2018