The Creed of Marah

The Lord showed [Moses] a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the

waters became sweet. (Exodus 15:25 NASB).

I can honestly say that no passage of Scripture has helped me personally to cope with the mystery of suffering more than Exodus 15:22-27. Time after time, when I have faced a painful crisis or a bitter loss, I have turned to the story of Marah, The Bitter Place, and it has brought me comfort and strength. For the redeemed people of God, on the journey of salvation from Egypt to Canaan, this was stop number one! Here God taught his redeemed people the first lesson he wanted them to know. If they learned it well, the rest of the journey would go smoothly. If they didn’t, well… I suppose the results speak for themselves.  

22 Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea…. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. 24 And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 And he cried to the Lord, and the LORD showed him a log (or, tree), and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them… 27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water. (Exodus 15:22-27 ESV).

I became enamored with this text as I was preaching through the book of Exodus some twenty-five years ago. As I prepared my message, I found myself putting the points of my sermon on Marah in the form of a creed, a confession of faith. Since then, the Creed of Marah has become one of my standard sermons. I’ve preached it dozens of times in many places. My simple credo (see below) is obviously not in the same category as the historic creeds of the Christian faith, but I believe it can be a source of comfort and strength for anyone facing a bitter situation. As with all creedal affirmations, I urge you to recite it out loud, as a means of affirming your own faith in the One who saves you and guides you through the wilderness of life.

I believe God led me here. This is a test.

When the people come to Marah, rather than asking God for help, they grumble and complain. They blame Moses for leading them there. But the reader of Exodus knows that Moses is not responsible for their difficult circumstances, neither is Pharaoh or even Satan. They aren’t lost, and they aren’t being punished. They are at Marah precisely because the Pillar of Fire has led them there. They are smack dab in the middle of God’s perfect will. As strange as it may sound, God has led his people into a situation that is designed to cause them anguish and pain! You may be wondering: Why, oh why, would God do this? The text tells us the answer. He brought them to Marah to test them (v. 25).

All of us can remember from our days in school how painful tests can be. It seemed that our teachers were sadistic, intentionally inflicting pain on us innocent students! In retrospect, we understand now that they were really trying to help us. They tested us so that we would learn the material, pass the test, move on to the next grade, graduate from school, and ultimately succeed in life. In a similar manner, God allows us to experience painful trials so that we will learn the lessons that will enable us to face the challenges that lie ahead. “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (Heb. 12:11).

I believe God will provide for me here.

When we find ourselves in pain, we tend to believe that we have to leave these circumstances before our needs can be met. We think that God will provide for us in some other place, over there, certainly not here, at Marah. But this Scripture teaches that God can, and will, provide for our needs here, at The Bitter Place.

The Lord showed Moses a “tree” (v. 25). The word can be translated “log” or “piece of wood”, probably referring to some shrub or tree that grew in the Sinai Desert. Scholars debate whether the leaves or the bark might have had some curative qualities. The best explanation, however, is to see this as a miracle, showing God’s power to turn a bitter experience into a sweet one. It is surely no accident that the New Testament calls the cross of Christ a “tree” (see Acts 5:30; Gal. 3:13; 1 Pet. 2:24). In confessing that we believe God will provide for us here, while we are still at Marah, we are affirming our faith that the cross of Jesus has the power to transform the most bitter situation into something good. It may not take the pain away, but it does make the water drinkable. Suffering is not a problem to solve. It is a mystery to embrace.

I believe God will one day lead me away from here.

We don’t know how long the people stayed at Marah, but we do know that they understood this was not their home. They must not let The Bitter Place define them, and they must guard against becoming bitter people! The bitterness “out there” must not create a root of bitterness in their souls (see Heb. 12:14-15). The Pillar of Fire began to move once again and God’s people were led to Palm Springs (aka, Elim), a place of twelve springs and seventy palm trees (v. 27). Although Elim was not their home either, in this lovely oasis they were able to set up camp and rest for a while, so they could prepare for the next phase of their journey.

I believe God wants to use this experience to be a blessing and encouragement to others.

It is only because God’s people wrote down their “Marah experience” that we know about it over three thousand years later! Thank God they chose to share their story rather than hide it. What a blessing and encouragement it is to us today!  

Do you have a Marah experience in your past? Was there a time when God allowed something bitter to happen to you? A divorce? Cancer? Bankruptcy? Failure? How did he pull you through? I hope you are sharing the story. We need to hear it!  

Conclusion

If today you find yourself in a situation of bitterness and pain, I want to encourage you to recite the Creed of Marah and apply its words to your situation. I’ll pray for you if you pray for me.

I believe God led me here. This is a test.

I believe God will provide for me here.

I believe God will one day lead me away from here.

I believe God wants to use this experience to be a blessing and encouragement to others.

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