29 MIRACULOUS WATERS

It would seem that the men only must have sung together with Moses since the narrative moves quickly to add that Miriam, with an instrument of music, actually a rhythm instrument, led the women in a rhythmic dance with singing. They likely sang the same song and tune as the men had sung. Verses 1, 2 say “Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing. Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea.” Believers today still sing a variation of this song.

“I will sing unto the Lord for He has triumphed gloriously, the horse and rider fell into the sea. I will sing unto the Lord for He has triumphed gloriously the horse and rider fell into the sea. The Lord, my God, my Strength my song, has now become my victory. The Lord, my God, my Strength and song, has now become my victory. The Lord is God and, I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him! The Lord is God and, I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him!

Miriam led an assembly of the women, who sang this song. In Israel I have many times seen women dance around and around singing songs like this. Evidently Moses led the psalm, sang and taught it and the men sang it. Then Miriam did the same with the women, only they added the instruments and the dance. This was to happen after other future victories in the history of Israel. For example 1 Samuel 18:6, 7 tell us: “When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with timbrels and lyres. As they danced, they sang: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.’” Many years later Israel was still celebrating their deliverance from Egypt as Micah 6:4 says, “I brought you up out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. I sent Moses to lead you, also Aaron and Miriam.” Later in the wilderness Miriam would join Aaron in criticizing Moses because of his Ethiopian wife, but here she is cooperative and supportive of Moses’ leadership. The Lord blesses those who follow worship leaders and increase the level of joy and praise in the celebration of God’s works among men and women.

We do not know if it was with joy that they left that place on the eastern shore of the Red Sea or with a twinge of regret to depart from the scene of such a miracle and celebration as they had experienced. Would they be occupied with the sight, the place, the song, or with the spoiling of the dead bodies so that they did not want to go forward? But that shore was not their destination and it was time to move on. No matter how wonderful an experience in one place may be, a forward-thinking Christian leader will keep the goal in mind and lead others onward. In any event, it was time to move on, as we may guess that the cloud likely moved, so the cloud and Moses prevailed with Israel to leave that triumphant shore. In this case the move was from the Red Sea into the wilderness. The pleasures of our way to Canaan must not stand in the way of our progress, but quicken and strengthen it even if we have just a wilderness in front of us.

As they went into the wilderness of Shur they had no water as verse 22 says, “Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water.” The narrative does not mention the cloud here. I do not know if it was leading them or not. This would be a sore trial to all the inexperienced travelers and probably gradually diminished their joy. Their trials and lessons in dealing with difficulties began quickly. David, in a dry, thirsty place where there was no water, directed his attention to God as these recently freed slaves now had to do. Psalm 63:1 says, “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.”

In the wilderness of Shur the Israelites had no water. At Marah they had water, but it was bitter so they could not drink it. Here is a lesson. God can make bitter to us anything from which we promise ourselves most, and sometimes does this in the wildernesses of this world to teach us that the needs and disappointments in us creatures may drive us to the Creator in whose favor alone true comfort can always be found.

At Marah at this event, God came to terms with them. He plainly told them, now that they were free of the Egyptians, and had entered into the wilderness, they were on their good behavior, and that it would be well with them, or not, according to their conduct. If they wanted His blessings and provisions, they would have a behavioral responsibility. Verse 26 lays out the proposal, “He said, ‘If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.’” We could say that there He made a statute and an ordinance, and settled matters with them. There He proved them, that is, there He put them into a conditional probation if they wanted His favor. In short, He tells them what He expected from them, and that was, in one word, obedience. They must “listen carefully.” This was so that they would know their duty and not break God’s rules through ignorance. They must take care in everything to do what was right in God’s sight, and to keep all his statutes. They must not think, now that they were delivered from their bondage in Egypt, that they had no lord over them, but were their own masters. No, therefore they must look on themselves as God’s servants; they had a new Master. Their new Master had freed them so they now had new responsibilities. Psalm 116:16 says, “Truly I am your servant, Lord; I serve you just as my mother did; you have freed me from my chains.” And Zechariah, the father of John the Baptizer, said “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. . . . to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days” (Luke 1:68, 74, 75). When a captive is set free he has an obligation to the one who set him free. Moses also told the Israelites, what they might then expect from God, He would not bring on them any of the diseases that had come on the Egyptians. They could anticipate a life without Egypt’s plagues coming on them. This suggests that, if they were rebellious and disobedient, the plagues which they had seen inflicted on their enemies would be brought on them. This seems to be also threatened in Deuteronomy 28:60. “He will bring on you all the diseases of Egypt that you dreaded, and they will cling to you.” God’s judgments on Egypt, as they were mercies to Israel, opening the way to their deliverance, so they were also warnings to Israel. Could we say that the plagues of Egypt were designed to make then in awe so that the Israelites would obey their new Master?

Let not the Israelites think, because God had highly honored them in the great things He had done for them, and had proclaimed them to all the world to be His favorites, that therefore He would overlook their sins and let them do as they wanted. No, God is no respecter of persons. A rebellious Israelite will get along no better than a rebellious Egyptian; and so they found, at great cost to themselves, before they got to Canaan. And on entrance to Canaan land they learned it again as they stoned Achan who had taken things from the forbidden spoils of Jericho. This threat is hinted at or suggested only, but the promise is more clearly expressed. Because this verse is so important and pivotal, health and disease hanging on it, let’s read it again. I am referring to what God said in verse 26, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.” God will take care of their comfort wherever they went. God is the great physician. If we are kept well, it is He that keeps us; if we be made well, it is He that restores us; He is our life, and the length of our days.

Next they journeyed to Elim and evidently stayed awhile. At Elim they had good water, and enough of it. This is suggested in mentioning the number of springs and palm trees. “Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water”  (27). Though God may, for a time, require His people to encamp by the waters of Marah, yet that will not always be what they are to experience. Through the trip from the Red Sea to Marah and from Marah to Elim we can see how changeable our condition can be in this world. We move from better to worse and from worse to better; from glorious mountain top to deep dark and difficult valley and from deep dark and difficult valley to another glorious mountain top. Let us therefore learn both how to be abased and how to abound, to rejoice as though we rejoiced not when we are full, and to weep as though we wept not when we are emptied. Paul said, in Philippians 4:11-13 “. . . I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Paul said he could be flexible and live in all kinds of experiences through the help of God. He did not say that he could do anything he wanted to do, no, he said that he could contentedly live in various types of circumstances, “all this,” because of God’s strength. Paul could and so can we. 

At Elim were twelve wells for their supply, we might say one for every tribe. Maybe this was so they would not compete for water, as their fathers sometimes had to do. For their pleasure, there were seventy palm-trees. If they took turns, under the shadow of those tree they might enjoy a turn in the shade. (We do not read about the cloud to protect them, so we don’t know if the cloud was there then or not.) Whether in the shade of God’s cloud or in the shade of God’s palm tree, they could find places of refreshment even in the wilderness. And so it is for us, too, even in the wilderness of this world we will find that from time to time God will allow us to enjoy an Elim. He is able to provide wells for us lest we should faint in body, mind or spirit with perpetual physical, mental or spiritual fatigue. On the other hand, whatever our delights may be as we travel through life, we must remember we do but temporarily camp by them for a brief time, because we have here no continuing city; this world, this wilderness, is not our home.

In another series of lessons for leaders from the lives of the patriarchs, we learned from the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph that the promised land was not theirs yet. Now their descendants, some two centuries later, are out of Egypt and in only 40 years will enter the promised land. But before they get there they too will experience lessons that teach them to look forward by faith. They would have to wait, follow instructions, obey, and keep moving if they wanted to permanently enter the land God had promised Abraham. This is a lesson each generation has to learn. We too will learn it. We too will enter.

God can miraculously heal waters and make it drinkable or He can show us a piece of wood to throw into the water so it becomes drinkable. God can either do it Himself, or show us how to do it. Both are miraculous. The water was miraculous either way.