1 00:00:12,400 --> 00:00:15,240 In one sense, this week hasn't been a great week for me because 2 00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:19,200 there's been a song stuck in my head that I cannot get out of 3 00:00:19,200 --> 00:00:19,440 it. 4 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:23,200 And it's all based on Exodus, chapter 15. 5 00:00:23,360 --> 00:00:26,680 And maybe you'll know it because you'll remember it either 6 00:00:26,680 --> 00:00:30,480 on a cassette tape or on a record player, something like that. 7 00:00:31,200 --> 00:00:32,320 And this is what it is. 8 00:00:32,880 --> 00:00:37,040 Oh, they grumble on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday Grumble on a Thursday, 9 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:41,960 too Grumble on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday Grumble the whole 10 00:00:41,960 --> 00:00:46,440 week through oh, they grumble on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday Grumble 11 00:00:46,440 --> 00:00:51,760 on a Thursday too Grumble on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday Grumble 12 00:00:51,840 --> 00:00:54,000 the whole week through. 13 00:00:55,040 --> 00:00:56,000 Anybody know it? 14 00:00:57,050 --> 00:00:58,090 Anybody want to sing it? 15 00:00:59,930 --> 00:01:02,810 It's called the Grumble Song, surprisingly. 16 00:01:04,170 --> 00:01:09,410 And it comes from a period, perhaps in American history, by the 17 00:01:09,410 --> 00:01:16,650 gentleman Thoreau Harris, who simply had enough of people grumbling. 18 00:01:17,530 --> 00:01:22,090 He lived in Eureka Springs, quite a name of a town in Arkansas, 19 00:01:22,330 --> 00:01:27,180 and simply couldn't cope with the negative spirit of those around 20 00:01:27,180 --> 00:01:27,580 him. 21 00:01:28,060 --> 00:01:30,940 He was not only a hymn writer and he was known for going around 22 00:01:30,940 --> 00:01:35,860 his local town with a bag of hymns and booklets and tracts, but 23 00:01:35,860 --> 00:01:37,340 he would preach as well. 24 00:01:37,900 --> 00:01:41,699 And through his preaching and coming to a song that he wrote such 25 00:01:41,699 --> 00:01:45,020 as this, you can get the sense of what was going on. 26 00:01:45,180 --> 00:01:50,060 He particularly found it hard when Christians would grumble. 27 00:01:50,060 --> 00:01:54,580 And his closing verse says, if you don't quit your grumbling and 28 00:01:54,580 --> 00:01:57,860 stop it now and here you'll never get to heaven. 29 00:01:58,180 --> 00:01:59,940 No grumblers enter there. 30 00:02:00,500 --> 00:02:02,420 Repent and be converted. 31 00:02:02,420 --> 00:02:04,820 Be saved from all your sin. 32 00:02:05,460 --> 00:02:10,980 You know that grumbling Christians find it hard a crown to 33 00:02:10,980 --> 00:02:11,300 win. 34 00:02:12,820 --> 00:02:16,340 Now, we're not about to take a deep dive into any theology that 35 00:02:16,340 --> 00:02:20,290 that last verse of his song may have or may not have, but. 36 00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:22,640 But you can see what the heart issue is here. 37 00:02:22,640 --> 00:02:27,280 For Thoreau Harris, he couldn't get his head around the 38 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:34,960 fact that Christians had so much of Christ in them, but yet they 39 00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:35,880 would still grumble. 40 00:02:36,600 --> 00:02:40,200 He couldn't figure it out that how can you say you're in Christ 41 00:02:40,200 --> 00:02:41,880 and yet grumble? 42 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:44,520 But yet they did. 43 00:02:45,320 --> 00:02:49,800 And the song was penned to jolt believers into the reality of 44 00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:54,140 what their grumbling was doing, simply getting something off 45 00:02:54,140 --> 00:02:54,940 their chest. 46 00:02:56,060 --> 00:03:05,860 It was actually rotting their soul for Harris, because of the rot 47 00:03:05,860 --> 00:03:07,580 that it caused in their souls. 48 00:03:07,979 --> 00:03:12,540 It was also discrediting their witness and their testimony. 49 00:03:13,980 --> 00:03:18,220 And whenever you think of this hymn written in the early 1900s, 50 00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:24,520 about 1925, and you compare it to Exodus 15, you can see what he's 51 00:03:24,520 --> 00:03:25,120 getting at. 52 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:28,000 Here's a People of a million strong. 53 00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:30,960 Some people would even estimate it was 2.6 million strong. 54 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:32,800 But let's settle for a million. 55 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:36,160 Can you even imagine what a million people look like? 56 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:41,360 And they'd just been brought through mighty waters on dry ground, 57 00:03:41,440 --> 00:03:45,280 with the Lord holding back the water so that they would not be consumed. 58 00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:48,000 And as soon as they crossed, the waters came together again. 59 00:03:48,160 --> 00:03:52,680 Creation restored, and the punishment that the Egyptians deserved 60 00:03:52,680 --> 00:03:53,400 fell on them. 61 00:03:53,960 --> 00:03:57,280 And then we had that great song of joy and celebration at the 62 00:03:57,280 --> 00:03:58,440 start of Exodus 15. 63 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:01,480 And just after three days, what happens? 64 00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:06,400 They grumble on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, grumble on a 65 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:11,560 Thursday too, Grumble on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday, grumble 66 00:04:11,720 --> 00:04:13,800 the whole week through. 67 00:04:15,080 --> 00:04:21,780 Here were redeemed people of God who were grumbling and had a 68 00:04:21,780 --> 00:04:26,220 grumbling spirit within them, a grumbling spirit that was against 69 00:04:26,620 --> 00:04:31,260 God and against his leader. 70 00:04:33,180 --> 00:04:35,820 See how quickly they forgot? 71 00:04:35,820 --> 00:04:40,100 And by the way, they're going to be short memoried people, because 72 00:04:40,100 --> 00:04:43,580 this is only the first of three accounts of when the people 73 00:04:43,580 --> 00:04:47,650 grumble about their situation, as we saw in chapter 14, it's almost 74 00:04:47,650 --> 00:04:51,290 as if they'd forgot that they were the ones who had cried out to 75 00:04:51,290 --> 00:04:54,690 God in the first place for rescue from Egypt because of their 76 00:04:54,690 --> 00:04:55,210 slavery. 77 00:04:55,210 --> 00:04:56,450 And he had delivered them. 78 00:04:57,170 --> 00:05:00,290 And so this is the first of their grumblings, and it's about 79 00:05:00,290 --> 00:05:03,250 the lack of water to drink as they come to Marah. 80 00:05:04,210 --> 00:05:08,290 The second grumbling will be in chapter 16 with the lack of food 81 00:05:08,290 --> 00:05:08,850 to eat. 82 00:05:09,010 --> 00:05:12,570 And then the third grumbling is about water to drink again in 83 00:05:12,570 --> 00:05:13,330 chapter 17. 84 00:05:14,620 --> 00:05:19,100 And these three accounts will build up to their arrival at Sinai 85 00:05:19,500 --> 00:05:22,620 and the giving of the Ten Commandments, showing them truly 86 00:05:22,620 --> 00:05:27,500 who God is and how he is to be worshipped by them, his people. 87 00:05:29,420 --> 00:05:33,420 But for now, they're quite literally simply days from crossing 88 00:05:33,420 --> 00:05:35,180 the Red Sea on dry ground. 89 00:05:35,580 --> 00:05:39,260 And verse 22 sums up the situation for us like this. 90 00:05:40,530 --> 00:05:44,730 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the desert 91 00:05:44,730 --> 00:05:47,170 of Shur for three days. 92 00:05:47,250 --> 00:05:51,890 They traveled in the desert without finding water. 93 00:05:53,410 --> 00:05:55,890 At this point, we might have a bit of sympathy for the people. 94 00:05:56,530 --> 00:06:00,090 They're probably tired, still coming to terms with the fact that 95 00:06:00,090 --> 00:06:01,210 they're no longer slaves. 96 00:06:01,210 --> 00:06:03,730 But the body needs food and the body needs water. 97 00:06:03,890 --> 00:06:06,250 And it would appear that any provisions that they had brought 98 00:06:06,250 --> 00:06:08,130 with them out of Egypt are now gone. 99 00:06:08,370 --> 00:06:08,530 And. 100 00:06:08,920 --> 00:06:13,000 And so they feel the thirst of walking through the wilderness. 101 00:06:13,960 --> 00:06:17,880 Eventually, as verse 23 tells us, they reach a place called Marah. 102 00:06:18,760 --> 00:06:23,200 Marah has water, but they can't drink it because it's Bitter, 103 00:06:23,200 --> 00:06:26,000 which is what the name Marah means. 104 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:28,360 And for the people, this is a crisis. 105 00:06:29,960 --> 00:06:34,000 Now, go back about 20 years ago, whenever I was doing pulpit 106 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:39,100 supplies around large parts of Northern Ireland, you learn to cautiously 107 00:06:39,100 --> 00:06:40,140 step into pulpits. 108 00:06:41,260 --> 00:06:44,860 And as you know, I do drink whenever I'm in the pulpit because 109 00:06:44,860 --> 00:06:46,060 of how my throat is. 110 00:06:46,380 --> 00:06:48,860 And so that was still the same 20 years ago. 111 00:06:49,580 --> 00:06:52,100 And if you're in the middle of a sermon and you reach for the glass 112 00:06:52,100 --> 00:06:53,860 and take it up, you don't look at what it looks like. 113 00:06:53,860 --> 00:06:55,420 And that was my first lesson. 114 00:06:55,580 --> 00:06:56,580 Look at what the glass. 115 00:06:56,580 --> 00:06:59,180 Look at the colour of the water in the glass. 116 00:07:00,220 --> 00:07:03,930 Because I have tasted better water, bitter water, that may have 117 00:07:03,930 --> 00:07:08,050 resided in a pulpit for months because maybe the person before me 118 00:07:08,050 --> 00:07:08,690 hadn't drunk it. 119 00:07:08,690 --> 00:07:10,090 And they said, it'll be all right. 120 00:07:11,210 --> 00:07:12,170 Well, it was not. 121 00:07:13,370 --> 00:07:15,690 And no toothpick would ever make it sweet. 122 00:07:16,970 --> 00:07:19,490 But we know what bad water tastes like. 123 00:07:19,490 --> 00:07:22,210 Maybe you don't, but if you've ever had to taste sea water, you'll 124 00:07:22,210 --> 00:07:23,690 know exactly what it tastes like. 125 00:07:24,250 --> 00:07:27,850 And so when water supplies run out, particularly in the wilderness, 126 00:07:29,290 --> 00:07:30,650 well, death soon follows. 127 00:07:31,530 --> 00:07:36,570 The Israelites could call out in faith, as they have done before, 128 00:07:36,570 --> 00:07:39,210 asking the Lord to deliver them, to deliver them from slavery, 129 00:07:39,210 --> 00:07:42,010 then to deliver them from Egypt, as their backs were against 130 00:07:42,010 --> 00:07:46,170 the Red Sea, cry out to him as they'd done before in this crisis. 131 00:07:46,970 --> 00:07:53,050 But instead they respond, and they respond again with unbelief. 132 00:07:53,050 --> 00:07:54,280 They're not willing to. 133 00:07:54,670 --> 00:07:56,030 To believe in the lord. 134 00:07:56,750 --> 00:07:59,070 And verse 24 tells us their response. 135 00:07:59,470 --> 00:08:03,870 So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, what are we to drink? 136 00:08:04,590 --> 00:08:08,230 Rather than approaching Moses in a way that appreciates all that 137 00:08:08,230 --> 00:08:09,510 the Lord has done for them. 138 00:08:09,510 --> 00:08:13,750 They come with a spirit and a heart of grumbling against their 139 00:08:13,750 --> 00:08:19,550 conditions and against the one they see as the reason for why they're 140 00:08:19,550 --> 00:08:20,990 in the situation that they're in. 141 00:08:22,430 --> 00:08:27,550 And the word grumble refers to a strong expression of discontent 142 00:08:27,550 --> 00:08:30,670 with the Lord or his leaders. 143 00:08:31,870 --> 00:08:35,150 And so, faced with their response, Moses does what the people 144 00:08:35,150 --> 00:08:35,870 should have done. 145 00:08:35,870 --> 00:08:37,870 He cries out to the Lord for help. 146 00:08:37,870 --> 00:08:38,910 What else can he do? 147 00:08:39,550 --> 00:08:43,150 He is one person leading over a million people. 148 00:08:43,790 --> 00:08:45,870 And so he has no strength of his own. 149 00:08:45,950 --> 00:08:49,230 And he goes to the Lord, and it is the Lord who provides a solution. 150 00:08:50,130 --> 00:08:54,090 And in verse 25, we're told that the Lord shows Moses a log to 151 00:08:54,090 --> 00:08:57,890 throw into the waters so that they will be drinkable. 152 00:08:58,930 --> 00:09:03,010 Now, the text tells us that the water became sweet, meaning that 153 00:09:03,010 --> 00:09:04,690 it could be drunk by the people. 154 00:09:05,890 --> 00:09:09,210 And the people have witnessed a miracle of God before their very 155 00:09:09,210 --> 00:09:09,730 eyes. 156 00:09:10,770 --> 00:09:11,650 They grumbled. 157 00:09:12,530 --> 00:09:16,010 Moses cried out to the Lord and the Lord provided a way of salvation 158 00:09:16,010 --> 00:09:19,770 yet again, this time through a log being put into water. 159 00:09:20,490 --> 00:09:24,010 But what is remarkable is not that God was able to perform the 160 00:09:24,010 --> 00:09:28,610 miracle at Marah, but that he was willing to do it for such a bunch 161 00:09:28,610 --> 00:09:29,690 of grumblers. 162 00:09:30,490 --> 00:09:31,850 Why would he be bothered? 163 00:09:32,570 --> 00:09:37,010 Well, John Calvin says this herein shone forth the inestimable 164 00:09:37,010 --> 00:09:41,890 mercy of God who dying to change the nature of the water for 165 00:09:41,890 --> 00:09:46,860 the purpose of supplying such wicked and, and rebellious and ungrateful 166 00:09:46,860 --> 00:09:47,180 men. 167 00:09:48,860 --> 00:09:52,100 I think that's a pretty good estimation of what's been carried 168 00:09:52,100 --> 00:09:52,540 out here. 169 00:09:53,580 --> 00:09:57,980 It gives God his full place and is a fair judgment of who these 170 00:09:57,980 --> 00:09:58,540 people are. 171 00:09:58,700 --> 00:10:01,100 Why would God want to supply them with water? 172 00:10:01,580 --> 00:10:07,580 They're grumblers, they're wicked, they're rebellious and they're 173 00:10:07,580 --> 00:10:08,300 ungrateful. 174 00:10:09,820 --> 00:10:13,220 But what we see demonstrated here by God is that his grace is 175 00:10:13,220 --> 00:10:18,000 so amazing that he even provides for whiners, provided that 176 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:19,480 they are really his children. 177 00:10:20,120 --> 00:10:23,960 And he does this to show his mercy and his grace. 178 00:10:24,680 --> 00:10:27,960 He also does it so that we learn to trust in Him. 179 00:10:28,280 --> 00:10:29,720 For the water of life. 180 00:10:30,600 --> 00:10:36,200 God wants us to have deep dependence on his ability to provide. 181 00:10:37,640 --> 00:10:41,990 Often he teaches us this lesson by first leading us to taste 182 00:10:42,230 --> 00:10:43,110 bitter water. 183 00:10:44,070 --> 00:10:45,670 And this was true for Israel. 184 00:10:46,310 --> 00:10:50,390 It was the bittersweet waters of Marah or Marah that increased 185 00:10:50,390 --> 00:10:51,110 their faith. 186 00:10:52,470 --> 00:10:56,430 One sign of growing spiritual maturity is our ability to trust 187 00:10:56,430 --> 00:11:01,750 that God will provide even when it is hard to see how. 188 00:11:01,910 --> 00:11:05,270 Because God has promised in 2nd Peter chapter 1 and verse 3, 189 00:11:05,830 --> 00:11:10,760 his divine power has given us everything we need for life Godliness 190 00:11:10,920 --> 00:11:15,320 through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and 191 00:11:15,320 --> 00:11:15,880 goodness. 192 00:11:17,960 --> 00:11:22,720 So even years later, as Peter's writing, he's telling us 193 00:11:22,720 --> 00:11:25,400 the same truth that's revealed to us in Exodus 15. 194 00:11:26,360 --> 00:11:30,720 God is still good towards his people because his divine power has 195 00:11:30,720 --> 00:11:36,980 given us everything that we need for life godliness. 196 00:11:38,020 --> 00:11:42,580 And it's all because of how and what he has revealed of Himself. 197 00:11:43,940 --> 00:11:48,260 And this is a lesson that most believers, most Christians need to 198 00:11:48,260 --> 00:11:52,420 learn over and over until we finally get to the point where we 199 00:11:52,420 --> 00:11:56,900 no longer question if God is going to provide, but only wonder 200 00:11:56,900 --> 00:12:01,730 how he will take care of us this time, waiting in faith until 201 00:12:01,810 --> 00:12:02,450 he does. 202 00:12:03,410 --> 00:12:07,890 And God tells us that this incident at Mar was to test the people. 203 00:12:08,850 --> 00:12:11,570 God was doing something through it. 204 00:12:12,290 --> 00:12:15,170 He wasn't punishing them, he wasn't neglecting them. 205 00:12:15,730 --> 00:12:18,970 He was wanting their eyes and their hearts to be open to who he 206 00:12:18,970 --> 00:12:22,530 was, because this is what he says in verse 25, there the Lord 207 00:12:22,530 --> 00:12:26,710 made a decree and a law for them, and there He. 208 00:12:26,780 --> 00:12:27,660 He tested them. 209 00:12:28,860 --> 00:12:32,460 So this was a moment when the people were to take notice of God. 210 00:12:32,700 --> 00:12:35,660 And perhaps you'd wonder, how could they not notice Him? 211 00:12:35,900 --> 00:12:39,820 He's been before them as a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire. 212 00:12:39,980 --> 00:12:41,660 He's taken them through the waters. 213 00:12:41,980 --> 00:12:48,060 He's punished their enemies, but yet they failed to take notice 214 00:12:48,060 --> 00:12:52,300 of who he truly is and what his standard of living for them was. 215 00:12:53,510 --> 00:12:57,190 And so this is why they're being tested, so that they will actually 216 00:12:57,350 --> 00:13:01,270 love God more than their sinful hearts. 217 00:13:03,510 --> 00:13:08,710 You see, the people have already demonstrated their willingness 218 00:13:08,710 --> 00:13:13,670 to grumble at the Red Sea, and now here at Marah. 219 00:13:14,470 --> 00:13:18,230 So the Lord is going to direct them as to what their true response 220 00:13:18,230 --> 00:13:19,190 to him should be. 221 00:13:20,100 --> 00:13:24,460 And so as they're tested, as verse 25 tells us, so God says he's 222 00:13:24,460 --> 00:13:27,460 making a decree and a law for them here at Marah. 223 00:13:27,860 --> 00:13:29,860 And this will direct them. 224 00:13:30,340 --> 00:13:34,820 This is what verse 26 says by way of that law and that decree. 225 00:13:35,780 --> 00:13:38,900 God said, if you listen carefully, or Moses said of the Lord, 226 00:13:38,900 --> 00:13:41,500 if you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God, and do 227 00:13:41,500 --> 00:13:45,620 what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands 228 00:13:45,620 --> 00:13:50,090 and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the 229 00:13:50,090 --> 00:13:55,170 diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord who 230 00:13:55,170 --> 00:13:55,890 heals you. 231 00:13:57,650 --> 00:14:02,290 God's saying, I again will rescue you. 232 00:14:02,850 --> 00:14:04,049 I will keep you. 233 00:14:04,049 --> 00:14:06,730 He's demonstrated that rescue in providing water. 234 00:14:06,730 --> 00:14:10,370 And in doing so, he's provided an object lesson for them at Marah. 235 00:14:10,610 --> 00:14:14,380 Just as the Lord is the one who has healed the water that was 236 00:14:14,380 --> 00:14:17,940 bitter, he is the one who heals Israel. 237 00:14:18,020 --> 00:14:20,820 A spiritual healing indeed. 238 00:14:20,820 --> 00:14:24,180 While he mentions his discipline by referring to the diseases 239 00:14:24,180 --> 00:14:28,580 that he put on the Egyptians, he focuses on his love for his people, 240 00:14:28,820 --> 00:14:31,860 telling them that he is the great healer. 241 00:14:32,980 --> 00:14:37,540 So what the Lord is doing here is he's leaning toward them. 242 00:14:37,780 --> 00:14:42,960 He's leaning toward his people with care, not judgment. 243 00:14:43,360 --> 00:14:47,360 Because if he was leaning with judgment, then they would face the 244 00:14:47,360 --> 00:14:49,680 same fate as the Egyptians. 245 00:14:50,880 --> 00:14:54,960 But even though the Lord is of steadfast love towards them, this 246 00:14:54,960 --> 00:14:57,920 doesn't mean that Israel can live any way they like. 247 00:14:58,480 --> 00:15:02,080 The Lord provides them with a binding custom or law. 248 00:15:02,560 --> 00:15:06,160 And in this case, the statute and rule tells them that if Israel 249 00:15:06,160 --> 00:15:09,840 is faithful to the Lord, then he will protect them from harm and 250 00:15:09,840 --> 00:15:11,360 he will bless them with good. 251 00:15:12,680 --> 00:15:17,800 This is a test insofar as it establishes a standard of behavior 252 00:15:18,280 --> 00:15:22,520 by which Israel will be measured, namely, obedience. 253 00:15:23,080 --> 00:15:24,680 To their covenant king. 254 00:15:25,960 --> 00:15:28,039 And this is what the Lord requires of them. 255 00:15:28,360 --> 00:15:34,440 And they are now openly being challenged to live truly as his people. 256 00:15:35,480 --> 00:15:40,170 They've seen his great hand of rescue and salvation, and yet they'll 257 00:15:40,170 --> 00:15:42,970 still grumble because they think they can. 258 00:15:43,850 --> 00:15:47,210 But the Lord's goodness and kindness doesn't finish at Marah 259 00:15:47,690 --> 00:15:50,890 because let's read on in verse 27 where we're told that he leads 260 00:15:50,890 --> 00:15:52,650 them to a place called Elam. 261 00:15:53,370 --> 00:15:58,010 Then they came to Elim, where there were 12 springs and 70 palm 262 00:15:58,010 --> 00:16:01,050 trees and they camped there near the water. 263 00:16:02,490 --> 00:16:09,060 Elam is an oasis in the wilderness as they move further into 264 00:16:09,060 --> 00:16:12,460 that wilderness, into the barren land away from Egypt, and 265 00:16:12,460 --> 00:16:15,340 truth be told, even further away from the promised land. 266 00:16:15,340 --> 00:16:19,300 Geographically, the Lord provides for them not only water 267 00:16:20,020 --> 00:16:24,260 but also shade, so they can know refreshment from the burning 268 00:16:24,340 --> 00:16:25,380 sun overhead. 269 00:16:26,100 --> 00:16:30,780 See, God doesn't abandon his grumbling people, nor does he pour 270 00:16:30,780 --> 00:16:31,860 his wrath upon them. 271 00:16:31,860 --> 00:16:36,930 Instead, he leads them on so that they can know his true goodness 272 00:16:37,330 --> 00:16:44,690 and his true grace and is in the to the oasis that we all want 273 00:16:44,690 --> 00:16:45,170 to run. 274 00:16:46,450 --> 00:16:49,530 We can be found at times enjoying a wonderful moment in life 275 00:16:49,530 --> 00:16:52,930 and saying, wouldn't it be great if it was like this all the 276 00:16:52,930 --> 00:16:53,250 time? 277 00:16:53,890 --> 00:16:58,290 It might be a special moment with family, or a sense of a period 278 00:16:58,290 --> 00:17:02,860 of peace and harmony at home, or a holiday where the cares of normal 279 00:17:02,860 --> 00:17:05,300 life can disappear for a few short days. 280 00:17:05,300 --> 00:17:09,900 And so we utter these words, wouldn't it be great if it was like 281 00:17:09,900 --> 00:17:11,660 this all the time? 282 00:17:14,380 --> 00:17:20,660 We get that sense that this is how we would want life to be, rather 283 00:17:20,660 --> 00:17:22,940 than the turmoil that we face. 284 00:17:24,860 --> 00:17:29,070 But the reality is life can't be like this. 285 00:17:29,630 --> 00:17:33,310 And all the good times that we enjoy all the time. 286 00:17:34,590 --> 00:17:41,430 This is a world that is shaped and influenced by sin and the consequences 287 00:17:41,430 --> 00:17:46,790 of that sin, our sins and the sins of others reaches far in its 288 00:17:46,790 --> 00:17:48,990 influence and impact on our lives. 289 00:17:50,590 --> 00:17:57,550 Sin will always ruin the ideal moments of life because that is what 290 00:17:57,550 --> 00:17:59,870 sin has always done. 291 00:18:00,830 --> 00:18:04,670 It was sin that ruined creation and brought death, sickness, 292 00:18:04,750 --> 00:18:08,430 disease and grumbling into the world. 293 00:18:09,389 --> 00:18:13,470 This was not God's way of creation and before it. 294 00:18:13,470 --> 00:18:17,230 In chapter 15, we see the consequence of this sin. 295 00:18:18,110 --> 00:18:21,950 But it turns out that as much as they will have enjoyed the oasis 296 00:18:21,950 --> 00:18:25,380 and sweetness of eliminating, the Israelites learned more from 297 00:18:25,380 --> 00:18:27,100 the bitterness of Marah. 298 00:18:27,740 --> 00:18:32,060 However, there is something to learn from these palm springs in 299 00:18:32,060 --> 00:18:32,700 Elam. 300 00:18:33,260 --> 00:18:35,020 Elim was a place of abundance. 301 00:18:35,580 --> 00:18:41,260 Usually it's identified with Wadi Garhadel, a lush oasis in northern 302 00:18:41,260 --> 00:18:41,980 Sinai. 303 00:18:42,540 --> 00:18:46,460 Well, wherever Elam was located, the presence of such large 304 00:18:46,540 --> 00:18:51,020 trees shows that it had a limitless supply of underground water. 305 00:18:51,910 --> 00:18:56,390 The numbers 12 and 70 are symbolic of fullness and blessing. 306 00:18:57,190 --> 00:19:00,950 There are a dozen wells, one for each of the tribes of Israel, 307 00:19:01,190 --> 00:19:05,910 and 70 trees, one for each of Israel's elders, so that there was 308 00:19:05,910 --> 00:19:07,270 plenty for everyone. 309 00:19:08,150 --> 00:19:12,710 This again shows that God's provision is abundant and it would 310 00:19:12,710 --> 00:19:15,590 be enough for God to give us what we need to survive. 311 00:19:15,750 --> 00:19:19,390 But ordinarily he gives us enough to to thrive. 312 00:19:19,950 --> 00:19:22,350 Not just survive, but thrive. 313 00:19:23,310 --> 00:19:26,110 He satisfied Israel's thirst in the wilderness. 314 00:19:26,830 --> 00:19:30,310 Now from the everlasting fountain of his grace, he showers 315 00:19:30,310 --> 00:19:35,310 his people with care so that we flourish in every way. 316 00:19:37,950 --> 00:19:41,230 And I wonder, as we've read this account, have you seen the moments 317 00:19:41,630 --> 00:19:44,510 where we see the reflection of Jesus in this story? 318 00:19:46,470 --> 00:19:50,230 The people had experienced a great rescue and salvation from Egypt. 319 00:19:50,790 --> 00:19:53,830 We know salvation from sin can only come through Jesus. 320 00:19:54,710 --> 00:19:57,990 The people quickly forgot what was done on their behalf and grumbled 321 00:19:57,990 --> 00:19:58,790 against God. 322 00:19:59,510 --> 00:20:02,510 We know what it cost Jesus on the cross to pay the punishment our 323 00:20:02,510 --> 00:20:03,310 sins deserve. 324 00:20:03,310 --> 00:20:06,950 And we continue to grumble against God saying, that's not fair 325 00:20:07,990 --> 00:20:10,870 when we don't get things the way that we want them. 326 00:20:12,100 --> 00:20:15,060 The Lord was good to his people in providing for their needs 327 00:20:15,060 --> 00:20:17,780 and causing them to thrive in his love. 328 00:20:18,980 --> 00:20:23,060 Well, Jesus calls us to place our faith and trust in him so that 329 00:20:23,060 --> 00:20:27,620 we too can thrive now and be ready for eternity with Him. 330 00:20:28,340 --> 00:20:32,420 And so what we have in this passage is the message of the Gospel 331 00:20:32,420 --> 00:20:36,980 to us that as we walk the weary paths and that wilderness was 332 00:20:36,980 --> 00:20:41,690 weary, but as we walk the weary paths of life, we can know 333 00:20:41,690 --> 00:20:42,970 that there is hope. 334 00:20:44,410 --> 00:20:48,810 And rather than grumbling, we can be peoples whose hearts are filled 335 00:20:48,810 --> 00:20:53,010 by the Holy Spirit, so that we will look to God and wait and wonder 336 00:20:53,010 --> 00:20:57,290 how he will act this time, rather than hurling words of accusation. 337 00:20:59,050 --> 00:21:00,570 And I know that. 338 00:21:00,970 --> 00:21:02,250 I know life is hard. 339 00:21:02,890 --> 00:21:04,250 I know life is difficult. 340 00:21:04,250 --> 00:21:07,720 And there are moments of deep tears and deep heartache. 341 00:21:09,160 --> 00:21:12,920 And as we said last week, we can question God as to why we must 342 00:21:12,920 --> 00:21:13,960 endure such things. 343 00:21:14,360 --> 00:21:18,200 But to blame him demonstrates that our focus is not truly on Him. 344 00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:20,200 Rather, it is on ourselves. 345 00:21:20,520 --> 00:21:25,160 For in blaming him, we want to vindicate our actions and remove 346 00:21:25,160 --> 00:21:27,640 ourselves from fault or blame. 347 00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:33,320 But there is hope in Christ and there is hope in him alone. 348 00:21:34,370 --> 00:21:39,370 God has made abundant provision for us by sending His Son 349 00:21:39,370 --> 00:21:41,010 to be our Savior. 350 00:21:41,730 --> 00:21:47,490 If we have Jesus, if we know him as our Lord and Savior, then 351 00:21:47,490 --> 00:21:49,410 we have everything we need. 352 00:21:50,210 --> 00:21:53,570 Because Paul writes to the Church in Philippi, in Philippians 353 00:21:53,570 --> 00:21:57,170 chapter 4 and verse 19, and he tells them, my God will supply every 354 00:21:57,170 --> 00:22:01,830 need of yours according to his riches in glory and in Christ Jesus. 355 00:22:01,830 --> 00:22:07,310 It is because of Christ that God is good towards us, because that 356 00:22:07,310 --> 00:22:10,070 is the complete demonstration of his steadfast love. 357 00:22:10,550 --> 00:22:15,950 So that as we know Christ, then He will indeed supply every 358 00:22:15,950 --> 00:22:16,310 need. 359 00:22:17,590 --> 00:22:20,310 Does that mean that God will meet all our material needs? 360 00:22:21,510 --> 00:22:21,990 Yes. 361 00:22:22,630 --> 00:22:27,780 He has promised to provide everything we truly need for daily 362 00:22:27,780 --> 00:22:28,580 existence. 363 00:22:29,460 --> 00:22:32,900 But more than that, he has promised to meet all our deepest 364 00:22:32,900 --> 00:22:38,060 spiritual needs, granting us forgiveness of sins and giving us 365 00:22:38,060 --> 00:22:40,580 fellowship with him forever. 366 00:22:44,740 --> 00:22:49,780 Your tears may be bitter and hard. 367 00:22:51,300 --> 00:22:56,660 Your heart may be sorrow filled with and yearning for a better 368 00:22:56,660 --> 00:22:57,060 day. 369 00:22:58,900 --> 00:23:03,940 This is the reality of the life that we have because of sin. 370 00:23:05,620 --> 00:23:09,700 Now, I'm not saying that it's because of a sin that you have committed. 371 00:23:10,820 --> 00:23:15,820 It is the sin of Genesis 3 that impacts everything we do, day 372 00:23:15,820 --> 00:23:16,500 and daily. 373 00:23:18,020 --> 00:23:21,890 And these days can be bitterly hard. 374 00:23:25,010 --> 00:23:28,770 But yet there is hope in Christ. 375 00:23:30,530 --> 00:23:35,490 There is salvation in him, that not only as he leads us through 376 00:23:35,490 --> 00:23:39,610 the waters, but he will give us water by which we can live. 377 00:23:39,610 --> 00:23:44,410 Because the Bible applies the lessons of Marah and Elam by describing 378 00:23:44,410 --> 00:23:46,450 Jesus as the water of life. 379 00:23:46,450 --> 00:23:50,610 Jesus said it himself in John 7, 37 and 38. 380 00:23:50,940 --> 00:23:54,060 If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 381 00:23:54,300 --> 00:23:58,860 Whoever believes in me, as the scripture has said, streams of living 382 00:23:58,940 --> 00:24:01,580 water will flow from within him. 383 00:24:02,460 --> 00:24:06,060 Jesus is speaking about the Holy Spirit, who is the refreshing 384 00:24:06,140 --> 00:24:08,300 source of all spiritual vitality. 385 00:24:08,700 --> 00:24:12,860 To come to Jesus is to receive the Holy Spirit and with the Spirit, 386 00:24:12,860 --> 00:24:15,180 an everlasting supply of grace. 387 00:24:16,550 --> 00:24:21,030 Everyone who comes to Jesus discovers that he is deeply satisfying 388 00:24:21,030 --> 00:24:22,150 in every way. 389 00:24:22,790 --> 00:24:25,510 And everyone may come to Jesus. 390 00:24:26,070 --> 00:24:31,110 As Revelation chapter 22 and verse 17 says, Whoever is thirsty, 391 00:24:31,270 --> 00:24:32,150 let him come. 392 00:24:32,390 --> 00:24:37,350 And whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of 393 00:24:37,350 --> 00:24:37,670 life. 394 00:24:39,910 --> 00:24:42,070 The people grumbled against God. 395 00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:49,600 Their hearts, their spirits, were full of angst towards him because 396 00:24:49,600 --> 00:24:51,960 they forgot what he had brought them through. 397 00:24:52,120 --> 00:24:56,680 And they had forgot that it was their cry for salvation that 398 00:24:56,680 --> 00:24:57,960 God had responded to. 399 00:24:59,320 --> 00:25:03,400 So I challenge you today to check your spirit. 400 00:25:04,440 --> 00:25:05,720 Is it a grumbling one? 401 00:25:06,600 --> 00:25:09,080 Do you grumble on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday? 402 00:25:10,040 --> 00:25:11,400 Grumble on a Thursday too? 403 00:25:12,200 --> 00:25:14,440 Grumble on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday? 404 00:25:14,840 --> 00:25:18,200 Grumble the whole week through to whoever will listen to you. 405 00:25:19,640 --> 00:25:24,640 Because in grumbling about the Lord and His people, well then your 406 00:25:24,640 --> 00:25:29,080 witness and your testimony is demonstrated as a rot to your soul. 407 00:25:30,440 --> 00:25:33,080 You see, we need to know living waters. 408 00:25:33,880 --> 00:25:38,320 We need to know the sweet waters of Marah and the oasis of 409 00:25:38,320 --> 00:25:41,190 Elam that we will trust in the Lord. 410 00:25:41,190 --> 00:25:44,550 That indeed he will provide because his invitation by his own 411 00:25:44,550 --> 00:25:47,790 words in John 7 and then by the revelation of John in chapter 412 00:25:47,790 --> 00:25:48,310 22. 413 00:25:48,630 --> 00:25:53,350 The invitation is to come whoever is thirsty and whoever wishes, 414 00:25:53,750 --> 00:25:58,270 so that indeed we can have the free gift of the water of life, living 415 00:25:58,270 --> 00:26:01,110 water that only Christ can give. 416 00:26:02,950 --> 00:26:09,520 So this day, whatever the hardness of life is, however our 417 00:26:09,520 --> 00:26:17,840 hardness of hearts, however we grumble, there is one who takes us 418 00:26:18,320 --> 00:26:25,120 and makes us his own, and we all need him, because his invitation 419 00:26:25,840 --> 00:26:32,130 is to come whoever is thirsty, so, so that indeed we may drink from 420 00:26:32,130 --> 00:26:38,530 the water of life, come to Christ, and know the path ahead through 421 00:26:38,530 --> 00:26:43,690 faith, as one looking to him, and he will lead us home. 422 00:26:44,490 --> 00:26:45,370 Let us pray. 423 00:26:46,330 --> 00:26:50,210 Our Father God, we thank you that your word, even a story from 424 00:26:50,210 --> 00:26:54,450 the Old Testament, has the power to point us to Christ and the 425 00:26:54,450 --> 00:26:56,090 truth of your salvation for us. 426 00:26:56,090 --> 00:26:58,250 And Father, we all need it, regardless of who we are. 427 00:26:58,950 --> 00:27:01,270 We need Christ more today than we did yesterday. 428 00:27:01,990 --> 00:27:05,350 So may indeed we drink from the abundance of the living water 429 00:27:05,350 --> 00:27:07,350 that Christ gives through the Holy Spirit. 430 00:27:07,990 --> 00:27:12,950 May we know Christ as our salvation, and may we live for him, 431 00:27:12,950 --> 00:27:16,830 not as people with spirits whose hearts are grumbling, but with 432 00:27:16,830 --> 00:27:18,310 hearts who are joy filled. 433 00:27:18,790 --> 00:27:23,630 So that we will make much of Christ and the joy of salvation and 434 00:27:23,630 --> 00:27:27,730 the love of his people, so that we will demonstrate to a world 435 00:27:28,290 --> 00:27:30,610 what is good and what is true. 436 00:27:31,170 --> 00:27:33,010 And we ask these things in Jesus name. 437 00:27:33,650 --> 00:27:34,290 Amen.