Following the Red Sea crossing, God led His people into the wilderness of Shur, and for three days they found no water. In the desert, this is not a small thing; it is a matter of life and death. When they finally came to a place where there was water, it was bitter. The people reacted by murmuring against Moses, and they named the place Marah, which is the Hebrew word for “bitter.” Yet, Moses knew what to do and turned to God for help. He “cried unto the Lord,” and God was faithful to answer. “The Lord shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet”.
After their great deliverance, the Israelites may have expected that the rest of the journey would be without incident. That is not how life works, though; there are ups and downs. Life sent the children of Israel bitter waters, and sometimes life sends us bitter waters. After a spiritual victory, we can go on to experience sickness, loss, isolation, persecution, economic difficulties, and the list could go on. Yet, as with the Israelites in the wilderness, God offers a remedy for life’s bitter waters.
God showed Moses a tree, and He also shows us a tree. Our tree is Calvary, the Cross upon which Jesus died. It was the most bitter symbol of death known in the Roman world, but it has been transformed into a symbol of sweet hope and redemption by the Blood of Jesus Christ!
To those who are overwhelmed with the bitterness of sin, the Cross symbolizes the sweetness of salvation. It is forgiveness for sin through faith, repentance, and a surrender to God’s will. For the redeemed, the Cross—that tree that Jesus hung upon—is available for us to place into the bitter waters of life that come our way. It is the remedy for any trouble we may encounter.
