THE LIVES OF THE PATRIARCHS #107 | THE LIFE OF MOSES #89
Pastor Christopher Choo
Lesson 3792
THE LIVES OF THE PATRIARCHS #107
THE LIFE OF MOSES #89
Lesson from the Bitter Waters of Marah #3
MARAH VERSUS ELIM
Elim had twelve springs of fresh water and plenty of shade from the date palm trees to rest under.
Comparing and contrasting to Morah then, what is Elim?
Let us study Marah first.
1. Marah ( Bitterness)
The word Marah
reminds us that bitterness
destroys the usefulness of both water and human life that is poisoned by it.
When we stop trusting in the goodness of God and see only our own limited resources, we can become bitter.
Hebrews 12:15 warns, “See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”
Like the Israelites, when we are faced with bitter circumstances, we begin to doubt God’s hand on our lives.
We may attribute negative characteristics to our heavenly Father and may even accuse Him of wrongdoing (Malachi 2:17; 3:13–15; Job 1:22).
Just as Marah made the water useless, so Marah in our own lives makes us useless in bearing fruit for God’s kingdom.
God healed the water, and He can heal us when we obey His instruction (Psalm 34:18; Deuteronomy 32:39).
2. Elim ( Victory )
Elim was the second camping place of the Israelites after they crossed the Red Sea: "And they came to Elim, where were twelve springs of water, and threescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters" (Exod. 15:27).
A. It signified the realization of the fullness of life, strength, and cleansing Truth for the whole man;
B. Also a realization of victory (twelve is a number representing fullness in the spiritual).
Springs of water stand for
life and cleansing; and palm trees
denote victory.
Victory over what?
The self-life of murmuring and complaining and pity parties will end up as Marah.
Surprisingly Elim signifies the sudden Grace of God. It is not the place to be reminded that one is imperfect and must work hard to address the lack thereof.
At Elim, there is nothing to be proven, neither to God nor to another fellow man.
There are no specific conditions mentioned to be met in relation to Elim in scriptures that an individual or a group of people must meet in order to be blessed and have none of the diseases and plagues be put on them as it was the case of Pharaoh.
At Elim, one is offered rest and abundance freely.
This oasis of blessing is not a mirage in a desert place.
It is the tangible manifestation of God's grace to the undeserving.
It is God's extravagant love for hearts that are veering towards bitterness and being hardened in the process.
Elim is the best example of YHVH Rapha whose gracious healing and restoration is for the whole person - our bodies, soul, and spirit.
N.B. Tomorrow we shall study the personal and covenantal name of God as YHVH Rapha.
