I am going to write out and comment on a quote from The New American Bible: “At Marah and Elim. Then Moses led Israel forward from the Red Sea and they marched out to the desert of Shur. After traveling for three days through the desert without finding water, they arrived at Marah, where they could not drink the water, because it was too bitter. Hence this place was called Marah. As the people grumbled against Moses, saying, ‘What are we to drink?’ he appealed to the Lord, who pointed out to him a certain piece of wood. When he threw this into the water, the water became fresh.”
My response: This story is very simple and very powerful for two reasons. Think about how almighty God personally rescued them from slavery, parted the Red Sea and drowned the Pharaoh and his army, yet, a few weeks later, the Hebrews were no longer grateful, now jaded, yawning, well, Yahweh, what have you done for us lately.
Yahweh worked wondrous, remarkable miracles in front of His chosen people, again and again, but once they were thirsty in the desert, they were no longer grateful, no longer having faith that God will rescue them once more. Their faith was so shallow but should have been deep and abiding because God was so close at hand and had done so much for them so recently. But they became irrationally skeptical, irritated, and ungrateful with little provocation.
Our faith is gone is tepid and, on the surface, we so easily abandon God. That is basic flawed human nature at work. The Chosen People were sinners just like the rest of humanity, and their grumbling ingratitude towards Moses and Yahweh is ugly to review, but it is very human for us not to be classy and grateful when we should be.
The second reason that this quote is so powerful is that it shows Yahweh and Moses forgiving the people for their lack of faith, their grumbling, their petty ingratitude. Yahweh forgives them their unpleasant shortcomings and provides them with fresh water to quench their thirst in the desert.
What we have to love about the Bible is that human failings are openly depicted and laid bare for the world to see. People have free will and often use it to rebel against God and sin, but God often forgives them and helps them anyway.
God wants readers, thousands of years later, to realize they too have the same sinful nature, and they too need to not lose faith, curse God in their hour of need, and display such disgraceful, ungrateful whiny complaints.
Here is that same passage from the Holy Bible (KJV): “So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur, and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water.
And when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.
And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?
And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord showed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet . . .”
My response: It is easy to be grateful in times of plenty, and it is easy to keep faith in God when God and astounding miracles occur in front of one. It is much harder to be grateful in times of stress and duress, when we have not seen God or observed De’s displayed miracles ever.
God in these passages is reminding us that we need to be grateful and not lose faith in God in hard times as well when the going is easy and plush. It is harder to say than do, but being grateful and not losing faith in hard times would deeply please God.
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