DAY 17
The bitter waters of Marah
This event took place three days after the Lord divided the Red Sea for the children of Israel to pass through. They had no water for three days and they complained to God and to Moses. They came to a place called Marah. There was water there but it was bitter and not fit for drinking. Moses cried out to the Lord and the Lord showed him a tree and told him to throw the tree into the water. When Moses threw the tree into the water the water became sweet.
There is a law under the Old Testament that says if a man suspects his wife has been unfaithful he is to bring her to the priest. The priest will take some bitter water and put the woman under an oath that brings a curse. If she is guilty of adultery when she drinks the bitter water it will cause her stomach to become bitter. It will cause her thigh to rot and her belly to swell. This is a picture of Israel and the Law. Israel is married to the Law. If she is unfaithful to the Law she will drink the curse of the Law which brings sickness/disease and shame.
The bitter waters of Marah represent the curse of the Law. The tree that Moses threw into the bitter water represents the cross of Jesus Christ our Lord. The tree absorbed the bitterness in the water and turned the water sweet. On the cross Jesus absorbed all the judgment for man’s sin. Jesus absorbed the entire curse of the Law into his own body. He redeemed us from that curse and by his stripes we are healed. It was at the bitter waters of Marah that the Lord said to Israel:
Exodus 15:25-26 It was there that God made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them, 26 and said, "If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you."
Under the Old Covenant righteousness came by obeying all the commandments of God. If you were considered righteous God would not allow any sickness to come on you. Then he revealed himself as Jehovah Rapha (The Lord who heals you). Under the New Covenant our righteousness is given to us as a free gift. All who believe in Jesus are considered righteous before God. Therefore under the New Covenant God has sworn he will not allow sickness to come on us. It is at the cross that Jesus is revealed as Jehovah Rapha for he is the God who heals us. The bitter water is a picture of the Law of Moses that no one can keep and brings everyone under the curse. The sweet water is a picture of the New Covenant. It is the truth of our redemption in Christ Jesus our Lord.
There is a law under the Old Testament that says if a man suspects his wife has been unfaithful he is to bring her to the priest. The priest will take some bitter water and put the woman under an oath that brings a curse. If she is guilty of adultery when she drinks the bitter water it will cause her stomach to become bitter. It will cause her thigh to rot and her belly to swell. This is a picture of Israel and the Law. Israel is married to the Law. If she is unfaithful to the Law she will drink the curse of the Law which brings sickness/disease and shame.
The bitter waters of Marah represent the curse of the Law. The tree that Moses threw into the bitter water represents the cross of Jesus Christ our Lord. The tree absorbed the bitterness in the water and turned the water sweet. On the cross Jesus absorbed all the judgment for man’s sin. Jesus absorbed the entire curse of the Law into his own body. He redeemed us from that curse and by his stripes we are healed. It was at the bitter waters of Marah that the Lord said to Israel:
Exodus 15:25-26 It was there that God made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them, 26 and said, "If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you."
Under the Old Covenant righteousness came by obeying all the commandments of God. If you were considered righteous God would not allow any sickness to come on you. Then he revealed himself as Jehovah Rapha (The Lord who heals you). Under the New Covenant our righteousness is given to us as a free gift. All who believe in Jesus are considered righteous before God. Therefore under the New Covenant God has sworn he will not allow sickness to come on us. It is at the cross that Jesus is revealed as Jehovah Rapha for he is the God who heals us. The bitter water is a picture of the Law of Moses that no one can keep and brings everyone under the curse. The sweet water is a picture of the New Covenant. It is the truth of our redemption in Christ Jesus our Lord.
PrayerFather I thank you for absorbing the curse of the Law into your own body. I thank you for giving me the sweet water of my redemption in Christ Jesus.
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Confession
Jesus absorbed the curse of the Law into his own body. He absorbed my sickness and disease. I am free from all sickness for by Jesus stripes I am healed. The water of God’s word concerning my redemption is cleansing me and healing me in Jesus name, for I am the redeemed of the Lord.
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