Water out of a rock

In our previous post we talked about how the Israelites escaped from the mighty Egyptian army by going through the Red Sea. Now the people of the Lord are in another big desert. How are they going to get out of this desert? How are they going to survive? Where are they going?

After the Israelites passed through the Red Sea, they found themselves in the Shur desert. This desert is a dry place. No human could survive on foot in this desert for a long time. So they traveled for three days before they could replenish their water supply.

Eventually the Israelites saw water! Like a pond! They were very excited to see the water and being able to drink water. But the water was bitter. The Hebrew word for bitter is “marah”. So they called the place Marah- where the water is bitter.

So the people started to complain to Moses saying that it would have been better to live and work as a slave in Egypt than to rot dry in the middle of a desert. So Moses prayed to the Lord and He gave them a way out,- a solution.

The Lord of Israel led Moses to a specific tree. Moses was to take a branch of the tree and to throw it into the bitter water supply. Moses did as the Lord commanded. After Moses had thrown the branch into the water, the water became drinkable.

There at Marah the Lord spent time with Moses and His people. The Lord cured their disease’s and instructed them in His commands.

What can we learn from the events at Marah?

·         Trust in the Lord, He knows your needs and will provide for you and your family.

·         It pays off to pray to the Lord and to tell Him what you need. The Israelites needed water, they prayed and the Lord provided.

·         The Lord can make a place like Marah-to be bitter- a place where His followers can survive.

Till next time!!

Worship God after a miracle

In the previous post we read how God created a path through the Red sea. The Israelites followed Gods command and he gave them a dry road through the Red sea.

As they approached the other side of the Red sea they rejoiced. They said thanks to the Lord and worshiped Him with songs. In particular was the sister of Moses, Miriam, who worshiped her God with a tambourine. A tambourine is a simple instrument but it was probably a good instrument for its time.

Wouldn’t you do the same if you just witnessed a large and powerful miracle that God performed? They just moved through a sea as if it was dry land! It must have been scary having two walls of water standing next to you with nothing holding them up!

What can we learn from the story of Miriam that worshiped God after they went through the Red sea?

·         We should worship God for his glory and for what He has done for us!

·         We can worship God with the simplest instrument and it would still count as worship.

    Till next time

Gods plan with the Red sea

In the Bible book of Exodus we read the story of Moses where he led his people out of Egypt. God commanded him to do so. You will remember that God assisted Moses as he led the Israelites out of slavery.

I am the LORD your God, the one who brought you out of Egypt where you were slaves.  (Exodus 20:2 CEV)

So the Pharaoh, the mighty ruler of Egypt, released the Israelites and gave them their freedom back, but that decision was short lived. A few days after he had released them he sent his mighty Egyptian army to enslave the Israelites or possibly kill them.

The Israelites were defenseless. God ordered them to set up camp next to the Red sea. At first glance this might look strange as God ordered his people into a dead end. It would be easy for the Egyptian army to capture the Israelites. But God had a plan!

The Israelites camping next to the Red sea heard the Pharaohs army approaching. They asked their Lord for help. God then sent a cloud to form where the Egyptians were, they got confused and did not know where to go. This gave the Israelites time to pack up their campsite.

The Lord told Moses to stretch-out his arm to the side of the Red sea. He did as the Lord asked. As he did this an opening formed in the sea, creating a path with walls of water on each side. The Israelites went through the Red sea without injury.

Later the Egyptian army saw what God did. The commander of that army ordered his troops to follow the Israelites through the opening in the sea. They did as he asked. As the Israelites came out the other side the Egyptian army was halfway. At this stage God closed the path through the water and the water walls gave way. As this happened the Egyptian army drowned.

What can we learn from the miracle at the Red sea?

·         God had a plan with His followers. God devised a plan that would cut the Egyptian army off and gave them what they deserved in the process.

·         Moses and the Israelites prayed to God and God gave them a way out

Till next time