Well, the other day I was reading
Exodus 15. This is the wonderful thing about
the Word of God. However familiar you become with
it, you never ever plumb its depths. And some of you might
say, gosh, not familiar with this passage. Well, no, I wasn't.
I hadn't looked at it in any depth before. And it just struck
me. The account of the bitter waters and the tree. What could
it possibly signify? When you read the scriptures
do you ask yourself that question? What could it possibly signify?
And what's the answer you must always come back with? It must
be speaking about the Lord Jesus Christ. For as he said, these
are they which speak of him. Beginning at Moses and the prophets,
he expounded to his disciples in all the scriptures the things
concerning himself. It must be about the Lord Jesus
Christ. But let's look at the background
to it, because these things historically happened. You know, they're not
fairy tales. These things are historical accounts.
And yet, they have gospel meaning. What's the purpose of the Word
of God? The purpose of the Word of God is not to tell humanity
how he wants them to live. That's the lie of religion. That's
the delusion of religion. Religion says the purpose of
the Word of God is to teach humanity how to live. It isn't. The purpose
of the Word of God is to tell his people how he has saved them
from their sins. That's it. That's it. It's an
enormous difference. It's an enormous difference.
There's a chasm between those two opinions, those two standings
in terms of the Word of God. So let's look at it. Israel had
come out of Egypt read the book of Exodus you can read the account
all of the plagues all of Pharaoh saying okay I'll let you go then
no I won't let you go and then finally coming to that great
plague in Exodus 12 where he slew the firstborn every single
house in Egypt the firstborn was to be slain of all the people
and of all the livestock the firstborn was to be slain every
household not just Egyptians every household every household. What, Israelites as well? Yes,
if there was not blood on the doorposts. There had to be blood
there. When the angel of death came
through, there had to be blood there to show that a lamb had
died in the place of that firstborn. And they come out of Egypt. The
Egyptians want them to go. And they've already given them
of their wealth, more or less in payment for the slavery and
the labor that they had gone through. And they're sent out.
they come out gladly they come out rejoicing that finally what
moses has been telling them from god that they're going to be
liberated is true and uh... that they come out and then and
then they have a crisis because they get to the red sea and they
find that the egyptians are pursuing them oh is it all going to go
back what have you brought us here for now for the gypsies
to slay us at this point and moses cries out to the lord of
course he shows in and the red sea opens for the israelites
to go through As they go through, on the other side, the Egyptians
try to pursue and the sea comes back and drowns them. Their enemies
are destroyed. And then we get to the chapter
that we read earlier, chapter 15. And Moses is rejoicing in
what God has done for his people. He's exulting in the salvation
You know, he said to them, didn't he? He said, what are we going
to do? And they're standing there on the banks of the Red Sea.
And he said, stand still. What are we going to do? Stand
still and see the salvation of the Lord. They've come across
the Red Sea. The enemies have gone. They're
rejoicing. There's the song of Moses. And
we get to verse 20, and Miriam, the prophetess, the sister of
Aaron and Moses, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women
went out, and they're singing and dancing and rejoicing, and
they're praising God for the great victory that has been wrought.
And in verse 22, so Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea. Can
you imagine the mood in the camp amongst all the people? it must
have been a mood of great rejoicing and look it's true what Moses
has been telling us from God it's true here we are we have
been brought out of bondage in Egypt we don't have to go to
that work of slavery with the harsh taskmasters over us we
don't have to do that we've been brought out we've been liberated
we've come out from that and they're rejoicing and Moses brings
them from the Red Sea and they went out into the wilderness
of shore. And they went three days in the
wilderness. Now here's the bombshell. And
found no water. They went three days and they
found no water. Can you envisage it? I mean,
I think we think, give or take, it doesn't really matter exactly,
but we're probably talking about two million people altogether,
probably that many, it's a lot of people, and all of their livestock
And you know what the Sinai Peninsula looks like? It's not green like
here. It's barren. And it was then.
And there was no water. And they went three days and
they had no water. How greatly God had blessed them,
bringing them out. What could possibly go wrong,
they probably thought. You know, we're on a high now.
All the problems that we had and all the fears that we had,
that's all solved now. But here they are, just three
days from that point of rejoicing, just three days, and they're
despairing because there's no water. Oh, that's a bit of a
complaint, isn't it? No, it wasn't as if they were
yearning for luxuries. It wasn't that they were saying
there was none of the lovely vegetables we had in Egypt. It
wasn't that they were saying, oh, there isn't a fantastic highway
that will take us straight to the promised land. No, there
was no water. There was no water. If you stop breathing for four
or five minutes, most of us here will asphyxiate. We will not
survive that. With water, you've got a bit
longer, but it's not a lot longer. It's a day or so, two days at
the most. You will dehydrate. It's an essential
of life. They had none of this basic essential
for life. that which you would expect to
do you no harm whatsoever and only good, water that we take
for granted every day. But when they came to Mara, there
they saw it. Can you imagine, thirsty, three
days, oh look, water, there's trees, there's life there, there
must be what we need there, there's water there. They could not drink
of the waters of Mara. for they were bitter. Therefore
the name of it was called Mara. That's why they called it. It
was bitter waters. What it was exactly, we're not
told. We don't know. But it was bitter.
It couldn't do them any good. This water that was so desperately
needed to sustain life was of no use. There had been such promise
held out to them. They've come out from bondage
in Egypt. They've come out, they've crossed
the Red Sea, they've seen the enemies destroyed, and they arrive
here, and they go just three days, and they're despairing,
because the only water that is there is unfit to drink, because
it's poisoned in some way, it's bitter in some way. What do these
bitter waters signify? Well, as we live our lives, as
we go about our daily business, as we raise our families, and
we pursue our careers, and we get an education, and we interact
with others all around us, all of these things are legitimate
things of life in the flesh that we must do. They're wholesome
things. They form the necessities of
life. but as with everything. Since the fall of man in the
Garden of Eden, since then, sin causes that which is wholesome
to be bitter. Always, in some respect, to some
degree, sin causes everything which in itself inherently should
be wholesome and good to be bitter. When creation was nothing but
sweetness in sinless purity in Eden, when Adam and Eve walked
with God, In perfect fellowship of sinless purity, Satan embittered
that paradise with rebellion. Satan embittered it. That which
should have been inherently sweet, he embittered it. And this created
world all around us, we can see, you just have to look outside
there, you see the fingerprint of God who created it in everything. Everything around. Just look
at it. I'm not going to go off on one about evolution and all
the rest of it, but don't you just find it just so amazing
the way in which the fallen mind of man without the knowledge
of the wisdom of God which is in Christ so readily believes
such a lie, such an utter delusion, so readily believes it. But even
that which is beautiful, has been embittered by the effects
of sin, even the best of it. I know only too well, I don't
have to take you too far down there to find thorns and weeds
and pernicious things and disease. I was telling somebody earlier,
we have a pear tree that used to be Very nice, it used to produce
lovely pears and then it got brown rot and now it's no good
whatsoever because it has been corrupted. There's decay and
corruption all around. The whole creation is cursed
because of sin. Romans 8 tells us that that creation
is groaning in pain and trouble waiting for Christ to come again
and to put all things right. So your work your employment,
your necessary good, wholesome activities are made bitter by
sin, so often. Think about interactions with
others, the people you come across day by day, with relatives, with
colleagues, even in the state of marriage, so often there's
bitterness that's caused by sin. Even in our own bodies we're
subjected to ill health, and the root cause of it, not individual
sin as such but sin in general in the world all around us everything
we interact with in this physical life inherently good as it might
be is made bitter by sin. Paul said I'm persuaded in Romans
14 14 he said I'm persuaded that there is nothing inherently unclean
of itself nothing of itself in this world it's not that eating
that is necessarily an evil thing or drinking that is an evil thing
But all of these things that are inherently fine, they're
clean in themselves, are made unclean so often by sin. Even for believers. Think how
Job enjoyed the blessings of this life and the goodness of
God in this life, in everything that he did, and then God allowed
Satan to take that away. God allowed Satan to touch him
and the things that were his. And that all became bitter. And
he was shown, in the fullness of time, he was shown that it
was all because of sin, ultimately. Imagine if it weren't so. Imagine
if everything was always sweetness. Imagine if the waters were always
sweet and not corrupted. Would we ever desire the sweetness
that is in the gospel of Christ? it's it's a conundrum isn't it
you know if things go on with no with no difficulties and harshness
and troubles and trials would we ever desire the sweetness
that is in the gospel of christ when the days are good when the
weather's warm when Things are growing when life is happy. Oh, set your affection on things
above. Oh, hold on a minute, hold on
a minute. I like it here just a little bit too much. You know,
God brings things to us to show us that these things are not
to last. There's things in the sweetness
of the gospel of Christ. Our eternal home is not here
in this life. False religion constantly seeks
uh... a home where everything is fixed
if you just listen to the religion of the world type occasionally
listen to the sunday morning service on radio for some pottering
around getting breakfast and uh... it was on for ten minutes
or so while i was downstairs this morning and the whole tone
of it is prayers to whichever god be it of their imagination
imagination they follow to make this world such a sweet place
to live in to solve every crisis of political uh... dispute and
all of these sorts of things, just trying to fix this world.
No, the gospel doesn't try to fix this world, the gospel sets
hearts and affections on that which is to come. So bitter water,
bitter water. The reaction to that bitter water.
What was the people's reaction? What would our reaction be? How
do we react when we face up to the bitterness of inherently
good things that is caused by sin? The answer is, not well. Not well. Even the best of us,
at the very, very best, We pray to God for help and relief, that's
the best that we do. At worst, let's be honest, at
worst we curse the situation in frustration, just like the
Israelites did. The people murmured against Moses
saying, what shall we drink? They murmured, they complained.
It wasn't that they were complaining that the caviar hadn't been up
to standard. There was no water to drink.
This was really serious. Imagine you were among them.
Just imagine that you were there. Would you have reacted? I know
I wouldn't. I would have been stressed that there was no water,
that my children and grandchildren would have nothing to drink,
that we were all going to die there, out in that situation.
And they complained to Moses. And this was their complaint.
We've gone along with you. We've done what you said. We've
listened when you said God is going to lead you out of this
bondage to a land flowing with milk and honey that he's promised
to your fathers. We've gone along with you. We've
done as you said. We've done everything as you
said. We did that which was... in the first Passover of taking
the lamb and of killing the lamb we did it all exactly as you
said we did the unleavened bread thing we've done it all exactly
right and we've come out with you we did what you said when
you said stand still we didn't rebel we stood still and saw
the salvation of God And then we came across and we praised
and thanked God. But here's the issue, Moses.
What shall we drink? What shall we drink? It's stark. This water is too bitter, just
as everything affected by sin. There's death in these waters.
There's another incident in Second Kings, chapter four, verse 40,
where Elisha is trying to feed the school of the prophets in
some very tried circumstances and they go out and they gather
herbs and they don't know what they're gathering and they gather
something which is clearly poisonous and they boil it up in the pot
to make some soup, some pottage that they can eat and there's
death in the pot because there's poison in the pot and he has
to cure the poison that's in the pot there's death in it,
well there was death in these bitter waters they seem to have
a fair complaint But if they're simply provided with sweet water,
their thirst is quenched until the next bitter experience, they
won't learn from it. There are lessons that they must
learn from this. Jeremiah chapter 2 and verse
13 says what we just sang in that hymn before the sermon.
My people have committed two evils. They have forsaken me. the fountain of living waters. You see, Christ talked to that
woman by the well, as she was drawing that stagnant water from
the well, he said, he who believes in me shall have a spring of
living water within. He is the fountain of living
waters, eternal life waters. My people have committed two
evils, they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters
and hewed them out cisterns, they've made, they've carved
out of the rocks cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water. Not a lot of use, is there? You
know, it reminds me of that old comic song, there's a hole in
my bucket, dear Liza, you know, what can you do with it? There's
not much good with a bucket that's got a hole in it, because as
fast as you pour the water in, it pours out of the bottom. Broken
cisterns. the broken cisterns Lord but
ah the waters failed and even as I stooped to drink they mocked
me as I wailed the cisterns of this world that are not the fountain
of living waters that is our God they're very very short-lived
in their satisfaction they can hold no long-lasting water this
is the experience of this life without God who is the fountain
of living waters the true God the God of the Scriptures, the
God of the Gospel, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is
the experience of life without this God, to be without Christ
and, what does it say, without hope in this world, no hope whatsoever. He is the fountain of living
waters. And to continue in that state
is frustrating till the day we die. And even if we live like
so many of the ungodly, as Psalm 73 says, look at the ungodly,
they don't seem to have it hard. they live prosperously they have
such an easy time you know even when they die they don't seem
to go through the sufferings that some of the Lord's people
go through but the truth is you know as Asaph when he was thinking
he'd been wasting his time seeking to serve God he went into the
temple he went into the sanctuary and when he went into the sanctuary
what does the sanctuary symbolize? What does the sanctuary in the
Old Testament temple symbolise? The gospel. every aspect of it
is symbolizing the gospel when he understood the gospel the
gospel of redemption the gospel of the true basis of salvation
the fruit of that being eternal life when he understood that
when he reminded himself in that sanctuary of those things what
does it say as far as the wicked, the unbelieving are concerned
then knew I their end I know where they're going and I don't
want anything to do with it I know what a blessing it is however
bitter waters might appear from time to time I don't want to
be there because it's frustrating and it ends in bitterness then
knew I their end so what does Moses do? verse 25 when the people
cried to him what shall we drink he cried unto the Lord and the
Lord showed him a tree God's people those who know Christ
Cry for help to the Lord. You know, we get trials come
upon us. Cry for help to the Lord. Psalm 38, verses 21 and
22. Forsake me not, O Lord, O my
God. Be not far from me. Make haste
to help me, O Lord, my salvation. It's the cry of the heart of
the believer. Help me. I know I'm helpless on my own.
You're my God, help me. I can do nothing of myself nothing
in this sin embittered world can help me if God doesn't help
me Proverbs 15 verse 29 the Lord is far from the wicked but he
heareth the prayer of the righteous of the one who is made righteous
by the redemption that is in Christ Jesus I'm reminded that
when Egypt cried out to Pharaoh in the days of Joseph for bread
cried out for bread because the famine was severe and pharaoh
said go to joseph he'll help you and we go to our joseph our
lord jesus christ for help cry to the lord he alone has the
answer and what does the answer come as he cried to the lord
and the lord showed him a tree a tree showed him a tree the
lord showed moses a tree i'm sure he'd seen that tree already
it was already there as they were approaching the water they'd
seen that there were trees there and surely he'd seen the tree
he'd seen the physical thing but in a way he hadn't seen it
he hadn't seen it not that tree what does it mean when it says
God showed him a tree did he say to him oh look over there
there's a tree no I think it's more than that I think it means
he expounded to him the significance of that tree, the significance
of it. Just as the risen Christ, as
we've already said, the risen Christ to his disciples on the
Emmaus road, beginning at Moses and the prophets, he expounded
to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. Did God show Moses the significance
of this tree? concerning Christ did God remind
Moses of that tree of life that was in the Garden of Eden there
was a tree of life in the Garden of Eden read about it in Genesis
2 and verse 9 and out of the ground made the Lord God to grow
every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food the
tree of life also in the midst of the garden and the tree of
knowledge of good and evil and you know they were allowed to
eat of every tree in the garden including that tree of life just
with one exception they mustn't eat of the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil but the tree of life not only were they allowed
to eat of it they needed to eat of it it was daily sustenance
to them look at Revelation chapter 22 and the first two verses Revelation
chapter 22 John here in his vision, the last
vision of the book, the angel, one of the angels that had the
seven vials of the final wrath and judgments of God, he showed
me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding
out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. in the midst of
the street of it and on either side of the river was there the
tree of life which bared twelve manner of fruits and yielded
her fruit every month and the leaves of the tree the tree of
life were for the healing of the nations the tree of life
was for the healing of the nations was it this tree symbolically
that God showed to Moses look at this tree you know there's
a tree right in the beginning the tree of life and in the end
in the paradise of God in eternity there's that tree which yields
its fruits all of the time for sustenance for that life it's
a picture of life and the water that flows there is a picturing
that fountain of living water that comes from God Is it that
this tree symbolically that God showed to Moses is signifying
the tree of life, the only tree that is able to make sweet the
embitterment of sin in this life? What's the only tree that is
able to make sweet the embitterment of sin in this life? A tree,
this tree, symbolizing the cursed tree, the cursed tree on which
Christ shed his lifeblood to satisfy justice for the sins
of God's elect. Turn to Galatians chapter 3.
These are familiar words I know. Galatians chapter 3 and verse
10. Galatians chapter 3 and verse
10. For as many as are of the works of the law We're talking
about people who try to be right with God by obeying the law,
by legal obedience. As many as are of the works of
the law are under the curse. For it is written, cursed is
everyone that continueth not in all things which are written
in the book of the law to do them. I remember reading many,
many years ago, 30 years ago now it must be, John Warburton's
The Mercies of a Covenant God. Some of you will have read that
book. And I remember him saying there that this verse, before
he believed the gospel, that this verse kept coming to him.
Cursed is everyone. that continues not in all things
in the book of the law to do them, to do them. You know, not
99% of them, all of them, all of them, to do them, all the
time, no let up. But that no man is justified
by the law in the sight of God, it is evident, for the just shall
live by faith. And the law is not of faith,
but the man that doeth them, the law, shall live in them.
That's your only way of getting right, and you cannot get right
that way. But here, is the blessed truth. Christ hath redeemed us
from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. How was
he made a curse? What was it that, in which it
was there writ clear and large that he was made a curse he was
hanged on a tree on a cross of wood he was hanged on a tree,
cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree and why did he do it
all? that the blessing of Abraham the blessing of eternal life,
the blessing of the promises of God might come on the Gentiles
through Jesus Christ that we might receive the promise of
the Spirit through faith God showed this to Moses I'm sure
that's what it means, God showed this tree to Moses and that which
it symbolized and although the things that happened were historical
and physical and true yet there is allegory and symbolism here
has he shown it to you? what this tree has done in making
sweet all of the embitterment of sin In your soul, in your
soul, do you know the life-giving blessings of that cursed tree
on which they hanged the Lord Jesus Christ, that he might make
peace through the blood of his cross? It makes all the bitterness
of sin sweet, for he's taken it away, for he who knew no sin
was made sin, made sin for us. that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him. What sweetness! To be made the
righteousness of God in him because of that cursed tree. Is that
not what God showed to Moses? The elect are made the righteousness
of God in him. And as I say, it's all historically
and physically true, but full of allegory and symbolism and
spiritual truth. Here are God's covenant people,
standing before Moses, about to die for lack of water. As
Coleridge's poem says, water, water everywhere. Loads of it,
but not a drop to drink, because it was bitter, it was poisonous.
And the tree God showed him, showed to Moses, symbolizes the
healing of the sins of his people. What will he do with it? But
cast it into the waters. And as he cast it into the waters,
It was made sweet. Those waters were made sweet.
They were made drinkable. They were made satisfying. Just
as all that we are in our sin by that cursed tree on which
Christ died in the reckoning of God is all made sweet, is
all made light, is all made truth, is all made... We were thinking
this morning in Colossians chapter 1. Why does he do it? To present
you holy and unblameable. and unreprovable in his sight.
How sweet, that which is by nature, sin and bitterness, how sweet
it is made in the blood of the Lamb. Christ's redemption makes
all bitter things sweet. Embittered creation with its
thorns and its briars. We used to sing a hymn, we haven't
sung it for a long time, but it had a lovely verse. It said,
When you know Christ, when you come to Christ, when you've experienced
salvation and you look at this world around you, this world
where people see nothing other than evidence for evolution for
some reason, it says, heaven above is softer blue, earth around
is sweeter green. something lives in every hue
Christless eyes have never seen birds with gladder songs all
flow flowers with deeper beauty shine since I know as now I know
I am his and he is mine well there might be a bit of sentimentality
in there but I don't mind that it's sweet you know this creation
which is cursed with the bitterness of sin through the eyes that
Christ gives, through the redemption that he has accomplished, through
the sweetness that he has brought about, just looking at things
around, everything glows with the handiwork of God. And in our employment, the bitterness
of sin, child of God, look at that tree, look at that tree. Isn't the bitterness sweetened
by looking at that tree? in our relationships that get
broken and marred and made bitter, in our inner battles with the
flesh and with sin, in issues of health, in crises of this
life. Looking at that tree, doesn't
it make it sweet? Doesn't it? Especially approaching
death. they say that life time goes
quicker the older you get I don't think it does but it certainly
feels that way the older you get the quicker it goes we're
approaching death and it seems like I tell you honestly it seems
like you're speeding up down the slope but how that tree sweetens
that bitter, cold, chilling experience of death, which to the flesh
is always bitter, cold and chilling, but cast that tree into those
bitter waters and how sweet it makes it. I know where I'm going.
I know where I'm going. Do I fear the actual process? It'd be unnatural in the flesh
not to. But I know that to be absent from the body is to be
present with the Lord. to be with Christ whether to
stay and remain or to depart and be with Christ which is far
better think of the situation with Ruth in the book of Ruth
Ruth and Naomi remember Naomi and her husband and her two sons
lived in Bethlehem Bethlehem is very significant in the scriptures
as you know and there was a famine and they thought they'd get on
better if they moved to Moab oh don't worry I'm not going
to go off into other sermons because there's so many in there
but they thought they'd be better off if they moved to Moab and
they went and oh such bitterness came upon Naomi first of all
her husband died, what was his name? Elimelech, was it Elimelech?
I think it was Elimelech And then her two sons married wives,
Moabites women, Ruth and Orpah. And no doubt they were happy
and they were going along with mother-in-law, their mother and
the women's mother-in-law and they were making the best of
the situation in Moab and then the two sons died. Who were they? Marlon, Chilian, is that right?
I might be mixing up with somebody else but never mind. and there
they are Naomi and Ruth and Orpah and she's in such bitterness
but they hear that there's bread back in Bethlehem I'm going back
home isn't that often you know people that have moved away and
things get where am I I'm going to go back home I just you know
I need to get back home so they set off and she says don't you
come with me you belong here she says to Ruth and Orpah and
Orpah goes back to her family but Ruth says no I'm coming with
you for your God will be my God where you go I will go and they
come back to Bethlehem where there's bread and when Naomi
comes back they say oh here comes Naomi, do you remember Naomi?
She said don't call me Naomi she says call me what they call
these waters call me Mara bitterness the Lord has dealt bitterly with
me I've had a bitter time I've lost my husband I've lost my
two sons there's just this young Moabitess woman that's come back
with me they came back from Moab's bitterness and where did they
come to? they came back to the root, Bethlehem,
out of the ground, Bethlehem, Bethlehem, the root of that branch,
the branch, Isaiah 11, Zechariah chapter 6, branch, you'll see
it in your scriptures, it's capital letters, branch, speaking of
Christ, in Bethlehem, that's where they came back to, the
root of that branch, that tree, in Bethlehem, and there they
found Boaz, the near kinsman, who is such a picture of Christ
and Boaz redeems them, redeems Ruth and marries Ruth and from
their relationship comes Obed and from Obed comes Jesse and
from Jesse comes David and then many generations later comes
Christ according to the flesh, the son of David and yet David's
Lord. How Naomi's bitter experience
was turned to sweetness in the experience of redemption, in
that picture of Boaz the kinsman redeemer, then and for eternity. such a picture of how bitterness
is turned to sweetness in the branch which speaks of the tree
which here I'm sure is what God showed to Moses in verse 26 he
says if thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord
thy God and do that which is right in his sight and we'll
give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes that's
the gospel as Wickham said in his prayer for us that's the
gospel I will put none of these diseases upon thee which I have
brought upon the Egyptians for I am the Lord that healeth thee
I am Jehovah Rapha the Lord that healeth thee and look what he
does verse 27 they came to Elim where there were twelve wells
of water and three score and ten palm trees and they encamped
there by the waters oh that each of us would experience in our
souls, as with Moses, we would experience God showing us the
tree of life, that tree, and experience the sweetening of
all of sin's bitterness.