Bittersweet Water

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Previously on the Chosen people. 00:00:03 Speaker 2: Why do you cry to me? Tell the children of Israel to advance. Stretch forth your hand over the sea, and behold my wonders. I will triumph over Pharaoh and his armies. My glory will be revealed, and my name will be exalted among the nations. They will know that I am the Lord. 00:00:31 Speaker 1: The people fell back and beheld the red sea. Yielding to the will of God. The voice of the Creator tamed the dark and chaotic abyss. Moses turned his voice thundering over the stunned crowd. 00:00:48 Speaker 3: Run step into your freedom. 00:00:51 Speaker 4: You will feel the tip of my smear of faith. 00:00:57 Speaker 3: Woo, and your unnamed we'll bowl at my feet, and the bag bar our fair. He has a name. Now all of Egypt will remember. 00:01:14 Speaker 1: Moses lowered his staff and the waters fell like mountains. Pharaoh was crushed under the weight of the sea. The chariots splintered, the swords disappeared, and the rushing waters drowned out their screams. The oppressors of God's Chosen people were buried in darkness. 00:01:38 Speaker 5: When Pharaoh refused to bend our, God broke him. The Lord till every first born son in the land of Egypt for you. 00:01:50 Speaker 3: It is for this reason we redeem our sons. 00:01:55 Speaker 5: It is for this reason we will sacrifice to the Lord. We are afraid people, We are indeed people. 00:02:05 Speaker 3: We are the Chosen People. 00:02:16 Speaker 6: When the Israelites tasted the bitterness of Marah, they also tasted the sweetness of God's deliverance. Shalloh, my friends from here in the holy land of Israel. I'm ya l Exstein with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, Welcome to the Chosen People. Let's begin. What do you do when life turns bitter, when hope dries up and the sweetness of the past is just a distant memory. Today we journey with the Chosen People as they wander the wilderness and encounter the waters of Marah. Water's too bitter to drink, and we'll ask ourselves, how do we find faith when the waters of our lives turn bitter? And can bitterness itself be a path to something sweeter? 00:03:07 Speaker 1: The sun was relentless, an ever watching eye of disdain and agony, who felt the back of his neck charring more and more with each passing hour. He looked back at the children of Israel, squinting against the harsh rays attempting to blind him. The people had left the Red Sea with light feet and hearts, that their countenance was wilting. After three days in the wilderness of Sure without any fresh water to quench their weary throats. He collective murmur could be heard throughout the crowd. 00:03:45 Speaker 4: Ah, that'd sell a thing here for for one drop of dew on my tongue. 00:03:57 Speaker 7: They've let us on our children straight into the Desert's no plan. 00:04:01 Speaker 1: What about our children? 00:04:04 Speaker 4: This was a half big plan. Moses and Aaron are fools. At least we had wells in Egypt. 00:04:16 Speaker 1: Who was among them, listening with agitated ears. He didn't share their growing disdain, but he did share their thirst. Who approached his mother with a report. 00:04:28 Speaker 8: I'm afraid that these people will turn feral if we don't find water soon. 00:04:33 Speaker 7: I share your concern, but we don't want to seem ungrateful to the Lord or Moses. 00:04:38 Speaker 8: I don't think we can skirt around it. 00:04:40 Speaker 3: Mother. 00:04:41 Speaker 8: It's better for us to bring the complaints to him rather than for him to discover them through a revolt. 00:04:47 Speaker 1: Miriam and her approached Moses, who walked a few paces ahead with Aaron. 00:04:52 Speaker 8: Lord Moses the people are growing weary from a lack of water. We have to find something soon. 00:05:00 Speaker 1: Moses nodded to affirm the concern. He pointed to the hills about half a day's journey east. 00:05:07 Speaker 3: When I was a shepherd, I often look for these types of slops. When hills collect in this pattern, they tend to host reservoirs. Tell the people we aren't too far, yes, Lord Moses. 00:05:20 Speaker 1: Who jogged back to the rest of the people. Miriam remained beside her brothers. Moses turned back to her and smirked. 00:05:29 Speaker 3: You have yourself a fine boy there, Miriam. You should be proud. 00:05:34 Speaker 7: Oh, I am proud. He's a strong young man with a good heart. He didn't inherit his mother's rough edges. 00:05:44 Speaker 3: His grandchildren's generation will grow up without the memory of slavery. 00:05:48 Speaker 7: It's a remarkable thought. 00:05:52 Speaker 9: Let's just make sure we make it to the next generation. We're only guessing there will be water over those hills. 00:05:59 Speaker 3: Faith, brother, Faith. Just because you can't see something now doesn't mean it doesn't wail on the horizon. 00:06:10 Speaker 1: The desert hills coiled around a deep ravine like a serpent. The sun charred every plant on the periphery except a small ring of green sloping down into a shaded pool. The children of Israel stood atop the hills looking down at the water. It was a deep indigo with a thin film of oil atop it. Aaron winced at the sight of it. 00:06:35 Speaker 9: It doesn't look very refreshing, does it. 00:06:38 Speaker 3: No, it doesn't. I wonder if it's good to drink. 00:06:42 Speaker 8: I'll inspect it. 00:06:43 Speaker 1: Lord Moses Hood descended the slope and approached the water, skeptically, taking his hand and bringing it to his face. He sniffed it, coiled from the stench, and then sipped some in his mouth. Immediately he spat it out, shaking his head in disgust. Who quivered and looked up. 00:07:03 Speaker 8: It's bitter, Lord Moses, there's no way we can drink it. 00:07:07 Speaker 9: Blast it. What are we going to do? These people don't have enough strength to travel any longer. 00:07:13 Speaker 1: The people all began to stir. A collective groan traveled like a wake from the front of the throng all the way to the back. Their murmurs rose to the heavens, a sigh of distrust and irritability. Moses feared the worst might come from their thirst. 00:07:31 Speaker 4: Hey, what are we supposed to do. Now, Moses, you're the. 00:07:36 Speaker 2: One who brought us out here. 00:07:38 Speaker 7: It's your responsibility. What are we going to drink? 00:07:42 Speaker 3: We're gonna die out here. 00:07:44 Speaker 1: Moses' eyes widened. Their incessant groaning pricked at his mind. He felt anger traveling up his spine and to his extremities. He clenched his staff tightly, feeling as if he might snap it in two. 00:07:58 Speaker 3: Ah, God, I spotted an entire sea for you people. 00:08:03 Speaker 9: As we speak. 00:08:04 Speaker 3: A cloud of smoke is before us to guide us to paradise. Yet here you are whining like children. 00:08:11 Speaker 1: Moses rolled his neck back and composed himself. He looked at Aaron on his right and Miriam on his left. 00:08:19 Speaker 3: Speak to them and tell them it will be all right. I'm going to speak with the. 00:08:24 Speaker 7: Lord Ah as you wish. But what do we tell them? Where will we find water? 00:08:31 Speaker 1: Moses ignored her and stormed off. His feet churned up dust as he stomped. He stood at the banks of the large bitter pool, gazing at it for ansis. It smelled sulfuric with a tinge of rotted algae. He whacked a stone with his staff and watched it travel upward. And PLoP into the water. Moses stared at the water some more, then at the staff in his hand. The Lord had performed mighty He wanders through this staff. Through it, seas had parted and rivers had turned to blood. Perhaps with it Moses could remove the bitterness from the water. He inched close to it and gently placed the tip of his staff into the pool. He watched the oils separate slightly. Moses removed his staff and crouched down to the water. Then, with a steady hand, he lapped upside it. His eyes widened, then he spat it out with utter disgust. Moses wiped his tongue on his tunic and spat whatever he could out. The water was still bitter. The same tactics hadn't worked. With frustrated breaths, he spoke to the Lord, what are we to do? 00:09:53 Speaker 4: Lord? 00:09:54 Speaker 3: We can't travel any further without water. You wouldn't have brought us out here without plans to vibe for us. What is your will? What do I do? 00:10:04 Speaker 1: Moses listened for the comforting, commanding, and terrifying voice that had often occupied his mind. For a moment, he wondered if the Lord would be silent now that he had freed his people, had he resigned to doing enough? Were they on their own? 00:10:20 Speaker 2: Now? 00:10:21 Speaker 1: Was Moses doomed to lead without the guidance of the Almighty? Who was he without the voice? These wrestlings of doubt and fear often visited his mind. In his waiting, a shift in the air occurred. It was subtle, brief, and nearly unnoticeable, yet it rustled the branches of a small tree nearby enough to catch Moses's ear. It was a gingo tree with leaves of bright green and coarse roots. Moses remembered these trees from his wandering and median They were used by the healers for purification, ceremonies, and treating infections. Immediately, Moses rose to inspect it. He ran his hand over the jagged bark, sliding it upward towards a low hanging branch. He held it, pulled it, and broke a piece off. The sap tripped from where the branch had been broken. He looked around, seeing a log from a tree that had just fallen. The log was sweating sap from the harsh sun. It dripped with the amber substance to the floor and caramelized against the stones. A smile curled up Moses's withered and wrinkled face. He laughed and shook his head, turning his chin upward. The Lord didn't want to use Moses' staff. He wanted to remind Moses that this desert was not a death sentence. Within it were hidden treasures placed by him to provide for his people. The Lord had saved his children from death. He certainly wouldn't lead them to their death. Moses turned and waved to Aaron, Miriam. 00:12:04 Speaker 3: And her Arin Her over here, help me with this. 00:12:09 Speaker 1: Her was the first to descend, lifting a log with Moses and bringing it closer to the shore. 00:12:15 Speaker 3: Eh toss it in on three one two hurry. 00:12:23 Speaker 1: The log floated atop the dark water. HER's eyes widened in surprise as the oils dissolved and the inky water cleared. 00:12:32 Speaker 3: Ah erin try the water. What why me? Because her and I have tried it already. It's your turn. 00:12:42 Speaker 9: No matter what happens, I'm naming this place, Mara. The bitterness has played with my emotions. 00:12:48 Speaker 1: Aaron approached the water, cupped it in his palm, and groaned. He looked back at Moses and then at the water. He sipped, smiled, and took another. He cupped another palmful and threw some back at Moses. 00:13:05 Speaker 9: It's sweet as honey hoo. 00:13:07 Speaker 1: And Miriam hurried over to take a sip. They smiled and hugged, then bent down to drink some more. That's when the voice spoke again to Moses, the voice of a provider, protector, and sustainer. 00:13:22 Speaker 2: If you will diligently listen to my voice and do that which is right in my eyes, and give you to my commandments and keep all my statues, I will put none of the disease on you that I put on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord, your healer. 00:13:43 Speaker 1: Tears flowed down the cracks in Moses's face. He nodded and sprinted up the hill to the people. With a raspy and labored voice, he shouted to them, the. 00:13:54 Speaker 3: Lord is your healer, not your task master, long ane of the days of under a tyrant. If we listened to his voice and hear his commands and keep his laws, will not suffer the same fate as the Egyptians. You are right. The Egyptians perished from too much water. We will perish from no water. Not true my brothers and sisters, descend the hill, taste see for yourselves. Behold the power of our God. 00:14:30 Speaker 1: Moses gestured back to the water. The crowd peeped down, seeing the others dancing by the banks of the pool, they rushed with great force downward, gleefully sharing from the spring. The pool of Mara had been purified by the sap in the log, but what remained in the water was even more purifying. Within the water, where all the minerals needed to cleanse their stomachs of the sickness that often spread in the slums of Egypt, their bodies were also replenished from the salt in the water, and each person felt more powerful to press on The Lord provided healing and purified them from the inside out. He had turned their bitterness into sweetness, their despair into delight. The Lord is a god of restoration and healing. Moses's face beamed with delight. He looked in the distance, where the pillar of smoke still smoldered for guidance. 00:15:33 Speaker 3: Where you go, I will go. Now you stay, I will stay, whether it be on Mara's bags or the promised lands shores. 00:15:45 Speaker 1: After the children of Israel were replenished, They followed the Lord through the sharp ravines down into a valley tucked between two mountains or The place was named Elam, adorned with grassy patches for their livestock and palm trees for shade. Twelve springs were arrayed throughout, with seventy palm trees towering over them to provide shade. Each pool hosted a tribe of Israel that night. The people danced by the fire and enjoyed cups of boiled water and tea leaves. The Lord was among them, pleased to provide this moment of peace to his chosen people. Aaron sat beside Moses. Both of them stared at the fire's reflection in the water. Aaron smiled and nudged his brother. 00:16:36 Speaker 9: Do you ever have doubt, Moses? 00:16:39 Speaker 3: Of course I do. 00:16:40 Speaker 9: It doesn't seem like it. You seem to always be a steady pillar of trust. 00:16:46 Speaker 3: I doubt, Aaron, but I rarely have time for those doubts to take shame. The Lord has done what he said he was going to do time and time again. He fulfills his promises. 00:17:01 Speaker 9: Yes, but people have short memories, Moses. 00:17:06 Speaker 3: It will be part of your job as a leader to keep the Lord's goodness on the top of their. 00:17:11 Speaker 1: Minds Aron nodded, considering the weight of his manful. He was one of the people, but close to Moses. He constantly oscillated between their feelings of doubt and Moses' words of faith. Soon enough, he'd have to figure out how to bridge that gap in his own heart. And for the people. 00:17:39 Speaker 6: Wow, the Chosen People have crossed the Red Sea to freedom and have begun to wander the wilderness from slavery to freedom. But now they're concerned with surviving the brutal desert. It's here we find them perched and weary, at a place called Marah, which in Hebrew literally translates as bitter. They have at last found a spring to quench their thirst, but they. 00:18:07 Speaker 3: Can't drink from it. 00:18:09 Speaker 6: The Israelites complain that there's no good water to drink because the water at Marah is bitter. They're thirsty, and they start to get a little bit hopeless. So God commands Moses to take the branch of a certain tree to cast it into the water, and behold, the water becomes sweet. But what does this all mean, my friends? We've just witnessed God's miracles overpower Pharaoh's magicians. We've just seen the sea part at God's command. So why is this story so important? Well, Jewish tradition has several explanations for this story, but there's a very beautiful one that I want to share with you today. In Jewish thought, a tree represents the Torah, represents God's word, the Bible that we are studying right now. In the Bible, Proverbs three eighteen says quote, she is a tree of life. To those who uphold her, and those who hold her fast will be blessed. You want to hear it in Hebrew. This is how we say that verse in Hebrew, it's chaimh le macha zi kimba. In our last episode, we like in God's word to bringing shape and form into the world, just as the waters of the sea took form. And here Jewish tradition uses nature represents God's word too. It teaches that this proverb's tree is referring to the Torah. To the Bible. Yes, life's water can sometimes be bitter, but just as God commanded Moses to cast the tree into the bitter water and the water becomes sweet, He's reminding us that studying the Bible and observing its commandments can sweeten the bitter moments of our lives. The story is telling us today, when things are hard, turn to God and his word. And while we're studying this Bible story, there's a moment at the end that I'd like to look at now, at the end of verse twenty five, it seems a little bit strange. After the whole incident at Mara, the Bible tells us this quote. There the Lord issued a ruling an instruction for them and put them to the test end quote. What does the Bible mean by a ruling an instruction? Well, the Jewish ages suggests that even before the Chosen people received the Torah at Mount Zinai, some laws were actually given to them at the water of Marah, and one of those laws, according to tradition, was the law of Shabbat, of the Sabbath to keep the seventh day holy. You know, when I think of the beautiful, peaceful, spiritual, and sweet feelings that my family and I experience each week on Shabbat, I understand why the sages suggested that the Sabbath was one of those laws given at a place where the bitter waters turn sweet. 00:21:17 Speaker 1: For me. 00:21:18 Speaker 6: Despite life's problems during the week, despite the stress that I might feel, what gives me hope is that I always know that my family and I will be treated to the sweetness of Shabbat at the end of the week. It's a sweetness that began so long ago at the water of Marah. This ancient narrative speak to us today. What practical lessons can we draw from the waters of Marah. First, let's recognize that life's bitterness is inevitable. We all face moments when our water turns undrinkable, be it a sudden loss, a failed dream, or fractured relationship. In these moments, our initial reaction may be to question, to doubt, to complain, and that's okay. Our tradition teaches us to bring these raw emotions before God. But we have to make sure that that's not the end of the story, that it doesn't end there. Just as Moses turned to God, we too are called to seek his wisdom and our challenges to bring healing into our broken situations. In moments of bitterness, ask yourself, where is the tree? The lesson of Mara is timeless. Bitterness and sweetness are intertwined in every trial. There is an opportunity for redemption and transformation to be planted and to flourish and blessed where we are if we simply turn to God for instruction. 00:22:54 Speaker 1: You can listen to the Chosen People with the Isle Eckstein ad free by downloading and subscript scribing to the Prey dot Com app today. This Prey dot Com production is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina, Max Bard, Zach Shellabarger and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of the Chosen People with Yile Eckstein, edited by Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold, Sylvia Zaradoc and the opening prayer is voiced by John Moore. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by Bree Rosalie and Aaron Salvato. Special thanks to Bishop Paul Lanier, Robin van Ettin, kayleb Burrows, Jocelyn Fuller, and the team at International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. You can hear more Prey dot com productions. On the Prey dot Com app available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. If you enjoyed The Chosen People with Yile Eckstein, please rate and leave a review.