Bittersweet Water

00:00:00 Speaker 1: He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm one hundred forty seven, Verse three. Dear Lord, you are our healer and our comfort. When our hearts are shattered and our strength is gone, you draw near to restore what has been lost. You turn bitterness into sweetness and bring life out of pain. We confess, Lord, that we often hold on to our wounds. We cling to our hurt, afraid to trust that you can make us whole again. Yet you are faithful and your love never fails. Remind us that no pain is beyond your reach. Teach us to bring every burden to you. Fill the empty places of our hearts with your peace. Help us to trust that even in suffering, you are working for our good. Let your grace flow through us, healing what is broken and renewing what has grown weary. You are the God who restores and redeems. We rest in your love. Amen. Thank you for praying with me today. You're listening to The Chosen People. Remain here for a dramatic story inspired by the Bible. Be sure to download this episode so you can return to it anytime. 00:01:22 Speaker 2: Previously on The Chosen People, Why do you cry to me? 00:01:27 Speaker 3: 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. 00:01:53 Speaker 2: The people fell back and beheld. The red Sea, yielding to the will of God. Voice of the Creator tamed the dark and chaotic abyss. Moses turned his voice thundering over the stunned crowd. 00:02:10 Speaker 4: Run step inthy of freedom. 00:02:13 Speaker 5: You will feedled the tip of my spear. 00:02:17 Speaker 6: Morfi oooh, and your unname God, we'll bowl at my feet under bag barer. 00:02:30 Speaker 4: He has a name. 00:02:32 Speaker 3: Now all of Egypt's will remember. 00:02:36 Speaker 2: 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. 00:03:00 Speaker 7: When Pharaoh refused to bend our, God broke him. The Lord killed every first born son in the land of Egypt for you. It is for this reason we redeem our sons. It is for this reason we are sacrificed to the Lord. We are afraid people, We are redeemed people. We are that thousen people. 00:03:38 Speaker 2: 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 writ 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. A collective murmur could be heard throughout the crowd. 00:04:16 Speaker 5: Ah, that'd sell a finger for one drop of dew. 00:04:23 Speaker 2: On my tongue. They've let us in our children, straight into the desert with no plan. What about our children? 00:04:35 Speaker 5: This was a half big plan. Moses and Aaron are fools. At least we had wells in Egypt. 00:04:47 Speaker 2: 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. 00:05:00 Speaker 8: That these people will turn feral if we don't find water. 00:05:03 Speaker 4: Soon. 00:05:03 Speaker 5: Ah. 00:05:04 Speaker 8: I share your concern, but I don't want to seem ungrateful to the Lord of Moses. I don't think we can skirt around it. 00:05:11 Speaker 5: Mother. 00:05:12 Speaker 8: It's better for us to bring the complaints to him rather than for him to discover. 00:05:16 Speaker 4: Them through a revolt. 00:05:18 Speaker 2: Miriam and her approached Moses, who walked a few paces ahead with aaron. 00:05:23 Speaker 8: Lord Moses, the people are growing weary from a lack of water. We have to find something soon. 00:05:31 Speaker 2: Moses nodded to affirm the concern. He pointed to the hills about half a day's journey east. 00:05:38 Speaker 4: 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. 00:05:51 Speaker 2: Her jogged back to the rest of the people. Miriam remained beside her brothers. Moses turned back to her and smug. 00:06:00 Speaker 4: You have yourself a fine boy there, Miriam. You should be proud. 00:06:05 Speaker 5: Oh, I am proud. 00:06:06 Speaker 8: He's a strong young man with a good heart. He didn't inherit his mother's rough edges. 00:06:15 Speaker 4: His grandchildren's generation will grow up without the memory of slavery. It's a remarkable thought. Let's just make sure we make it to the next generation. 00:06:26 Speaker 9: We're only guessing there'll be water over those hills. 00:06:30 Speaker 4: Faith, brother, Faith. Just because you can't see something now doesn't mean it doesn't wait on the horizon. 00:06:41 Speaker 2: 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. 00:07:06 Speaker 3: It doesn't look very refreshing, does it. 00:07:09 Speaker 4: No, it doesn't. I wonder if it's good to drink er. 00:07:13 Speaker 2: I'll inspect it. 00:07:14 Speaker 4: Lord Moses. 00:07:15 Speaker 2: Hoo descended the slope and approached the water, skeptically, taking his hand and bringing it to his face. He sniffed it, recoiled from the stench, and then sipped some in his mouth. Immediately, he spat it out, shaking his head in disgust. Hoor quivered and looked up. 00:07:34 Speaker 5: It's bitter, Lord Moses. 00:07:36 Speaker 8: There's no way we can drink it. 00:07:38 Speaker 4: Blast it. What are we going to do. 00:07:40 Speaker 7: These people don't have enough strength to travel any longer. 00:07:44 Speaker 2: 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 words might come from their thirst. 00:08:02 Speaker 5: Hey, what are we supposed to do now, Moses, You're. 00:08:07 Speaker 3: The one who brought us out here. 00:08:09 Speaker 2: It's your responsibility. 00:08:11 Speaker 5: What are we going to drink? 00:08:13 Speaker 4: We're gonna die out here. 00:08:15 Speaker 2: Moses' eyes widened. Their incessant groaning pricked at his mind. He felt anger traveling up his spine into his extremities. He clenched his staff tightly, feeling as if he might snap it in two. 00:08:29 Speaker 4: Ah, God, just put it an entire sea for you people. As we speak, a cloud of smoke is before us to guide us to paradise. Yet here you are whining like children. 00:08:42 Speaker 2: Moses rolled his neck back and composed himself. He looked at Aaron on his right and Miriam on his left. 00:08:50 Speaker 4: Speak to them and tell them it will be all right. I'm going to speak with the Lord h as you wish but what do we tell them? Where will we find water? 00:09:02 Speaker 2: 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 forrances. 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 wonders 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 up so on 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, No, what have we to do? 00:10:24 Speaker 5: Lord? 00:10:25 Speaker 4: We can't travel any further without water. You wouldn't have brought us out here without plans to provide for us. What is your will? 00:10:34 Speaker 5: What do I do? 00:10:35 Speaker 2: 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? 00:10:51 Speaker 5: Now? 00:10:52 Speaker 2: Was Moses doomed to lead without the guidance of the Almighty? Who was he without the voice? These rests 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 in Median. They were used by the heelers 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 dripped from where the branch had been broken. He looked around, seeing a log from a tree that had just fallen. 00:11:54 Speaker 3: The log was. 00:11:55 Speaker 2: Sweating sap from the harsh sun. It dripped with the ambersups stance to the floor and caramelized against the stones. A smile curled up. Moses 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 and. 00:12:36 Speaker 4: Her Aarin, her over here, help me with this. 00:12:40 Speaker 2: Hoo was the first to descend, lifting the log with Moses and bringing it closer to the shore. 00:12:46 Speaker 4: Eh toss it in on three one two three. 00:12:55 Speaker 2: The log floated atop the dark water. Hou's eyes widened in surprise. Eyes as the oil's dissolved, and the inky water cleared. 00:13:05 Speaker 4: Erin try the water? What why me? Because her and I have tried it already. It's your turn. No matter what happens, I'm naming this place Mara. The bitterness has played with my emotions. 00:13:20 Speaker 2: 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 sip. He cupped another palmful and threw some back at Moses. 00:13:36 Speaker 3: It's sweet as honey. 00:13:38 Speaker 2: 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. 00:13:53 Speaker 9: If you will diligently listen to my voice and do that which is right in my eyes. 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. 00:14:14 Speaker 2: Tears flowed down the cracks in Moses' face. He nodded and sprinted up the hill to the people with a raspy and labored voice. He shouted to them. 00:14:25 Speaker 4: The Lord is your healer, not your taskmaster. Long gone of the days of being under a tyrant. If we listen to his voice and hear his commands and keep his laws, will not suffer the same fate as the Egyptians. 00:14:41 Speaker 2: You're right. 00:14:43 Speaker 4: The Egyptians perish 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 of our God. 00:15:01 Speaker 2: 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. 00:15:14 Speaker 3: The pool of Mara had been purified by. 00:15:17 Speaker 2: The sap in the lock, but what remained in the water was even more purifying. Within the water were 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. 00:16:04 Speaker 4: Where you go, I will go, Where you stay, I will stay, whether it be on Mara's banks or the promised land shores. 00:16:16 Speaker 2: After the children of Israel were replenished, they followed the Lord through the sharp ravines down into a valley tucked between two mountains. 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. Arrows sat beside Moses. Both of them stared at the fire's reflection in the water. Aaron smiled and ludged his brother. 00:17:07 Speaker 3: Do you ever have doubt, Moses? 00:17:10 Speaker 4: Of course I do. 00:17:12 Speaker 3: It doesn't seem like it. You seem to always be a steady pillar of trust. 00:17:17 Speaker 4: 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. 00:17:32 Speaker 3: Yes, but people have short memories. Moses. 00:17:37 Speaker 4: It will be part of your job as a leader to keep the Lord's goodness on the top of their minds. 00:17:43 Speaker 2: Aaron nodded, considering the weight of his mantle. 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. 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. Narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold, Sylvia Zaradoc, Thomas Copeland, Junior Rosanna Pilcher and Mitch Leshinsky. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by Aaron Salvato, bre Rosalie and Chris Baig. 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, please rate and leave a review.