Exodus 15:25–27: “So he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them, 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.’ Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees; so they camped there by the waters.”

November 19th, 2022 by Pastor Ed in devotional

It does seem a little strange that God rescued His people from Egypt just to take them straight into the desert. The desert wilderness is a very threatening and intimidating place. Both food and water are in short supply and the outlook for survival isn’t very promising. Although Egypt was hard, it was at least safe. So why did the Lord lead them into the wilderness? He led them there specifically because of its lack of safety. He wanted to teach them that He alone was their safety and that He could be trusted to provide for them—not just for their physical needs but their spiritual needs also.

God tested His children at the place called Marah or “bitterness.” The purpose of the test was to teach them about their own hearts. From there, He took them to a place called Elim, which means “rest.” So we see that God took them from a place of bitterness to a place of rest. God wants to do the same for us, take us from our bitterness to a place of rest in Him. When we live our lives centered on self, instead of others, we are an easy mark for bitterness. Allowing God to change our focus and make us others-centered, makes us less susceptible to bitterness.

In the New Living Bible, it says in Hebrews 12:15, “Look after each other so that none of you will miss out on the special favor of God. Watch out that no bitter root of unbelief rises up among you, for whenever it springs up, many are corrupted by its poison.” Bitterness defiles us and makes us unfit to stand before God. When bitterness is allowed to grow, it has sweeping effects. It defiles “many.” Forgiving others is the way to remove bitterness from our hearts. Is there someone you need to forgive?

“LORD, take the bitterness out of our lives by the tree on which You died. How we need to serve others this day and see them as more important than ourselves.”