Cast the Tree into the Waters

God, as we look into Your Word this morning, as we open the pages of Your Scripture, would You open our hearts? Lord, speak to us. As You say in the book of Revelation, "He who has an ear, let him hear." So, Lord, we want to hear this morning what Your Spirit would speak to the church at Calvary Chapel of Escondido. We ask that You'd open our ears and our eyes and speak to us, Lord. Reveal to us this morning if there be any wicked way in our hearts, Lord, and lead us in the way everlasting. For we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen. You can be seated.

The children of Israel were in bondage in Egypt. There they were under taskmasters, and Pharaoh had set these taskmasters up to oppress the children of Israel, who were multiplying in his land. The Lord called a man by the name of Moses to go down into the land of Egypt and tell Pharaoh to let the Lord's people go. It was through a mighty hand and an outstretched arm that the Lord brought about ten plagues in Egypt, and Pharaoh delivered the children of Israel out.

They left Egypt and went down to the south and to the east, coming to an area by the Red Sea, in between two mountains, Piahiroth and Migdol, as described in chapter 14 of the book of Exodus. There, as the children of Israel camped with the Red Sea before them and Piahiroth and Migdol on either side, Pharaoh's heart was hardened. He pursued the children of Israel, seeking to take them back. The children of Israel found themselves boxed in, with the Red Sea in front of them, the mountains on either side, and the army of Egypt closing in behind.

They cried out against Moses and murmured against him, as recorded in Exodus chapter 14. Moses turned and spoke to the Lord, praying for guidance. The Lord said to him in Exodus 14:15, "Why do you cry unto Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward." There are times when we find ourselves in situations where we don't know what to do. We feel boxed in, seemingly trapped, with the armies of the world closing in behind us. Yet the Lord says to move forward.

You might look and say, "But Lord, the Red Sea is before us. Can't You see the sea? There's no way we can go forward." The Lord spoke to Moses, saying in verse 16 of Exodus 14, "But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it. The children of Israel shall go over on dry ground through the midst of the sea." In obedience, Moses stood before the Red Sea, lifted his hand with the rod of God, and prepared to follow the Lord's command.

He stood over the Red Sea, and the waters parted. The children of Israel crossed over on dry ground. In the heart of Pharaoh and his army, their hearts were hardened, and they decided to pursue the children of Israel. They went down into the waters, onto that dry ground. The Lord troubled the Egyptian army; the wheels fell off their chariots, and they began to realize that the Lord fights for this nation. He fights for these people.

That was the purpose that the Lord had declared to the children of Israel: "I have brought you into this place. I have brought you to this place where you're boxed in and feel trapped, so that I will be glorified over Pharaoh. The people of Egypt, the people of the world, will know that I am the Lord." The Lord uses you and me at times as a spectacle to this world. As Paul would say in the book of Corinthians, we have been set up as a spectacle to this world, on display, so that the people will know that God is the Lord and that the Lord will be with us. The Lord will be exalted over Pharaoh, over the god of this world, over our enemy, the adversary, the devil.

God will allow you to be boxed in, to feel trapped, to feel like you have no way out, so that He can show you that He is not confined to a box. Our God is not confined to a box. He has power. He has the ability to do all that He chooses. The children of Israel were in that place, and they saw the glory of the Lord. As the children of Israel came up out of the water and onto the other side of the Red Sea, the Lord closed the waters upon the Egyptian army, and all of them perished that day.

This, in Scripture, is a picture and a type of baptism. The children of Israel went down into the water, as we do when we're baptized with Christ. Coming up out of the water, they left the world behind, and all the things of the world were drowned there in the waters. They rose to walk in a new life, in that new life of the Spirit, pressing on toward the promised land.

But between Egypt, the world, and that promised land, the abundant life, lies the wilderness. As we continue on in Exodus chapter 15, we see that the children of Israel now begin to praise the Lord, as should always be our response when we see the work of God. Whenever we see God do a miraculous thing in our midst or in the life of somebody else, it should always prompt within us the desire to worship and praise Him. The children of Israel saw the Lord do a magnificent and miraculous work there at the Red Sea. Now, as they come up...

Moses and all the children of Israel sing this song unto the Lord, and they say, "I will sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously. The horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea. I will sing to the Lord because He's triumphed gloriously."

Then, in Psalm 107, at verse 1, we read, "O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, and His mercy endures forever." Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy and gathered them out of the lands from the east and from the west, and from the north and from the south. They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way. They found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.

Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses. He led them forth by the right way, that they might go into a city of habitation. "O that men would praise the Lord," the psalmist says. "O that men would praise the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works which He has done for the children of men." For He satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry with goodness.

As the psalmist considers all the things that God has done, he says, "O that men throughout the world would praise the Lord for His goodness." The children of Israel, at this point in Exodus chapter 15, are doing just that. They are praising God for all that He had just done, what they saw as the Lord brought them out of Egypt and triumphed gloriously over the armies of Egypt. The horse and the rider were thrown into the sea.

"The Lord is my strength and my song. He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will prepare in habitation my Father's God, and I will exalt Him." They continue to sing, saying, "Lord, You are my strength, You're my song, and You've become my salvation."

This reminds me of Psalm 27, verse 1, where we read, "The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid?" The psalmist, as he considers all the armies and enemies coming against him, declares, "Lord, You are my light and my salvation. You are my strength. I have nothing to fear."

We, this day, can trust in the fact that God is our light, our strength, and our salvation. As the children of Israel declare here in chapter 15, verse 2, "Lord, You are my strength, and You are my song, and You have become my salvation." It's not that God one day will become your strength as you walk with Him for 30 or 40 years. It's not that maybe as you continue to seek after Him...

That He might become your salvation. But today, if you have heard His voice and you have followed Him, then He is your strength, your salvation, and your light. Every single one of us needs those things. The Bible tells us in Jeremiah chapter 17, verse 9, that the heart of man is deceitful and wicked. My heart is dark and wicked, and I need the light of the Lord.

I know from Scripture that I am weak, and I have seen in my life over and over again that I am filled with weakness. Yet the Lord is my strength. I was lost and dead in trespasses and sins, but God, who is rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved me, even when I was dead in trespasses and sins, saved me. He is my salvation. He is your salvation this day if you have heard His voice and followed Him.

The children of Israel looked and beheld the wonderful works of God, and their response was worship and praise. They sang this song and said, "Lord, You are our strength, our song, and our salvation. We will prepare a habitation for You." We too are called to prepare that habitation for the Lord. Like the psalmist in Psalm 139, we should say, "Lord, search my heart and know me. Know my anxious thoughts. See if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting."

So, the children of Israel, we say, "Lord, my heart is Your home. Help me to purify my heart this day as I prepare this habitation for You." Lord, You are my Father's God, and I will exalt You. I will lift You high. The Lord, in verse 3, is a man of war, and the Lord is His name. Pharaoh's chariots and his hosts He has cast into the sea. His chosen captains are drowned in the Red Sea. The depths have covered them; they sank to the bottom like a stone.

Thy right hand, O Lord, has become glorious in power. Thy right hand, O Lord, has dashed in pieces the enemy. They look and say, "Lord, You have dashed the enemy in pieces. This one who pursued us, You have gotten rid of him. He is gone. Your right hand, Lord, is powerful. It has become glorious in power, and You've dashed the enemy in pieces."

In Psalm 98, verse 1, it says, "O sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things. His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him victory." The children of Israel stand there and sing, "Lord, by Your righteous right hand, have You done this work this day. Lord, You are glorious in power, and You've dashed our enemies in pieces."

You have had the victory. For you and for me as well, our enemy, the adversary, the devil, was crushed 2,000 years ago when Jesus, there on the Mount of Calvary, Golgotha, cried, "Tetelestai," meaning it is finished. He has been crushed, and the enemy has been dashed in pieces. This should cause us to worship, to praise Him, and to sing, as the psalmist would say in Psalm 98, and to declare His praises. We are a royal priesthood, His holy nation. He has called us out of darkness and into His marvelous light so that we would declare the praises of Him who called us, as Peter talks about in 1 Peter 2:9.

The Lord has brought us out that we might worship Him and that He might bring us into this new life. The children of Israel, after they have seen God do this powerful work, praised His name. They worshiped Him and said in verse 7, "And in the greatness of thine excellency hast thou overthrown them that rose up against thee." They acknowledged, "Lord, you have overthrown the armies of Egypt because they rose up against not us, but you." They recognized that He had overthrown them in the greatness of His excellency and that He sent forth His wrath, which consumed them as stubble.

With the blast of His nostrils, the waters were gathered together; the floods stood upright as a heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy said in verse 9, "I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil. My lust shall be satisfied upon them. I will draw my sword, and my hand shall destroy them." The enemy spoke within himself, declaring his intent to take these people out, saying, "My lust this day shall be satisfied upon them. I will draw my sword, and I will destroy them."

But the Lord, in verse 10, responded, "Thou did blow with thy wind, and the sea covered them, and they sank as lead in the mighty waters." The Lord looked from heaven and saw these armies turning themselves against His anointed people. He laughed almost from heaven and covered them with the waters, causing them to sink like a mighty lead weight.

After witnessing this, the children of Israel sang in verse 11, "Who is like unto our Lord among the gods? Who is like the glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?" Truly, we have to wonder, who is like our God? No one. There is no God in the universe like Him. In Psalm 89, verse 6, we read, "For who in heaven can be compared unto the Lord?"

Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord? God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints and to be had in reverence by all those who are about Him. O Lord, God of hosts, who is strong, Lord, like unto Thee? Or to Thy faithfulness round about Thee?

The psalmist in Psalm 89 asks, "Who is like You, Lord?" Just as the children of Israel looked and beheld God's wonderful works and His miraculous power, they proclaimed, "God, no one is like You. No one is glorious in holiness and fearful in praises, doing wonders as You do." They worship the Lord.

In verse 12, they say, "Thou stretchest out Thy right hand, and the earth swallowed them up." In Thy mercy, verse 13 continues, "Thou hast led forth the people which Thou hast redeemed. Thou hast guided them in Thy strength unto Thy holy habitation." They acknowledge that not only has God gotten rid of their enemies, but He is also the one who leads His people. He has redeemed them, and by His strength, He will bring them into His holy habitation, into the promised land He has promised to them.

They praise the Lord for what He has done, what He is currently doing, and what He is going to do. As they say in verse 14, "The people shall hear and be afraid. Sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestine." The dukes of Edom shall be amazed, and the mighty men of Moab, trembling, shall take hold upon them. All the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away. Fear and dread shall fall upon them. By the greatness of Thine arm, they shall be as still as a stone till Thy people pass over, O Lord, till Thy people pass over which Thou hast purchased.

They proclaim, "Lord, You've saved us. You've done miracles. Currently, You're doing a great and awesome miracle." The testimony of this, the word of this, is going to spread to all the people before them who are dwelling in the promised land now. Fear is going to overtake them; they will melt away.

As the children of Israel come into the promised land in Joshua chapter 2, the spies meet Rahab the harlot there in Jericho. She says, "When we heard about what the Lord did through you there in Egypt and how He brought you over the Red Sea, our hearts did melt within us, and there was no more strength left in any man." God's word is true, and it came to pass. The children of Israel, seeing all that God had done, are praising Him, thanking Him, and worshiping Him as they come over the Red Sea.

And you shall bring us in and plant us in the mountain of Thine inheritance, in the place, O Lord, which Thou hast made for Thee to dwell in the sanctuary, O Lord, which Thy hands have established. They say, "Lord, not only have You saved us and done what? Not only have You saved us and done awesome works there in Egypt and brought us over the Red Sea, but God, You're going to bring us into the land and You're going to plant us in Your inheritance." God, You're so good.

At the climax of their song in verse 18, they say, "The Lord shall reign forever and ever." You should underline that in all your Bibles. It's a good thing to remember, especially when the trial comes, and it will. The Lord shall reign forever and ever. He is the one who is enthroned and will for eternity be enthroned. Nothing will dethrone Him. And so, the Lord reigns forever and ever. The children of Israel sing this out to the Lord, just thanking Him.

In verse 19, they say, "For the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the Lord brought again the waters of the sea upon them. But the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea." Miriam, the prophetess and sister of Aaron, took up the timbrel in her hand. All the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. Miriam answered them, saying, "Sing ye to the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea."

They come up out of the Red Sea and begin to sing this great worship song to the Lord, thanking Him for what He had done, what He was doing, and what He was going to do. Miriam, the sister of Aaron and the sister of Moses, took up the timbrel. She took up the instrument. It says that she was a prophetess, which could also be translated as a songwriter. It's possible that she was the one who wrote this song. She stands up and begins to lead all her other sisters, all the other ladies there, in worshiping the Lord. They sang this song again, "Sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously."

What a joy it is to worship the Lord! To be in that mountaintop experience where you realize the presence and the protection of God, the provision of our Father, and you just worship Him, thank Him, and praise Him. "Lord, You're so good." But I'm sure you, like me, have been in those situations before—on the mountaintop, but then it seems as though it always goes down into the valley. Too many times in my life...

Maybe in yours as well, I have found that as I leave that mountaintop praising the Lord for all of His works, my praise tends to cease too quickly. Coming down from that mountaintop and going into the valley, as we read at the open of our service this morning, is akin to the valley of the shadow of death. Many of you have been in that place before, where you leave that place of absolute praise and worship with God on the mountaintop and then come back down to be tested.

In Matthew chapter 17, Peter, James, and John were taken with Jesus up onto a mountaintop. There, as they were with Jesus, He was transfigured before them and shone bright white. His glory was revealed to these three disciples in an awesome and powerful way. They got to see just a picture of the coming glory of Christ as He was revealed before them. Then it appeared that Moses and Elijah were there with Him, talking with Jesus. It says that Peter answered, though no one asked him a question. He said, "Lord, it is good for us to be here."

I believe I would probably have said the same thing as Peter. I would have echoed his sentiment, thinking, "God, this is a good thing that we're here." I'm sure that you've been in that place too, where you are just praising the Lord. Whether you're at a camp, a retreat, or simply at home reading through the Scriptures, the Lord fills you to overflowing, and you think, "Oh Lord, it's good for me to be here."

Peter then suggested, "Let us build three tabernacles, one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." He wanted to stay there, to never leave that mountaintop experience. As Peter was saying this, a cloud enveloped them, and a voice from heaven spoke, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him." Essentially, the Lord was telling Peter to be quiet and to listen to what Jesus would have to say.

At that moment, Peter, James, and John were fearful, and their strength left them. Then, all was calm, and Jesus came to them. It was Jesus alone who said, "Let's go down the mountain." They went down the mountain, and when they came to the valley, there was a man with his demon-possessed son, whom Jesus' other disciples could not cast the demon out of. The man brought his son to Jesus to be cleansed. But you see,

Peter, James, and John had an opportunity to witness the future glory of Jesus, the glory that would be revealed. But first, before that glory could be revealed, Jesus had to go down the mountain into the valley and climb another mountain called Calvary to be crucified. This was a mountain that none of us really want to climb, but it was essential to have that glory fully revealed. Had they stayed on the Mount of Transfiguration and built three tabernacles, I'm sure today people would be flocking to that mountain years later, but lacking salvation. So, Jesus said, "No, it's time that we go down the mountain. It's time that we go into the valley to test the word that you've heard, to see if you really do have faith, if you really do trust in what I've just shared and shown you. Do you really trust it?"

And so, Peter, James, John, and Jesus went down the mountain. The children of Israel left the place by the Red Sea, where they had seen God do that miraculous work. In Exodus chapter 15, verse 22, it says, "So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur." They journeyed for three days in the wilderness and found no water.

Now, the children of Israel, with Moses leading them, left that area by the Red Sea and traveled for three days into the wilderness of Shur. After three days, they had found no water. Shur means a wall; it was as if they entered this wilderness and hit a wall, falling flat on their faces, lacking water. With maybe two to three million people in this camp, we know that our bodies cannot survive much longer than three days without water. At this point, the children of Israel were at the very brink, desperately needing water and about ready to hit that wall.

As we continue on in the next few verses, we will see how the children of Israel weathered this wilderness experience. But before we look at how Israel weathered it, I want us to take a moment and consider how another one weathered the wilderness.

If you'd turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 3 in the New Testament, we will see how our Lord, our champion, Jesus Christ, walked in the midst of the wilderness. He was in the very same position that Israel was at that point in time.

I have already mentioned that the children of Israel, as they went down into the water and came up out of the Red Sea, leaving the world behind, provide a picture of baptism. They were immediately led into the wilderness, where they were three days and three nights without water, and at the very brink, they hit the wall.

In Matthew chapter 3, we find that Jesus comes to John the Baptizer. As John sees Him, he says, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." Jesus goes down into the water to be baptized, but John says, "No, I'm not going to baptize you. I'm not even worthy to loose the sandal from your feet." Jesus, in Matthew chapter 3, verse 15, says, "Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becomes us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he suffered him.

So, John the Baptizer baptized Jesus there at the Jordan. Jesus insisted that they needed to do this, and John baptized Him. It says in verse 16, "When Jesus was baptized and went up straightway out of the water, lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon Him." A voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased."

As Jesus was baptized, the Spirit of the Lord descended upon Him, the heavens opened, and the Lord spoke from heaven, affirming His Son. Immediately after His baptism, we read in Matthew chapter 4, verse 1, "Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted or tested by the devil."

When He had fasted for forty days and forty nights, He was afterward very hungry. No doubt! If you fast for forty days and forty nights, you're going to be pretty hungry. But there was Jesus, wandering in the wilderness, led there by the Spirit of God. For forty days and forty nights, He fasted. Just as the children of Israel were without water for three days, Jesus was without food for forty days. We know that the body can't survive much longer without food than forty days. So there He was, wandering about in the wilderness.

The tempter came and said unto Him, "If you be the Son of God, command these stones to be made bread." So the devil, Satan, approached Him and said, "If you are the Son of God, then command these stones to be turned into bread. You're really hungry; you need food, so make these stones bread. You can do it."

But Jesus answered and said unto him in verse 4, "It is written that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God," quoting Deuteronomy 8. He affirmed, "Man shall not live by bread alone." He turned to the devil and declared, "I trust that my God is my provision. I trust that God is the one who provides for me. He's my provision." As He was in the wilderness, He knew and He trusted, saying, "Lord, you are my provision."

Then the devil took Him up to a high hill, or rather, to the holy city, and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple in verse 5. He said unto Him, "If you be the Son of God, cast yourself down, for it is written, 'He shall give His angels charge concerning thee, and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time you dash your foot against a stone.'" The enemy was quoting Psalm 91.

Jesus responded to him in Matthew 4:7, "It is written again, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God," referencing Deuteronomy 6:16. Jesus said to him, "Devil, I know that God is my provision. Not only do I know that God is my provision, but I also know that He is my protection. I have no need to test Him in this. I have no need to tempt Him in this. Yes, He can and He will bear me up by angels so that I don't dash my foot against a stone. But I don't need to test Him in that because I know and I am assured; I have faith that God, who is my provision, is also my protection."

There in the wilderness, Jesus hungered. As He wandered, He knew and could trust, having absolute confidence and assurance that God is His provision and His protection.

Again, in verse 8, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. He said unto Him, "All these things will I give to thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me." Jesus once again spoke to Satan, saying, "Get thee hence, Satan, for it is written, 'Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.'"

Jesus emphasized, "Listen here, devil. God is my provision."

God is my protection, and God is the only one whom I will praise. I believe that the Lord takes us into the wilderness, into a place where we're at our wit's end, where we're hitting the wall. We are absolutely sure, as we find ourselves in the valley of Shur, that we can't make it another day. We are at the very brink, without water, thirsting after the Lord, and we need help. God brings us there, I believe, to teach us that He is our provision, our protection, and that we are to praise Him—only Him.

In contrast to Jesus, as described in Matthew chapter 4, the children of Israel, when we look back to Exodus chapter 15, came to this place in the wilderness. They were in the wilderness of Shur for three days, wandering and finding no water, hitting the wall. But God brought them out there to do a work, to test them, to test their faith, and to test their resolve. Would they trust in the Lord in the midst of this situation? I believe that God takes us from those high hills down into low valleys to see if what we learned on that high hill will stick or if we will turn and run.

How many of you read "My Utmost for His Highest," Oswald Chambers' devotional? Just two days ago, on August 29th, we read in the third paragraph that faith must be tested because it can only become your intimate possession through conflict. What is challenging your faith right now? The test will either prove your faith right or it will kill it. Jesus said, "Blessed is he who is not offended because of me." The ultimate thing is confidence in Jesus, and confidence basically means with faith. We have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end.

Believe. Believe steadfastly in Him, and everything that challenges you will strengthen your faith. God brought the children of Israel into this place to challenge them so that He might strengthen their faith, their trust, and their resolve to follow the Lord. God brings me into those trials, and you as well, into those places where we are sure that we are going to hit the wall and fall, so that He can strengthen our trust in Him.

When they were there for three days, they came to Marah, as noted in verse 23.

But they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore, the name was called Marah. Marah means "bitterness" in Hebrew. As they wandered in the wilderness for three days, they were ready to hit the wall at the very brink, needing water. Off in the distance, someone looked and beheld that there was water. The news spread throughout the camp, and there were probably people running up to this spring of water.

As they drew close to it, they were met with a putrid smell. They began to cringe. What is that smell? Maybe some of you have been around hot springs before. I lived at the Bible College up there, surrounded by a myriad of hot springs for a semester, and they stink. My friend Charles had a room right next door, about five feet away from one of the openings of the hot springs. He wouldn't have wanted to be in that room.

As the children of Israel drew near to this spring of water, they surely began to smell that stench. There were probably some who stooped down and drew the water to their mouths, hoping that it would be good. But as they did, they drew back and cringed. Oh, the waters are bitter! Oh, Lord, we thought that we had found what we needed, but they are bitter. We thought we had found exactly what would sustain us, but it's bitter.

You see, in my life, and I'm sure in yours, you've probably found this as I have. Even in this last week, the Lord has been re-teaching me this, as He so often does as we prepare to go through certain portions of Scripture. You can ask Pastor Mark or Pastor Pat or anyone who teaches the Word that as you come to these portions of Scripture, you read through them and reflect on them.

I came to Exodus chapters 14, 15, and 16 a couple of weeks ago and was refreshing my mind on it. I have taught through this passage several times before and had a general outline in my mind about what I could say and what applications I could use. Then the Lord said, "All right, now let's test it. Let's see if it really works." I thought, "Well, no, Lord, I don't really know if we want to do that."

I know that there are a lot of good applications here in this text, and I'm sure we can just share those. We don't need to do any personal application. No, we don't need to do that. I think that's part of the reason why James would say in the book of James, "Let not many of you become teachers, for you shall receive a stricter judgment."

I think part of it is that when you begin to read through the Word and teach through the Word, the Lord says, "All right, let's go test and see if this is really true." I remember the first time I taught through James. I came to James chapter 1, where it says, "Count it all joy when you have various trials, for the testing of your faith produces patience, and patience will have its perfect work in you, and you'll be complete, lacking nothing." I said, "Oh, Lord, please, no. I can't handle this." Sure enough, the Lord took me through it to teach it to me. When I read it and stand up before the people of God to declare these things, I'm not just speaking words that I read out of somebody else's book; I'm speaking from my heart about something that I've gone through.

Just this last week, as I knew we would be going through Exodus 15 and speaking about Mara, I reflected on how they went from a place of praising the Lord—saying, "God, you're so awesome, and I can't believe you just did this thing"—to just a couple of days later, asking, "Oh, Lord, what are you doing? This is bitter." The Lord took me through it this week so that He could say, "Miles, I don't want this just to be an outline that you taught a couple of years ago. I want this to be something fresh that's really in your heart today because I know there are some people in this room today who are in this very same place."

They came to the place of Mara and couldn't drink the waters because the waters were bitter. Yesterday morning, as I woke up with a heavy heart, I had been having one of those couple of days of wandering in the wilderness, thinking, "Lord, what are you doing? I don't quite understand." I started to think about what I could do to help. I began going through my mind, trying to figure out how I could make things work out so that I was no longer in this bitter situation. Just like the children of Israel, I looked off into the distance and saw, "Oh, there's water there. We finally made it. Now we're out of this trial." I thought, "All right, I've made it. Now I can figure out how to get rid of this whole problem."

I stooped down to take a drink, and it was bitter. The wisdom of this world, the wisdom of man, is bitterness. It won't help you. I believe that these waters of Mara are a picture of that—your own self-sufficiency, your own wisdom trying to figure out how you can get out of the mess, out of that fix, the fix that the Lord put you in to fix you. Maybe you've heard it said before that the Lord puts you in a fix to fix you, and then when you try to fix the fix, He has to put you in another fix to fix the fix that He wanted to fix in the first place. Don't write it down.

And so that place of trying to fix the fix leads to bitterness, like Marah. What am I going to do? They came to Moses in verse 24 and murmured against him, saying, "What shall we drink? You brought us out into this wilderness. We have nothing to drink. How are we going to fix this situation, Moses? What are we supposed to do?"

I have to admit, a lot of times when I find myself in that area of Marah, in that bitter trial or temptation, that test the Lord brings me through, my first reaction is often frustration. Don't think in any way that Pastor Miles, Pastor Pat, Pastor Mark, or any of these guys are holier than thou. When they hit the trial, they don't just go, "Oh, Lord, praise you, Lord Jesus, for this trial. I'm just counting it all joy." Yeah, right. When I hit that trial, I go, "Lord, what do you think you're doing? Everything was going just fine until you put me in this situation. Come on. What am I going to drink now?"

Then Moses, in verse 25, did the right thing. He cried unto the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There, he made them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them. You see, the purpose of the trial, the purpose of this wilderness, is found in the very last few words of verse 25: "that there he proved them."

That same word is found in the book of Genesis, chapter 22, verse 1, where it says, "And God did tempt Abraham," or "God did test Abraham," or "God did prove Abraham," and said unto him, "Abraham." He replied, "Here I am, Lord." The Lord then said, "Get thee into the land of Moriah and offer your son, your only son, Isaac, whom thou lovest, on the mountain which I will tell thee of."

The Lord put Abraham in that spot to test him, to try him, to prove him. "Do you really trust me?" Similarly, the Lord put the children of Israel in this place where they wandered in the wilderness, lacking faith and experiencing bitterness at Marah. They were hitting the wall so that they would come to the Lord and have their faith proven.

When the Lord brings you to that place and causes you to go into the wilderness, finding yourself at the waters of Marah, He always has the solution.

He always has the resolution and the conclusion figured out. When Moses cried to the Lord, he realized their need; he recognized that they had a problem. Then Moses cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. A tree that was there from the start. A tree that was there all along. The conclusion, the way out, was there from the beginning.

However, the children of Israel had to come to the place where they realized that they needed something, that they couldn't do it on their own. I need to come to that very same place too because I tend to be a very self-sufficient person. I think I can just figure things out and do it on my own. But the Lord doesn't want that. He wants that gone.

So, He brings me to these places where I can't get out of it on my own, where I'm at the very brink, where I'm hitting the wall, so that the Lord can prove to me that I need Him. He showed Moses a tree that was there from the beginning, which, when he cast it into the waters, made them sweet so that the children of Israel could drink.

The tree in Scripture—what is it a picture of? In Galatians chapter 3, verse 13, we find that cursed is any man who hangs upon a tree. And who was the one who hung upon the tree for you and for me? Who was it, church? Jesus.

When we find ourselves at Marah, when we find ourselves hitting the wall, filled with bitterness in the wilderness, we will be in the wilderness. The Lord is going to be there for us. The Lord says, "Look to the tree. Cast the tree into the waters, and they will become sweet." Cast the cross into the situation, and the bitterness will become sweet.

I believe that we need to cast the tree into the situation. As Paul says in Galatians chapter 2, "I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless, I live. Yet not I, but Christ lives within me. In the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me."

You see, when you're in that place of trying to do things in your own self-sufficiency, your own wisdom, your own strength, and everything seems to be coming up bitter, it's like drinking the waters of Marah.

And the Lord says to bring the tree into the situation because you need to crucify that. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think that anything is of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of Christ. I believe that's found in 2 Corinthians chapter 3, verse 5.

The Lord wants us to come to that place where we're at the waters of Marah, trying to do things in our own strength and our own wisdom, and He wants us to crucify that. Bring the tree into the situation and lay ourselves down, saying, "Lord, I cannot save myself. But what You did on that tree, I remember this day." Then things can begin to get better.

What's the difference between the word "bitter" and the word "better"? One letter: I. And I need to die. I need to lay down upon that tree and be crucified with Christ so that I no longer live, but Christ's life is now established in me. Only the Lord can make bitter waters sweet. He has brought you out into that place to prove you, to test you, to reveal these things to us, and to show us that we have need of Him.

I found yesterday morning, as I woke up, there was a heaviness of heart in my heart. I sat before the Lord in my room at my desk with my Bible in front of me, thinking, "Lord, I don't want to even go and teach Your word right now because I have a heavy heart." As I prayed to the Lord, I started to think about how if I just do this and do that, maybe I can fix this whole situation. The Lord said, "No, that needs to die."

I said, "All right, Lord, I need Your help." Just about five or ten minutes later, as I sat there, it was as if there was an overwhelming joy that came upon my heart, and the weight was lifted. At that very second, the Lord confirmed to me that someone was praying for me right now. I said, "Thank You, Lord."

Even in the midst of bitter waters, the Lord can make it sweet as we walk with Him. He wants us to come to that place where we say, "Lord, I just can't do this on my own. I give it up into Your hands. It's all Yours." When you're in that place, then the Lord can begin to speak to you, as we see in verse 26. He said, "If you will diligently hearken unto Me, under the voice of the Lord thy God, and will do that which is right in His sight..."

And will give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, then I will put none of the diseases upon thee which I have brought upon the Egyptians, for I am the Lord that heals thee. God says, if you will diligently hearken unto Me and follow Me, then I’m not going to bring any of these diseases upon you because I am the Lord who heals you.

This reminds me of Isaiah chapter 55, verse 1: "Oh, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come ye, buy and eat. Yes, come and buy wine and milk without money, without price." Wherefore do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and you labor for that which satisfies not? Why are you constantly trying to do things in your own self-interest, your own self-sufficiency, and your own wisdom, because it satisfies not?

In Isaiah 55, verse 2, we read, "Hearken diligently unto Me and eat that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness." The Lord has this abundant life, this fullness of life that He wants to give to us, but first we have to stop trying to find it in other things, other sources. All those other things need to be gotten rid of.

When you come to a financial problem and think, "Oh, it’s no problem. We can take care of it. We’ve got the credit card," maybe that’s the time the Lord says, "Get rid of your self-sufficiency and ask Me." Or when you find yourself in a tough situation, you might say, "Well, I’ve gone through these things before, and I’m sure I can try to get my way out of it this time." The Lord says, "But you see, that revelation only came to the children of Israel after they had gone through the wilderness, after they had experienced the bitterness of Marah, and after they had cast the tree into the situation. Then God spoke to them."

Many people have said to me, "How come I don’t hear the things from the Lord that you hear?" I would submit to you that part of it is that maybe every single time you start to enter into one of those trials, you turn and run away, saying, "I don’t want to go through this." But it’s in the midst of the fire, in the midst of the trial, that the Lord meets you and speaks with you in a powerful way.

The children of Israel were given this great revelation from the Lord: "I will not bring upon any of these diseases to you because I am the Lord that heals thee," after they had gone through the time of bitterness. What a joy it is to see God do that in our lives.

I have seen Him do it in my life over and over again, and I'm sure there are many in this room who could bear testimony to how God has done that in your life. He has brought you through these wilderness wanderings, these wilderness experiences, where you find bitterness at Marah. You try to do it in your own strength, and then finally the Lord says, "No, you need to die." That old carnal flesh needs to be crucified with Christ so that you no longer live, but now Christ lives within you. The life which you now lead, you live by faith in the Son of God who died for you and gave Himself for you on the tree.

Cast the tree into the waters. That bitter experience you find yourself in today, or maybe the bitter experience you're walking into tomorrow, can be transformed. In verse 27, we read, "And they came to Elam, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped before the waters." After they had gone through that wilderness experience and learned the lesson that the Lord wanted to impart to them, He brought them out to a place called Elam, a place which means "palm tree."

In Scripture, the palm tree is the tree of the righteous. The Lord desires to build in you and me that life of righteousness. The reason they call the palm tree the tree of righteousness is that it stands tall, very tall and straight, like the righteous man. It is the only tree that bears more fruit as it gets older. Other trees in the world have a peak and then start to go downhill, but not the palm tree. It bears more fruit as it ages. Its fruit is bright orange, visible from far away, and it grows at the very top of the tree, always near water.

The tree of righteousness bears fruit abundantly throughout its years. It is tall and stands straight. The Lord wants to do that work in my life and in yours. He wants to create in us that righteous life, but that righteous life only comes as the Lord takes us through the wilderness to cleanse us, to clean us, to sanctify us. We can be confident of this very thing, as Paul said in Philippians 1:6: "He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus."

Many people say, "Oh, I just can't wait to see the work that the Lord's going to do." Unfortunately, that work involves suffering because He has to break us so that He can make us new. However, at the end of the trial, they came into Elam, where there were twelve wells of water that they could drink from and seventy palm trees from which they could eat the dates. They encamped by the waters.

As Paul says in Romans chapter 8, "All things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to His purpose." All things work together for good. I like that he says, "And we know." I wonder, do we know that just in our heads because we've heard it? Yes, Pat quotes it all the time, and Miles has said it, and Mark. We might say, "Yeah, I know that," but do we know it in our hearts? Have we lived it out? Even in the bitter times, God can make them good. I know that all things work together for good.

Unfortunately, we have such short-sightedness. It's hard for us to see past the end of our noses sometimes while walking with the Lord. We don't realize that the Lord has an eternal perspective, while we often only see what is right in front of us. All we seem to notice is the trial, this Marah, which is bitter. We might ask, "Lord, what are You doing?" But the Lord wants us to come to that place, just like Jesus, where we realize, "Lord, You are my provision, You are my protection, and I will praise only You." Even as I walk through the wilderness, even when temptation, tests, and trials come, I will praise only You because You are my provision and my protection.

We could be, as Psalm 1 declares, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law doth he meditate day and night." He hearkens diligently to it. He shall be like a tree that is planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in his season. His leaves shall not wither, and whatsoever he does shall prosper. But the ungodly are not so; they are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore, the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

God brought the children of Israel over the Red Sea, showing them His wonders, His power, and His miraculous and awesome works. Then He immediately brought them into the wilderness so that they would learn to trust Him as the God who is their provision and protection, and to praise Him.

As the only one, the Lord is doing that in my life currently, and in your lives, I'm sure. He brings us to the valley of Baca so that we hit the wall and fall at His feet. We bring the cross into the situation and say, "Lord, help me today to die daily."

Psalm 84, verse 5 says, "Blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee, in whose heart are the ways of them who passing through the valley of Baca makes it a well, and the rain also fills the pools." Baca means weeping. There are many times when we find ourselves in that valley of Baca, and we look down and say, "What is this all over my feet?" It's Baca—bitterness and weeping. We might ask the Lord, "Why have You brought me out here?"

But the man of God, whose strength is found only in the Lord, says, "Lord, You're my provision. You're my protection." He walks in the ways of the Lord. While he's in the valley of weeping, when he's in the valley of Baca, he makes it a well, and the pools overflow. Oh, the work that the Lord desires to do in every single one of us! Yes, at times it's painful, but with the Lord, it always brings about pleasure in the end. What a good God we serve! He leads us not only on high hills but also in low valleys. He is our God, and we are His people.

Let's pray. God, I do thank You for Your Word. So applicable it is to each of us. I pray that You'd plant it deep in our hearts this morning, that we wouldn't soon forget this, Lord. May we not quickly turn to our own self-sufficiency, but truly realize that we are sufficient only in You. You have made us able ministers of the New Testament, Lord, the New Covenant—not of the letter, because the letter kills, but of the Spirit, because the Spirit gives life.

God, we thank You for the work of Your Spirit that breathes life into us. I pray that as we wander sometimes in the wilderness, we wouldn't allow our praise of You to cease so quickly. Lord, may we constantly remember the things that You've done in the past, the things that You've promised to do in the future, and let that help us see that You're working right now. You work all things together for good because we love You and have been called according to Your purpose.

So, Lord, this day...

Help us to be more like Your Son, who, while He was in the wilderness, being tempted, being tested and proven, said, "Lord, You're my provision, You're my protection, and I'll praise only Thee." For we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.