TORREY BIBLE CONFERENCE SPECIAL MESSAGES
by Dr. W o o d r ow Rood Pastor, Melrose Baptist Church, Oakland, California
H ow w o u l d rou like to hear a male choir of 600,000 voices singing a song of praise unto the Lord? In Exodus 15, we read of Moses and such a choir’s singing the praises of God. God had delivered the Israelites from the hand of the Egyptians, opening the Red Sea so that thy walked through on dry ground, and throwing the pursuing Egyptians into the midst of the sea. Listen to the words of a part of the first stanza: “ The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him” (Exodus 15:2). There was no singing in Egypt; there was only groaning. Singing can only follow redemption. The Is raelites sang with the assurance of an accomplished re demption. It was truly a song of praise. The note of praise ought to be in our lives at all times. This anthem of praise is only a prelude to that which follows. The concluding verses of chapter 15 show the children of Israel in the wilderness. The song, the tim brel and dance have just ceased and that first gush of joy that fills the bosom of the delivered soul has sub sided. Let us consider three pictures. First, the Bitter Wa ters; second, the Bloody Waters; and third, The Beau tiful Waters. THE BITTER WATERS “ So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people mur mured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?” (w . 22-24). Here the Israelites faced their first testing since their deliverance from the Egyptians. They journeyed for three days in the wilderness and found no water. Can you imagine what it must have been like in the wilder
ness under a burning hot sun for three days with no mois ture whatever? Their lips were cracked; throats were dry and parched; babies were crying. All were desperately looking but unable to find water. The Israelites faced a real trial with no water to drink. It is when we are faced with trial that we are put to the test as to the real measure of our acquaintance with God. You remember how wonderful everything was when the Lord saved you, and then you ran up against something you didn’t expect. It was a real test. Perhaps you said, “ I thought the Christian life was going to al ways be praise, prayer, and everything beautiful.” Then suddenly "you were thrown by a real trial. You couldn’t understand it. There may be some reading this message who are at that point. This passage of Scripture will be of help to you. God had delivered the children of Israel. Their ene mies had been destroyed. They are on their way to Ca naan, but suddenly — no water! When the water is found there is an added trial that the water is bitter. What at first sight seemed to give relief was found to be nothing but bitterness. These waters tested the very heart of Israel. “ The people murmured again Moses saying, What shall we drink?” The voice of praise had given way to murmuring. The word murmur is made up of two in fantile sounds — mur-mur. It comes from a person who is a spiritual baby. It is an evidence of a carnal nature. Murmuring is still with us today. It is found in the lives of many Christians. It doesn’t take any brains to com plain. A murmurer is one who is short of memory, short of sight, short of faith. He is not a real follower of Jesus Christ. Notice the contrast in verses 24 and 25. “ And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? And he cried unto the Lord.” The Israelites mur mured against Moses. Moses cried unto the Lord. The lesson that we learn here is that there is no bitterness that God cannot sweeten. THE BLOODY WATERS “ And the Lord shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters
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