No sooner had the people left the waters of the Red Sea than they found themselves at the waters of Mara. It’s not the last oasis they would find in this otherwise remote desert climate, but it would be one of the most symbolic.
As we’ll come to find out, the Israelites complained about everything. There wasn’t a moment in those 40 years where the people didn’t whine about food, complain about a “certain” doom, a lack of faith in Moses, questions about leadership, and whatever else happened to upset them at the time.
The waters of Mara were no exception. Once they arrived and started to pull water for their families, they noticed that the water was almost undrinkable. The idea is not that it simply tasted bad, but that it would literally make you sick if you drank the water.
What is God to do? He had just demonstrated His ability to part the waters of the Red Sea for Israel to pass through, so making bitter water drinkable is a cakewalk. He showed them a tree that would fix the water, they threw it in, and the water was cleansed. Was it a miracle? Probably. But it could’ve also just been God’s understanding of His own creation that He imparted to His own people.
But that’s not really what this scene represents. God’s ability to turn bitter water into drinkable water is nice, but what’s really impressive is His ability to turn the bitter hearts of the people into a more agreeable group. Now that they had water again, they trusted in God! Hooray!
Would it last, though? God made it clear that His protection was conditional. He had demonstrated His faithfulness to them through the bitter waters of Mara. Would they be faithful to Him? Or would they turn their back on Him at the first sign of trouble and question His covenant?
If you’ve read further into the Bible, you know what the result will be. But at least for now, the people were content to drink from the oasis.
