Read Exodus 15:27 – 16:0
The Story
Satiated from the sweetened waters of Marah the Israelites are taken back to their feet to follow the cloudy pillar. For another day or so, they wander, perhaps wondering if this God Yahweh will always take them to the brink before a last-minute reprieve, or perhaps there was now a confidence growing, a small one that maybe, just maybe He could provide all they would possibly need. I can imagine groans of awe as they first set their eyes upon the silhouette of the 70 palm trees in the distance, I can imagine a sluggish pace being picked up as the realisation dawned that there had to be water if there were palms and this time without being on the verge of death.
Twelve springs, one for each tribe, palms and most probably dates, 70 one for each elder to distribute, to sit in the shade of. It would have been very tempting to stay here, I’d think, tempting to think well this will do, why continue on through more hard travels and trials when this little foretaste of heaven is here?
There is a lesson from the palms. Palms don’t have a long deep taproot like most other trees, the roots are fibrous and extend outward which means that even if one is broken there are many others still able to nourish and support the tree. In a place with twelve springs the trees thrive on their shallow roots. The stem has adapted to survive the harshest conditions, it is designed to protect the core, the heart of the palm, as the wind blows the tree can bend and sway with the storm without the stem snapping, the fronds act like feathers allowing the wind to pass through unhindered, leaving the least amount of damage.
I imagine this was a perfect illustration of the Lords blessing here at Elim, knowing there were no deep roots of faith in the Israelites just yet, the living, nourishing water of grace needed to be easily accessed, permitting a flexibility and endurability for the storms and trials they were to face later in the journey.
What’s happening with Moses?
Moses would have sighed from a depth that had been carved out from the last few months of his life. Here was a foretaste of the land of Milk and Honey, here was a glimpse of the promise they were walking towards. This was a true blessing from the Lord, a time of rest without looking over his shoulder, a time to stop and reflect on what the Lord had done and give thanks for it. He would have been affirmed in His ability to hear the voice of Yahweh, to know that with such a place of blessing that this was the God to be following, that the Lord wished good things for them. Simple good things that could only be appreciated after a hard journey to arrive there. I imagine Moses’ heart swelling as he looked over the multitude of people he had been tasked to lead out of Egypt, laughing, communing, bonding together. Did his fatherly heart stretch just a little more to be like His Gods? I think so, I think he would have gazed on the crowds with a little warmth growing, a little sense of responsibility for their welfare and a sense of wanting them to come to know the God who had called them, as much as himself, if not more so.
What’s happening with the Israelites?
I think there would have been a chink in the armour of mistrust happening here at Elim for the Hebrews. Only a short journey this time to a place of abundance. I wonder if in the first days of rest, real rest without worry that they began to see their God Yahweh was not just another Pharaoh but someone entirely different. There were no days of rest in Egypt, there were no days for family, for communing and bonding together as a nation. Trials experienced together unite people, a shared journey brings a deep connection that cant be gained in the easy day to day. A sense of belonging would have started to form,a. Sense of connection. To each other and through that to God maybe. I would imagine there would have been praise to the Lord, it’s easy to praise when things are good,but also when the time for it has been set aside. I wonder if the Lord is preparing their hearts for the sabbath they have yet to be given in the commandments.
What do we learn about God?
On top of a God who hears, rescues, delivers and heals we now meet a God who provides and blesses. A God who wishes to bless us and who knows how best to do this for our own sanctification. I think it’s important to remember that this wasn’t the promised land, merely a foretaste of it. It can be sorely tempting to want to remain at the Oasis but to do so means we never reach the fullness of what we were intended to become, nor experience the fullness of Gods goodness. If we stubbornly stay put then we are choosing not to follow and the Oasis is only sweet because of His presence, once his presence is calling us on, the beauty of this temporary paradise will soon fade. For us this looks like compromise, I don’t want to go deeper with you Lord, I don’t want to walk through any hardship or trial, Lord. I cant give you more of myself than this. We may not realise we are saying this but in many ways it’s easily done.
Whilst we will come to discuss the sabbath, hear the importance of community and Church I think comes through. Like the fibrous roots of the palm trees reaching out over the surface our connectedness gives us a strength to bend with the storm but not be irreparably broken by it.
What is the significance for the Spiritual Journey?
Times of consolation are a hallmark of the spiritual journey. A time when all is well, when the sweetness of God’s blessing and presence is tangible. It is a time when it little matters that all around your Oasis is desert. The over whelming thing is that right now you are here in this place of grace and nourishment. Enjoy, this is a time to praise God, to reflect on all He has given you. Look how far He has brought you from your slavery and bondage. The fruit of the consolation is a building devotion to the Lord, the source of the sweetness, like the palm roots it is shallow but serves to swell the heart and stretch its capacity to love.
It will soon be time to move on, but the sweetness of this season will remain like a taste on your lips, a memory that has left you changed and developed a deeper thirst for communion than was ever possible in those first days. In the desert, that thirst will drive you forward in search of the next Oasis, the next Elim. Yes, you would have learnt so much more from the bitterness of Marah than from the sweetness of here, but it is a beautiful foretaste of the eternal promise and one that awakens a desire.
