Bitter Waters and Better Hearts

Aug 8 2025 - Eric Buresh

Exodus 15:24 – And the people complained, saying, ‘What shall we drink?’ 

It is a strange thing, but not new, that after great deliverance comes grumbling. We all do it – all the way back to the beginning. The Israelites had just walked through the sea on dry ground. They had sung the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb, rejoicing in the Lord who triumphed gloriously over the horse and his rider. Then, after only three days into the wilderness, their lips filled with grumbling. 

How quickly our human hearts forget the mighty hand of God! One would think that a people who had watched the Red Sea part, who had seen Pharaoh’s host drowned beneath its waves, would never again question God’s ability to care for them. And yet here they are, murmuring at the bitter waters of Marah. There are many reminders here. 

Let us start with this: grumbling is not merely the expression of discomfort—it is the symptom of unbelief. It is a whispered accusation against the character of God. When the people cried, “What shall we drink?” they were not simply thirsty; they were doubting the goodness and sufficiency of their Deliverer. 

To you who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, has not God proven Himself faithful again and again? Has the Lord changed? The bitter cup you hold in your hand has not slipped through the fingers of Providence. It was given—not to annoy you—but to bless you. 

Murmuring is a disease that spreads quickly. What begins as a private irritation becomes a public contagion. Complaining robs the soul of joy and fosters a hardened heart. The grumbler sees the trial, but not the purpose. He tastes the bitterness, but not the blessing. 

But the child of God experiences gratitude in the wilderness. Not because the water is sweet, but because the Lord is near. When you see your Shepherd in the valley, you do not fear the shadows. And when you trust His heart, you can even give thanks with a dry mouth—for He is working for your good. 

Understand this: God does not test us to see what is in us—He already knows. He tests us to grow what He has planted within us. Just as a muscle grows by resistance, so faith grows by trial. The waters of Marah were not a mistake—they were a lesson. And when Moses cast the tree into the waters and they were made sweet, the people learned again what God can do when we follow by faith. 

Every test is a pathway to greater faith. Every wilderness is a school of trust. Every bitter cup is an opportunity to declare, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.”