I am the LORD, who heals you

Tucked away just after the great, sweeping accounts of the ten plagues, the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, and the parting of the Red Sea which ultimately ends in the destruction of Pharaoh's army and freedom at long last for the Children of Israel, just after Moses and Miriam sing their song of triumph and praise to God, is this stark but telling verse:

"Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water." (Ex. 15:22)

We are used to reading through the text at a rapid pace--quickly turning the pages, leaping from story to story, from exciting conclusion to exciting conclusion, spanning hundreds of years with a single flick of the wrist--but when we allow ourselves to slow down for a minute and enter the story, I think we begin to get a truer, more vivid picture of the events taking place. Imagine with me for a moment: the confetti, the streamers, party hats and noisemakers used in that great celebration of the defeat of the Egyptians at the Red Sea have long since dropped to the ground and been forgotten. The songs of triumph and praise have been replaced by the silence of the deep desert. The only sounds now are the crunch of camel's hooves on sand covered rock, the groans of hot and weary travelers, and the never ending wind. For three days now you've been wandering in the desert. The water is almost gone, and the joys of freedom have been overwhelmed by the desperation only terrible thirst can bring. Suddenly there is a shout at the front of the column: water! You find yourself running along with the multitudes, carried along by the common desire to get at that one substance your body cries out for above all else. You reach the pool and plunge your face below the surface, drinking deeply. Without warning, however, your smile fades and your body contorts as you begin to retch, spewing the once welcome water out on the sandy shore of the pond--the water is too bitter to drink! As the cry of disappointment and anger rushes like wildfire through the community, growing to an unbearable crescendo, Moses, leader of the newly freed nation, turns his eyes towards heaven.

As we move back out of the story, we begin to see what is really at stake here. God has begun to reveal Himself to His people, bringing them along through signs and wonders--defeating the armies of Egypt, freeing His people in the most spectacular way possible--helping them begin to understand just exactly who He is and who they are in relation to Him. But all these miracles will be wasted if God allows His people to die of thirst in the desert, if He will not, or cannot, provide them with the water they need. But God's revelation of Himself to His people is not yet complete. As their groaning reaches its peak, God shows Moses a stick which Moses then tosses into the water, making it sweet and drinkable. And as the assembly drinks their fill, God reveals Himself by a new name "I am the LORD, who heals you," promising to bring healing and health to the Israelites if they will follow His laws. Then He leads them to an oasis, a place called Elim, where there were 12 springs and 70 palm trees, and there He gives them rest.

As God's people, we also have our seasons of dryness and doubt. But we have a watchful God who knows our needs, who will keep His promises, who will not abandon us in the desert, a God who will, in His time, lead us, like the Israelites, to rest. He is the LORD, who heals you.