Proceed To Elim From Marah

Unless you are familiar with the journey to the Promised Land, Elim and Marah may not ring a bell. The children of Israel came to Marah and, according to its name, the water was hostile. In no time at all, with God’s help, their leader fixed the problem and the waters turned to sweet. They were happy to tarry at Marah. However, God caused them to proceed to Elim from Marah.

Marah was for them the deliverance from imminent death. God miraculously took them through the Red Sea. But then, they found themselves in a wilderness. Having just witnessed the power of God, building a highway in the sea, the wilderness did not bother them. God was sure to do see them through.

But as hours turned into days and there was no water anywhere in sight, their anger rose. And who can blame them? In the desert, going without water for three hours can leave you feeling faith with dehydration. It should therefore not a surprise that they complained against their leader.

At that stage, most of us would have not only complained, we would have left the church in anger. But these men only complained perhaps there was nowhere to go or else, they were tough. They may be tougher than you and me. Tough or not, God did not want them to stay on at Marah despite its sweet waters.

He wanted them to proceed to Elim from Marah. And how did He do that? He made a covenant with them. Sometimes, it seems that God finds it hard to leave well alone. No sooner do you learn a particular lesson than He is moving you onto another test.

The Covenant of Health

You wonder if God’s thoughts have to always be higher or His ways higher than your ways. Sorry to be the bearer of sad news but yes, God’s ways have to be higher than yours. That is part of what makes Him God.

So, if your plan is to settle where you are, you better find another god. You will be needing a god whose thoughts are lower than yours. This is what idol worshippers do. They choose a god whom they can control, as we see in the book of Isaiah in chapter forty-four. Find time to read it soon, paying particular attention to the verses from nine onward.

But back to the Israelites and the lessons we can learn from their experience. These people were busy enjoying God’s provision of sweet water and He intervenes with a covenant. If they were like you and me, they might have wondered why they needed a covenant. They were already satisfied.

God however wanted them to know that there was something even better than the satisfaction of Marah. There was Elim, which came with a test. Do not let that surprise you. Even in the most popular bible verse, there is a test. Consider: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.”

Now, to the test, “that whosoever believes in Him.” If you believe, you will have everlasting life. If you don’t believe, you have failed the test and will perish. Similarly, to proceed to Elim from Marah, the Israelites would have to pass their test.

The Real Meaning Of Elim And Marah

And, because God is kind, their test was not grievous. It only required that they constantly and diligently obey His voice. If they could do that simple thing, they would be completely free of disease.

Fortunately for them, they had Moses, a visionary leader. He led them to Elim and then they discovered an even higher level of satisfaction. Here, unlike at Marah, they had no need to fix anything because there was nothing missing, nothing broken.

In case you don’t already know, that is the definition of peace. At Elim, the waters were already sweet. There were seventy palms. The stream was peaceful. That was the reason God wanted them to proceed to Elim from Marah. Similarly, God wants us to move from religion to Christianity.

At the point of religion, you work to fix your situation. Work here may include long prayers, constant night vigils, fasting, and anything you can do to please God. The more you of work that you do, the more you see the need to do. This is why some churches keep introducing more and more programs without deleting old ones. They are busy trying to fix their Marah waters with religious practices. Such people miss out on the benefits of Jesus.

On the other hand, at Elim, everything was already beautiful and peaceful. All the people of God needed to do was enjoy. Having lost the enjoyment of the garden of Eden, they had a taste of paradise at Elim.

God next allowed them to rest there until their souls were fully restored. Make no mistake, Marah, with its need for fixing, represents religious practices. Elim, with its full provision for abundant life, represents Jesus. God needs us to move away from religion to Christianity.

Many Would Not Proceed to Elim From Marah

Unfortunately for us, many of us refuse to proceed to Elim from Marah. We are so satisfied with the religious practices of works that we do not want to move. There is also the fear that keeps others from moving forward. Because they don’t know what is ahead, they stay in the religion of Marah and keep fixing it. They remain strangers to Christ.

Only those who have enough faith to overcome fear proceed to Elim from Marah to then discover the abundance in Jesus. Don’t forget, Jesus is God’s provision for all our needs. If we take nothing else from this piece, we must learn the need to move from religion to Jesus.

Keep in mind, religion is where you think you can help yourself. Christianity is where you simply relax in the finished work of Jesus on the cross. The choice is yours. You can stay in Marah and continue to fix things. Or you can move into Jesus and start to enjoy in faith and trust. To do that, you must proceed to Elim from Marah.

May God give us the grace to make the move today.

Maranatha!