By Tom Shanklin

When they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore, the name of it was called Marah. (Exodus 15:23 MEV)

In February, I wrote an article called “Have You Been to Marah?” dealing with the bitter circumstances of life, such as divorce, broken relationships, sickness, the loss of a loved one, personal failure, and more.

The Good News is that God has an answer for the bitter circumstances of life through the cross of His Son Jesus. In this Old Testament story, God told Moses to find a tree and toss it into the bitter waters. When he did, the waters were made sweet. This is an Old Testament picture of a New Testament truth. As it says in the book of Galatians:

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (Galatians 3:13-14 AV)

So we see that the blessing to God comes from a tree (the tree of Calvary), where Jesus bore our curse for us so that we might receive the blessing.

God’s Prescription for Healing

But there is another message that I want you to see from this Old Testament story that is essential for us to walk in the blessing that Jesus purchased. Notice the words that God spoke to Moses after the waters had miraculously been made sweet:

He said, “If you diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will not afflict you with any of the diseases with which I have afflicted the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.” (Exodus 15:26 MEV)

God is our Doctor! In the original Hebrew, “I am the LORD that heals you” is Jehovah Rapha. And as I like to say, God has never gone down to the courthouse and gotten a name change. 

Sometimes, though, we tend to gloss over the first part of this verse, which contains the Doctor’s prescription for our healing. 

He said, “If you diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will not afflict you with any of the diseases with which I have afflicted the Egyptians.”

Notice that little word there, “IF.” We tend to ignore that part because, after all, this is Old Testament, which is based on the Law, and we are living in the New Testament, which is based on grace.

But the truth is, this commandment does have an application for New Testament believers. We, too, must “diligently listen” and “do what is right” in order to walk in the blessings of God. This applies not only to physical healing but also to many other areas, such as our spiritual, emotional, and relational wellbeing. 

Such instructions are not legalism. They are realities. Just as a loving parent will instruct their children for their benefit, God was instructing Israel (not to make them miserable), but for their benefit. And He also instructs us for our benefit.

Jesus purchased our salvation by His work on the cross, and there is nothing we can do to add to that work for our salvation or healing. However, we can undo the effects of the cross in our lives by our disobedience.

Walk in the Blessing Through Love

Now, fortunately, we do not need to be concerned about all the requirements of the Mosaic law. That was specifically for Israel. And the Bible clearly tells us that we are not under the law but that the purpose of the law was to bring us to Christ. See Galatians 3:24.

But there is a law of the New Testament. Notice what Jesus said:

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35 MEV)

One of the main things that God is looking for in us is love. Faith and love are the two outstanding characteristics of a born-again Christian. Loving God and loving people sums up the commandments for the New Testament Christian. Every Born Again Christian has love because the love of God has been shed abroad in our heart by the Holy Spirit.

Bitterness Pollutes Your Well

When I came to Jesus in 1977, a miraculous change came over me. I experienced the glory of God, and I had a deep love for people. People who I had shunned and avoided before suddenly became loved by Tom.

But since then I have learned that one of the great challenges of the Christian life is continuing to walk in love. There are many opportunities to get offended and to stop walking in love. Satan is working overtime to get us into anger and bitterness so he can pollute our wells and keep us from walking in the blessing of God.

While the love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit through the New Birth, we can easily begin to think evil thoughts towards someone or a group of people or even toward God. When we allow these thoughts to fester and dominate our consciousness, they can get into our hearts and pollute our spiritual wells. 

Pursue peace with all men, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord, watching diligently so that no one falls short of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness spring up to cause trouble, and many become defiled by it, (Hebrews 12:14-15 MEV)

So here we see that although our salvation and healing are totally by the grace of God through the cross of Calvary, we can “fail of the grace of God” by allowing bitterness in our heart. The Greek word translated “fail” means to “fall short of” or “fail to reach the goal” or “to be left behind in the race.” Even though grace is free, we can fail to receive its benefits if we become bitter and judgmental. That bitterness in our hearts will pollute the fresh waters of the Holy Spirit and block the work of God in our lives. We won’t be able to see the Lord, our prayers will be hindered, and God won’t be able to do what He wants to do for us. 

Don’t Have Anything Against Anyone

Now notice what Jesus said about forgiving others and our prayer life:

And when you stand praying, forgive if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven may also forgive you your sins. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your sins.” (Mark 11:25-26 MEV)

Jesus said, don’t have ANYTHING against ANYONE! That does not leave a lot of wiggle room. He did not make an exception for the person that cheated you in a business deal, or someone who betrayed you, or someone you perceive is destroying your country. He said, don’t have ANYTHING against ANYONE! 

We are living in a time when we must be very diligent to protect ourselves from bitterness. There is so much anger in the land. Anger against government leaders, anger against people of different races or religions, anger against family members. Anger against those who think differently, look differently, or act differently. Anger against those who have hurt you. Anger against those who won’t do what you want them to do. 

There is a time to be angry, but don’t allow that anger and bitterness to stay in your heart. Let go of it and be free, in Jesus’ name. As the scripture says, “Be angry but do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your anger.” (Ephesians 4:26, MEV) It is normal to get angry about sin and injustice, but don’t let animosity live in your heart and rob you of your blessing. Let it go!

A Bitter Heart Produces Bitter Speech

Bitterness of the heart is most readily expressed by the words that we speak.

Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. (James 3:10 MEV)

As Christians, we need to guard our lips and be careful about what we say. It’s so easy to take on the spirit of this world and start speaking like everyone else. When we start speaking like the angry politician, angry TV personality, or angry preacher, we are falling into the devil’s trap and doing his bidding. We need to be careful of our associations, because this is the main way that our hearts are polluted.

Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man you will not go, (Proverbs 22:24, MEV)

The “angry man” and the “bad company” are not only the people who you eat lunch with, but the someone you watch on TV, radio, or the internet. Beware! “Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” (1Corinthians 15:33, MEV) Do not spend time with an angry person!

If you want to walk in the blessing of God, first of all, receive Jesus as the Lord of your life and believe in what He did for you on the cross and through His resurrection. Then, make a determination that, no matter what, you are going to walk in love and speak healing words rather than hateful words.

You cannot control what other people do and say, but you can make a firm decision today to rid yourself of all bitterness in your heart and tongue. Pray for your enemies, be at peace within yourself, and walk in the blessing of God.

Pray a Prayer Like This

Dear Father, thank you for your love. Thank you for sending Jesus, who hung on the cross and said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Thank you for forgiving me of ALL my sins. I receive it and thank you for it. Today, I choose to forgive others as well. I will not have anything against anyone. With the help of the Holy Spirit, I will love like Jesus loves. Thank you for being my Father and healing my heart, mind, and body, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Have You Been to Marah?

No More Bitter Waters [Audio Sermon]

The Key to Every Blessing [Audio and Video]

Tom’s Testimony of Freedom from Addiction to Drugs and Alcohol