The Divine Names. Pt. 2: Jehovah Rapha

Good morning Dear Readers

I am rejoicing as the Word of God continues to go forth through this blog into places around the world.  The truth of God's word is desperately needed by people who struggle in so many areas of life. 

Scripture is called "the words of life" because it is used by the Spirit of God to convict the hearts of all people who hear it and read it.  Scripture is used to bring conviction upon us for our sins and to lead us to true repentance so that we can be regenerated or born again into the family of God.  

Please keep sharing God's life changing truth with all the people that you know that are lost and  living without the Hope of the blessed Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Let us return to the text we studied in the last post and refresh our memories a bit.

A simple outline of Exodus 15 would show that Moses is looking back at the complete victory of God over the Egyptians at the Red Sea crossing in verses 1-12. 

In verses 13-18 we have the forward look into what Jehovah would do in the future for the people. 

Verses 19-22 relates Miriam’s summary of the great victory followed by an exhortation to join in worshipping Jehovah.

It is the last paragraph of this chapter where we encounter the name Jehovah Rapha.  Verses 22-27 are a record of a brief but difficult trial followed by the puzzling fall of the people into anger and unbelief.  Moses quickly pleads with the Lord who tells him what he must do.  The terrible problem that they faced was fixed by Jehovah Rapha.  The chapter ends with the LORD leading them on once again.  

Immediate blessings from Jehovah.

In Exodus 15:1-21 we saw our God responding with immediate blessings as Pharaoh sought to destroy the Hebrews.  The text tells us that Jehovah granted four blessings upon His people.  He led them forth, He redeemed them, He guided them, and He established them.

God's people respond with joyous praise. 

We also saw God’s people responding with happy worship.  Moses said he would sing unto the LORD. Moses said he would prepare Jehovah a habitation and that he would exalt Jehovah.  Reference to worship is found 6 times in these verses. 

Jehovah gave them hope for the future.

We saw promises from Jehovah for the future.  Moses seems to be speaking prophetically in Exodus 15:13-18.  The language seems to anticipate the day when Israel would begin to inherit the land of Canaan just as Jehovah promised they would.  He is going to lead and guide His people to the holy habitation of God.  Moses describes what will happen when Israel begins their conquest.





The location is now shifted away from the shores of the Red Sea. Jehovah leads the people to a different place with more challenging circumstances in order to test their faith.  The photo above from the wilderness of Shur gives us an idea of what the waters of Marah looked like. 

I am pretty certain that if you and I read through Exodus 1 to 15 we would be astounded that anyone could doubt Jehovah's ability to do what He promised to do.  Yet, we will see this is the case.  The people quickly fall away because they took their eyes off of their Redeemer and looked at their dire circumstances. 

The context of the name Jehovah Rapha is important to note.  First, Moses just led the Hebrews out of Egypt and across the Red Sea. God destroyed the armies of Pharaoh before their very eyes.  The first 21 verses of this chapter are a celebratory song of Moses and the people that they all sang in praise to Jehovah their redeemer.

Jehovah led them to a place of bitter waters.

Verse 22 notes a change of location.  Moses led them for three days into the wilderness of Shur, a part of the Arabian desert.  The Egyptians constructed a very long defensive wall in this area to repel invaders. 

The people went from praise to panic. 

The Hebrews traveled this hot, dry area for three days and found no water.  Then, they found a place named “Marah” with an abundant supply of water.  It turned out that they could not drink the water because of it's “bitter” taste.  Though they had an ample amount of water, it was undrinkable and perhaps even poisonous. 

Exodus 15:22-27    So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.  And 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. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them, And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee. And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters. 

The Hebrews had seen the Lord protect them with His pillar of fire at night and His pillar of smoke by day.  They had just finished a passionate time of praise and worship to Jehovah for their deliverance.  What was their response when they found the water was undrinkable?  They murmured and complained.

They complained at the obstacle rather 
than calling on Jehovah for help.

After 3 days with no water while traveling through the desert, their situation was a life-threatening issue.  However, they also enjoyed the great blessing of knowing God and experiencing His presence in tangible ways that few others have ever experienced.  

It certainly is not logical to think that the same God who marvelously led them out of Egypt would suddenly abandon them or that He was somehow unaware of their situation.  The Hebrews had to learn to trust the LORD. 

While the Hebrews were slaves in Eygpt, they enjoyed the garlics, leeks, melons, and onions.  They were suddenly being exposed to harsh conditions.

The text tells us that they had traveled three days into the wilderness without finding water.  There were about 2 million people of all age groups with livestock walking through the desert heat for three days without water.  It is safe to assume that some were panicking while others were genuinely concerned for the lives of their families. 

We have the same flesh and often complain
about things instead of seeking God's help. 

Why didn't they simply trust the Lord and ask Him for drinking water?  We may be thinking  if we had been there we would not have been murmuring or complaining to Moses like they were. 

The reality is that you and I have the same sin nature that they had and we too, are prone to doubt God.  

Exodus 15:23-24 And 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. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?

Marah means very bitter. 

The name Marah means very bitter and it was thought to be a fountain producing abundant water that was unfit for human consumption. 

It probably would not have been good for any livestock to drink the waters of Marah.  The text simply lets us know that they could not drink it and we cannot speculate about why this water was bitter.  The text also uses the plural form of water to indicate that there was ample water. 

Moses loved the Lord and he loved the Hebrew people.  They cried out to Moses demanding to know what they were supposed to drink.  In the face of this crisis and with the people becoming desperate and angry, Moses immediately cried out to the Lord. 

This is an important truth that each of us must learn as we live our lives.  Our human tendency is to try to fix what has gone wrong but, in this case, no man could solve the problem.  Moses rightly recognized this and turned to Jehovah for help.

Moses cried out to Jehovah with urgency because the lack of drinking water was a very real problem affecting their lives.  The fact of Moses going to the Lord in haste shows us that he is not the same man who debated with God and gave excuses as to why he was not fit to go to Egypt to lead Israel out. 

Now, he shows evidence of growing in his faith and  his relationship with Jehovah.  In verse 2 of this chapter we read of that growing faith and expanding knowledge of who Jehovah is. This text is taken from the Song of Moses we read earlier.

Exodus 15:2 The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him. 


Points to Ponder.....

• God is in control no matter how difficult our circumstances may be.

• We should always turn to Jehovah and seek His help and direction.

• God led the people to Marah. This means it was part of His plan for them to face this crisis. 

• God took them from the place of celebration and victory to a place of testing.

• God may lead us from a place of spiritual victory into challenging circumstances.

I pray that we might respond as Moses did by immediately crying out to our Wonderful God whenever we find ourselves confronting a crisis.  May we individually recognize that God is "my God" and that He is "my strength" and that He is trustworthy. 

In our next post we will see the beauty of the name Jehovah Rapha on display. 

Bob