Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?" And he cried to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the LORD made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them, saying, "If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, your healer." Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water.
Exodus 15:22-27
After Marah, the children of Israel came to Elim, where they found shelter from the heat of the day, and abundant supplies of fresh water. There are two thoughts here that call for comment with reference to the spiritual life. The first is that God in His mercy sees to it that His pilgrims are well-provided for by the way, and that although they are often called upon to pass through bitter trials, they will never be without an oasis in the desert in which to find refreshment for their weariness and woe. After Christ's temptations in the wilderness, the devil left Him for a season; after the persecution that followed Stephen's martyrdom, the churches had rest throughout all Judea and Galilee. It is well for us to remember, when passing through our Marahs, that Elim is just along the way, with its wells of water and shady palms. God is very liberal in the provision of His means of grace. The second thought is that while in the Old Testament story Elim follows Marah, in the deeper experience of the New the two often stand side by side. For Marah, in the sense of taking up the Cross, is never simply a passing phase, but a constant factor in spiritual life. Since, therefore, we never leave Marah behind, so likewise Elim is ever with us. There is a hidden place of calm repose where the cross-bearing believer may for ever remain, drinking fully of the refreshments of God. It is significant also that God revealed Himself by a new name at Marah (26). It is not often when the sun is shining that we learn new things about God, but in the trials and afflictions of life. And it is surely abundantly worthwhile passing through these if in doing so we learn more of Him.