I found Moses' tree!

Exodus 15:23-26 [NKJV version]

Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet.There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them, and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.”

   The Israelites have just walked across the Red Sea on dry land. They have had a wonderful service of praise and thanksgiving. They really are free! The horse and rider have been thrown into the sea!

   Annnnnd then, three days later, they come to Marah. Here, the waters are too bitter to drink. They complain against Moses. That word translated “complain” is luwn. In luwn, there is a grudge, a harboring, staying in a frame of mind. Moses is up against a lot of thirsty, angry people.

   Moses cries out to the L_RD. The L_RD shows him a tree. When cast into the waters, the waters become sweet. I searched for what scholars think the tree was. [There are a lot of theories, from Moses having a piece of the tree of life, to other spiritual-sounding ideas.] I didn’t find anything convincing. 

   From chemistry class, I learned that adding a something sour [acid] to something bitter [base] creates a salt. That’s why we Yankees [i.e. Vermonters] use vinegar on vegetables. We learned that vinegar on spinach, kale and Brussels sprouts improves the flavor. I also like it on dandelion greens, although Mr. Bove [yes, that Mr. Bove] said no, it should be sauteed in olive oil and garlic. #respect.

   Bitter + sour = salt. But what changes bitter to sweet? An enzyme process is needed. Dry wood wouldn’t have active enzymes. Only a live tree would.

   I looked up Middle East trees with enzyme action. 

   I found Moses’ tree!

   The acacia, or vachellia nilotica, is antiprotozoal, antihelmintic, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory. It supplies all this through its enzyme-related activity. Acacia is used in traditional medicine for treating infection, ulcers and inflammation.

   It wasn’t a surprise to G_d that the waters were bitter. It didn’t surprise Him that the Israelites would be upset. The L_RD already had the tree growing, waiting. Not only is He about to perform another miracle, He uses this opportunity to teach them more about Himself. 

   What? with a new conditional law? how does that teach anything?

   Much of scripture’s promises come in an “if-then-else” format. There at Marah, G_d says, 

“If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.”

   If they [we] diligently listen to Him, and do what is right, then those plagues that led to Israel’s deliverance from slavery aren’t meant for us. Ok, cool! Is that all, though? No!

   The L_RD goes a step further [as I find He always does]. He doesn’t stop at the plagues. He teaches something about His character, who He IS.

   “I am the Lord who heals you.”

   The Lord is Healer. 

   He isn’t just about laws and obedience. His heart is for our wholeness. That’s what He’s really saying by turning bitterness to sweetness. He wants to change our bitterness to sweetness.

   I can feel His loving Heart saying, “Oh, children, I want to do this in you! I have provided a Tree* for your healing.” 

   Amen, dear L_RD, and thank You. <3 <3 <3

*Tree - Isaiah 11.

Proofreader caveat: I use brackets [ ] because the parentheses don’t work on this keyboard. It relates to an unfortunate coffee incident. I also can’t type zeroes!

On Parrots and Persistence

 >>> First, a warning. Please don’t rush out and get a parrot when you read this! Those of you who have met our little caique Skipper understand. She’s affectionate and sweet and pretty, but she’s LOUD. <<<

Parrot keepers know about parrot persistence. Whether wood, a chew toy or Kong (a nearly indestructible chew toy for dogs), a parrot will chew a particular spot until it chews ALL THE WAY THROUGH it. I’ve seen a parrot work through a windowsill. Skipper herself has decimated Kongs in a matter of days.

Could this kind of persistence have a place in your prayer life?

Absolutely. Let’s look at what Jesus teaches.

Luke 11:5-8

5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;

6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?

7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.

8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

Picture this. It’s the stuff of sitcoms. The sleeping man hears “bang bang bang” on the door. He covers his head with his pillow.

Bang bang bang.

He folds his pillow around his head and turns away from the noise.

Bang bang bang.

“Go away!”

Bang bang bang.

Holding a candle, he finally opens the door.

Yet, not every parable is the stuff of sitcoms. Let’s look at Luke 18:1-8.

Luke 18:1-8

18 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:

3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.

4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;

5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.

6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.

7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

This widow needed more than bread for a friend. She needed justice. Like water eroding a riverbank, she kept at the judge until he gave in.

In these parables, Jesus isn’t saying that Father God is sleeping. Jesus isn’t calling God unjust. Luke 18:1 explains what Jesus means. We should not grow discouraged when we pray, even when we pray and pray and pray. Verse 7 promises that God will bring justice for His favorite ones (in the Greek, the word is eklektos). Verse 8 promises that God will avenge them speedily. (In  Greek, “speedily” is tachos. Nurses will recognize that root word in tachycardia and tachypnea.)

Jesus says, “Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith (pistis) on the earth?” In the New Testament, “faith” is far more than hope or wishful thinking or name-it-and-claim-it. Biblical faith is being convinced of God’s goodness.

Why do we sometimes see instant answers to prayer? Why do we sometimes pray for years before seeing an answer? Sometimes I’m sure that I know why. Sometimes I haven’t the foggiest idea.

What I do know is that our omnipotent, merciful and awesome God loves us with perfect love. I also know that He loves to talk to His children, His eklektos. Don’t forget that eklektos can also be translated as “favorite.” You are His favorite!

Because you are His favorite, I encourage you to ask Him about needs in your life and how to pray. Here’s an example.

Prayer. Holy Spirit, please teach me if this prayer of XYZ is one where I need to be as persistent as a parrot. Is XYZ a prayer need to ask once and then simply trust You? Is it something in between?

Thank You in the name of our Savior Jesus. Amen.

Digging deeper. Did you know that many Psalms are actual prayers? Psalm 31 is one of David’s prayers. You can read it aloud and make it personal to yourself! David asks for God to answer him speedily. Even though the answer seems far away, he proclaims his trust in God’s goodness. We can do that, too.

Blessings!

The Desert Places

 Mark 1:40-45

40 And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.

42 And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.

43 And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away;

44 And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

45 But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.

In Mark 1:40-45, Jesus shows His compassion by miraculously healing a man of leprosy. Jesus then instructs him to show himself to the priest. This is in obedience to the Jewish law (see Leviticus chapter 13). The man, however, is so overjoyed that he skips Jesus’ instruction. He rushes off and tells everyone about his healing.

As a result, Jesus can’t openly enter the city. He stays in the desert places. Even so, the people come to him from every quarter.

The word for “desert” is eremos. It suggests a lonely area. It can mean a desert, a desolate place or wilderness. 

“Every quarter” comes from pantachothen. They came to Him from everywhere.

Have you ever been so exuberant that you mess things up? I certainly have. This man was so thrilled that he disobeyed what Jesus said. I like to imagine that once he settled down, he did show himself to the priest.

It’s wonderfully encouraging to know that even when I mess up, that Jesus is there, waiting for me. I can come to him from pantachothen. It doesn’t matter to Him where I come from. I can come to Him from anywhere. He is there for me to find Him.

In fact, I can invite Jesus into my wilderness, into my eremos. Into the lonely places. Into the desolate places. Into the dry places.

Song of Solomon 8:5 says, “Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved?”

We can take heart that in those dry and desolate wilderness areas, we can lean upon Jesus. We can lean upon Him - and come out of the wilderness leaning upon Him. Amen!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I welcome You into those desert places of my life. I’m so glad that I can depend upon You in the hard and lonely times. I look forward to coming through them by leaning on You! Amen