«　WEEK 2　DAY 6　»

　　1 Sam. 1:10 And [Hannah] was bitter in soul and prayed to Jehovah and wept much.

　　Exo. 15:23 And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore its name was called Marah.

　　25 And [Moses] cried out to Jehovah, and Jehovah showed him a tree; and he cast it into the waters, and the waters became sweet…

　　We are told in Exodus 15:22 that the children of Israel “went three days in the wilderness.” Since three is the number of resurrection, this signifies that they walked in resurrection, that is, in newness of life. It is significant that the journey from the Red Sea to Marah was exactly three days…. The fact that they traveled for three days is a portrait of walking in resurrection. (Life-study of Exodus, pp. 347-348)

　　[In Exodus 15 the children of Israel came to the bitter waters of Marah; when the people murmured against Moses, he “cried out to Jehovah, and Jehovah showed him a tree; and he cast it into the waters, and the waters became sweet” (vv. 22-25): The tree that the Lord showed Moses signifies the tree of life; Revelation 2:7 speaks of “the tree of life”; in Greek the word for tree here is the same word used for tree in 1 Peter 2:24. The tree of life in Revelation 2:7 signifies the crucified (implied in the tree as a piece of wood—1 Pet. 2:24) and resurrected (implied in the life of God—John 11:25) Christ; thus, we may say that the tree that Moses cast into the bitter waters was the crucified and resurrected Christ as the tree of life.]

　　Last year my wife and I came to a real Marah, a very bitter situation. But because we were walking in the realm of resurrection, we could experience the cross of the Lord Jesus and live a crucified life. We richly enjoyed the healing tree cast into the bitter situation. This tree caused the bitter waters to become sweet…. Yes, my wife and I suffered from the bitterness in our situation. However, eventually we enjoyed sweetness because the healing tree with the crucified life had been applied to our circumstances. This is the way to experience and enjoy Christ’s death in the realm of resurrection.

　　When I have been in bitter circumstances, often the Lord has pointed me to the cross of Christ. I realized that I needed to take the cross and live a crucified life. This saved me from my bitter situation, and my bitter circumstances were healed. However, at the same time the Lord has often shown me that there is bitterness within me. I saw that there was bitterness in myself as well as in my circumstances. I also saw that there is bitterness in my whole being, in my spirit, soul, and body, and that I needed to apply the cross of Christ to every aspect of my being. Spiritually, psychologically, and physically I needed the application of the cross of Christ. Time and time again I have experienced the Lord’s healing in this way. As my situation was healed, I was healed inwardly. Both in my circumstances and in my being, bitterness was changed into sweetness. (Life-study of Exodus, pp. 351-352)

　　[Whenever we are in bitter circumstances and are bitter in our being, we need to pour out our soul with our heart to the Lord by being real and honest with Him; such prayer produces the overcomers, who will bring in the King with the kingdom. When we come to “bitter waters,” we have to realize that God is sovereignly and secretly motivating us to pray in a desperate way not only for our inner healing (Exo. 15:26) but even more for the producing of overcoming Nazarites, who will cooperate with Him to bring in the King with His kingdom—when the name of God will be excellent in all the earth (Psa. 8:1) and the kingdom of the world will “become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever” (Rev. 11:15).]

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Exodus, msg. 30; CWWL, 1969, vol. 2, “The Crucial Revelation of Life in the Scriptures,” ch. 4