Sinai

It is 6:15pm in Sinai and 11:15am Sunday in Pflugerville. Sandy and I have been on a bus traveling the same path as Moses for the last 5 hours. We said a prayer for Destin who is about to preach for the second time today. Our party stopped at the biblical site of Marah for a devotional and group prayer. Marah was the place where the Israelites grumbled against Moses because the only available water was bitter; Marah means “bitter”.

Sandy & me at Marah

God told Moses to through a piece of wood into the spring; he did and the bitter water became sweet. I always thought the Israelites were rather shallow and ungrateful to grumble against Moses and God, after all, they had just been rescued from slavery in Egypt. My perspective has changed dramatically. I’ve never seen such a harsh and desolate place (and I’ve been to Lubbock). I cannot remember the last blade of grass in this desert the Bible calls “the Wilderness of Sin”. It is a mystery to me where Moses found grass for his sheep when he was a shepherd in this place. Driving across this place makes one wonder how an entire people could survive such a journey on foot. The trip alone took more faith than I ever imagined. One of our party said, “I’m grumbling and we’re driving!” It is difficult to communicate the harshness of the landscape. God providing water and food for his people in this extreme desert is a far greater miracle and demonstration of his power and love than I thought. The photo below are also taken at Marah. Yes, a few very poor people still live there. These children were selling trinkets to tourests. I smiled and talked with the boys, Sandy bought something from one of the little girl. Later tonight we hike to the top of Mount Sinai.