AC 8344 - The Waters of Marah

AC 8344

And Moses made Israel set out from the sea Suph,
and they went out to the wilderness of Shur;
and they went three days in the wilderness,
and found no waters.
And they came to Marah,
and they could not drink the waters for bitterness,
because they were bitter;
therefore he called the name thereof Marah.
And the people murmured against Moses, saying,
What shall we drink?
And he cried unto Jehovah,
and Jehovah showed him a piece of wood,
and he cast it to the waters,
and the waters were made sweet.
There He set for him a statute and a judgment,
and there He tempted him.
And He said, If hearing thou wilt hear
the voice of Jehovah thy God,
and wilt do what is right in His eyes,
and wilt hearken to His commandments,
and wilt keep all His statutes,
all the disease that I have put on the Egyptians,
I will not put upon thee,
because I am Jehovah thy healer.
(Exodus 15:22-23)

"And Moses made Israel set out from the sea Suph,"
-- signifies what is successive
according to the order of truth Divine
after they had passed through a region of hell;
"and they went out to the wilderness of Shur,"
-- signifies the state of temptation
into which they were next brought;
"and they went three days in the wilderness,
and found no waters,"
-- signifies that truths failed, and at last wholly;
"and they came to Marah,"
-- signifies a state of temptation;
"and they could not drink the waters for bitterness,
because they were bitter,"
-- signifies that truths appeared to them undelightful,
because devoid of the affection of good;
"therefore he called the name thereof Marah,"
-- signifies the state and quality of this temptation;
"and the people murmured against Moses,"
-- signifies grief from the bitterness of the temptation;
"saying, What shall we drink?" 
-- signifies that they could not endure truths,
because they were undelightful
by reason of no affection of them;
"and he cried unto Jehovah,"
-- signifies supplication to the Lord from grief;
"and Jehovah showed him a piece of wood,"
-- signifies that the Lord inspired good;
"and he cast it into the waters,"
-- signifies with which He affected the truths;
 "and the waters were made sweet,"
-- signifies that from this truths were made delightful;
"there He set for him a statute and a judgment,"
-- signifies the truth of order then revealed;
"and there He tempted him,"
-- signifies in respect to temptations in general;
"and He said,"
-- signifies instruction;
"If hearing thou wilt hear the voice of Jehovah thy God,"
-- signifies faith in the Lord's commandments;
"and wilt do what is right in His eyes,"
-- signifies a life according to them;
"and wilt hearken to His commandments,"
-- signifies obedience,
and a life according to the goods of faith,
which are the interior things of the church;
"and wilt keep all His statutes,"
-- signifies a life according to the truths of faith,
which are the exterior things of the church;
"all the disease that I have put on the Egyptians,
I will not put upon thee,"
-- signifies that they are to be withheld from the evils
that pertain to those who are in faith separate
and in a life of evil;
"because I am Jehovah thy healer,"
-- signifies that the Lord alone preserves from evils.