出埃及記15:22-27

15:22 摩西領以色列人從紅海往前行，到了書珥的曠野，在曠野走了三天，找不著水。
15:23 到了瑪拉，不能喝那裡的水；因為水苦，所以那地名叫瑪拉。
15:24 百姓就向摩西發怨言，說：「我們喝甚麼呢？」
15:25 摩西呼求耶和華，耶和華指示他一棵樹。他把樹丟在水裡，水就變甜了。耶和華在那裡為他們定了律例、典章，在那裡試驗他們；
15:26 又說：「你若留意聽耶和華─你上帝的話，又行我眼中看為正的事，留心聽我的誡命，守我一切的律例，我就不將所加與埃及人的疾病加在你身上，因為我─耶和華是醫治你的。」
15:27 他們到了以琳，在那裡有十二股水泉，七十棵棕樹；他們就在那裡的水邊安營。

²² Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. ²³ When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.^[f]) ²⁴ So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”
²⁵ Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink.
There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test. ²⁶ He said, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.”
²⁷ Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.

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    上帝讓以色列人經歷到三天沒有水好喝，好不容易有水了，竟然是苦水！於是這些以色列表現出本性來，像摩西抱怨：「我們喝甚麼呢？」

    這不僅是考驗以色列人，也考驗摩西。然而摩西遇見這些怨言時，不是去辯解，而是向上帝禱告！這是一個很好的榜樣，尤其是擔任屬靈領袖的人，更是要以此來勉勵自己，多禱告、少抱怨、少辯解！

    然而在禱告之後上帝有啟示，指引他找一棵樹丟在水裡，水的口味就變了，苦水變甜水呢！之後他們就到了更大的綠洲，就是以琳，在那裡有「有十二股水泉，七十棵棕樹」！