"They came to Elim..."

Then they (the Israelites) came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water. Exodus 15:27

There remains… a sabbath-rest for the people of God. Hebrews 4:9

We can only imagine how blissful the sight must have been – “twelve springs and seventy palm trees”! - and with what joy the people of Israel “camped there near the water”. The word “Elim” means “trees” or “oaks”, and, of course, trees speak of refreshment and life, especially in a desert place.

The people of Israel have been through a gruelling time. Under the leadership of Moses they have been miraculously delivered from captivity in Egypt, but even though they have been spared the plagues which afflicted the Egyptians, that dark period must have been massively stressful. The crossing of the Red Sea likewise took them right to the brink – not until the last minute could they be sure that the Egyptian horsemen wouldn’t overtake them, cowering by the sea, and either drag them back into captivity – or slaughter them all.

But now they are lost in the wilderness: what water they can find is undrinkable, and food also is soon to become a problem. As so often, unhappy people have a tendency to turn on their leaders, and so here the people “grumbled against Moses” (Exodus 15:24), who is pretty much at his wits’ end.

I wonder what sharp-eyed person first asked the question, “Look! Could those be trees over there on the horizon…?”, and with what breathless wonderment the people turned to look. Yes! Twelve springs and seventy palm trees! – riches indeed! So when we read that “they camped there near the water” we feel like adding, “You bet your life they did!”.

The experience of Israel between the escape from Egypt and reaching the Promised Land was anything but easy, and we can read it as a kind of parable of our experience as Christians, delivered as we are from slavery to sin but still with a journey to travel before our true resting place.

Are you in a situation in your life where you just long for a personal “Elim”? You are desperately tired, bowed down with responsibilities and worries, finding it hard to worship or pray. God, to be honest, seems a long way off. The hope of that heavenly “rest” – oh to lie down and be at peace, to close your eyes and be perfectly free of the stresses and strains of life! – seems just a dream too good to be true.

It seems little consolation to be reminded that Jesus said it would be thus: the gate is small and the road narrow “that leads to life” (Matthew 7:13-14); still less that as we travel we have a load to carry, for we must “take up our cross” in order to follow him.

We may be tempted to look with envy at fellow-believers whose lives seem to be just one permanent Elim – though we must be careful: nobody knows what troubles the heart of even the strongest, happiest-seeming Christian; appearances can be very deceptive.

But whatever, the fact is that there is no cheap, easy comfort.

What there is, is an assurance of faith. For, as Hebrews 4:9 says, “there remains a sabbath-rest for the people of God”. I’m sure the people of Israel quickened their tired steps as they got closer to those twelve springs and seventy palm trees; I’m sure that they luxuriated in what must have seemed – well, sheer luxury indeed. But, of course, they knew that they weren’t “there” yet; they had only just started their journey and, while only too glad of the refreshment of Elim, they knew that soon they would have to repack their bags.

And, of course, even when they had made it to the Promised Land they still had a journey to pursue, even if of a different, more purely spiritual type.

The whole idea of travelling through hardship to a final place of rest is very important in the Bible; the letter to the Hebrews in particular focusses on it. And the Bible climaxes as a whole with a description of what we might call the final heavenly Elim. Never mind the twelve springs and the seventy palm trees – I invite you to let your imagination dwell on this picture…

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. Revelation 22:1-5

Beside that the earthly Elim pales into insignificance! But that doesn’t mean that earthly Elims aren’t important. And so I finish with a promise that if you answered to that earlier description of tiredness, anxiety and sheer hardship there will be prayer for you that God will lead you to your own little Elim, and so give you the refreshment you so desperately long for. And if, like me, your ways are presently easier, please join with me, perhaps holding in your heart a particular friend or other person…

O God our Father and Shepherd, you are the one who leads us through this earthly life until the day comes when we enter for ever our perfect, heavenly rest. Please look kindly today upon all your children for whom the journey is specially hard and discouraging. Bring them to a new, personal Elim, so that they may be refreshed for the rest of their journey. Amen.