As leader, Moses cried out to God and God showed him how to remediate the water so they could drink it. From aching thirst, … to soaring hopes, … crashing disappointment and finally… refreshment!
That’s the surface story. But there’s always an under-current of wonder flowing through these water stories.
The test of character is how we respond to crisis. We can choose bitterness, resentment, suspicion, or we can learn the discipline of patience and trust. Jesus’ wilderness testing at the outset of his public life parallels this law of life.
The second wonder in this story is the miracle of transformation - bitter waters becoming sweet as “the Lord showed Moses some wood”. Desert guides tell of barberry and other aromatic shrubs that can mask the acrid mineral taste of brackish water. Perhaps that’s what Moses used. Instead of miraculously zapping the bad water, God has Moses use natural means already at hand in the desert. But the miracle is there all the same – the wonder of nature’s healing powers.
Banner from Perth Baptist Church, Scotland
Whatever bitter waters or disappointments you face today, let them deepen your trust in a God who heals; let them grow character and discipline. Let them draw you to wonder and lead you to joy.
ok, so I just stumbled upon your website as I was looking for ways to teach my children about God and preparing their school. We are also on a sort of water researching time as we live on a farm with a well. Some of the farmers who have recently been crop dusting now have cancer. My Aunt is our neighbor and has been diagnosed with Hypothyroidism. My Husband has the same (hypothyroidism) and my children are all exhibiting major skin problems which are also linked with hypothyroidism. In my research I learned that heavy metals can trigger this. Those often seep into water or wells from the chemicals farmers spray. So we are looking for ways to filter our water. We have heard of reverse osmosis systems and Alkaline ph systems. Many are horribly expensive and some are not whole house systems. The little town we live in has reports of high concentrations of arsenic in the water. What can you tell me about safe and in-expensive water filtration systems that keep the vitamins in and filter the contaminants out?
ReplyDeleteWhile I cannot comment on the health impact your family is experiencing from your own local water quality, I can offer some insight on water treatment options based on information I have received from a friend who used to work in the water purification business and my wife’s perspective on wellhead protection, assuming you are drawing water from a private well.
ReplyDeleteRegrettably, there are no ‘cheap’ options when it comes to treating your entire water supply (i.e. for the whole house) however there are reasonably priced options if you only want to ensure you have a pure drinking water supply. Both options have essentially the same components. If you are on a private well you will likely need some sort of filter for sediment, then some form of UV treatment then Reverse Osmosis (RO). You should be careful when selecting what RO system you install as there can be tremendous differences in efficiencies and maintenance requirements. This will impact your long term operational costs.
Our household is supplied by a municipal groundwater well which is treated at source and we use a Brita filter to remove the chlorine since we have confidence in the water quality of our municipal supply. We live in Ontario, Canada where we recently had a legislative overhaul on the regulations governing our water resources and drinking water supplies – the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Water Act. Both are strong pieces of legislation but the latter piece of legislation which deals with protecting water at source (aka Source Water Protection) is also of value to anyone relying on a private well. There are great gains that can be made for private well owners with proper wellhead management and protection practices. Private well owners should regularly inspect their well casings for cracks, ensure there is a proper seal around the casing (i.e. no sunken soil around the well), ensure that there is a good vermin proof cover for the well and regularly test their well water for bacteria and a suite of general parameters including nitrate (if you live in a rural agricultural community). In addition, if you are aware of other water quality issues such as arsenic then you should include that parameter in your analysis. In Ontario bacteria tests are offered free of charge through the local health unit and we have a number of commercial environmental laboratories that can offer services in analyzing the chemical parameters.
I would encourage you to take a few simple first steps in checking out your own well and then moving out beyond your own wellhead and investigating treatment option for your supply if you determine you have an issue of concern. Here is a link to a great public resource on water wells. It has an Ontario focus but a great deal is universally applicable.
For drinking water in Ontario you can review the Ontario’s Ministry of Environment website at: http://www.ontario.ca/ONT/portal61/drinkingwater/!ut/p/c5/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3hvi2A3F0dzE0N3b3dXA09vX0dT9yA_Q_9AU_1wkA48Kkwg8gY4gKOBvp9Hfm6qfkF2dpqjo6IiAMMr8bw!/dl3/d3/L2dJQSEvUUt3QS9ZQnZ3LzZfSzhTRkRBNzQxR0tHRTBJS01BNUdSTjFPNjY!/?lang=en
Hope this helps.