The Healing Oasis of Elim

(Leigh-Ann “Abigail” Evans)

“Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees; so they camped there by the waters.” Exodus 1 5:27 NKJV

I came across this verse in Exodus that I’m sure many have read and just skipped past because on the surface it seems insignificant. Yet this verse is found in both Exodus and in Numbers 33:9. If God ordained that this information be in His Holy Word twice, maybe we should start digging.
I’m fascinated by numbers in the Bible. There’s always a symbolic reason attached. So as I started to ponder on this verse, the Holy Spirit started to bring it to life.

Firstly, I had a look at the context (Exodus 1 5). The Israelites had left Egypt, miraculously crossed the Red Sea, and had started their journey in the wilderness. After three days they had found no water and they started to complain, desperate for a drink. They arrived at Mara where they found water and in desperation began drinking, only to spit it out because it was bitter and undrinkable. This angered them and they took it up with Moses who inquired of the Lord what to do.
God showed Moses a branch of a tree and instructed him to throw this branch into the water. The waters were made sweet and the Israelites could finally quench their thirst. God then identified Himself as Jehovah Rapha (I’m the God who heals you). Our strange little verse appears at the end of this chapter, right after God calls Himself “Jehovah Rapha” . He had healed the water and now promised them that He would heal them if they obeyed Him. Under the Old Covenant, all promises were contingent on obedience. The branch Moses used to heal the water was symbolic of the cross Jesus would die on to save us from sin and heal us from sickness (1 Peter 2:24). Under the New Covenant we can accept this by grace, through faith in the finished work of Jesus. It is not contingent on our works or obedience to the law.

The Israelites then moved on to Elim where they came across an oasis which had seventy palm trees and twelve wells of water. They then camped there for an indefinite amount of time. Rest and refreshing followed healing in this Old Covenant account, which was a type and shadow of the New Covenant to come. Jesus would be hung on the tree, purchasing our healing, and being identified as our Healer through His finished work on the cross. We need only to rest in that. We can go straight to the healing oasis and find our rest and refreshing in Jesus, just by believing and receiving what He did for us.

There were TWELVE wells as there were TWELVE original disciples commissioned by Jesus to preach the Kingdom of God, heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out demons (Matt 10:7-8). Additionally there were SEVENTY palm trees and Jesus then sent out SEVENTY more disciples (Luke 1 0:1-12). As we each individually come into a revelation of this oasis of healing and come into that place of rest with Jesus, we certainly don’t each need twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees. The Holy Spirit revealed to me that we are now commissioned by Jesus to bring others into this place of healing and rest by telling them about the gospel of grace. There’s plenty of shade to share and lots of water to go around!