What should new believers expect soon after they get saved?
New believers should expect that in just a little while after their salvation experience, they will run into a bitter experience. This mirrors Israel's journey after crossing the Red Sea: they went three days into the wilderness of Shur and found no water, then came to Marah, where the water was bitter and undrinkable.
Les explains that the first thing he points out to new believers, whether young or old, is that soon after their salvation experience they will run into a bitter experience. He illustrates this from Israel's history after the Red Sea crossing. Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea after the waters returned and drowned the Egyptians, and he began leading the multitude toward Mount Sinai. They went into the wilderness of Shur for three days and found no water. When they came to Marah, an oasis, they could not drink the water because it was bitter and undrinkable. Les applies this pattern to new believers: a bitter experience can follow soon after salvation.