LIVING
WATER
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“In the last day, that great day
of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come
unto me, and drink.
He that believes on me as the scripture has said, Out of his belly (inner
most being) shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:37-38). Jesus was of
course speaking of the Spirit of God which His disciples were to receive.
Jesus used the analogy of living water at the time of the feast of
Tabernacles because water was intimately tied to the land of Israel.
There was also a water ceremony where devout Jews would have a procession
down toward the fresh water pools and bring water in pitchers back up toward the
temple singing Isa. 12:3. During
the feast the booths were usually built at the water gate (Neh. 8:1,3,16). Even during Christ’s reign when all nations are to come to
keep the Feast of Tabernacles, the punishment for those who don’t will be that
they will receive no rain (water) – see Zech. 14:4-9,16-19.
Water was one of the two main sources of sustenance in Israel along with
bread (1Kings 13:16-18; Isa. 3:1). God
alone controls the source of water and the rain from heaven (Amos 4:6-7).
Receiving rain in due season was a blessing (Deut. 28:12) and having it
dry up was a curse (Lev. 26:19).
Water was used a part of a sense of hospitality (Gen. 18:14;Luke 7:44).
It was used as a metaphor for forgiveness (Isa. 1:16; Ps. 51:2-4).
A type of baptism washed Israel from sins (1Pet. 3:20-21).
Israel was to depend on God for water and be obedient to Him.
He brought them into a land that did not have large rivers like Egypt’s
Nile where they could irrigate their crops.
This land had to have rain from heaven and kept God’s people ever
looking toward Him (Deut. 11:10-17). When
the sky over them became like bronze and the land like iron they knew God was
displeased. But why would they even
follow false gods and turn from God when they knew their dependence on Him for
their source of water?
Jeremiah said it: “For
my people have done two evils; they have given up me, the fountain of living
waters, and have made for themselves water-holes, cut out from the rock, broken
water-holes, of no use for storing water” (The Bible In Basic English).
The people developed cisterns to store the rain water.
But water in cisterns is stagnant.
What is the most dangerous thing that can
happen to water? It is to become
“stagnant” or “dead” water. Jesus
talked about “living water” or water that moves and runs.
This was a very sought after kind of water in Israel.
When the Holy Spirit is in you, it must not
be stagnant but moving, active, running – living!
It must flow as Jesus said like “rivers of living waters.”
Some people try to cork, quench, hold the Holy Spirit in.
But that is just as dangerous to a Christian as drinking stagnant water.
Just having Bibles, sermons on tape, or
cd’s or computer Bible programs does not necessarily mean that the Holy Spirit
is flowing through you or me. Some
people have these things but are stagnant in their spiritual growth.
We must reach out, serve, do, love, care
and preach the gospel or we will become stagnant.
Allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us is allowing the Spirit to flow out of
us like living water!
David L. Antion for Guardian Ministries