The Water
“And
in the last day of the great feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If
anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes on Me, as the
Scripture has said, "Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
But He spoke this about the Spirit, which they who believed on Him
should receive” (Joh 7:37-39, MKJV)
In this passage the Lord depicts a fabulous picture describing the Holy
Spirit as flowing refreshing fresh water. Like a river flowing over dry lands
and thirsty souls, delivering life and prosperity to everything in its way.
Here, the Lord reveals one of the works of the Holy Spirit, which is:
The Life Giving
Water is the basic
component of tissues for all living organisms. Blood, which is the fluid of
life for our body, consists mostly of water. Our body consumes a daily amount
of water to perform its biological functions, and consumes another amount to withstand
some external conditions like heat and drought. That’s why we need a certain
amount of water every day to compensate for that consumption. If one could not
make up their body loss of water, they feel thirsty, which is a harsh feeling
that nobody can ignore or postpone. If the water loss continued without
compensation, the body cells lose their ability to function; they shrink, they
get dehydrated, and eventually die. Within a few days, the body fades up and
ceases.
Our Spirits Thirst Too
That image teaches us
that our spirits need God as much as our bodies need water. Our spirit
originates from God. They cannot live without Him. The presence of God is
crucial to the spirit to remain alive. Man cannot spiritually function unless
he has a daily and continuous relationship with God Himself. If God’s presence
absents from man’s life, man’s spirit dries up and weakens. If the absence of
God in man’s life continued, man dies. That’s what God meant when He said to
Adam, “For
in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Gen 2:17, MKJV).
The death of Adam after eating from the tree was not a punishment for his sin
as much as it was a natural result of his separation from God. Dryness and
death invaded his spirit, because she cannot live without relationship with
God.
As the Hart Pants
The psalm
writer used the same image when he said, “As the hart
pants after the water brooks, so my soul pants after You, O God. My soul
thirsts for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before
God?” (Psa 42:1-2, MKJV).
The writer felt himself like a hart; the
animal that lives in desert. Because of the hot and dry conditions, the hart
consumes water very fast. That’s why it needs not just a spill of water, but brooks
of water.
Life challenges and the resistance we face
in the wilderness of the world consume our spiritual energy. That’s why we have
a daily need not just to words, sermons or rituals but to God Himself. Not to a
few drops of water but to rivers of living water. This is the work of the
Water, the life-giving Spirit. That God the psalm writer indicates is the
Spirit that Lord Jesus indicates too. He is the water to our thirsty spirits.
In the Beginning
When the earth was
waste and empty under the deep, and darkness was on the face of the deep, we
saw the spirit of life hovering over that waste (Gen 1:2). He generated life.
He was the one who carried God’s will to create life on that waste earth. With
the Spirit hovering, the life-giving command echoed in each corner of the
creation. The darkness vanished, the light shined, the deep retreated, and the
earth flourished. The waste earth is now inhabited by all kind of beautiful
creatures. Dark heavens are now decorated with fabulous lights; great light for
the day and small light for the night. That’s no surprise, because where the
Spirit of life works, wilderness turns into gardens, darkness into light, waste
land into habitat, and death into life.
And Death by Sin
The beautiful picture
did not last. When sin entered the world, it separated man from God who is the
source of life. It opened the door to the spirits of destruction and death to
come to the world. The work of those spirits is contrary to the work of the
life-giving Spirit. They spread death, dry up man’s soul, and turn his life
into severe drought. They leave him behind consumed and living in a waste land
under dark sky. Worries and fears then dominate every day of his life until he
is delivered to the grave and eternal death. They are the spirits of he who “was a murderer from the beginning” (Joh 8:44, MKJV).
The activities of
these spirits vary, but they all have the same effect which is draining life
out of man. There is a spirit of fear who engulfs one’s heart, taking away his
sense of security and hinders any progress in life. There is a spirit of grief
who destroys one’s feelings. There are spirits of jealousy, anger, envy and
greed; they destroy the relationships between people, generating struggles,
wars and enmities. There are the spirits of passion, lust and uncleanness; they
destroy man’s dignity and bring him down to akin an animal. There’re a
countless number of spirits. They all oppose the work of the Spirit of life,
attempting to bring the creation back to its first waste status.
Individuals Attempts
At all ages, there
were individuals who sensed the death besetting them. They were thirsty to the
Spirit of water, the life-giving Spirit. They had the spiritual consciousness
to break through the darkness back to God. The Holy Spirit’s touches and
revelations interacted with mankind through them. These revelations were like
droplets of fresh water in the midst of a dry desert. Many generations lived on
these droplets which gave them the strength amid the assailing spirits of
death. However, those attempts were rare through the history of mankind that
was drowning in a spiritual darkness.
The revelation resulted from those efforts were relying on the godly
individuals who sought the Lord for themselves and for their people. Once those
individuals die, the vision fades and the darkness hems the scene again. The
way to the Holy of Holies was not yet open, and the spirit of water shall not
pour out -in a general manner- upon a rebellious earth; not until the
redemption is accomplished.
I am Thirsty
At the fullness of
time, the blessed Redeemer came. He bore our sins in His own body. On the cross, His greenness dissipated, and
drought engulfed his wounded heart. Listen to Him saying, “My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue
clings to My jaws” (Psa 22:15, MKJV). Also, “I am weary from my crying; my
throat is dried; my eyes fail while I wait for my God” (Psa 69:3).
Dryness is a figurative expression reflects the agony of the Christ on the
cross. He had to walk our same land, bear our own sin and face our own
judgement. Surprisingly, the only feeling He expressed on the cross was not
pain, sadness or injustice; It was thirst. He suffered thirst so that we
may have water. His strength was dried up, so that we have inner strength. He
suffered the drought and the death of our realm to give us His life and His
glory. All glory and praise be to Him forever.
The Fountain and the Cistern
“For My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me, the
Fountain of living waters, to hew out cisterns for themselves,
broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jer 2:13, MKJV).
Fountain and cistern were two sources of water
in ancient Israel. The difference between them is significant. The fountain is
running (living) waters burst out of the earth. The cistern is a deep man-made
hole on the ground stores rain waters during the rains season. Therefore, the
cistern water is still and not regenerated which makes it subject to all kind
of contaminants. It’s also seasonal not continuous; the cistern is filled in
the rains season, and then it dries up by the beginning of the summer. The
worst type of cisterns is the one with cracked sides. It cannot hold water for
too long, as the water leaks out of the cracks.
Me, the Fountain of Living Waters
In this passage, the Lord describes Himself as the source of
the continuous running waters, to fill His people. Shockingly, His people turn
away from Him and seek other means of fulfilling. Since his falling, man has
always been panting after his fleshly lusts attempting to attain satisfaction
and joy. Money, sex, and power became gods whom man worships and serves hoping
to gain moments of pleasure and comfort. For the sake of those gods, man
forsakes the real God; the only one who can give man authentic satisfaction and
living water. Ultimately, man discovers that those strange gods are nothing but
broken cisterns that can hold no water. Comparing the fountain water to
the cistern water in this passage reminds how the fullness of God differs from
the pleasures of the world in the following manners:
- Internal not External: The Spirit of God dwells in the spirit of the believer, therefore, provides him with deep internal fulfillment. That fulfillment is independent from any external conditions. It helps the believer to rise above his conditions instead of getting overwhelmed by them. Even when afflictions surround him and he is perplexed with multitude of thoughts within him, the comfort of the Lord delights him (Psa 94:19). The world always promises to provide satisfaction from external sources. People believe that if they possessed this thing or that, they will be happy. Therefore, they spend their life in continuous race to possess those sources of happiness. Soon, one finds himself enslaved. He may own a lot of things, but does not own his own soul. He is now bonded by ruthless worldly lusts. Because man worships whoever gives him happiness, he becomes a slave to those external sources of happiness.
- Continuous not Seasonal: The spirit of God permanently lives in the believer. His fellowship continues day and night, in health and in sickness, in strength and in weakness. Even when the believer falls, He doesn’t abandon him, but rather reproves and correct him. His water is a “living water” springing up into everlasting life (Joh 4:14). In contrary to the Spirit’s gifts, the worldly joy is for a moment (Job 20:5). When man gains it, he works hard to keep it for as long as possible. Soon, it leaks between his fingers, leaving him with nothing but chasing the wind.
- God-Made not Man-Made: The living water of the Spirit springs up in the believer’s heart without any human contribution. It’s based on God’s love and grace. Unlike the grace, worldly joy consumes the entire energy of man to obtain it and then to keep it.
- Clean not Contaminated: The comfort of the Spirit is clean, pure and accompanied with good fruits. In contrary, the worldly joy is always subject to impurities, and full of selfness, greed and defilement.
No
wonder the Lord told Heaven to astonish and shudder because His people forsook
the internal for the external, the continuous for the seasonal, the God-made
for the man-made and the pure for the contaminated. “Be astonished, ye heavens, at this,
and shudder; be amazed very much, saith Jehovah. For my people have committed
two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, to hew them
out cisterns, broken cisterns that hold no water” (Jer 2:12-13,
Darby). How evil and foolish man’s heart is.
My friend, what is your source of joy? Is it the world or
the Lord?
Eternal Life
Talking
to the Samaritan woman, Jesus said, “Every one who drinks of this water shall thirst again; but
whosoever drinks of the water which I shall give him shall never thirst for
ever, but the water which I shall give him shall become in him a fountain of
water, springing up into eternal life” (Joh 4:13-14,
Darby). Again, the Lord mentions the fountain water indicating the gift
of the Spirit. This time he adds that this fountain of water “springing up
for eternal life”. Eternal life means not only a life of
infinite duration, but also of infinite depth; sinners also will live
infinitely in hell. Eternal life means life that connects the depths of God to
that of the man. It is a communion with God unlimited in its range and depth.
Therefore, we enjoy that eternal life while we are still on this mortal earth.
God
has set eternity in man’s heart (Ecc 3:11). That eternity constitutes hunger
inside man for everlasting matters. Food and drink suffice an animal, but as
for man, he shall not live with the bread alone. The breath of God within him
drives him to seek everlasting fellowship with God; a fellowship that fills all
his depths and satisfies them. Man needs everlasting love (Jer 31:3), everlasting
joy (Iss 61:7) and everlasting security (Deu 33:27). That’s why all
human feelings and social relationships fail to satisfy that eternal dimension
in man’s heart. That’s what the Lord explained to the Samaritan woman who tried
several intimate relationships, yet remained thirsty. No man was able to
satisfy her eternal heart. Satisfaction is a need only the Spirit of water can
fill, because He springs up into the eternal heart of man.
Have
you tasted that eternal fill or you are still seeking other kinds of waters?
Overflowing Fill
In the last day of the great feast, Jesus stood and cried
out, saying, “If
anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes on Me, as the
Scripture has said, "Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (Joh 7:37-38,
MKJV). The Lord spoke this about the Spirit, which they who believed on
Him should receive.
In this passage, the Lord goes that the fill of
the Spirit is not just up to one’s need; it is overflowing. It fills one’s
inside, and then flows out like rivers to fill others as well. Because love and
liberality are intrinsic essence of the Spirit, once He found a resting place
in someone, He overflows to the other people surrounding that one. Look at Lord
Jesus, when He was on earth, everyone came close to him was healed. The Spirit,
by whom Jesus was full, overflew to people. Look at the disciples after the
Pentecost day and you can see the same overflow. The shadow of Peter and the
handkerchiefs of Paul gave healing to people everywhere.
We don’t see that tendency of outreaching in
the worldly pleasures, which are dominated by selfishness. To reach those
pleasures, we sometimes have to trample others in our way. When we reach those
pleasures, we can’t share them with others, lest they decrease. Only the gift
of the Holy Spirit increases when we share it with others. Didn’t the
scripture say, “he who waters shall also be watered himself” (Pro 11:25).
The more water you pass onto others, the more your water rise and overflows
like rivers. If you tried to keep it just for yourself, the flow stops. A good
example of that is the miracle of the widow and the pot of oil (2Ki 4:3-6). The
more empty vessels were brought, the more the pot of oil overflew to fill them
all. When there were no more empty vessels, the overflow stopped. Do people
around you enjoy that overflow coming out of you?
The Spirits of Dryness
“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he walks through dry
places seeking rest, and finds none” (Mat 12:43)
The evil spirits seek rest where there is no
water. They can only dwell where there is no working of the Holy Spirit. That’s
because the working of these spirits is opposite to the working of the Holy
Spirit. They dry up the resources of man’s life, leaving him in dryness and
thirst. Everything these spirits touch turns into dryness. Social relationships
are supposed to be a comfort zone; instead, they turn them into sources of
oppression and depression. Possessions which are supposed to provide man with
joy turn into causes of worry and fear of loss under the ascendancy of the evil
spirits. That’s how man’s life turn into a dry land.
When Lot left Abraham’s humbled tent, he also
left behind Abraham’s sacred altar. Lot chose to dwell in a fertile land like
the garden of Jehovah (Gen 13:10) aiming for a more comfortable and prosperous
life. Because evil spirits dominated the people of the land, that very land
ended up to be the cause of pain, torment and loss for the rest of Lot’s life.
Instead of being “the garden of Jehovah”, it turned into “hell”, and seared his
house, his children and his pride. At the same time, Abraham was enjoying
internal watering under the reign of the Spirit of water.
When a man fall under the power of evil
spirits, “he is withering away” (Mar 9:18, Darby). Even when the Lord of glory was circled by
these spirits on the cross, His strength was dried up like a potsherd (Psa
22:12-15), and His sap turned into the drought of the summer (Psa 32:4).
Woe to the wretches who fall under the power of
those spirits.
Invitation for Watering
“The poor and needy seek water, and there is none; their tongue
fails for thirst, I Jehovah will hear them .... I will open rivers in high
places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a
pool of water, and the dry land springs of water” (Isa 41:17-18,
MKJV)
For the wretches who fell under the power of evil
spirits, the Lord provides an invitation for watering. If you put your life
under the reign of God, He will make your dry land springs of water; a green
oasis. The evil spirits will be cast out of your life because they cannot live
in places where there is water.
We often think that if we hadn’t passed through
these hardships, we would have been in a better position today; happier and
more comfortable. But in this passage, the Lord offers us a promise that in
these high places (hardships) we will be watered. The rivers will run through
the wilderness. This is the power of God and that’s His promise if we submit
our dried life with all its agony to Him.
Mary and Martha thought it’s better if their
brother didn’t die. Yet as the Lord presented, He turned that death into a
matter of joy and comfort. Sarah thought her ageing is a terrible obstacle to
have children, but the Lord turned it into a memorable miracle. Joseph thought
his slavery and his imprisonment are barren period in his life, but he
discovered that God was able to use that period for Joseph’s maturity and
glory.
Do you accept the Lord’s invitation for
watering? Do you put your life under His dominion?
Warning
“Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus so that he may
dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am
tormented in this flame” (Luk 16:24)
Those who ignore the Lord’s invitation for
watering, will -one day- pine for a droplet of water but they won’t find it.
They will yearn for one word from God, but it will be too late. Oh that you
redeem the time and submit your life in God’s hands before it’s too late.
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