CHAPTER – 3
JESUS CHRIST - THE FOUNTAIN OF LIVING WATER
But whoever drinks the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14
Water is a basic requirement for the survival of all life forms on Earth. It is reasonable to say that water is the chief factor that Earth is the only planet capable of supporting life. This universal solvent is one of the most important resources on the planet. Life cannot exist in the absence of water. Many essential functions of the body, such as maintaining internal temperature and keeping cells alive, require a lot of water. A person can survive for about 3 days without water as a general rule of thumb.
Similarly, the word "water" appears 722 times in the Bible, where it refers to faith, hope, and worship. Water was created on the first day of creation by God. "Come, all who thirst, come to the waters," says Isaiah 55:1. Water is regarded as essential for both physical and spiritual well-being throughout the Bible. The Israelites were thirsty while wandering in the desert due to the heat. They were too tired to continue the journey and asked Moses for water. As soon as he heard their grumbling, Moses went to God and begged him to save the people who would perish from thirst. As a result, God showed Moses a massive rock and instructed him to beat it. When Moses struck the rock, water gushed forth, and the Israelites drank. The water from the rock quenched the thirst of the entire Israelite population as well as their livestock.'
“And drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.” (1Cor 10:4) Jesus Christ is the source of the living water. The rock that Moses struck is compared to Jesus, who was stricken by our affliction.
WATER THAT GIVES LIFE.
Sarah gave Abraham her servant Hagar to bear a child for him because Sarah was barren and old. So, Abraham took Hagar for himself, and she became pregnant with Abraham's child. She gave birth to a son named Ishmael. Hagar despised Sarah and looked down on her after she had conceived Abraham's child. This aggravated their relationship, and Sarah abhorred her mistress even more. God, having witnessed Hagar's silent mockery, blessed Sarah with a son named Isaac. As the elder son, Ishmael treated Isaac unfairly, which resulted in Sarah sending Hagar and her son away from Abraham's home. With a heavy heart, Abraham packed some food and a skin of water for them and sent them away. They ran out of water and food as they wandered through the desert. The child was thirsty for water and was on the verge of dying if he did not get some. The helpless Hagar carried the child a short distance and cried, unable to see the child die. But as she cried out, an angel of God appeared, hearing the child's cries of pain, and opened Hagar's eyes to see a fountain in the desert. Hagar discovered the fountain, took the boy and provided him with water. After drinking from it, the boy survived.
Anyone who drinks the living water comes to life. This implies that we do not die spiritually. Jesus' living water is a metaphor for salvation. (Is 2:3) When we accept Jesus' salvation, even if we die physically, our soul lives the eternal life that Christ provides. And we will never be thirsty if we drink the water of life.
WATER THAT CLEANSES.
The Syrian army's commander, Naaman, was a leper. He learned about Elisha, an Israelite prophet who can heal him, and traveled to see him. Elisha tells him dismissively that he needs to take a bath in the Jordan River when they meet. Naaman is upset and decides to return home. Elisha, he reasoned, would heal him if he placed his hands over him and prayed. However, the servants insisted that Naaman obey the prophet because he said that a simple act of healing was all that was required. So Naaman went to the Jordan River and drowned six times. The seventh time he drowned and returned, his body was healed like that of a child.
Any physical ailment was thought to be God's punishment for sins. When the Israelites sinned against God, God punished them with various illnesses. However, God says in Ezekiel 36, "I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness." The water persuades hardened hearts to obey God's command.
When we thirst for it, God provides us with living water, just as a deer longs for streams of water. It fortifies our soul, purifies us of impurities, and heals us. May God fill your lives with his water so that his living water flows out of you. Amen!
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