Of Water and the Spirit. Christ on the cross says, "I thirst". At that moment he calls out and even more than the need for physical replenishment of water comes a symbolic and spiritual revealing of the Holy Spirit. One representative of the Holy Spirit is water. Water replenishes, refreshes, rejuvenates and revives our physical body. Water cleanses us and washes us physically and symbolically. Even though Christ is about to leave us physically and ascend to the heavenly realm. He is about to leave us with the Holy Spirit. Christ is about to give up the Ghost and the Holy Spirit will dwell amongst us."Moses led Israel from the Red Sea on to the Wilderness of Shur. They traveled for three days through the wilderness without finding any water. They got to Marah, but they couldn't drink the water at Marah; it was bitter. That's why they called the place Marah (Bitter). And the people complained to Moses, "So what are we supposed to drink?" So Moses cried out in prayer to God. God pointed him to a stick of wood. Moses threw it into the water and the water turned sweet. That's the place where God set up rules and procedures; that's where he started testing them. God said, "If you listen, listen obediently to how God tells you to live in his presence, obeying his commandments and keeping all his laws, then I won't strike you with all the diseases that I inflicted on the Egyptians; I am God your healer." They came to Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. They set up camp there by the water." (Exodus 15:22-27)
The people (nation of God) were walking around in the wilderness, fresh out of bondage, from Egypt. They were a wild tattered, dysfunctional, disenfranchised, disorganized, and disobedient group who were just in the beginning stages of prophesied and promised freedom moving toward prosperity of a promised land. Even after all the signs and wonders attributed to the revelation of the promise given to their patriarch Abraham and there other ancestral and biological fathers they still were weak, doubtful, and of little faith. They were a complaining, ungrateful, rebellious, and back sliding lot. Nevertheless they were the children of the King and chosen people of God. Israel,s continued complaining is a primary theme of the wilderness story. It is here in this experience that the people are beginning to learn about total dependence on God. Moses as leader and servant of the people learns of one of God's attributes as, "I Am the Lord that heals you."
Of Water and the Spirit. The people just witnessed the salvation of the Lord through the parting of the Red Sea, which allowed them to pass safely between walls of water to the other side toward the Promised Land. The army that was in hot pursuit and close behind became swallowed up, drowned, and destroyed in between those same waters. Yet, the people of this promised nation the prelude to the expansion of Kingdom Building right here on earth still doubted the power and move of God in and for their life. While traveling 3 days through the wilderness the people became thirsty and as they cried out it was God who heard their cry and saw their suffering. They complained after being in the wilderness for three days without any water and they feared for their well being and lives. Moses cried out to God for help. He needed relief for his people who were thirsty and about to faint. God showed Moses (revealed to him) a piece of wood or tree in which Moses took and threw it into the bitter waters, which purified and sweetened the life giving water that would sustain the people once again. I could not help but think of Christ now, nailed to that piece of wood ready to complete the transition being lifted up so as to draw all of us toward Him and the life giving waters.
Of Water and the Spirit. So they came to this place called Elim and set up camp by twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. They set up camp by the water. It was here that I began to see the correlation of divine numbers and the prophetic symbolic meaning as it started to unfold with the nation and people of God. There was one source of water that fed into and supplied the twelve springs. This one great source of water kept the twelve springs full and able to nourish and sustain the nation and people of God who were traveling through the wilderness and on their way to the promises given to them to them from the One and only True Living God. Also we see that there were seventy palm trees that drew life giving waters from the twelve springs which were created from and replenished with the one great source of water. These palm trees helped to provide shade for rest and provision in the wilderness for the encampment of the nation and people of God. These twelve springs formed an oasis in the midst of a wilderness that was dry, torched, hot, arid, and accessed by rubble filled roads and landscape. A spring is a point where groundwater flows out of the ground, and is thus where the aquifer surface meets the ground surface. It is dependent upon the constancy of the water source (rainfall or snow melt that infiltrates the earth), a spring may ephemeral (intermittent) or perennial (continuous). Here once again God provides the physical life giving water and a place in the wilderness to rest, rejuvenate, and prepare for the journey and task ahead. They were now being conditioned to be completely dependent on God. I am reminded of Christ being the One Source of the twelve Apostles and seventy disciples sent out to the most outer parts of the world to testify and share of the Living Waters and Word.
"Directed by God, the whole company of Israel moved on by stages from the Wilderness of Sin. They set camp at Rephidim. And there wasn't a drop of water for the people to drink. The people took Moses to task: "Give us water to drink." But Moses said, "Why pester me? Why are you testing God?" But the people were thirsty for water there. They complained to Moses, "Why did you take us from Egypt and drag us out here with our children and animals to die of thirst?" Moses cried out in prayer to God, "What can I do with these people? Any minute now they'll kill me!" God said to Moses, "Go on out ahead of the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel. Take the staff you used to strike the Nile. And go. I'm going to be present before you there on the rock at Horeb. You are to strike the rock. Water will gush out of it and the people will drink." He named the place Massah (Testing-Place) and Meribah (Quarreling) because of the quarreling of the Israelites and because of their testing of God when they said, "Is God here with us, or not?" (Exodus 17:1-7)
Of Water and the Spirit. The people were also about to take out all of their anguish on Moses. They might have stoned Moses to death in the midst of their turmoil and frustration. Little did these stiff necked, rebellious, untrustworthy, and faithless crew realize that their was one who would rise up from among them and on the third day after being put to death, counted out as dead and placed in a tomb with all redemptive power for the people and children of God in his own very hand. Moses was worried about being stoned while there was one to come, the Lion from the tribe of Judah, the Prince of Peace, the Lily of the Valley, our Savior and Redeemer. This one would become the sacrificial Lamb of God and be crucified. The world would place his body in a tomb and roll an unmovable stone at the entrance of his grave so as to seal off his fate unto a permanent death and position of no return. This time Moses was accompanied by elders as witness. It is here at this part of their journey that we see the people with such a lack of trust. Elders would now be present with Moses and begin a process of intimate intertwined relationship with the One and Only True Living God. This relationship was a parallel experience with that of becoming help to the leader and servant Moses in serving, uplifting and leading this group of people to and in the Promised Land. Moses would tap that rock and water would flow out in an abundance so as to provide life giving sustenance for the people crying in the wilderness. This rock which to me today symbolizes the Rock in who we call Jesus.
"So Jesus left the Judean countryside and went back to Galilee. To get there, he had to pass through Samaria. He came into Sychar, a Samaritan village that bordered the field Jacob had given his son Joseph. Jacob's well was still there. Jesus, worn out by the trip, sat down at the well. It was noon. A woman, a Samaritan, came to draw water. Jesus said, "Would you give me a drink of water?" (His disciples had gone to the village to buy food for lunch.) The Samaritan woman, taken aback, asked, "How come you, a Jew, are asking me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?" (Jews in those days wouldn't be caught dead talking to Samaritans.) Jesus answered, "If you knew the generosity of God and who I am, you would be asking me for a drink, and I would give you fresh, living water." The woman said, "Sir, you don't even have a bucket to draw with, and this well is deep. So how are you going to get this 'living water'? Are you a better man than our ancestor Jacob, who dug this well and drank from it, he and his sons and livestock, and passed it down to us?" Jesus said, "Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again and again. Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst - not ever. The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life." The woman said, "Sir, give me this water so I won't ever get thirsty, won't ever have to come back to this well again!" (John 4:3-15)
Of Water and the Spirit. Remember the woman at the well. He told her that if she would drink of this water she would never thirst. She wanted it immediately upon revelation knowledge. I believe that the Samaritan woman was a seeker after God. She was a God chaser. She must have come to this well time and again to draw spiritual revelation and sustenance. It is here at Jacob's well on a sacred mountain that she would be replenished and renewed. The woman at the well it would seem should have had no access or contact with Jesus. A woman from the cultural viewpoint of Jesus' time was not supposed to be talking to a man who was a complete stranger. This woman was also a Samaritan which to any Judean would not have been a person that who was a true Jew and also would be considered beneath them. Nevertheless it is clear that Christ or the disciples were concerned about what racial, social, or religious group that you are ascribed to. The Samaritan woman was at the well where water was drawn daily for the sustenance of oneself and one's family. Without the water you would surely die. After conversation with Christ the woman came into revelation knowledge of who Christ is. It was then that Christ offered her a drink from the living water in which if she would partake and never thirst again.
Of Water and the Spirit. Not only did she ask to be quenched but she dropped her water pot at the well and left immediately to go and tell the others of her village of this Truth. She recognized Christ's true nature and was immediately filled. Some of us have been taught that this woman who had many husbands was of low moral character or position. But let me draw some light to this image. I do not see any suggestion of moralistic judgment in this story. The mention of many husbands as ascribed to her is not about adultery or bad behavior. You see, the word 'husband' in some languages including Hebrew and English also means master or lord. So we can see that the English meaning of this word also means master of the house. Your house can be divided if there is more than one single inner master that is controlling and uniting your will, desire, thought, mind, action, purpose and energy. This woman acknowledges and is conscious of her situation and is instantly filled up with the Spirit of Christ, the Living Waters and becomes unified and complete in the inner self. She is now prepared to receive and open up more readily to the knowledge, presence, and Spirit of Christ. Once again we see God offering and supplying His people drink from the water in which they will be replenished, filled and complete.
"Jesus, seeing that everything had been completed so that the Scripture record might also be complete, then said, "I'm thirsty." A jug of sour wine was standing by. Someone put a sponge soaked with the wine on a javelin and lifted it to his mouth. After he took the wine, Jesus said, "It's done . . . complete." Bowing his head, he offered up his spirit." (John 19:28-30)
Of Water and the Spirit. Jesus cried out I thirst. Was it at this particular moment that he longed for that direct connection to the one source the One and Only True Living God. Was it at this moment that he had to leave that which encumbered him to be filled with the water and true sustenance of His Father God. Parched dried, drained, and worn out in this physical realm, he cried out for the only source that would replenish him back into eternal glory and position. It was here that I see Christ saying, "I'm thirsty", but now also asking for love. Our love. The Roman soldier also being an example of the world offered Jesus a sponge soaked with sour wine or vinegar as a relief for his physical turmoil, humiliation,and suffering. I do not qualify this as an act of love. What have you offered up to Christ today as a symbol of your love. Have you offered him your heart, your work, your creativity, your gifts, your mind, your soul, your conscious self, or your inner being? Have you offered him the sour wine in your life instead? Have you turned your love away from your brother or sister? Have you turned your love away and picked up the idols and ills of this world and society? Do you thirst for the living waters to flow through your inner being? Do you thirst for the pure and sweet water of the Spirit that will flow through you and on to the dry and arid condition, family, society, and way of life around you. Are you ready to drink of it? Are you thirsting for the water that will wash you, cleanse you, replenish you, and propel you into a proactive, energized, Kingdom Builder right here on earth? Drink from the Living Waters.
Remember that every time God's people (you and I) became thirsty and would call out for the life giving sustenance, God would answer and see to it that they (we) are replenished with that pure and sweet rejuvenating water of the Spirit. It is simply amazing that God will provide for us in our barren dry places, in our wilderness experiences, in our stubborn, rebellious, fearful, doubting existence and uplift us bring us to His Promise for us and His wish that none of us should perish. One LOVE.....
© 2008 Gregory Roberson
