PROF. BEN ONYEUKWU (REV.)
NCE (English); Dip (Computer Studies); ND/HD
(Journalism); Dip, BA (Theology) MA, PhD.
THE BIBLE AND THE LIVING WATER
Devotional Text: John
7:37-39
Introduction:
The feast of tabernacle, in which Jesus drew
the attention of the people to Himself, as the Source of Living Water, was a
yearly event in Israel, which lasted for eight days. In the feast, according to
Adam Clarke, seven days were devoted for sacrifices for the then seventy
nations of the earth, but on the eight day, sacrifices were offered for Israel,
thus the eight day was highly esteemed than the other days, as this was
probably when they went to draw water from the pool of Siloam, and while they
poured the water out, at the foot of the alter, the Lord cried out, saying, “if
anyone thirst, let him come unto Me and drink. He that believes on Me, as the
Scripture says, out of his belly shall flow rivers of Living Water, pointing to
the fact of the Holy Spirit, which they who believe in Him would receive”,
(John 7:37-39).
GENERAL REMARKS
(1)
Only those
who truly believe in Christ can truly be connected to the Living Water, (vs.
37-38)
(2)
The
Holy Spirit is the Living Water which
Jesus referred to, (vs. 39)
(3)
The Living
Water (Holy Spirit) which Jesus talked about is not natural, but spiritual,
(vs. 39)
(4)
The Living
Water (Holy Spirit), is the spiritual life giving water that sustains the life
of the believer, forever, (vs. 38)
LIVING WATER IS NOT NATURAL WATER
Living Water is not any sort of natural water
that could be obtained from any source of natural water like; stream, rainfall,
river, ocean or sea. It is equally not any type of “blest water”
consecrated through any religion rite or ceremony, but “Divine Outflow” from
the “Spring of Life”, the Holy Spirit. Before the advent of the Holy Spirit, “blest
water” or what is mistaken today as “holy water” had been in use, in some religious quarters, for
various religious purposes, but, at
present, the consecration and use of
“blest water” is biblically no longer fashionable, since Jesus has been
glorified (Matt. 28:1-7), and the Holy Spirit given, (Acts. 2:1-4). This, Jesus
cited when He said, “if anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.
Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow
rivers of Living Water. By this He meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in
Him were later to receive. For by that time the Spirit had not been given,
since Jesus had not been glorified”, (John 7:37-39). This brings to light that
the Living Water is:
(i)
Not any form
of “blest
Water” or what is today mistaken as “holy water”, bottled
or caned for religious purposes or uses(vs.
39)
(ii)
The out
pouring of the Holy Spirit which the Lord promised in (Joel 2:28-29) which He
fulfilled
in (Acts 2:17-18), for the purposes of His
missionary and kingdom works.
(iii)
The “Divine
water” and Spirit by which those born again are washed, (John3:5-8; Titus3:5-7)
LIVING WATER AS THE SANCTIFYING
WORD
The Scripture which says that…‘Christ also
loved the Church and gave Himself for it: that He might sanctify and cleanse it
with the washing of water by the Word (Eph. 5:25-26) clearly describes the Word
of God as water, and this water cannot be any other, but the Living Water,
which Jesus uses as cleansing and sanctifying agent, as the word of God is
ministered. The Holy Spirit, whom Jesus
pictures as the Living Water (John 7:39) is the author of the Word of God (2
Peter 1: 20-21), and so, every genuine interpretation and preaching of the Word
can only come by Him. Thus, when a genuine act of the preaching of the Word of
God is in focus, the Holy Spirit liquifies into the Word and flows as Living
Water that sanctifies and cleanses the Church, which is the Body of the saints
or believers, (Eph. 5:26). This biblically implies that the Holy Spirit:
(i)
Flows as
Living Water when Jesus is in the act of sanctifying and cleansing of the
church, (Eph. 5:26)
(ii)
Turns into
“liquid Word” for the washing that sanctifies and cleanses the Church, (vs. 26)
(iii)
Is both the
“Living Water” (John 7:39) and the “Living Word” (Eph. 5:26) that comes into
operation
when Jesus is in the acts of sustaining and
sanctifying the believers or the Church.
LIVING WATER IS LINKED TO CHRIST
The expression of Jesus at the last day of
the feast of tabernacle, saying, “if any man thirst, let him come unto me and
drink. He that believes in me, as the Scripture says, out of his belly shall
flow rivers of Living Water” John
7:37-38) is a picture of the biblical truth that the Living Water, as
personified in the Holy Spirit, is linked to Christ. For, the Scripture equally
says that “He spoke of the Spirit which they that believe on Him would
receive”… (vs. 3). This implies that, to believe in Christ is to receive the
living Water, and to reject Him, is to deny oneself of the “Divine flow”. In
furtherance, Christ is , as well described as the ‘Spiritual Rock’ from which
the Israelites ate and drank in the desert, (1 Cor. 10:1-4), and this pictures
all the supernatural provisions they enjoyed while on the pilgrimage. Typologically, therefore, Christ is the Rock,
on which the Christian Church is built, and the stream from which every
believer drinks and refreshes, (vs.4). By this, this lesson establishes that:
(i)
Christ is
the Fountain of the Living Water, (1 Cor. 10:4)
(ii)
The Holy
Spirit is the Living Water that flows from Christ, (John 7:38)
(iii)
Anyone that heartily believes in Christ, and
drinks of the Living Water shall never thirst again, (John 4: 14).
In conclusion, please note once again that Living Water is
not any form of natural water that could religiously be consecrated or
rebranded “holy” or “blest” water, distributed in bottles or cans, but a
“Living Flow” which sanctifies and refreshes those who believe in Christ, who
is the “Spiritual Rock”. REPENT AND
BELIEVE THE GOSPEL!
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