Isaiah 12:3 – “Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” NKJV
I love when I wake up and the Spirit has whispered in my ear. Such was the case this morning when He whispered this verse to me. I have to draw from the well of salvation regularly and it is very refreshing and most encouraging.
The Bible is quite poetic in much of its make up. Not only that, it is filled with imagery that is easy for every generation of people to identify with, like a well.
The Hebrew word, “phrear”, means well. In the Lexham Dictionary, a well is defined as:
A deep man-made reservoir dug or drilled in the ground, often walled with stone or plaster. Used to access groundwater.
Wells are mentioned throughout scripture and has multiple roles or meanings in the biblical narrative. In Exodus 15, the children of Israel arrive at Elim where they find 12 wells. The wells in this passage of scripture is often times referred to as a place of rest and relaxation. Why? Because they were traveling through a dry land when they arrived at this oasis that had trees for shade, and water for their thirst.
When a well was placed outside the city, it served as a meeting place for the women, who collected the water, and for strangers. We see this played out in the encounter Jesus had with the Samaritan woman at the well. She wasn’t welcome to visit the well with the women in the town, so she went at a different time. One day, she met Jesus at the well and her life was forever changed. Her natural meeting place became her spiritual meeting place with the Messiah, a divine connection!
Wells are also used to depict the provision of God. When Moses spoke to the children of Israel before his departure and their entrance to the promised land, he spoke of wells. He told them that God had provided for them wells which they did not have to dig. And when Samson was thirsty after killing the Philistines, he cried out to God who split a hollow place in the land (creating a well of water) that Samson might obtain water to refresh and revive himself.
Wells were deemed as a vital and economic asset. The Bible makes references to the disputes that were mentioned over the ownership of wells. Abraham rebuked Abimelech because his servants had seized Abraham’s well of water. Enemies could stop up the wells, as the Philistines later did to Abraham’s wells.
As we can see, wells were pretty important to the people of God for the natural supply of water. God’s word uses the imagery of wells for a spiritual supply of living water. Jesus told the woman at the well that she should have asked Him for a drink and He would have given her living water that she would never thirst again! John 4
An important point about digging wells. Kings were responsible for digging wells, as we can see in 2 Chronicles where we find that King Uzziah dug many wells, and the enemy (the Philistines) was responsible for stopping them up. Can you see a spiritual correlation here?
I offer you this point. Salvation through the Blood of Jesus creates within each of us a well. Then Jesus fills that well with Living Water, so that out of our belly can flow that living water. When we are allowing the water, or in this case, His Holy Spirit to flow through us, our well is a place of refreshing, for ourselves and others, and it is a beautiful thing. When we are in disobedience, our wells are dry. Not because the source of our living water has gone dry, but because we have allowed the enemy of our souls to fill the wells up with sin, keeping the water from flowing!
John 7:37-38 – On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” NKJV
I read a sermon by George Whitfield, and he had this to say about the living water:
The festival at which he was now present, was that of the feast of tabernacles, which the Jews observed according to God’s appointment in commemoration of their living in tents. At the last day of this feast, it was customary for many pious people to fetch water from a certain place, and bring it on their heads, singing this anthem out of Isaiah, “And with joy shall they draw water out of the wells of salvation.” Our Lord observing this, and it being his constant practice to spiritualize every thing he met with, cries out, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, (rather than unto that well) and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath spoken, (where it is said, God will make water to spring out of a dry rock, and such-like) out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”
Drawing from the well is simple. When life hits us with challenges, instead of just reacting, cause we all do, we have to draw from the well. All those emotions I have previously written about, can be dealt with as we draw from the well. I was tested this weekend myself. I was lied upon and it made me angry, my initial reaction. But as I drew from the well of my salvation, I received a peace that all would be well.
This life is not cut and dry, patty cake, and tip toe through the tulips. It’s real, with disappointments, heartaches, and setbacks. But if we will allow the Holy Spirit to flow through us and help us in times of crisis, great joy will be ours. We will also be able to draw peace through tough times, and love when we don’t feel like sharing it. We will draw strength to continue in the journey, and hope for a brighter tomorrow. There is so much available in the well of salvation that is provided through that Living Water. It’s ours for the drawing. And it’s our responsible to do so! So go ahead, and draw from your well of salvation! Wonderful Jesus!
Wonderful Jesus! 