Living Water

That is the Cistern of Theodosius, a photo taken by Izabela Miszczak. It is a wonder of design and use, unlike any cistern we’ve seen on a farm to aid in providing water during rainless months. Cisterns have been in use for millennia, from simple natural rock formations to the above. The Bible mentions them in five verses, in 2 Kings, Proverbs, Ecclesiastics, Isaiah – and the one that caught my eye in Jeremiah:

Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit. Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD. For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. (Jeremiah 2:11-13 KJV)

Is it clearer in the Amplified Bible?

“Has a nation [ever] changed gods
Even though they were not gods [but merely man-made objects]?
But My people have exchanged their Glory (the true God)
For that [man-made idol] which does not benefit [them].
“Be appalled, O heavens, at this;
Be shocked and shudder with horror [at the behavior of the people],” says the Lord.
“For My people have committed two evils:
They have abandoned (rejected) Me,
The fountain of living water,
And they have carved out their own cisterns,
Broken cisterns
That cannot hold water."

I’ve checked a number of versions at BibleGateway.com, and the message remains – the people of God were guilty of exchanging His life-giving water for stagnant water in broken containers. Here God is described as a “fountain of living water,” which matches Jesus’ claim:

Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. (John 4:13-14 KJV)

I’ve read that God as living water can be sourced in the dryness of Israel - that the need for water is dominate in the land given to Abraham’s descendants. While our planet is largely covered in water, not all of it is drinkable. Not all of it provides sustenance. Some of it is detrimental to human life if taken as a drink. Isn’t that not also appropriate of our beliefs?

Drinkable, life-sustaining water does not depend on skin color, geographic location, even which deity is worshipped. Just as the Bible says our God is available to any that seek Him, living water will provide for everyone partaking.

Combine water and food and you’ve provided half of what mankind needs for survival. Jesus provides both, as we see when adding:

I am that bread of life. (John 6:48 KJV)

The explanation of what bread is meant takes many more verses and are found in John 6:29-42. Just click on the link and pick your version. Isn’t tech awesome when it comes to Bible study?

So, God provided living water, bread – but we also need light. When we look for the words “light of the world” in the New Testament, there is much to learn. First reference is that we are the light of the world:

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. (Matthew 5:14 KJV)

Not all of "we", though. Matthew five is where Jesus is speaking to His disciples about what it takes to follow Him, what God has in store for those who do, and how His followers should live. Thus, if we do follow Him, people we meet should be able to know that by seeing us. The next references to “light of the world” refers to Jesus, and what He called Himself:

Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (John 8:12 KJV)

It is necessary to read the entire Bible to find out what God is to man beyond being his Creator. For me, my favorite is that God is our Father. The father who accepts what we say to Him, what we ask of Him, just as Jesus taught us:

Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (Matthew 6:8-13 KJV)