3. Near the spring of living water

In Psalm 1:3 we are told that the blessed, righteous man, pleasing before God, is like a tree planted by the streams of water. Likewise, in Jeremiah 17:7–8a we are told: “Blessed is the man who trusts in Yahweh, and whose confidence is in Yahweh. For he will be as a tree planted by the waters, who spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes” (Jeremiah 17:7–8a). In Jeremiah, the idea is reinforced that the one who trusts in the Lord is like a tree planted by the waters, and the water is the source of the tree’s life. A tree without water will dry up and eventually die, it will be cut down. But a tree that has water will live.

In Ezekiel 47:1–12 we again find the water of life flowing from the altar, from the presence of God. In verses 8-9 it is written: “These waters flow out toward the eastern region and go down into the Arabah. Then they will go toward the sea and flow into the sea, and the waters will be healed. It will happen that every living creature which swarms, in every place where the rivers come, will live. Then there will be a very great multitude of fish; for these waters have come there, and the waters of the sea will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river comes’” (Ezekiel 47:8–9). The same thought is found in Revelation 22:1, 17b: “He showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb […] He who is thirsty, let him come. He who desires, let him take the water of life freely.”

We can say with certainty that the water of life comes from God the Father and from God the Son, from the altar, from the Holy of Holies, from His presence, and it brings healing, life, and spiritual health. In Psalm 46:4–5 we read: “There is a river, the streams of which make the city of God glad, the holy place of the tents of the Most High. God is in the midst of her”. Some commentators say that this passage refers to a physical river near the city of Jerusalem and its temple, or even to a river in the garden of Eden, but we may very well connect these verses to God Himself as the source of life for His city, for His church.

The Lord Jesus Christ speaks twice about Himself as having the living water. To the Samaritan woman He said: “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” Jesus answered her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst again; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” (John 4:10, 13–14). The water that Christ gives satisfies the thirsty soul, heals the sick soul, and leads it from death into eternal life, where it will be with God forever.

Christ says that whoever drinks from the water of life, believes in Him and receives the Holy Spirit. In John 7:37–39 He says, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink! He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, from within him will flow rivers of living water.” But He said this about the Spirit, which those believing in him were to receive. The text to which the Lord Jesus refers is Isaiah 44:3: “For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and streams on the dry ground. I will pour my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your offspring.” The Holy Spirit is the One who comforts us, teaches us, intercedes for us before the Father with groanings which can’t be uttered, reminds us of Christ, brings His words to our remembrance, guides us, interprets the biblical Word to us, and gives abundant life to the church of Christ.

We must drink from Christ every day. A tree needs water daily. Our eternal soul must drink from the eternal God who created it, just as our mortal body needs water each day. Christ Himself tells us clearly and unequivocally that we cannot live without Him, that we must remain connected to Him day by day: “Remain in me, and I in you […] apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:4–5). And we can do this by standing in God’s presence in prayer. Christ, “the one mediator between God and men” (1 Timothy 2:5), the “great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God” (Hebrews 4:14), waits for us at every sunrise. “Yahweh God’s voice walking in the garden in the cool of the day” (Genesis 3:8), who spoke with Adam and Eve, is there every morning for us to hear. Therefore, “let’s draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace for help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). You cannot live today on the water you drank yesterday. Today you must remain in Christ and drink from Him so that you will not thirst. And when you drink from Christ, the Holy Spirit does His work in you and through you.

We said that the good tree is planted by the spring of water, that is, we drink from Christ, from His presence. But the meal must be complete: we cannot only drink, we must also eat. Therefore, we remember that Christ is not only the Water of Life, but also the Bread of Life. Jesus said to them, “Most certainly, I tell you, it wasn’t Moses who gave you the bread out of heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread out of heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Lord, always give us this bread.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will not be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:32–35). Peter tells us that Christ has the words of eternal life: “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). John tells us that Christ is the creative Word: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him. Without him, nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:1–3). And in Hebrews 1:3 we are told that He [Christ] “is the radiance of his glory, the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of His power.”

Why do we bring all these verses together, and how do we connect them? Christ says about Himself that He is the Bread of Life and that He has the words of eternal life. John tells us that He is the Word of life, and the author of Hebrews letter mentions that Christ upholds all things by the word of His power, that everything holds together through Him, and without His Word, everything would disintegrate. The only deduction is that Christ is the Holy Word, the Word of life. He tells us that we must know the Word of God, His commandments, which are written, which He has spoken to us. Today we have the Bible, our treasure, and when we drink the water of life each day, we also eat from the bread of life, we open the Word, and the Holy Spirit enlightens us to understand it. “If you remain in me, and my words remain in you […] If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, even as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love” (John 15:7, 10). Another very important passage on this theme is in John 14:15, 21, 24, 26: “If you love Me, keep My commandments. One who has My commandments and keeps them, that person is one who loves me. One who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him, and will reveal myself to him. He who doesn’t love me doesn’t keep my words […] But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and will remind you of all that I said to you”. 

In all these passages we see an association between the Scriptures and the Person of the Lord Jesus. The Scriptures (the Word) show us who He is, that when He speaks, He speaks the words of life, that He is the Word of life, that He is the Bread of Life: “As they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks for it, and broke it. He gave to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’” (Matthew 26:26). And by seeking Him in the Scriptures, we come to know Him and feed on Him, the Bread of Life,  and we remember His sacrifice on the cross.

Christ tells us that it is crucial to know the heart of God - His laws, principles, commandments, and thoughts reveal His heart. These we find objectively in His Word, in the Bible. The Son of God answered Satan: “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of God’s mouth’” (Matthew 4:4). And the Word of the Lord is sweeter than honey: “How sweet are your promises to my taste, more than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103). When we drink water from the presence of Jesus and eat the bread of life from Jesus, from His Word, “we all, with unveiled face seeing the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18). In other words, we are gradually “metamorphosed” by the Holy Spirit as we remain in the Word.

The Word of the Lord is food, it is drink, but it is also a mirror. It helps us see ourselves as we truly are; it “is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12). It is “the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). It is what leads to salvation through hearing it: “So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). That is why verse 2 of our psalm says that “his delight is in Yahweh’s law. On his law he meditates day and night.” (Psalm 1:2). Here is the secret - to remain in relationship with the Lord Jesus in the Word and in prayer, in meditation and in personal time with Him, in days of fasting; and there we become more and more rooted in Him and are transformed day by day, becoming more and more like Him.

When you speak with someone, you can tell whether that person has spent time with Jesus or not. If they have spent time with Him, you will sense it in their words, in their eyes, in their gestures, and in their actions. Like a flowing stream, they will always have something fresh and edifying from God to give you; from that person you will feel something sweet, like honey. But if a person has not spent time with Him that day, you will sense that as well. Some do not spend time with Him for days or even weeks, and when you meet them they are like a foul-smelling stagnant pond, with nothing fresh to offer - only dissatisfaction, bitterness, words that do not build up, a sour or acidic expression. Do you want to spend time with Him today?