Let us start today’s study with Hagar, and her son Ishmael. Note that Ishmael in the Hebrew means “God will hear”. God hears his children and when they cry, he comes down, whether it be himself or by another means. God will use Hagar to show us that it is He that is the living water. With that we pick it up in Genesis chapter 17 and it reads.
Gen.17;20] And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.
[21] But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.
I started here because I wanted you to understand that Ishmael would become the father of all the Arabic nations of today. Now Hagar was Sarah’s handmaid, and mocked Sarah and Sarah told Abraham to get rid of her, and he did. let’s drop down to chapter 21 and read.
Gen.21:14] And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.
Beer is well, Sheba is oath. But notice that man can give you a bottle of water and you will eventually run out.
Gen.21:15] And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.
[16] And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.
How hard that would be to see your child die from thirst.
Gen.21:17] And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.
Remember Ishmael means “God will hear.”
Gen.21:18] Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.
[19] And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.
God is always faithful to his children, and for his purpose. Opening of the eyes is key to the knowledge of Spiritual Water. Ishmael would become twelve tribes, and they are the Arab nations of today. Now, let’s go to Amos and read more about this thirst.
Amos.8:11] Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:
We just read how the Lord provides for his children. The Lord will open the eyes and ears of his children to his word. Thirst pertains to the Word of God. It is also one of the beatitudes, in Mat.5:6 it reads.
Mat.5:6] Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Thirst after righteousness, seek the word of God, and he will provide eyes to see and ears to hear his word. Now let’s go to John chapter 4 and read the story of the woman at the well.
John 4:6] Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.
It was about noon.
John 4:7] There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
[8] (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)
[9] Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
The two houses are split, the House of Judah and the House of Israel. Both being brothers and the seed of Jacob.
John 4:10] Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
Jesus is the Living Water and the Living Word.
John 4:11] The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
This is Jacobs well it is about 9 feet across and 70 feet deep.
John 4:12] Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
[13] Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
[14] 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.
Reading and knowing the word of God gives everlasting life. To drink deep is to consume the word of the Lord.
John 4:15] The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
She still isn’t getting it.
John 4:16] Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
[17] The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:
[18] For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
[19] The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
[20] Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
[21] Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
[22] Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
Through the seed of David of the tribe of Judah.
John 4:23] But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
[24] God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Jesus brought on the dispensation of Grace, through repentance. But never forget “must worship him in spirit”.
John 4:25] The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
[26] Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
[27] And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?
[28] The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,
[29] Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
Proving she was from one of the ten tribes of Israel, for she knew scripture. To save time we continue with verse 39.
John 4:39] And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.
[40] So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.
[41] And many more believed because of his own word;
[42] And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.
[43] Now after two days he departed thence, and went into Galilee.
Can you imagine hearing the Lord himself teach? Must have been awesome. So, we see that Jesus uses simple things like thirst, waters, and even wells to teach the word of God. This was our example on how to teach others to plant the seeds which is the word of God. Let’s finish it up with a promise from God and go to Revelations 7 and pick it up with verse 13.
Rev.7:13] And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
[14] And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
[15] Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
The LORD will dwell with us.
Rev.7:16] They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
[17] For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
Ask, and you shall receive. The Lord loves us so much that he took our stripes, that on repentance we have forgiveness. He laid down his life so that we would have an everlasting life. Let’s go to his throne.
Father, we thank you for your word and ask that you bless all that love you in Jesus’s precious name, Amen.