Living Water in the Wilderness of this World

Have you ever been in or lived in a place with a desert climate, like Phoenix or LA?

It’s very hot and very dry, and water is highly valued there, unlike here, in the land of 10,000 lakes, where we can take water for granted.

In the desert, the children of Israel were often lacking water, and in that need, God taught them that He is the true source of water or life; living water.

In our Old Testament today, Exodus 17, God does the miracle of drawing water from a rock to save the people and their animals.

For some context, Exodus 14 is the account of the miraculous parting of the Red Sea to save the people from the Egyptian army.

From the Red Sea, God led His people out into the wilderness, where they were to go to Mount Sinai to receive the 10 commandments. But they soon ran out of water.

For three days they had nothing to drink, and they were desperate. Finally they came to the waters of Marah, but imagine their disappointment and fear, when they found that it was undrinkable. They must have thought they would all die.

So they complained to Moses. But God intervened. He told Moses to throw a log in the water, and that made it clean.

So early on in their travel through the wilderness, God did two miracles involving water to save the people: one because of too much water, at the Red Sea, and the other because of not enough water.

From Marah God led His people to the oasis of Elim, where there were 12 springs of water, probably symbolic of the 12 tribes. They camped there for awhile to recover and recuperate, and then they headed out into the desert again, onward toward the holy mountain.

Soon they ran out of food. Again the people complained against Moses, even though they had already seen several miracles where God intervened to keep them alive.

Moses warned the people that when they complain against him, they’re actually complaining against God. He said, “Why do you test the Lord like this?”

That’s something for us to keep in mind when we unfairly criticize our leaders. God takes it as criticism against Himself.

In spite of their complaining, God intervened yet again and rained down food for them -- bread from heaven called manna; and quail for meat.

Then the people headed out to Rephidim which was on the way to Sinai, but again in the desert, they ran out of water. And again they complained, and this time threatened Moses, who complained to God: “What am I going to do? These people are ready to stone me.”     

So God told Moses, “Take some elders, and your staff, and I will stand before you at the rock of Horeb (which was likely a huge stone landmark). Strike it with your staff and I’ll make water flow from it.”  Moses did, and once again the people were saved.

Moses was so frustrated with their defiance, that he named the place after their bad behavior.  And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

Massah means testing, and Meribah means rebellion.

Though His own people gave Him every reason to leave them, God never did. He always intervened on their behalf to save them; although at times He had to intervene to discipline them, and sometimes severely.

But he always did it to save them from themselves. Which is what godly discipline does: it saves us from ourselves. And while it’s not pleasant, it’s sometimes needed, which is why God gives us not just His gospel, but also His law.

So in our Old Testament reading today, God provides the water we need for our bodies. In our Gospel reading, Jesus provides the water we need for our souls. Water for the body helps for awhile; water for the soul helps forever.

Our Gospel takes place in Samaria, as Jesus and the disciples are traveling back to Galilee from Jerusalem. They stopped at the famous Jacob’s well for water. Jesus was deliberately alone, away from his disciples, so that he could engage this woman in a one on one conversation.

As he so often did, Jesus used the things around him as an object lesson, in this case, the spring fed water of Jacob’s well that bubbled up to keep the well full.

He promised the woman at the well that he could give her water that would well up in her to quench her thirst forever. He meant her spiritual thirst. He was speaking of the gospel, which is water for the soul.

When we look at both our Old Testament and Gospel lessons we see that God can quench our thirst both physically and spiritually.

Since that’s our make-up, body and soul, we need both to be quenched; we need both our earthly and spiritual needs to be fulfilled, and God is the provider of both.

As  Jesus and the disciples traveled through the rejected land of Samaria to get to Jerusalem, and as Moses and the people of Israel traveled through the desert of Sinai to get to the Promised Land, so we must travel through the wilderness of this world to get to our promised heavenly land.

While there are many blessings for us in this world, it’s a fallen place, and there’s going to be struggles along the way. But God provides what you need for the keeping of your body and soul.

The key is to look to Him; follow him through the wilderness, and he will take of us in mind, body, and soul.

As there were wells along the way for the disciples during their journeys through Samaria, and oases on the way through the desert for the Israelites, so God gives us places of care and blessing, as we travel through this world.

He gives us home and family, communities and schools, hospitals, parks and places of beauty, all to care for us and refresh us. And He gives us His church and the gospel as places to restore our soul.

God wants us to make the most of these places of blessing. Recognize them as the gifts they are; treasure them; take care of them as they take care of us; and be thankful for them. As the meaning of the First Article says, “For all this it is my duty to thank, praise, serve, and obey him.”

When we fail to obey, and rebel against God instead, doing our own thing in life, going our own way, then He sometimes has to intervene to discipline us.

But accept it, and learn from it; and make a correction in the course of your life, back to the living water.

As we travel through the wilderness of this world, God intervenes on our behalf with miraculous acts, as He did for the Israelites, and as Jesus does, with living water, or faith for our souls.

When humanity became lost in sin, God intervened with a miracle and became man for us. Jesus not only showed himself to be the Son of God with His many miracles, but by the greatest miracle of rising from the dead, demonstrating that He’s the true source of life.

God intervened when He sent the Holy Spirit to the disciples at Pentecost; and God intervened when he sent the Holy Spirit to you at your personal Pentecost, your Baptism.

God intervened by giving you His Word to teach you, and His gospel to give you hope. Christ intervenes every time He gives you His very body and blood for your comfort; and every time He absolves your sins for your pardon and peace.

Every time a fellow child of God prays for you, or says words of gospel encouragement to you, or helps you, God is intervening on your behalf.

Every time you help, and pray for, and share with your fellow human being, your neighbor in need, God is intervening, for its’ His Spirit in us that empowers us to do these deeds of love.

Whenever you feel like you’re in the middle of a great wilderness as you travel through the struggles of this life, remember you always have a God who provides for you, even for your deepest needs of the heart, and mind, and soul.

Don’t test him; trust Him!

Jesus intervenes on your behalf in so many ways. That makes Him our living water; our helper in this life, and our source of eternal life.

May the living water of the gospel always well up in your soul, and flow out from your heart; and may it give to you the peace of God which passes understanding, and guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.