Living Water

Today’s Passages – John 4 – 5; Proverbs 7

“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)

Several years ago I was preaching and teaching through the Gospel of John, and as I was preparing for the message from chapter four I came across a commentary written by a man named Arthur Pink. I was fascinated by what Pink wrote about this passage regarding how water is a type of salvation. Here is an excerpt from his book:

1. Water is a gift from God. It is something which man, despite all his boasted wisdom, is quite unable to create. For water we are absolutely dependent upon God. It is equally so with His salvation, of which water is here a figure. 2. Water is something which is indispensable to man. It is not a luxury, but a vital necessity. It is that without which man cannot live. It is equally so with God’s salvation—apart from it men are eternally lost. 3. Water is that which meets a universal need; it is not merely a local requirement, but a general one. All are in need of water. It is so with God’s salvation. It is not merely some particular class of people, who are more wicked than their fellows, for all who are outside of Christ are lost. 4. Water is that which first descends from the heavens. It is not a product of the earth, but comes down from above. So is it with salvation: it is “of the Lord.” 5. Water is a blessed boon: it cools the fevered brow, slakes the thirst, refreshes and satisfies. And so does the salvation which is to be found in Christ. 6. Water is something of which we never tire. Other things satiate us, but not so with water. It is equally true of God’s salvation to the heart of every one who has really received it. 7. Water is strangely and unevenly distributed by God. In some places there is an abundance; in others very little; in others none at all. It is so with God’s salvation. In some nations there are many who have been visited by the Dayspring from on high; in others there are few who have passed from death unto life; while in others there seem to be none at all. (Pink, Arthur – The Gospel of John, chapter 12)

I do not know if all of these thoughts were original to Mr. Pink, but I was fascinated by his observation. Let me be quick to point out, however, that we would certainly not agree with everything that Mr. Pink believed and taught, especially his hyper-calvinistic leanings; but I have been blessed countless times by some of the thoughts that he received from the Lord. We need to be good Bereans, and search the Scriptures ourselves in order to see whether the things that men are teaching us are true. But I am glad that I can glean some wisdom from men who have pondered these truths before me.

PS – I would like to ask you to consider another observation from chapters 3 and 4 of John’s Gospel. Notice the contrast between Nicodemus and this un-named woman:

1  Nicodemus is a ruler of the Jews. She is a despised, Samaritan woman.

2  Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night, perhaps because he feared being seen by his peers. Jesus comes to this Samaritan woman in the middle of the day.

3  Jesus is very pointed to the Pharisee, but He is very patient with the woman.

4  There is no indication that this proud Pharisee trusts Christ after this first encounter, though he did get saved later. The humble woman, however, saw her need and opened her heart to the Savior.

I love studying the Bible, don’t you? There are so many thoughts that we can pull from these passages. Perhaps you saw some things from the passage today that you would like to share with us. Leave a comment here so that others might be blessed with what God has given you.