The source of life

• Strong's #H2416
  • living, alive
  • green (of vegetation)
  • flowing, fresh (of water)
  • lively, active (of man)
  • reviving (of the springtime)
• Strong's #G2198
  • to live, breathe, be among the living (not lifeless, not dead)
  • to enjoy real life
    • to have true life and worthy of the name
    • active, blessed, endless in the kingdom of God
  • to live i.e. pass life, in the manner of the living and acting
    • of mortals or character
  • living water, having vital power in itself and exerting the same upon the soul
  • metaph. to be in full vigour
    • to be fresh, strong, efficient,
    • as adj. active, powerful, efficacious

Water is the source of life on earth. Scientists often speak of the possibility of life by the presence of water. Every life form on earth requires it. Without water there is nothing but a baren wasteland. The metaphor of living waters in the bible shows us that we need God as our source of life and salvation through Jesus is like a well of water in a desert.

Anyone who believes in Jesus will have living water flow from his belly.

37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink."
38 "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."
39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
John 7:37-39

• Jesus compared our physical need for water with our spiritual need for God.
• We come to Jesus for salvation, he gives us spiritual thirst quenching.
• Those who accept and have faith in Jesus will get a source of living waters within them alluding to how the Holy Spirit would dwell in believers

13 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 2:13

• A source of water in those times were containers of rain water that were often contaminated and undersirable
• This verse points to people not wanting the true source of living waters and how they turned away from him

God is a fountain of living waters that heals, saves, and sustains life

13 O Lord, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters.
14 Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.
Jeremiah 17:13-14

• throughout the bible God is compared to a fountain of living waters
• water is the source of life on earth just as God is the source of all life

Salvation is like drawing water out of a well.

1 And in that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me.
2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
3 Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
4 And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.
5 Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth.
6 Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.
Isaiah 12:1-6

• God was angry with us and we faced his justice for our sins, but he provided a way to be saved and turn back to him
• He is our source of joy and peace when we accept salvation through Jesus
• All the earth knows of the amazing things he did for us

God pours out his spirit that restores and heals just as water springs up life in the desert.

1 Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen:
2 Thus saith the Lord that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:
4 And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses.
5 One shall say, I am the Lord’s; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord, and surname himself by the name of Israel.
6 Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.
Isaiah 44:1-6

• God pours out his spirit to all those who have a spiritual thirst
• His spirit heals and resores us as live springs up around a source of water in a desert

God's spirit breaks us from the prison of sin and darkness so that we may follow God's ways and not hunger or thirst as He leads us to springs of water.

9 That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.
10 They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.
Isaiah 49:9-10

• Many people don't realize that they are a slave to sin and that their actions harm themselves and others
• God breaks those chains of bondage so that we may have life abundantly

God's pouring out of his Spirit allows us to break our bondage to sin and to care for the less fortunate.

6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
8 ¶Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward.
9 Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;
10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:
11 And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
Isaiah 58:6-11

The Samaritan woman

Jesus describes himself as the well of salvation that brings everlasting life when talking to a Samaritan woman. The Jews hated the Samaritans, but Jesus offers salvation to everyone.

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.
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.
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."
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?
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."
John 4:6-14

Jesus reveals himself as the promised Messiah and that we must worship in spirit and in truth to find salvation.

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."
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."
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."
John 4:19-26

Christians are to be lead by the Holy Spirit as they develop the same character as God. Spreading the light of God to the world like rivers spreading his truth.

14 "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid."
15 "Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house."
16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
Mathew 5:14-16

Living waters flow out of Jerusalem as Jesus is king over the whole earth.

5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.
6 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:
7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.
8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.
9 And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one.
Zechariah 14:5-9

Those who come out of the great tribulation have washed robes and are before God's throne serving in his temple as God dwells with them and leads them to living fountains of waters.

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.
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.
Revelation 7:13-17

The first ressurrection of those who refused to take the mark of the beast will reign with Jesus for a thousand years

4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Revelation 20:4-6

Those who recieve salvation are written in the book of life and spared from the second death

11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 20:11-15

After the millenial reign, people are brought back to life and given a chance to partake of God's spirit and to live forever in God's kingdom where God himself is the source of light and we see his face dwelling with God in person.

1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
Revelation 22:1-5

Conclusion

People try to find eternal life and spiritual satisfaction in all manners of ways, but God is the true source of life and fulfillment that quenches our spiritual thirst. All other means apart from Jesus is like a contaminated broken cistern that is liable to bring only sickness and death.