Water-Deeper-Higher Part 2

There seems to be two different kinds of water mentions in the Bible: water that represents troubles, and water that represents cleansing, life and blessings.  I didn’t bother to write down the verses where it is representative of trouble, since that is no the context in which I am finding the water theme, and if I wrote them down too, I’d be recording every single verse with that word in it.

There is a sense of water being a cleanser, for instance in Leviticus 11:32 (as well as Numbers 8:7 and other mentions in the Old Testament), “And upon whatsoever any of them, when they are dead, doth fall, it shall be unclean; whether it be any vessel of wood, or raiment, or skin, or sack, whatsoever vessel it be, wherein any work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the even; so it shall be cleansed.”  Also in Ezekiel 36:25, "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.”

Cleansing also takes on a different tone in the New Testament, with baptism and the water of life.  John 3:5 says that "Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."  John the Baptist says in Matthew 3:11 that "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire."  In Ephesians 5:26-27 we read that "That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."  That water cleanses us, His love cleanses us.

Along with cleansing comes healing, such as in John 5:3-4, "In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.  For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had."    There is pouring out of this water, the water of God.  In Revelation we read that John is shown the "pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb" (Revelation 22:1).  Isaiah 44:3 says, "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 blessings upon thine offspring."  God will send us water if we are thirsty - He will not withhold His blessings.  He will not withhold the water of life! In the story of the woman at the well in John 4, Jesus says to 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."  This is reaffirmed in Revelation 21:6 "And he said unto me, It is done.  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.  I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely" and Revelation 22:17 "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come.  And let him that heareth say, Come.  And let him that is athirst come.  And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."  Water in these contexts, as we can clearly see, means life, life from God! Isaiah 35:6 says, "Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert."  His water is a stream of life in the deserts of our life, refreshing us and bringing joy.  Again in Isaiah 43:20 we read "The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen."  He does not leave us thirsty!! "And they thirsted not when he led them through the deserts: he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them: he clave the rock also, and waters gushed out" (Isaiah 48:21).  This is another blessing for those who follow after God, it is not water we buy with money or with good deeds.  He says that "every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price" (Isaiah 55:1).  He satisfies our souls, as Isiah 58:11 says: "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." The best part is, the water of the Lord is sure (Isaiah 33:16-17).  He makes a path for us, "Thus saith the Lord, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters" (Isaiah 43:16).  God's will is in the water, even if it can be overwhelming.  "Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places" (Psalm 135:6).  I want to go into the deep, into His will!  Because it is perfect.

There is mention of water from heaven, such as coming down as rain in Deuteronomy 11:11: "But the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven."  David says that "Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou has to provided for it" (Psalm 65:9).  Jeremiah 10:13 gives a poetic perspective of storms.  "When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures."

(Water also can be a parallel to righteousness and the cleansing blood of Christ.  Deuteronomy 12:16 says "Only ye shall not eat the blood; ye shall pour it upon the earth as water."  This is God's instruction to the Israelites that they are not supposed to eat the blood, but pour it on the ground.  All throughout the Bible blood from sacrifice is what cleanses our sin, and here it is compared as water, like rain.  This rain created a righteous land.  Amos 5:24 says "But let judgement run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.")

So may my words be the same as Peter’s: “Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.”