Water Part 11

Leviticus 16:26 NKJV

 And he who released the goat as the scapegoat shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp.

A man was chosen to send the scapegoat that bore the sins of Israel into the wilderness. The ceremony of atoning for the sins of God’s people involved the High Priest and a suitable man who led the goat to the correct location. After he was finished with his task, the escort of the scapegoat had to take a bath before returning to where everyone else was living.

Spiritual parallel: Sometimes we may have to deal with sin or sinners as we go about our daily lives. It may be necessary for us to help get rid of some ungodly items. Our physical senses may contact things we would not normally approve of. How do we cleanse ourselves before returning to our place to carry on as before? We wash with the Word and the Spirit to free ourselves of any contamination resulting from what we experienced. Speaking the Word and praying with the spirit will help us stay separated from worldly contamination that we cannot avoid.

Water Part 10

Exodus 34:28 NKJV

So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water. And He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.

Moses was in the glory of God for 40 days. His physical body was sustained without natural food or water. 

Spiritual significance: The spirit world is more real than the natural world. Everything in our natural world came from the Spirit world. Our spirits will exist without our bodies, but our bodies cannot live without our spirits. Although we need natural water for physical bodies, spiritual water provides more benefit. The power of the water of the Word and the water of the Spirit should not be underestimated. Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman of the superiority of spiritual water. He also told the Jews about spiritual water.

John 4:13-14 NKJV: Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."

John 7:37-39 NKJV: On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

We cannot experience what Moses experienced in terms of being able to go such a long time without food or water unless God chose to give us such a divine encounter. However, we can learn from Moses' experience and benefit if we take the lesson that spending time in God's presence reaps benefits for our whole being – spirit, soul and body.

Water Part 9

Exodus 30:17-21 NKJV

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its base also of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. And you shall put water in it, for Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet in water from it. When they go into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to the Lord, they shall wash with water, lest they die. So they shall wash their hands and their feet, lest they die. And it shall be a statute forever to them—to him and his descendants throughout their generations.”

Foot washing was a common tradition in the world where dusty roads were the norm. Hand washing was common in the past and still is normal for sanitary reasons. Hand washing was and currently is also a ceremonial procedure for religious purposes in some cultures. The hand washing for Aaron and his sons may have been for cleanliness, but it would have been primarily for spiritual reasons. The consequence of their failing to do this procedure was severe. The judgment could be death. The main spiritual component was obedience to the command of God.

Spiritual parallel: Our hands represent our assignments, jobs, gifts and talents, etc. It represents what we do on a regular basis.

Ecclesiastes 2:11a NKJV: Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled;  

Ecclesiastes 9:10 NKJV:  Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.

Deuteronomy 28:12a NKJV: The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand.  

Ephesians 4:28 NKJV: Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.

1 Thessalonians 4:11 NKJV: that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you,

God wants our hands to be clean – washed with the water of the Word and the water of the Spirit. All we do must honor Him. We are laborers with God in a joint venture with the same goals.

1 Corinthians 3:9 Amplified Version Classic Edition: For we are fellow workmen (joint promoters, laborers together) with and for God; you are God’s garden and vineyard and field under cultivation, [you are] God’s building.

 Since God is the leader, we want to make sure we are not usurping His authority and making decisions apart from Him. He has given us the ability to make choices, but we should not make decisions that are contrary to His plan. Therefore, we must wash our hands with the Word and always be aware that what we are doing must line up with scripture. Then we must lift up our hands to the Holy Spirit, allowing the water of the spirit to soak them so that we only move with His approval. Our desire should be to keep our hands clean in whatever we do, but especially in what we do in ministry.

Water Part 8

Exodus 23:25 NKJV

So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you. 

(Some translations use the word "worship" instead of "serve." You cannot truly worship God and not serve Him.) God promised to bless the food and water of those who served Him. When something is blessed, it will do only good, no harm.

 Spiritual parallel: Although the Word is already blessed in general, what is it doing for us individually? When we get into the Word, is it blessing us? Are we being changed from glory to glory. Do we see progress we can measure? We cannot get into the water of the Word haphazardly and expect positive transformation. We must get into the Word as servants of the Lord. When we do, He will bless it and it will do us good. A servant waits on his master. He listens for instructions and carries them out. James explains the right attitude toward God’s Word. (James 1:22-25) He said the doer, not the hearer is blessed.

God told Joshua to approach the Word as a servant – ready to do everything He saw in it. (Joshua 1:8)

Before telling the parable of the house on the rock, versus the house on the sand, Jesus asked a question emphasizing the importance of those calling Him Lord being people of obedience to His commands.

Luke 6:46 NKJV

“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?”

Despite the extreme value of the Word, we need God to bless it to our spirits just like we need His blessing upon our natural food and water for our physical bodies. In both cases, we need to commit to being His servants. We are sons by birth and servants by choice.

Water Part 7

Exodus 17:6 NKJV

Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

When the Israelites were in desperate need of water, God supplied it for them miraculously. He had Moses strike a rock. It was through this rock that the physical need of the people was met. 

Spiritual parallel:  The rock represented Christ who would be struck (crucified) for us. Just as the physical rock, a representation of Christ provided natural water, the living Christ provided spiritual water. He brought us the water of the Word and the water of the Spirit. He was the Word made flesh. He is the anointing that lives in us by way of the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Speaking of Jesus, John said the following:

John 1:1 NKJV: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The Father confirmed that Jesus was the One we needed to listen to.

Matthew 17:5 NKJV: While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” 

While speaking to a Samaritan woman, Jesus professed that He was the source of living (spiritual) water. (John 4:13-14)

Jesus described Himself also as the One who would give believers the Holy Spirit.

John 7:37-39 NKJV: On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

As John wrote to believers to help them avoid deception, he pointed out that we have received an anointing from Jesus to teach us truthfully about everything. (1 John 2:27)

Water Part 6

But they said, “We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together, and they have rolled the stone from the well’s mouth; then we water the sheep.”

Jacob met some people who were waiting by a well in a field to water their flocks. He encouraged them to go ahead with their task so the sheep could return to pasture before it was time for them to be gathered in for the night. It was still plenty of daylight left and he thought they should be enjoying their pasture instead of just hanging around the well. They explained that someone needed to roll the stone from the well. Since it was their common practice to roll the stone away, water the flocks and then return the stone to its place, they waited until everyone was present with their sheep to begin the process.

Spiritual Parallel: This reminds me of corporate watering through the church. There is definite benefit in joining together to receive the water of the Word and experience the water of the Holy Spirit. It is not a substitute for the personal, individual watering we should be participating in all the time. Both the individual and corporate spiritual watering are important. One compliments the other. Just as the natural sheep had to gather together for watering, spiritual sheep must do the same. Someone has to open the doors of the meeting place (like the rolling away of the stone) and then lock them again after service is over (like the returning the stone cover over the well). It is not practical for someone to open the church building every time a few people want to enjoy corporate worship. So times are designated, and people gather and wait on everyone else so the person opening and closing the facility can do it at the same time for everyone. God gave wisdom to natural shepherds for orderly and effective watering of their flocks. He did the same with His spiritual shepherds.