"For I will pour water on him who is thirsty,
And floods on the dry ground;
I will pour My Spirit on your descendants,
And My blessings on your offspring.."
Isaiah 44:3
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Another blessed day the Lord has given....Let's seek Him:
"Gracious heavenly Father, I come here today to once again seek Your face in the morning hours. I thank You for Your grace, the gift of salvation, and redemption. You alone are worthy of all our praise.
I seek forgiveness of my sins. I ask that You search me for the hidden sins of my heart. Purge me with Your hyssop and cleanse me with Your words. Please fill me with Your Spirit this day.
I pray for each lady reading this study. Speak to her in new ways and show her new and exciting things in Your word this day.
In Jesus' name..........amen.
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When subbing for Nathan's history teacher last year, we went over the history of Egypt. And one thing that stood out was how the Nile has always been a predictable river for the Egyptians. They know when it will flood every year....so much so that they are able to plan when to harvest their crops according to the river.
Please read:
Is.19: 18-25
God has blessed Egypt throughout world history. In modern times, they have entered into a pact to leave Israel alone:
"The deteriorating economy in Egypt, accomplanied by a growing distance between rich and poor, led to internal strife, riots, strikes, attacks on the rich. These internal pressures raised the attention of the international community, particularly the United States, concerned that internal strife would weaken Sadat's moderate policies.
Convinced that peace with Israel would reap an enormous "peace dividend," Sadat initiated his most important diplomatic ploy. In a speach(sic) to the Egyptian parliament in 1977, Sadat affirmed his desire to go anywhere to negotiate a peace with the Israelis. Even, he affirmed, he would go to the Israeli parliament to speak for peace. The Israeli's responded with an invitation to do just that and Sadat's speech to the Israeli Knesset initiated a new momentum for peace that would eventually culminate in the 1978 Camp David Accords and a final peace treaty with Israel in 1979.
For his efforts, Sadat won the Nobel Prize for Peace. " -Wikipedia
Contrast that with the Tigris and Euphrates. These two rivers are very unpredictable. The Iraqis living around these rivers know not when it will flood or recede.
I thought it was interesting how the Lord allows one river to nourish and care for its people and yet other rivers to be so harsh in a dry and thirsty land.
Rivers in Scripture are often pictures of blessings from the Lord:
Please read:
Is. 41:17-20
Or punishment from God:
Is 50:2
But one day soon, Egypt will join other Arab and Persian nations in attacking Israel:
Rev 13:1-9
Rev 17:1-18:3
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John 4:10-
"Jesus answered and said to her, 'If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.'"
"If you knew the gift of God...."
Jesus is emphasizing here that salvation is not earned, but it is a gift given by God.
Please read:
Eph 2:8
And that He, Jesus, is that gift of God:
John 3:16
Acts 20:28
Rom 5:15
Gal 2:20
Eph 5:25
"He would have given you living water."
In the Old Testament times, running water was considered "living" water. The act of finding water in the desert lands was seen as a divine activity. (Commentary, New Geneva Study Bible, 1995)
Jer 2:13
Zech 14:8
A symbol for salvation:
Is 12:3
A symbol for the forgiveness of sins:
Zech 13:1
And for Jesus giving the Holy Spirit:
John 7:38-39
How wonderful that God has removed the veil from our eyes so that we can see a part of Him in His word. Like the Samaritan woman, one day we shall see Him as He really is...
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Life Application
"And who it is who says to you..."
How we see Jesus
Before your conversion, how did you see Jesus?
The Samaritan woman saw Him as a poor, weary, Jewish, traveler. Jesus saw her too. He knew her wants and her needs. He knows that once she has the Gift and knows who He is- then she will ask.....and she will receive.
How does the world see Jesus?
I read today on the internet that a Catholic Bishop in the Netherlands has decided to call God, "Allah" in order to promote unity with the Muslims of the world. He claims that it doesn't matter what we call God since we all worship the same God anyways. And, to him, the names of God mean nothing.
The world, and, unfortunately many in the church, see Jesus as just a man. They do not see Him as God. It is easy to see how the Antichrist will fool so many people when he comes and speaks his lies.
Please read:
Matt 24:23-24
I believe names are important. When I named my son, I wanted it to have meaning. I chose Nathaniel because it means: "Gift of God" and he truly has been a gift to us from inside the womb to now!
It is clear to us that the name of God does mean something. He calls Himself many things in His word:
Elohim- Creator
El Elyon- The God Most High
El Roi- The God Who Sees
El Shaddai- The All-Sufficient One
Adonai- LORD, Master
Yahweh- LORD (Jehovah)
Jehovah-Jireh- The LORD Will Provide
Jehovah-rapha-The LORD That Healeth
Jehovah-nissi- The LORD My Banner
Jehovah-mekoddishkem- The LORD Who Sanctifies You
Jehovah- shalom- The LORD is Peace
Jehovah-sabaoth- The LORD of Hosts
Jehovah-raah- The LORD My Shepherd
Jehovah-tsidkenu- The LORD Our Righteousness
Jehovah shammah- The LORD is There
El Olam- The Everlasting God
If you are ever feeling down or sad about anything, just say these names out loud and I guarantee you that the power and love behind these names will give you peace.
So, as we can see, the names of God do mean something. And notice that none of the above are "Allah" because that is not the name God chose for Himself.
What is in a name? Everything. Remember that atheist author who tried to label God? Well, it is so apparent that he and that Catholic Bishop have never met the God of the Bible or they would KNOW these names and what they mean. But sometimes God refuses to remove that veil from over their eyes.
Praise Him that He removed it from your eyes.
Jesus is preparing the Samaritan woman for His revelation.
Praise Him as the Living Water of our souls.
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Until next time............
"The world will bring its condemnation. They may even put their sword behind it. But we know that the highest court has already ruled in our favor. 'If God is for us, who can be against us?' (Romans 8:31). No one successfully. If they reject us, he accepts us. If they hate us, he loves us. If they imprison us, he sets our spirits free. If they afflict us, he refines us by the fire. If they kill us, he makes it a passage to paradise. They cannot defeat us. Christ has died. Christ has risen. We are alive in him. And in him there is no condemnation. We are forgiven, and we are righteous. 'And the righteous are bold as a lion.'(Proverbs 28:1)."
-John Piper
(The Passion of Jesus Christ, 2004, p. 43)
Blessings,
Ruth
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