"He sent from above, He took me;
He drew me out of many waters.
He delivered me from my strong enemy,
From those who hated me,
For they were too strong for me.
They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
But the LORD was my support.
He also brought me out into a broad place;
He delivered me because He delighted in me."
Psalm 18:16-19
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Good day, let's start our study with prayer.......
"Father, You alone are worthy of our worship because it is You alone who has delivered me from my sins and Your wrath. I thank You for drawing me out of many waters and from an enemy who is too strong for me. You alone did this and I praise You.
I seek the forgiveness of my sins. Forgive me for turning to others for comfort and strength when I know I should turn to You. Forgive me for looking toward myself for the answers instead of turning to You. I pray for Your cleansing this day.
I pray for each woman reading this study. I pray that You will meet her where she is in her time of need. I pray that she will earnestly seek You at all times and not turn to her own ways or the ways of the world. Comfort her. Be her strength. Draw her out of many waters.
In Jesus' name............amen."
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John 4:36
"And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together."
We have looked at how, in these last verses, Jesus is watching as the Samaritan woman approaches Him with the people of the city whom she went to and spoke to about the things of Christ.
Now, as He watches with His disciples, He tells them that not only is the "harvest white for harvest" but now He hints that those who sow and those who reap may share in the rewards of the harvest.
Jesus was telling them that they now are the workers of the harvest. The Samaritan woman was bringing the harvest to them. She had done her part well. Jesus had sown the seeds beginning with her and now the time to reap was NOW.
The disciples could be part of that gathering of fruit for eternity and earn their reward. How gracious of Jesus to include them when they really did nothing. Jesus was giving them an example to follow: forget the resentments between people and do good not matter what. For our reward is coming.
Please read:
Gal 6:9
James 5:7-9
Rom 6:22-23
The Lord Jesus was reminding them of God's commandments:
Lev 23:22
During the Feast of Weeks, the Lord commanded the people to remember the poor, the strangers of the land. He wanted them to be generous to those who were not His people. Instead, they had become hardened and exclusive.
In the New Covenant, the strangers of the land would now take part in the "harvest" and the feast of the Lord through His mercy.
Praise God that we are now part of that harvest!
Matt 6: 26
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Life Application
"...that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together."
Please read:
Psalm 107: 35-38
Jesus wants us, His followers, to know that those who sow and those who reap will rejoice together one day in heaven when we all look at the harvest of the Lord. The message, or gospel of God, must first be preached then it is watered with prayers of the believers. Finally, when it comes time to harvest, all who have had a part in the work rejoice together.
Remember in earlier lessons we looked at the uses of water in scripture:
drinking, watering, washing, moistening, irrigating, growing crops, and the dividing of the lands.
Irrigating the crops is a gentle way to water the fields. The water slowly fills the fields and moistens the roots. Jesus' words to the Samaritan woman were like that slow water irrigating the fields. He could have shouted at her and confounded her, but instead He asked her questions and drew her to Him in a stern but gentle way.
Psalm 18: 16-19
As our opening verse says, He took her, drew her out, and delivered her from her sins as well as from the people of the city. They were a strong enemy, they confronted her. But Jesus delivered her because He was delighted in her.
Friends, our Savior knew us from the foundations of the world. He delivered us because He, too, was delighted with us. He could see all the good works we would do once we were delivered and cleansed.
Eph 5:26-27
John 5:2-3
He saw us there in our fallen state and moved the waters, the Holy Spirit, and drew us to Him.
By using our testimonies, like the woman at the well, we can sow and reap the harvest. We can partake of that hard work and rejoice together with others who did the work also.
Take time today to glory in God for all that He has done for you.
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Until next time.........
"We can choose to keep our relationship with the Spirit kindled. Any person who has ever camped or had a wood-burning fire place knows that it's easier to keep a fire burning than it is to build a fire. Maintain your ongoing relationship with the Holy Spirit. Talk to Him daily, just as you might pray to God the Father. Recognize His presence. Ask for His help. Invite Him to lead and guide you into right paths and right directions. When you sin, be quick to respond to His convicting nudges in your life. Confess your sin immediately, and repent of it, turning back to the way that you know God desires for you to walk."
-Charles Stanley (Relying on the Holy Spirit, 1996, p. 56)
Blessings,
Ruth
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