Exodus 2:15
VA’YIV’RACH MOSHE MIP’PNEI PAROH VA’YI’SHEV B’ARETZ-MIDYAN VA’YISHEV AL-HAB’BE’EYR
“Moses fled from before Pharoah and dwelt in the land of Midian. And he sat by the well.”
John 4:3-6
“[Jesus] left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee. And he must needs go through Samaria. Then he comes to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 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 [Noon].”
Both of these stories involve a deliverance. Moses delivered the seven daughters of Reuel (Jethro) from the persecutions of the local shepherds; Jesus delivered the woman at the well of Sychar from the spiritual and social devastations of her life. Through her he also brought Salvation to her entire city.
THE WELL: this is the water source. “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that says to you ‘Give me to drink’ you would have asked of him, and he would have given you living water.”
Notice the two distinct present-tense uses of the verbs in the story of John 4: first, the present context of the moment, “He comes to a city of Samaria” and “Then comes a woman of Samaria to draw water”; followed by “who it is that says to you” and “the woman says to him.”
THE SOURCE OF LIFE is in the moment with you. Salvation is an ever-present reality. It is an ongoing exchange.
Moses sat by a well in Midian. Jesus sat ON a well in Samaria. Two past-tense events. But the offer of water of life is in the present-tense, timeless NOW.
Deliverance has come to you in the NOW MOMENT of your life. Do not squander it.
In the case of Moses, having fled from Pharoah, Moses found a dwelling place in the household of Jethro, the Cohen of Midian who renounced idolatry and pagan life (STONE commentary). Jethro had apparently been influenced by the Divine Presence that abode on Mount Sinai in the Arabian desert (Exodus 3; Galatians 4:25) and had put aside his inherited pagan ways.
Now, since the Incarnation, the Divine Presence has come to us in the Person of the Son of God and he SITS on the water source of your life. He IS the water source for your life. (John 7:37-39)
Moses rose from his seat by the well of Midian and drove away the shepherds that persecuted the daughters of Jethro. They returned to their father early after watering their sheep. They said “An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock.” Likewise, Jesus is “The Good Shepherd”—robed in human flesh, but from the Divine Transcendence*—who delivers us and feeds us (John chapters 1-3 & 10).
“*from the Divine Transcendence”: cf. Philippians 2:5-11
There is much contention over the source of the water of life. Whoever controls the supply of food and water controls society. We must draw near to God in the Messiah if we are to live free in the land of provision and blessing.
Let us continuously dwell in the shelter of the Savior.
And let us recognize that natural water is second in priority to the water of the Spirit of God which is ministered to us through Messiah and by which we are saved unto eternal life.
