Tuesday, July 12, 2011

July 13, 2011

"There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The LORD Almighty is with  us; the God of Jacob is our fortress."  Psalm 27:4-7

Here is where it is important to study Biblical history. According to Wikipedia, the ancient city of Jerusalem, being on a mountain, is naturally defensible from almost all sides, but suffers from the drawback that its major source of fresh water, the Gihon spring, is on the side of the cliff overlooking the Kidron Valley. This presents a major military weakness as the city walls, if high enough to be defensible, must necessarily leave the Gihon spring outside, thus leaving the city without a fresh water supply in case of siege.

The Bible says ( 2 Kings 20:20; II Chronicles 32:2-4; II Chronicles 32:30) that King Hezekiah, fearful that the Assyrians would lay siege to the city, blocked the spring's water outside the city and diverted it through a channel into the then Pool of Siloam.

This shows that Hezekiah had planned ahead of time to provide for his people in the time of trouble. The spring of Gihon, located below the steep eastern hill of Ophel in the deep Kidron Valley, Jerusalem’s most ancient water supply, was exposed to enemy attack. Hezekiah diverted the spring through a conduit, 1777 feet long and hewn out of a solid rock, into a reservoir inside the city’s walls. He then completely covered the ancient spring so that the enemy would not know it was there. Throughout the fearful seige there was "a river, the streams whereof made glad the city of God."

A. God Has Revealed Himself in the Midst of His People

Like Hezekiah, God has provided for His people in their time of trouble in three ways:

1. Old Testament-God the Father was a Fountain of Living Waters

Jeremiah 2:13--"My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me the fountain of living waters."

2. New Testament--God the Son was a Well of Living Water.

John 4:13-14--"But the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."

3. New Testament--God the Holy Spirit was a River of Living Water---John 7:38--"Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."

EACH ONE IS DEEPER THAN THE PREVIOUS.
Like the man of God he was, Hezekiah made sure that he provided a life-giving supply of water so they could survive the attacks of the mighty Assyrians. As good as that was we’ve Got more than Old Testament Saints, Contemporary Saints of Jesus’ day. More than a Fountain or a Well, A River!.