The Way to the Waters
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Water that is not Water
Water that is not Water
The world is filled with water that isn’t water.
The claim that certain things will quench your thirst. But does nothing to truly satisfy us or meet the needs we have.
Let’s look at the story of Ahab, He was a king that followed his father Omri, who was a king who provoked God by worshiping Idols.
Ahab son of Omri began to rule over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria twenty-two years.
But Ahab son of Omri did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, even more than any of the kings before him.
And as though it were not enough to follow the sinful example of Jeroboam, he married Jezebel, the daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians, and he began to bow down in worship of Baal.
First Ahab built a temple and an altar for Baal in Samaria.
Then he set up an Asherah pole. He did more to provoke the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than any of the other kings of Israel before him.
It was during his reign that Hiel, a man from Bethel, rebuilt Jericho. When he laid its foundations, it cost him the life of his oldest son, Abiram. And when he completed it and set up its gates, it cost him the life of his youngest son, Segub. This all happened according to the message from the Lord concerning Jericho spoken by Joshua son of Nun.
Intersting facts:
Omri - built and established Samaria as the new Capital of Israel
The Same city Jesus met with the Samaritan woman at the well.
Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again.
But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”
The Baal Worshiped by Omri, Ahab and Jezebel
Baal Worship included fertility rites, a temple, and image and an asherah pole.
Baal they worship was the “storm-god” The God who made rain...
The man who offers His children as sacrifices to rebuild Jericho. There were actual foundation sacrifices, recent archaeology found. Children in jars inserted into the walls hoping to ward off evil...
All of this to quench their thirst for meaning and purpose.
Now enters the prophet Elijah
And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.”
Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying,
“Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan.
And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”
So he went and did according to the word of the Lord, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan.
The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook.
And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.
God used the prophet Elijah to teach His people a lesson. Rain wasn’t provided by Baal but by God Himself.
Elijah was a “stranger” from Gilead… the other side of the Jordan…
God places on his shoulder the order for no rain. From Elijah’s mouth the rains would return...
What happens with the water in our life runs dry? When all the things we once hoped to fill our cup don’t anymore?
Years of drought… nothing grows without water… nothing is refreshed with out water… nothing lives without water.
For Elijah how would this work? He would now be persecuted and would also be affected by the drought.
But God has living waters for those who look to Him in times of drought.
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 blessing on your offspring;
God gave Elijah instructions about where to go to get to the waters… Cherith… means “make a covenant” Living waters are in a place where God makes covenant with His people.
God has made a place for you to refresh yourself… But you must respond and go there…
The waters aren’t always where you are! They require you to move or go...
Isaiah 49:10 (NKJV)
They shall neither hunger nor thirst,
Neither heat nor sun shall strike them;
For He who has mercy on them will lead them,
Even by the springs of water He will guide them.
God leads us to waters…
Water and food were supplied for a season...
Isaiah 58:11 (NKJV)
The Lord will guide you continually,
And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones;
You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
Do you want to hear God’s voice today? He is here to lead you to waters… will you come and open your heart to receive?