Living Water

Water

WATER A valuable resource in the ancient world, a source of power and fear, a means of deliverance and punishment, and a vital element in religious worship.

Water as Power

In the ancient world, as in the modern one, water was an extremely valuable resource. A group of people controlling a water source were healthier and had economic advantages over those who needed water. The need for water inspired ancient people to develop hydraulic systems that allowed them to transport and preserve water as a resource (Mithen, Thirst). Having a continual source of water during wartime, especially during a siege, was vital. Many cities developed protected tunnels and canals that could bring water into the city to sustain them (de Vaux, Ancient Israel, 238–40). Hezekiah’s Tunnel (or the Siloam Tunnel) under Jerusalem is a prime example.

Water as Chaos

To many ancient people, large bodies of water like lakes and oceans represented chaos (von Rad, Old Testament Theology, 152). The earth was understood to have been founded on the waters (e.g., Psa 24:2), and these waters were held at bay by the Creator, although, as Gen 7 depicts, these waters could also be released by the Creator, wreaking havoc in the process.

The Lexham Bible Dictionary Water as Deliverance and Punishment

Water as Deliverance and Punishment

In the Old Testament, water functions as a means of deliverance and punishment, and sometimes both simultaneously:

• Noah and his family are saved by the water while wicked humanity is annihilated (Gen 6–8).

• Moses is rescued in the same river where other children were killed (Exod 1–2).

• When God judges Egypt, He contaminates the life-giving Nile (Exod 7:14–25).

• Moses and the Israelites are delivered through the sea while Pharaoh’s army is engulfed by it (Exod 14:21–29)

• Similarly, the Jordan River is parted in Josh 3:14–17.

• Moses strikes a rock and brings forth life-saving water (Exod 17:1–7; Num 20:2–13).

• Elisha instructs Naaman to dip in the Jordan River seven times to be cleansed of his skin disease (2 Kgs 5:10–14).

• Water is a means of both rescue and rebuke for the prophet Jonah.

The Lexham Bible Dictionary Water as Religious Element

Water as Religious Element

Water also has religious significance in the Bible. It was central to the washing ritual that took place at the laver of bronze in the tent of meeting (Exod 30:18–21). Many Levitical ordinances used water, whether for washing sacrifices (Lev 1:9–13), sacred vessels (Lev 6:28), the priests (Lev 8), or anyone who was ceremonially unclean. In the New Testament, baptism in water functioned as a sign of repentance under the prophetic calling of John the Baptist (Matt 3:5–6; Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3) and was a symbol of initiation for the earliest Christians (Matt 28:19; Acts 2:38).