Isaiah 43 16-21
Lent 5
Isaiah 43, 16-21
March 28, 2004
“Water of Life”
a. K.E.Griebel
Introduction: In all the searching that scientists do in outer space, one of the things they are most anxious to find is water. Article after article has been written lately about the latest rover mission on mars, and how they are almost certain that water once existed on the Red Planet. Why are they so anxious to find water? If they can find water, it may prove that there are other forms of life in the universe besides the life here on earth. Or, if water can be found somewhere else, it could be used to support human life in other parts of the universe. Water is always essential to life. Without it, there is only death. This is true for all people for all time. Water is not only physically significant it is also spiritually significant. This was true in the history of the people of Israel, and it’s even more crucial for us and the spiritual life of the church. When God speaks of or uses water, it usually signals something that is literally of life-and-death importance to his people. Truly, God’s use of water is a holy matter of death and life as God uses water to bring about both.
I. God used water in former times to bring about death and life.
A. God brought about both death and life at the Red Sea (vv 16–17). The text recalls God destroying Pharaoh’s army by water. Israel, just days after coming out of Egypt, was trapped with water on one side and the powerful Egyptian army on the other side. God provided a way through the water, but when the Egyptian army entered the sea, they were drowned (v 17). For Israel, on the other hand, the waters of the Red Sea were saving waters of life (v 16). For God’s people, the way through the sea was the way to safety, a new life of freedom. Both groups went into the water, but only one group came out alive. This was the Lord’s gracious doing.
B. Next, the Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years. Water was always a life-and-death matter. Time and again the people complained that they would die of thirst (Ex 15:22–24; 17:1–3; Num 20:2–5). In fact, their murmuring against God did lead to the death of many of them (Num 21:4–6; Deut 32:48–51). Nevertheless, the Lord again saved them with water. He miraculously turned bitter waters sweet and provided water from mountain rock. God provided water so that they wouldn’t die of thirst and so they could know that He would always provide what they needed (Ex 15:25–27; 17:4–7; Num 20:6–11).
C. Water was often a matter of life and death for God’s Old Testament people. In our text, though, the Lord tells Isaiah’s hearers not to look back on all that: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!” (vv 18–19a).
II. Now God has done something new to bring about both death and life—still using water.
A. The something new is a whole new era of history, which Isaiah describes in terms of abundant water (vv 19b–21). As the wandering Israelites had known so well, the wilderness was parched, inhospitable to animals and people. But in a new era, a day God let Isaiah foresee, it would be as if the desert would flow with rivers, providing abundantly for man and beast. This would be the age of the Messiah, the day when the Christ would come and restore the reign of God, making right all the corruption that sin brought into a once-perfect world. This age is now, the new reality was established when Jesus came to earth, lived, died, and rose from the grave. The new age came with death, Jesus’ death on the cross. Jesus’ death removed the curse of sin that turned the rivers of Eden into wastelands and deserts. Jesus’ resurrection declares all things right again. The church has long seen the Red Sea passage of Israel as a foreshadowing of this resurrection, life arising from certain death.
B. In this new age, God still kills and makes alive by water. Even more so than with the “former things,” water is important in our faith history too. In fact, without water we have no faith history. We each share in God’s new thing in the waters of Holy Baptism.
C. Baptism with water kills. In Baptism, we die with Christ: St. Paul writes, “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Rom 6:4). That means we also die to sin, putting away the deeds of the sinful flesh. We no longer wish to carry out the lusts of the old man or woman. Of course, this dying with Christ, dying to sin, is so that we may live a whole new life.
By Baptism God also makes us alive again. Baptism is when our life of faith began as water connected to God’s Word and command was used and applied to us. It’s true our rescue was not as dramatic as that of the Israelites, but it was no less important. We were in a hopeless situation with nowhere to turn. The way out was through water, and God provided it. When we were baptized, the Holy Spirit created in us a new person. In our text God calls us “the people I formed for myself” (v 21), using a Hebrew word much like the one describing his creation of the world, making something from nothing. Baptism literally brought spiritual life from spiritual death. Obviously it’s not the water itself that does such great things. We don’t keep or revere “holy water.” Rather, Luther explains in the Small Catechism, it is not the water indeed that does this, “but the word of God in and with the water . . . along with the faith which trusts this word of God in the water.” God’s Word of Baptism is rich in promises: “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.” Titus 3:5–7.
The water of our Baptism is long gone, but the words that made that water a Baptism are still with us, and we are invited to recall them daily. We praise the Lord because in Holy Baptism God has put his righteousness on us. We no longer have to rely on the righteousness of the Law. But as Paul says we know have a righteousness from God that comes through faith in Christ. (Epistle). We praise the Lord because he cares for our every need. He gives us life in the midst of death. He causes living waters to spring up out of the desert of our sin parched souls.
A desert valley in southern California was hot, barren, and desolate. Only the hardiest Native Americans had lived there—the Spaniards had passed it by, and the state’s early growth had hardly touched it. The only sizable body of water in that desert valley is the Salton Sea, and that is as useless as the name would suggest. Then at the turn of the last century, some promoters got an idea. They knew the valley would bloom if water could be brought to it. So they gave it a new name, “Imperial,” to attract potential farmers. And in 1901 they brought the first irrigation to the valley. Now, with one of the longest growing seasons in the United States—more than 300 days—and over a million acres irrigated, the Imperial Valley produces cotton, dates, grains, and dairy products, and is one of the most important sources of winter fruits and vegetables for the northern United States. When God speaks of doing a new thing, bringing water to the desert, he also has in mind bringing life and growth. Jesus, the Messiah, brought to our desolate earth a whole new age. The waters of Holy Baptism make the soul that was spiritually dead alive to flourish. He gives us new life so that we can grow and be fruitful to give life to the people of the world. This life is given as we bear the fruit of faith, confessing our faith in Jesus Christ, here, in our homes, where we work and where we play. As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who proclaim the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!" So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God that we might bear the fruit of faith.
Conclusion: Whether in ancient Israel or in outer space today, without water, there’s no hope of life. We thank God, therefore, that he has done an entirely new thing, better than giving water in the wilderness: by water, he’s delivered us from death and given us life in his Son.