Spring Up, O Well

“Then Israel sang this song, Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it:” (Numbers 21:17)

This is from the retelling of the journey the Israelites took in their flight from Egypt. “And from thence they went to Beer: that is the well whereof the LORD spake unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water.” (Numbers 21:16) It was there that the people sang.

We’ve studied how symbolic water is in the Bible. Jesus spoke of the living water He gives, that if we drink of it, we will never thirst again. He told the Samaritan woman, “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:14) And in Revelation when John saw the coming of the new Jerusalem and the new heaven, Jesus says to John, “And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:6-8) Some receive this news as fact, but their lives are unchanged. There is no fear of God in them. Jesus reveals that there is a lake that burns with fire and brimstone. He invites us to avoid it by drinking of the water that He offers.

What is this water that Jesus offers? “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)” (John 7:37-39) It’s the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in us, that anointing that comes from Him, that power and ability He gives us to live holy lives that glorify Him. It’s that supernatural joy in the midst of affliction and perseverance in persecution. It’s life in a dead and fallen world.

The Israelites sang “Spring up, O well.” They had been in dry and barren places. God brought them to the well. How long has it been since you have felt the embrace of the Lord? How long has it been since you’ve felt His holy Presence and have heard Him say to your spirit, “I’m here.” He is always with us, yes! But His manifest Presence is water to our spirit, refreshing, energizing and life giving. It is there that we taste heaven. Don’t blame the church, the pastor or the congregation for the lack of anointing in the Sunday services. If we haven’t taken of the water lately, the anointing is missing in us.

Like the Israelites who worked to get the water from the well, we must work. “The princes digged the well, the nobles of the people digged it, by the direction of the lawgiver, with their staves. And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah:” (Numbers 21:18) The Word says they “digged.” How must we work? Our work is rest. It is coming in faith believing. It is a rest in faith in our Lord, in His Words, in His Life and in His Promises. He promises to give living water to those who come to Him. So sing like the Israelites, “Spring up, O well.” Come to Jesus, rest in faith believing for that living water, that anointing, that supernatural touch that gives us life.

After the well, the Israelites were able to go on to Mattanah, to Nahaliel, to Bamoth, to Pisgah, to the land of the Amorites. When the Sihon king of the Amorites wouldn’t let them pass, the Israelites had the anointing and ability to conquer them. “And Israel took all these cities: and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all the villages thereof.” (Numbers 21:25)

What is the enemy saying to you? Where is He forbidding you to go? Dig in that well and sing, “Spring up, O well.” Come into His Presence and get the living water of the Holy Spirit. Get that supernatural ability of the Lord to do His Will and to fulfill His Purposes in your life.