The people of Israel went down into Egypt in the time of Joseph. 400 years later Moses led them out, through
the Red Sea and into the wilderness. For
40 years the people lived in tents, and God was among them in the
Tabernacle. One significant event
occurred when the people were running out of water; at Horeb God commanded
Moses to strike the rock, and water gushed out.
In our reading from Leviticus we read about the autumn harvest
festival, to be held over eight days. It
was called the Feast of Tabernacles or the feast of Booths. As well as sacrifices and feasting, the
people were commanded to move out of their houses for the week and live in
booths or temporary tents. Even when they
were settled in their promised land, they were to be reminded every year that
they had been wanderers, depending upon God and his constant mercy and
provision.
By the time of Jesus the festival was still being
celebrated. An important part of the
festival in Jerusalem was the ceremonial pouring out of water; it was collected
from the Pool of Siloam, paraded through the city and poured out before the
Lord in the temple. The procession
through Jerusalem was an occasion of great joy.
It was on the last day of the feast, when the celebrations
were at their height, that Jesus stood up and shouted that anyone who is thirsty
should come to him; out their inner most being would flow rivers of living
water.
The key requirement is that we should be thirsty. John explains carefully that Jesus is not
being literal when he speaks of water; he is speaking of the Holy Spirit. The key thing is to Encounter God and Grow in
Him. The key thing is to learn to
believe: to trust and rely upon Jesus. This
was the lesson learned in the wilderness and reinforced every year at the
festival.
When Jesus calls us to satisfy our thirst, it is not just to
meet our personal needs. The plan is
that out of innermost being would flow rivers of living water – the Holy Spirit
reaching out to bless our family members, neighbours, colleagues and friends.
To summarise:
·
Thanks to God for all that he gives
·
Remember that we are “tent dwellers”
·
Believe = to depend / rely upon absolutely
·
Direct encounter with God, by his Holy Spirit
·
Share his love with all around
No comments:
Post a Comment