Genesis 24:45-46
“But before I had finished speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah, coming out with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down to the well and drew water. And I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’ And she made haste and let her pitcher down from her shoulder, and said, ‘Drink, and I will give your camels a drink also.’ So I drank, and she gave the camels a drink also.
INSIGHT
-Well in Hebrew is written as beer & it means stream, gush, pit, fountain & spring. A well is an excavation created in the ground to expose underground aquifers. It is also a source of water & signifies availability of resources.
-Abraham’s sent his oldest servant to find a wife for his son Isaac in his home city; Nahor. Just like Rebekah who was found by a well, Jacob & Moses found their wives Rachel & Zipporah respectively, in the same manner. The well has special significance for it is a picture of the word of God or the presence of God, a place of prayer & submission to God, where virtuous women dwell. Rebekah; when asked for drinking water, was willing to draw some water for him & his ten camels. To note, wells are normally very deep & camels drink a lot of water. She was therefore well submitted to God & kind at heart. When asked whether she was willing to go with Abraham’s servant, she accepted & veiled her head as soon as she saw Isaac, taking a position of respect & submission; in knowledge that the man is the head of the family. Isaac was also well positioned for he was in the field, his area of operation or work, focused on his vision & purpose. A lesson to all who intend to get into marriage, that the man should be in his area of operation with a vision & the lady; submitted to God.
PRAYER
We give You thanks & praise father for Your loving kindness & tender mercies upon our lives, for we have began a new week in perfect health. Be with all those who are yet to find their spouses; those who are yet to marry or get married, that You may lead them in Your wisdom. Humble their hearts that they may be willing to draw living water from You alone. Be with all those who are married that Your love may cement them together as one. Help those who are at the verge of divorce that Your hand may lead them in truth. Answer the prayers of all those who are divorced & widowed that Your peace may always dwell in their hearts. You are our Saviour & Father, our Lord & King, help us in all our decisions. All glory & honour belongs to You. Amen
Genesis 26:31-33
Then they arose early in the morning and swore an oath with one another; and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace. It came to pass the same day that Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well which they had dug, and said to him, “We have found water.” So he called it Shebah. Therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.
INSIGHT
-Isaac dug many wells & experienced trouble with the Philistines who quarreled him & filled up his wells with soil. It was only after Abimelech, their king made peace with Isaac that he experienced true peace. This is a picture of life’s ups & downs that precede success. Isaac never gave up despite the hostilities & frustrations by the Philistines & herdsmen of Gerar. He believed in the promises of God & focused on his mission without loosing hope. Sometimes we loose hope in life after praying for a long time & trying many times, but God tells us to keep asking, to keep knocking & the doors will soon be opened unto us. Success is a journey just like salvation, that starts with a single step. When we earnestly seek to achieve certain goals in life, God blesses the work of our hands for His mercy endures forever. After Isaac gained success; he named the well Shebah, thus the city became Beersheba, a place of prosperity.
PRAYER
Abba Father, increase our faith at the wake of difficulties & conflict; at our work places, in business, in our relationships, family, school & other affairs that we may achieve success in all our dealings. Deliver us from that which causes delay in our lives, families & nation, that Your blessings may go before us. Have mercy on those who are unemployed, those who seek better opportunities & those that are struggling in business & other issues of life that You may lead them in Your wisdom. Bless the work of our hands & lead us in Your grace. We thank You & bless Your name. Amen
Proverbs 23:26-28
My son, give me your heart, And let your eyes observe my ways. For a harlot is a deep pit, And a seductress is a narrow well. She also lies in wait as for a victim, And increases the unfaithful among men.
INSIGHT
-Solomon advices that we should receive Gods’ counsel with an open mind, to love Him with all our hearts & place our fervent affections upon Him that we may not be swayed away by the harlot & seductress. These are the spirits of sexual immorality that lie in waiting to heighten the number of unfaithful men. He also alleges that each man should drink from his own cistern & running water from his own well (Pro 5:15). That is, each one should have intercourse with their own spouses otherwise wait in the quest for righteousness, & offer our bodies as living sacrifices pleasing to God.
PRAYER
Holy God, Holy mighty One, Holy immortal One, we come to You in humble adoration submitting our hearts to You that You may cleanse us from all our faults. Renew our minds & purify our hearts; that You may remove anything in us that is not of Your Kingdom. Be with us & those who are practicing all forms of sexual immorality that they may know You & experience You in their lives. Hide us in Your arms that we may rest secure in Your precepts. All glory & honour belongs to You. Amen
John 4:6-10
Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
INSIGHT
-Jesus; on His journey to Galilee met a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. He addressed three key issues. First; He noted the rift that existed between the Jews & Gentiles & had come to reconcile all of us to God. He also took note of the woman’s; five husbands in the quest to deliver her from all sin & especially the spirit of immortality. Lastly, He spoke about the impartation of the Holy Spirit, the fountain of living water that springs up into everlasting life by Whom we worship God in spirit & in truth, & never thirst. He is our Helper, Who strengthens us when we are weary & draws us closer to Him.
PRAYER
Holy Spirit our Helper we humbly beseech You. Instil in us Your gifts & fruit that we may always do Your will & never thirst. Deliver us from all our weaknesses, evil thoughts, addictions & bad habits that we may draw closer to You; so that the Father & the Son may also dwell in us. We pray this believing & trusting in Jesus Christ. Amen
John 7:37-39
On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
INSIGHT
-During Sabbath the last feast day of the year, a day of cleansing, rest & worship, Jesus called the multitudes to salvation that they may receive the Holy Spirit, the well of life. By believing in Him & His word, we receive the Holy Spirit in our hearts; that we may remain fruitful in good works.
SUMMARY
-Well in Hebrew is written as beer & it means stream, gush, pit, fountain & spring. It is an excavation created in the ground to expose underground aquifers. It is also a source of water & signifies availability of resources. Wells also signify the word of God or His presence, a place of prayer & submission, where virtuous women dwell. Isaac, Jacob & Moses found their wives by different wells. Isaac’s spouse Rebekah; when asked for drinking water, she was willing to draw some for Abraham’s servant & his ten camels; disregarding the depth of wells & volume of water that camels consume (Gen 24:45-46). She was therefore well submitted to God & kind at heart. As soon as she saw Isaac; she veiled her head, a sign of respect & submission to her husband. Isaac on the other hand was well positioned & in the field, his area of operation or work, focused on his vision & purpose. He was also a hard working man who dug many wells but experienced challenges at first by the Philistines who filled up his wells with soil & hostility from the herdsmen of Gerar. He believed in Gods’ promises & was later successfully when he dug a well without opposition & named it Shebah, where the city of Beersheba was built (Gen 26:31-33). Despite finding virtuous women by the well, Jesus met a Samaritan woman by Jacob’s well; who needed spiritual healing (John 4:6-10). At the time she had five men who were not her legal spouses. He addressed that issue by giving her spiritual water, the Holy Spirit by Whom she would never thirst. He also reconciled the Jews & Gentiles, & took away her sins & sins of the whole world by His death on the cross. By the impartation of the Holy Spirit; who lives in our temples, each person is called to drink from his own cistern & running water from his own well; otherwise wait for marriage in the quest of righteousness (Pro 5:15). In the command to love God & our neighbor as ourselves, our hearts are inclined to God as we place our fervent affections upon Him that we may not be swayed away by the harlot & seductress; who seek to increase the number of unfaithful men among us (Prov 23:26-28).
PRAYER
You are righteousness Oh God our Father, Who was, Who is & Who is to come. We praise Your name on high. We call on You with humility in our hearts to cleanse us from all sins, restore our minds & renew Your steadfast Spirit within us. We face many spiritual, emotional, relational, physical, financial, family & national challenges, may You answer our prayers. May joy & favour remain with us that we never lack any good thing. Amen