Why is the Bible and Water important to InI?
Handwashing Blessing
The Bible and water are very much connected. Water is mentioned hundreds of times in the scriptures; many more times than faith, hope, prayer or even worship. So make ini learn more from the Bible concerning water.
The first time water is mentioned in the scripture is found in Genesis 1:2
ኦሪት ዘፍጥረት 1:2 ምድርም ባዶ ነበረች፥ አንዳችም አልነበረባትም ጨለማም በጥልቁ ላይ ነበረ የእግዚአብሔርም መንፈስ በውኃ ላይ ሰፍፎ ነበር።
Gen 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Before there was anything; light, sun or moon, earth, plants, living creatures or anything else, there was water.
Having created the earth out of water, and the sky in the midst of waters, and calling forth living creatures out of water, God continues to bathe his creation with water as a sign of His care.
The final time water is mentioned is in Revelations 22:17
የዮሐንስ ራእይ 22:17 መንፈሱና ሙሽራይቱም። ና ይላሉ። የሚሰማም። ና ይበል። የተጠማም ይምጣ፥ የወደደም የሕይወትን ውኃ እንዲያው ይውሰድ።
Revelations 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
From the beginning of the Bible to the end water flows through the pages of scripture. It is full of passages that link water to Gods creating, blessing and saving work. This alone shows ini the importance of water in our spiritual lives.
InI will not go through all the passages in which water in mentioned in this post. However, ini will give the following sampling and ask that you study the Word further for yourself.
InI will look at what the bible and water speak about:
- Physical Birth
- Gods Word
- Purification and Cleansing
- Deliverance and Rescue
- Blessings from God
The Bible and Water Speak of Physical Birth
Have you ever heard the saying that the natural explains the spiritual? Well it does and hear is just on example of it.
In day five of creation we find in Genesis 1:20 God said “Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life,…” This passage shows us that life comes out of the water.
In the natural birth process that is true also. After conception we continue to develop and grow in what is essentially a sack of water inside the womb.
When a wombman is in labor and the baby is about to be born, we wait for that ‘water to break’ so that the baby can come forth into life.
Also physical birth (water birth) must come before Spiritual birth as we see in John 3 when Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, is asking questions of Jesus.
John 3: 1-5 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
The Bible and Water Speaks of Gods Word
Water symbolizes Gods Word in many places throughout the Bible. In both Psalms and Ephesians water is a symbols of God’s word.
Ephesians 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
In Isaiah the water is a simile for the knowledge of God.
Isaiah 55:10-11 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
In Hosea the rains are a sign of the presence of God.
Hosea 6:3 Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.
Finally in Amos water represents social justice:
Amos 5:24 But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.
Believers in Christ Jesus would do well to read, study, and meditate on the Word of God. Reading your bible will have a cleansing effect on you. That leads into the next topic in our discussion regarding the Bible and water…
The Bible and Water Speak of Purification and Cleansing
This is really a continuation of Gods Word as it relates both figuratively and literally as a means of purification and cleansing.
Exodus tells us that Moses was instructed to make a bronze basin and fill it with water. The priests would wash both their hands and feet before they entered the Tabernacle so “that they die not.”
Aaron, in Leviticus, is told to take a bath in water before he offers sacrifices.
A ceremonial washing with water symbolizes greater purity when God says in Ezekiel 36:25
Ezekiel 36:25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
As believers in Christ Jesus we can approach God with assurance as it says in Hebrews 10:22
Hebrews 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
John 13 shows us Jesus washing His disciples feet. But why only their feet? That’s what Simon Peter asked Jesus as well. Jesus answered in John 13:10
John 13:10 Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean,.…
He was saying that the dirt of the world needed to be removed.
See, they only wore saddles at that time. As they walked on the roads the dust and dirt would collect on their feet and need to be cleaned even though the rest of the body was already cleaned.
It’s true then that, in our life as a believer, we all need to be purified from the dust and dirt of this world. We do that by reading the Word of God.
Our Lord says in John 15:3
And just one more example of how the bible and water are connected with Purification and Cleansing is found in Matthew 3 where John the Baptist is baptizing people in the Jordon river.
Matthew 3:5,6,11 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins… I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
The Bible and Water Speak of Restlessness and Tribulation
The Bible and Water Speak of Deliverance and Rescue
The Bible and Water connect deliverance and rescue many times throughout the Scriptures.
In Exodus we read the story that shows us water is the means of deliverance for Moses when he was just an infant. Pharaoh’s daughter, upon finding a baby in the reeds of the Nile river and taking him home to raise, maned him Moses “because I drew him out of the water.”
Further in Exodus, God uses water again when He parts the Red Sea to rescue the Isrealites from the army of Pharaoh sent to take them back into slavery. God used the same sea for both the deliverance of His people and judgment on the Egyptian army.
Genesis 7 describes how Noah and his family were delivered and rescued by water while in the ark.
Genesis 7:17 And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth.
Noah’s family and the living creatures on the ark, which means something affording protection or safety, were the only things that God did not destroy in the flood.
The Bible and Water Speak of Blessings from God
Water is sometimes the setting and other times the material used by God to Bless His people.
In John 2 we read the first miracle done by Jesus and a wedding feast in Cana where He blessed a couple and the guests that were gathered to celebrate their wedding…
John 2: 7-11 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.
And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.
When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.
This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.
The Bible and water are connected again in Exodus 17 where we find that after the Hebrew Isrealites were in the desert for a time they became thirsty and needed water. They needed a lot of water. Enough for about one million people plus all the livestock that was with them and God provided it for them.
Exodus 17:5,6 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
Eliphaz declares God must be good and just because:
Job 5:10 Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the fields:
In Isaiah 44 we read about Israel being the chosen and the blessing that will come to them from God.
Isaiah 44: 1-3 Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen:
Thus saith the Lord that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen.
For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:
And Jesus heals a man that was blind from birth. He uses two forms of water. First he spit on the ground to make mud and then tells the man to go and take a bath. As he did this his sight returned.
In John we see the blessing of healing in our life.
John 9: 1-7 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
Netilat Yadayim –
| Some of the Jewish sages have said that, immediately after arising, you should wash your hands from a vessel like the laver a priest used before performing his service in the Holy Temple. The morning ritual of washing oneself is sanctified by the netilat yadayim:
Blessed art thou, Lord our God, Master of the universe, Barukh attah Adonai eloheinu melekh ha-olam, Note: this is the same blessing said after Shabbat Kiddush and during other Jewish holiday rituals. Transliterated:
 Amharic and English – Genesis 1:2 |
