The power of water
August 15, 2019
Are You Available or Called?
August 22, 2019
Exodus 15:22-26 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went into the Wilderness of Shur; they went [a distance of] three days (about thirty-three miles) in the wilderness and found no water. Then they came to Marah, but they could not drink its waters because they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah (bitter). The people [grew discontented and] grumbled at Moses, saying, “What are we going to drink?” Then he cried to the Lord [for help], and the Lord showed him a tree, [a branch of] which he threw into the waters, and the waters became sweet. There the Lord made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them, saying, “If you will diligently listen and pay attention to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and listen to His commandments, and keep [foremost in your thoughts and actively obey] all His precepts and statutes, then I will not put on you any of the diseases which I have put on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.”
There was a wilderness of Shur, which Moses and the Israelites travelled through, and there was a place in the wilderness called Marah, which was named after bitter water that the Israelites drank as they travelled through the wilderness as they cried to Moses for water. Moses prayed to God, and God showed him a tree, then he took a branch from the tree God showed him and put it inside the bitter water and the water became drinkable. Moses obeyed God and the water became sweet. If you notice, God used water many times in the Old and New Testament. Note that Jesus had to be involved for water to be effective in the New Testament. Prophets used a rod to split water apart, Elijah poured salt in the water and it was became drinkable, Moses threw a branch of a tree inside water and hit the rock and it brought forth water. All these aspects that were used in water represent Jesus. Therefore, in the both Testaments, there would not be a miracle of water without Jesus. Hence I said water without Jesus can destroy you. Jesus was given vinegar when He asked for water on the cross; He drank all the bitterness on our behalf so that we can drink sweet life given water.
Water can listen, it has the best ear. Water knows and understands Will of God; what needs to be done, it respects anointing. Jesus did not have to touch and pray for the water, He just commanded and water responds to the Voice of God. In John 2, Jesus just told the servants to take the water to the Master at the banquet and it was deemed the best wine. Water is not limited to who you are but the Word you are carrying? Water even works for animals. When Laban and his sons robbed Jacob, God gave Jacob wisdom on how to generate his own wealth using Laban’s livestock. Jacob used branches and water which made him wealthy (see Genesis 30:25-43). I do not know what business you are in, it might be that you are robbed or there is no progress; one thing for sure is that when you have Jesus all shall be restored.
2 Kings 5:8-10 Now when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent word to the king, asking, “Why have you torn your clothes? Just let Naaman come to me, and he shall know that there is a [true] prophet in Israel.” So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stopped at the entrance of Elisha’s house. Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you and you will be clean.” But Naaman was furious and went away and said, “Indeed! I thought ‘He would at least come out to [see] me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place [of leprosy] and heal the leper.’ Naaman was instructed to dip himself seven times in the river. He got offended because he thought that Elijah would lay a hand on him. He was also offended that the very same water has been there before he was even born, which he had no memory of the water healing people. Naaman did not understand that water responds to the Voice of God. Water is able to prevent sickness, it acts as a vaccine. Egyptians became sick but the Israelites did not suffer from sickness because they drank life-giving water. When you think deeper, the wilderness/desert is rarely with wells however, people who are always in the desert think of water. Yet, the Wilderness of Shur was one of a distinct wilderness.
Genesis 16:7-13 But the Angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, on the road to [Egypt by way of] Shur. And He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where did you come from and where are you going?” And she said, “I am running away from my mistress Sarai.” The Angel of the Lord said to her, “Go back to your mistress, and submit humbly to her authority.” Then the Angel of the Lord said to her, “I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be too many to count.” The Angel of the Lord continued, “Behold, you are with child, And you will bear a son; And you shall name him Ishmael (God hears), Because the Lord has heard and paid attention to your persecution (suffering). “He (Ishmael) will be a wild donkey of a man; His hand will be against every man [continually fighting] And every man’s hand against him; And he will dwell in defiance of all his brothers.” Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are God Who Sees”; for she said, “Have I not even here [in the wilderness] remained alive after seeing Him [who sees me with understanding and compassion]?” Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi (Well of the Living One Who Sees Me); it is between Kadesh and Bered.
An angel of God found Hagar in Shur because she was running away from Sarai. We know that all God’s promises were meant for the Israelites and not the Gentiles but Hagar is the first Gentile to partake from the promises of God. Moreover, are you aware that Hagar gave God a name: Beer-lahai-roi (You are a God who sees)? Abraham had many sons but only two sons are recognised, Ishmael and Isaac. Let us learn about these two sons. When Hagar ran away, the Ishmaelite’ dwelled in the wilderness and that is what we only know about them. Nevertheless, do you know that the Ishmaelite had twelve sons, who make part of the 24 elders? He died among his brothers, and theses brothers are not known therefore this is a spiritual matter. Isaac only had two sons (Esau and Jacob). These two sons (nations) fought against each other and there were even fights among the twelve sons. Yet, we do not hear about such fights taking place among the sons of Ishmael.
Jesus was born in the midst of two fighting seeds under the lineage of Isaac (Israelites). According to the Law, the Israelites were not supposed to marry Gentiles, but Abraham married Hagar who was a Gentile because the Law was not yet in existence. Ishmael was the first-born and the Law declared that the first-born should inherit all from the father and Ishmael was robbed; his birthright was given to Isaac, because Hagar was a slave woman. Wealth does not consider who you are or what you have accomplished but it checks if you have the birthright. Only if you follow the right principles.
Our problem is that we declare possession of Abraham’s blessings forgetting how Ishmael was a blessed man, if we reject him like how they (Sarah) did in the Old then we do not have the twenty-four (24) elders of the kingdom of God but only twelve elders from the sons of Isaac. Bear in mind the woman with twelve stars on her head in Revelation 12? Selah. How did the son’s of Ishmael make it to the position of the elders? If you study the bible well, you will realise that it was Isaac (Pharisees; Israelites) who wanted Jesus dead. God instructed Joseph to run to the wilderness where Ishmael lived when Jesus was sought to be killed. Due to the disobedience and rejection of Israelites, the Gentiles (Ishmaelite) were introduced to the Gospel and grace took them (us) in and Jesus was born in the lineage of Isaac but His very own people rejected Jesus.
Hagar and Ishmael ran twice to the wilderness of Shur (see Genesis 16:6&21:8); Joseph also ran to the wilderness when he discovered that his brothers wanted to kill him, and he ended up being king (Matthew 2:13-14). Moses also landed in the palace in Egypt and he was treated like a prince, who married a Gentile (see Exodus 2). It was in the plan of God to take out the Israelites out of slavery however, the Israelites were full of complain and disbelief hence we (Gentiles), came into the picture and were given grace of the Gospel, so God loved Ishmael but people are not aware.
Don’t you ask yourselves why God repeatedly tells us that we are no longer slaves but sons? According to God’s plan, Israel was supposed to be the only nation that ruled but because of their disobedience, God brought us the Gentiles. Sarah rejected Ishmael not realising that the very blood that was in Ishmael was in Isaac. In Genesis 25:5 Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac.
Genesis 21:8 Ishmael and Hager were sent away, and Hagar placed Ishmael behind a bush being of seeing how he will die because had ran out of water. Hagar cried to the Lord but the Lord heard the cry of Ishmael because he was a seed of Abraham; connected to the birthright. God did as he had promised Hagar, blessing her abundantly. She found a wife in Egypt for Ishmael (see Genesis 21:20). God opened Hagar’s spiritual eyes and she was able to see a well of water, which was there all along. Hagar was spiritual before she went back to submit however she lost it after she was sent away. How is it that whenever Hagar runs away, there is always a well of water? The bible records how God was on Ishmael’ side as he grew up.
The wilderness of Beer-Lahai-Roi, in Shur where Ishmael grew up, also became a place where Isaac met his wife (see Genesis 24:61). Even when Elijah was in dilemma, he ran to the very same wilderness in Shur (1 Kings 19:3). How is it that everyone ran to the same place? Surely there was something special and unique about the place. It is an error not to have a place where you can draw strength or flame up. Elijah being all anointed, he had to run where Ishmael used to dwell in order to talk to God. An angel appeared and touched him and he was made well (see verse 5).
YESHUA; A CITY ON A HILL, THE LIGHT THAT CANNOT BE HIDDEN!!!
