Thursday 25 November 2021

The well and the shelter

That day Isaac's servants came and told him about the well which they were digging, and said to him : We have found water. He called the well Shiba. This is why the city has been given the name of Beër-Sheba, until today. Genesis 26:32,33

Several accounts from Genesis show that in arid countries, as in the East, people pitched their tent near a water point : a spring, a stream or a well that had to be dug. Cisterns were also built to collect water. The family that owned a well was favored for two reasons : the water supply was at their doorstep, and the water was less polluted than water from a cistern or stream.

Today, more than ever, water is a vital problem for many nations. Proximity to water or at least easy access is essential ; This wise maxim is often pronounced before the construction of a farm : "Seek the well before the shelter".

Imagine a man who wants to develop an agricultural activity. He looks for land (if necessary he clears the necessary surface) ; he gets to work and builds the buildings for living and for the animals he wants to keep, as well as those for storing grain. But, after months of toil, when all is finished, he thinks that, to water his cattle and irrigate his fields, he does not have a well. He's looking around, but the water is far away. This man did not understand the value of the saying : "Seek the well before the shelter". He's a fool !

This attitude is that of many of our contemporaries : we seek first and foremost ease and comfort, and we build a world in search of immediate pleasure. But there is no well, no real source of refreshment for the soul ; the source of happiness, we do not really know it. Life is miserable in even a splendid "shelter" if there is no "well".

The Christian has his "well" because he knows Jesus as the source. This vital water point for a farmer, Jesus has become for the Christian : If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink (John 7:37). Paul also tells us : Indeed, Christ is my life (Philippians 1:21). So the "well" is always available, you still have to come and draw from it !

So let's show "our water point" to those who don't have one !

Source (Pleasing the Lord)