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Gleanings From The Word

Category: devotional

  • Jesus: The Fountain of Living Water in Jeremiah and John 

    artists representation of the throne of God

    I was reading in the Old Testament book of Jeremiah yesterday when a pair of verses popped out and reminded me of something in the New Testament. God is confronting Judah’s sin with some serious warnings.

    A glorious throne set on high from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary. O Lord, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you shall be put to shame; those who turn away from you shall be written in the earth, for they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living water. Jeremiah 12:13-14 ESV

    Those who have turned away are destined not to see His throne. That includes all of us sinners, except for His intervention and the gift of faith to accept Him by grace

    There isn’t a direct connection between the verses other than I see some parallels. Not enough to build a theology on, but enough to ponder.

    In John 7, Jesus makes it clear that He is the Fountain of Living Water. Jesus is our sanctuary.

    On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. John 7:37-39 ESV

    In John 8:1-11, we find the account of the woman caught in adultery. The Pharisees bring her before Jesus to test Him and condemn the woman. The results aren’t what they expect.

    This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.  And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” John 8:6-11 ESV

    We don’t know what Jesus wrote in the dirt, but the parallel to the Jeremiah passage pops out. The self-righteous Pharisees and teachers of the Law are putting Jesus to the test, and He writes in the earth. They are rejecting Jesus, the Fountain of Living Water.

    The warning in Jeremiah was clearly for the people of Judah, yet its overtones carry on to everyone. Without Him, there is no way they will ever see the throne of God. That’s true of all sinners; none of us will see that heavenly throne unless we come to him in faith by grace.

    Heed the warning, and walk with Jesus by faith today.

    May God richly bless you today,

    Kevin

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    SUMMARY

    I was reading in Jeremiah when two verses stopped me and carried my mind straight into John’s gospel. I share how God’s warning to Judah about forsaking the fountain of living water echoes forward into Jesus’s own words and the story of the woman caught in adultery.

    TAKEAWAY

    Jeremiah 12:13-14 warns that those who forsake the Lord, the fountain of living water, will be written in the earth and never see His glorious throne.

    In John 7:37-39, Jesus stands up and declares Himself the fountain of living water, offering the Spirit to all who believe.

    In John 8:1-11, Jesus bends down and writes in the dirt before the woman caught in adultery, an image that echoes Jeremiah’s warning to those who turn away.

    Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone) 

  • Down to the River

    Down to the River

    the river - an invitation

    I caught an old spiritual on YouTube last night, “Down to the River to Pray.” The version I listened to was far too slow for my personal taste, but it got me thinking. It’s been around since the late 1800s, but got a revival of sorts with the movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”

    This is Alison Krause’s version . In case you aren’t familiar with the song, the lyrics are:

    As I went down in the river to pray
    Studyin’ about that good ol’ way
    And who shall wear the starry crown?
    Good Lord, show me the way

    [Verse 1]
    O, sisters, let’s go down
    Let’s go down, come on down
    O, sisters, let’s go down
    Down in the river to pray

    It then repeats with sisters being replaced by brothers, fathers, mothers and sinners.

    “As I went down to the river to pray…” is a call to repentance and prayer.

    The river is a place of seeking God. Throughout Scripture, rivers are associated with cleansing, renewal, and God’s saving work. The emphasis is not merely on water but on approaching God in humility and prayer. 

    The imagery naturally evokes baptism, especially the outdoor river baptisms common in the American South. Baptism symbolizes repentance, identification with Christ, cleansing from sin, and entrance into the covenant community (Matthew 3; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3–4). The song itself does not claim that baptism saves; it uses baptismal imagery as part of a broader call to seek God. 

    “Studyin’ about that good old way.” The phrase is an invitation to faithful discipleship. It refers to learning and walking in God’s ways. It echoes passages such as:

    •          Jeremiah 6:16 (“Ask for the ancient paths…”)

    •          John 14:6 (“I am the way…”)

    •          Acts, where Christianity is repeatedly called “the Way.”

    “Who shall wear the robe and crown?” This points to the believer’s future inheritance. The imagery comes from Revelation:

    •          White robes symbolize those cleansed by Christ (Revelation 7:13–14).

    •          Crowns symbolize the reward of faithful perseverance (Revelation 2:10; 2 Timothy 4:8; James 1:12). 

    Some older versions sing “starry crown” rather than “robe and crown”. While the precise meaning is uncertain, most Christian interpreters understand it as another image of heavenly glory.

    The verse addresses a different group each time: sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers and sinners. This reflects the inclusive call of the gospel: everyone is invited to come to God in repentance and faith.

    Its weakness, if one were looking for doctrinal precision, is simply that it is a spiritual rather than a systematic theological statement. It never explicitly mentions Christ’s atoning death or justification by faith. 

    Instead, it functions as a communal invitation to seek God and walk “the good old way,” using biblical imagery familiar to Christian worshipers.

    In that spirit, allow me to extend an invitation.

    For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 ESV

    Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6 ESV

    The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. Revelation 22:17

    … if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. Romans 10:9-10

    My brothers and sisters, if you have not already done so, I invite you, and Jesus calls you to come down to the river.

    Be blessed today,

    Kevin

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    SUMMARY

    I caught an old spiritual on YouTube last night, “Down to the River to Pray,” and it got me thinking well past the melody. Behind its simple imagery of sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, and sinners going down to the water lies a real call to repentance and discipleship, and I wanted to trace that call back to Scripture and extend it to you.

    TAKEAWAY

    The river imagery in the old spiritual echoes baptism throughout Scripture: cleansing, repentance, and entrance into the covenant community.

    “Studying that good old way” points to walking in God’s truth, from Jeremiah’s ancient paths to Jesus as the Way in John 14:6.

    The song’s inclusive call to sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, and sinners mirrors the gospel invitation extended to everyone, which the post carries forward with a direct call to salvation.

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    Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)