Wheat field Banner

Gleanings From The Word

Category: Righteousness

  • 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

    YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

    The gospel, the best news you will ever hear

    Read the Word, read the Word, read the Word.

    Why the Old Testament Still Matters

    Is it by faith or works? Do they both matter?

    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) 

  • Way of Wisdom – Discovering True Enlightenment

    Way of Wisdom – Discovering True Enlightenment

    Oasis secene - theme the way of wisdom - Psalm 1:4

    Wisdom is a prized commodity. People of all faiths and cultures have sought it throughout the ages. Where can it be found? What is the way of wisdom?

    The Bible is full of passages that teach the way of wisdom and righteousness. They both come from the LORD. The psalms open with a clear sample.

    How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the way of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of Yahweh,  And in His law he meditates day and night. And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,  Which yields its fruit in its season  And its leaf does not wither;  And in whatever he does, he prospers.  The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away.  Therefore the wicked will not rise in the judgment,  Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.  For Yahweh knows the way of the righteous,  But the way of the wicked will perish. Psalm 1

    The Bible clearly teaches that both wisdom and righteousness are clearly related.

    Notice how the psalm begins, not with a list of things to do, but with a warning about where not to go. Wisdom starts with avoidance. Don’t walk in the counsel of the wicked. Don’t linger where sinners stand. Don’t settle into the seat of those who mock.

    That progression is worth slowing down for. You walk somewhere first. Then you stand. Then you sit. What begins as a passing influence can become a permanent address.

    We all know how that works. We’ve seen it happen to people we love. Maybe we’ve seen it happen to ourselves.

    But the psalm doesn’t stop at what to avoid. It moves quickly to what the wise person pursues, to delight in the law of Yahweh (the LORD). Not reluctant obedience. Not dutiful compliance. Delight.

    That’s a high bar. And it’s an honest one.

    The word of God is not a rulebook to endure. It is a well to drink from. The person who meditates on it day and night isn’t grinding through an obligation; they are drinking deeply from something that sustains them.

    The image the psalmist reaches for is a tree planted by streams of water. Not a tree that survives on rainfall alone, dependent on the weather, struggling in dry seasons. A tree with its roots in something constant. 

    It yields fruit. Its leaves don’t wither. Whatever it does, it prospers.

    That is the life wisdom builds, not overnight, but over time, with roots going down where no drought can reach.

    The contrast is sharp and final. The wicked are like chaff. Disconnected. Weightless. Driven by whatever wind is blowing today. When judgment comes, there is nothing there to stand.

    The LORD knows the way of the righteous. That phrase carries more than knowledge. It carries an intimate acquaintance. He knows the path because He is the one who laid it out and walks it with you.

    The way of the wicked perishes. Not because God abandons them dramatically. But because a path that leads nowhere simply ends.

    Wisdom is knowing which path you’re on. May you find it.

    Hallelu Yah (Praise God) 

    Be blessed 

    Kevin 

    SUMMARY

    Psalm 1 teaches that wisdom and righteousness begin by rejecting the influence of the wicked and delighting instead in the law of the LORD. The righteous person is compared to a tree planted by streams of water, firmly rooted and fruitful, while the wicked are unstable like chaff that the wind drives away.

    KEY POINTS

    Wisdom begins with guarding where you walk, stand, and sit, because small influences can shape an entire life.

    The person who delights in and meditates on God’s Word is spiritually sustained, fruitful, and steadfast through every season.

    The righteous are known personally by Yahweh (the LORD), while the path of the wicked ultimately leads to destruction.

    Did you enjoy this? Subscribe today  for more.

    You might also enjoy

    Read the Word. Read the Word. Read the Word.
    Sinner and Saint – The Dual Nature of King David