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Are You Thirsty?

Yeshayah [Isaiah] 55:1
“Alas, every one that thirsts, come to the waters, and he that has no money; come, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”

How can one buy something without money and upon which there is no price?  Just exactly what is being purchased in this passage?  Perhaps the message YHWH is speaking here is more allegorical than literal.  Let’s look as some other passages to see if this is reflected in other passages of Scripture.

Mishle (Proverbs) 10:11 
The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life;
But violence covers the mouth of the wicked.

Notice that the words that flow forth from the mouth of one who is righteous, are a fountain of life to those who hear.  Herein lies the difficulty for us as individuals.

Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) 7:20 
Surely there is not a righteous man upon earth, that does good, and sins not.

The truth is that it is not possible for anyone to be righteous in and of himself.

Yeshayah (Isaiah) 64:6
For we are all become as one that is unclean, and all our righteousness is as a menstrual rag; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

I know of nothing that is more disgusting and filthy than a used menstrual rag!  Yet, this is exactly what Scripture likens our righteousness to: a used menstrual rag.

Yeshayah (Isaiah) 53:6
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and YHWH has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

So here is the beginning of true understanding: that one’s righteousness is not his own, that YHWH’s righteousness comes to a person when he accepts this gift, and that YHWH has laid upon Mashiach our iniquities and sin.  So when we open our mouths and a fountain of life comes forth, we are not the source or author of that fountain, but rather, we are the vessel through which the true fountain of life is delivered.  Keep that in mind as we continue on in this study.

Mishle (Proverbs) 18:4 
The words of a man's mouth are as deep waters;
The wellspring of wisdom is as a flowing brook.

And from where do the words of a man’s mouth come?

Matithyah (Matthew) 12:34-35 
34 “You offspring of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things?  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
35 The good man out of his good treasure brings forth good things; and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth evil things.”

Clearly the source of words that come forth from one’s mouth is found in his own heart.  If one’s heart has been cleansed by the Blood of Mashiach Yeshua, then he has the ability to bring forth good things, although this is not a given because of his own humanity and level of maturity in Mashiach.  However, if one’s heart has not been cleansed by the Blood of Mashiach, then he has no choice but to bring forth from his own heart evil things, i.e., things not of YHWH because he does not know Him.

Yeshayah (Isaiah) 12:3 
Therefore with joy shall you draw water out of the wells of salvation.

When one has drunk deeply of the living water, then he has the source of that water within him and can bring forth that water to bless others.  But one must draw the water from the well of salvation for himself first before he can draw it out for others. 

It is at this very point, that we come to understand the need of coming to Mashiach Yeshua so that we can drink of the true living water He has made available to each and every one.

Yochanan (John) 7:37-38 
37 Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Yeshua stood and cried, saying, “If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.
38 He that believes on Me, as the Scripture has said, from within him shall flow rivers of living water.”

Please note that the day this took place was upon a special day known as “Shemini Atzaret,” which means “eighth (day) assembly.”  This is a specific reference to the last high day of Sukkot.  It was upon this day Yeshua made this declaration.  It is upon this day the water pouring ceremony was done.  Most likely, it was as this ceremony was being done on the steps of the temple that Yeshua cried out for all to hear, and made this pronouncement. 

If one comes to Mashiach Yeshua and drinks of Him, then the fountain of life will well up inside of him and come out of his mouth, and not only bless him, but it will bless all those who hear his words.  The words which come out of our mouths will bless those around us because they are truly not our words, but the words which Mashiach would have us speak as He speaks through us.

However, this only comes about when one has drunk of the living water.  It is this living water which has the power to cleanse one’s heart and purify one from within.

Yochanan (John) 4:10-14 
Yeshua answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of Elohim, and who it is that says to you, ‘Give Me to drink’; you would have asked of Him, and He would have given you living water.”
11 The woman says to Him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; where then do you have this living water?
12 Are You greater than our father Ya’aqov, who gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his sons, and his cattle?”
13 Yeshua answered and said to her, “Every one that drinks of this water shall thirst again;
14 but whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

As we can see, this is no ordinary water.  This water that Mashiach Yeshua gives us to drink satisfies not the body in the literal sense of the word.  Rather this water which Mashiach gives to us without cost or without price is water which satisfies the soul and spirit of man.  Nothing else will satisfy a man’s soul and spirit like this water which Mashiach gives to us.  He has made this water available to us without cost or price through the shedding of His own Blood.

This water that subsequently wells up inside of us when we drink of this most wonderful water has the ultimate outcome of giving to us the gift of eternal life.  Brothers and sisters, do not be afraid to drink freely and deeply of this wonderful water!

Yeshayah (Isaiah) 55:2-3 
2 “Why do you spend money for that which is not bread?  And your labor for that which satisfies not? hearken [shema] diligently to me, and eat that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.
3 Incline your ear, and come to Me; hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.”

Brothers and sisters in Mashiach, listen carefully to the words of my mouth.  The water and the bread which Mashiach makes available to us are absolutely free.  These do not cost us anything.  If you are paying for teachings or material that is supposedly spiritual food, know this: it is not the bread or water that Mashiach gives to us.  It is simply a manmade substitute.  Read the two verses above again and again until the message of these verses sink into the depths of your being. 

Matithyah (Matthew) 10:6-9
6 “But rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons; freely you received, freely give.
9 Do not acquire gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses.”

Mashiach Yeshua’s instructions to those who are sent out to gather His lost sheep are that we are to give freely that which He teaches us.  We are not to do it for money.  He will take care of us as we build His kingdom.  He will provide as we give to others that which He has given to us.

But this is not typically what we see or find today.  What we have today in this world is men and women who have gone forth preaching to line their pockets with money.  Let us not forget that Mashiach taught us that one cannot serve both money and Him.  He will love one and despise the other.  Or, it will be the other way around.  So, who do those serve who charge for the insights and revelations that YHWH has given? 

The call that Yeshua has given to each one of us is for us to worship and serve Him.

Yochanan (John) 4:24 
“Elohim is a Spirit; and they that worship Him must worship in Spirit and truth.”

We are to worship and serve Him in both Spirit and truth.  Many seem to have one or the other, but few seem to have both.  In order to have both, one must be willing to hear His Voice and walk in loyal obedience to what He teaches us to do day by day.  This is not to a static set of rules and regulations, but to the sound of His Voice. 

Those who are truly a part of Israel will then be able to sing this song!

B’midbar (Numbers) 21:17 
Then sang Israel this song;
“Spring up, well; sing to it!”

The well that needs to spring up in each and every one of us is Mashiach!

ABBA YHWH, may the well of living water, Mashiach Yeshua, spring up in each and every one of Your remnant people; in the name of Yeshua our Mashiach we pray.  Amein.

Shabbat Shalom
Zerubbabel ben Emunah
www.onetorahforall.com
zerubbabel@onetorahforall.com

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