“THE FOUNTAIN OF LIVING WATERS”
A. K. Turner
Jeremiah 2: 12, 13, 18; Psalm 46, 47
This is just an impression, beloved brethren, as to how God feels it when His people forsake Him. The prophet says, “Be astonished, ye heavens, at this, and shudder; be amazed very much, saith Jehovah”. It is remarkable that God should speak in this way: “Be astonished …
and shudder; be amazed very much, saith Jehovah. For my people have committed two evils—they have forsaken me …” Think of God calling the heavens to shudder, and be amazed very much that His people have forsaken Him! And yet, when we think of the way God has blessed His people, in one sense it is an amazing thing that we should forsake Him.
As we think of how God has blessed us in the recovery; as we think of the spiritual ministry that has been handed down to us, of all that has been ministered in the power of the Spirit, and brought down to us; what an amazing thing it is that there should be this forsaking of God, “the fountain of living waters”. And He feels it; as He says, “They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, to hew them out cisterns, broken cisterns that hold no water”.
Then we read later on of these two rivers—the waters of Shihor and the waters of the Assyrian river; one connected with Egypt, the other with Assyria. Whether it be worldliness, or whether it is oppression and dictatorship, are these to be compared with “the fountain of living waters”? Are these other ways to be compared with the enjoyment of what God Himself would give to us; the One who speaks of Himself so attractively as “the fountain of living waters”?
Psalm 46 confirms that God is going on with His city. We had the thought on Lord’s day afternoon of Christ writing on the overcomer in Philadelphia “the name of the city of my God”, Revelation 3: 12. Here we have, “There is a river the streams whereof make glad the city of God, the sanctuary of the habitations of the Most High”—which would no doubt link by application with Philadelphia, the assembly that is addressed by the One who is “the holy, the true”.
“There is a river the streams whereof make glad the city of God”. This is in the present tense, and, beloved brethren, today we can see that there is a river; not that there was a river; not that there was a river in Mr. Darby’s day, Mr. Taylor’s day, or whatever day it may be, but,
“There is a river the streams whereof make glad the city of God, the sanctuary of the habitations of the Most High”. I believe the blessed God is giving us fresh impressions of the Holy Spirit; so it says, “There is a river the streams whereof make glad the city of God”—“the streams whereof” would bring in gladness, variety and freshness.
Well, how many streams are there in this river? How many vessels are there available?
Vessels formed by Christ can be thus available to the Holy Spirit. The Lord spoke of him that believed on Him that out of his belly should flow “rivers of living water”, John 7: 38. Well, they are streams here and the scripture would imply that they are current. “There is a river the streams whereof make glad the city of God, the sanctuary of the habitations of the most High.
God is in the midst of her”. Not ‘was’, and not ‘maybe’, and not ‘possibly is’, but “God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved—God shall help her at the dawn of the morning”.
There is power in the Spirit of God. There was power when the Spirit of God was given at Pentecost, and there is power in the Spirit of God today. The Spirit of God is just as powerful today as He was then. We cannot think that a divine Person would ever decrease in power. Who could think of such a thing?
So it says, “God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved—God shall help her at the dawn of the morning”. So can we say, Jehovah of hosts is with us? Abijah said, “We have not forsaken him” 2 Chronicles 13: 10. Can we say that God is with us? I think we have the sense that God is with us, that there is a habitation of God in the Spirit here at the present time, that God is going on and that there is refreshment in His city. May we be encouraged in these things, for His name’s sake.
Word in meeting for ministry, Helston
17 July 1973