Bride in a Walled Garden With PomegranatesBibleWorld
4:15Song of Solomon 4:15
A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.
The fountain, the well of living waters, and the streams picture the word of God as an abundant and inexhaustible source of grace, knowledge, and spiritual life. They also picture Christ himself as the satisfying fountain whose grace in his word, his Spirit, his teaching, and his love refreshes the soul when every other source leaves it unsatisfied. The streams are cool, pure, clear, and refreshing waters that bring the nourishment sought from God. Drawing fresh water from the fountain means daily seeking God, staying close to the Author of truth, learning of Him, and depending on His word with heart and mind and soul under the Holy Spirit, placing it above every human production. Those who drink are filled with the Spirit and given faith, hope, courage, strength, peace, and joy, and being refreshed they invite others to drink, so that through unselfish service spiritual power flows through them to awaken desires for purity, holiness, peace, and lasting joy.
Fountain and Its Waters
The fountain, the well of living waters, and the streams are the word of God, an abundant and inexhaustible source that supplies spiritual life. Its waters give grace and knowledge, and life flows from it to all who draw from it. Its fountains are living and its streams are fresh, to be set above every human production.
The waters are also Christ himself, a satisfying fountain whose grace is revealed in his word. His Spirit and his teaching and his love refresh and satisfy the soul with cool and refreshing truth, while every other source leaves the soul unsatisfied and worldly pleasures do not satisfy. The streams from Lebanon are cool and pure and clear and refreshing, bringing the spiritual nourishment and refreshment that is sought from God. He constantly refreshed humanity by opening these cool streams flowing from Lebanon.
Drinking the Pure Streams
Drawing water fresh from the fountain means drawing daily from its inexhaustible supply, seeking God and placing oneself in the channel of light. It means keeping close to the Author of all truth, learning of Him, and depending on His word with heart and mind and soul under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, extolling it above every human production. This close dependence is what keeps Christ from being crowded out by inferior concerns.
Drinking in this way fills the soul with the Spirit and imparts faith, hope, and courage. It brings strength, peace, and joy. It supplies fresh manna and stores of precious food that strengthen spirituality and enable giving a reason for the hope within.
The pure waters are pure, consecrated instruction needed for a holy life and service to God. Human knowledge alone is insufficient for this, and true higher education requires learning from Christ. Drinking the pure streams rather than the murky waters of the valley means turning from criticism and contention.
Choosing the refreshing streams means choosing what refreshes and uplifts rather than taking in murky, harmful thoughts and words. Idle words show that those far from God have been drawing from the polluted, murky waters of a marsh rather than the cool, refreshing waters of Lebanon. Trusting God for counsel is drinking the pure, life-giving waters of Lebanon, in contrast to seeking help from people who do not know God, whose counsel is like the murky waters of a valley. Office bearers in particular should drink from the pure spiritual waters rather than breathe the atmosphere of counsellors who are not living in connection with God. In contrast to the living fountains, drinking from the impure fountain of infidel authors introduces poison into the system and leads thoughts into channels fatal to piety.
Sharing Living Water
The fountain, well of living water, and streams are an abundant, life-giving source of inexhaustible grace and knowledge, and those who daily draw from it are filled with the Spirit and through unselfish service refresh and benefit others. God invites people to drink of clear, life-giving spiritual truth as from the streams of Lebanon, and once refreshed by it to call others to receive it too. The satisfying fountain is Christ himself, whose grace revealed in his word, and whose Spirit, teaching, and love refresh the soul, while worldly pleasures and every other source leave it unsatisfied. His gracious presence in the word refreshes the thirsty and gives spiritual power that flows through words and actions to awaken in others desires for strength, purity, holiness, peace, and lasting joy.
Giving brings receiving, for the living fountain supplies life so that as the heart that has tasted Christ's love shares what it has received it is given a deeper draught in richer and more abundant measure. Every revelation of God increases the capacity to know and to love, and the continual cry for more is answered with much more. Those who have tasted that love continually desire to know and love him more, and as they share what they have received they receive in richer measure from the fountain, well, and streams of abundant spiritual life.
The fountain, the well of living waters, and the streams picture the word of God as an abundant and inexhaustible source of grace, knowledge, and spiritual life. They also picture Christ himself as the satisfying fountain whose grace in his word, his Spirit, his teaching, and his love refreshes the soul when every other source leaves it unsatisfied. The streams are cool, pure, clear, and refreshing waters that bring the nourishment sought from God. Drawing fresh water from the fountain means daily seeking God, staying close to the Author of truth, learning of Him, and depending on His word with heart and mind and soul under the Holy Spirit, placing it above every human production. Those who drink are filled with the Spirit and given faith, hope, courage, strength, peace, and joy, and being refreshed they invite others to drink, so that through unselfish service spiritual power flows through them to awaken desires for purity, holiness, peace, and lasting joy.
Fountain and Its Waters
The fountain, the well of living waters, and the streams are the word of God, an abundant and inexhaustible source that supplies spiritual life. Its waters give grace and knowledge, and life flows from it to all who draw from it. Its fountains are living and its streams are fresh, to be set above every human production.
The waters are also Christ himself, a satisfying fountain whose grace is revealed in his word. His Spirit and his teaching and his love refresh and satisfy the soul with cool and refreshing truth, while every other source leaves the soul unsatisfied and worldly pleasures do not satisfy. The streams from Lebanon are cool and pure and clear and refreshing, bringing the spiritual nourishment and refreshment that is sought from God. He constantly refreshed humanity by opening these cool streams flowing from Lebanon.
Drinking the Pure Streams
Drawing water fresh from the fountain means drawing daily from its inexhaustible supply, seeking God and placing oneself in the channel of light. It means keeping close to the Author of all truth, learning of Him, and depending on His word with heart and mind and soul under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, extolling it above every human production. This close dependence is what keeps Christ from being crowded out by inferior concerns.
Drinking in this way fills the soul with the Spirit and imparts faith, hope, and courage. It brings strength, peace, and joy. It supplies fresh manna and stores of precious food that strengthen spirituality and enable giving a reason for the hope within.
The pure waters are pure, consecrated instruction needed for a holy life and service to God. Human knowledge alone is insufficient for this, and true higher education requires learning from Christ. Drinking the pure streams rather than the murky waters of the valley means turning from criticism and contention.
Choosing the refreshing streams means choosing what refreshes and uplifts rather than taking in murky, harmful thoughts and words. Idle words show that those far from God have been drawing from the polluted, murky waters of a marsh rather than the cool, refreshing waters of Lebanon. Trusting God for counsel is drinking the pure, life-giving waters of Lebanon, in contrast to seeking help from people who do not know God, whose counsel is like the murky waters of a valley. Office bearers in particular should drink from the pure spiritual waters rather than breathe the atmosphere of counsellors who are not living in connection with God. In contrast to the living fountains, drinking from the impure fountain of infidel authors introduces poison into the system and leads thoughts into channels fatal to piety.
Sharing Living Water
The fountain, well of living water, and streams are an abundant, life-giving source of inexhaustible grace and knowledge, and those who daily draw from it are filled with the Spirit and through unselfish service refresh and benefit others. God invites people to drink of clear, life-giving spiritual truth as from the streams of Lebanon, and once refreshed by it to call others to receive it too. The satisfying fountain is Christ himself, whose grace revealed in his word, and whose Spirit, teaching, and love refresh the soul, while worldly pleasures and every other source leave it unsatisfied. His gracious presence in the word refreshes the thirsty and gives spiritual power that flows through words and actions to awaken in others desires for strength, purity, holiness, peace, and lasting joy.
Giving brings receiving, for the living fountain supplies life so that as the heart that has tasted Christ's love shares what it has received it is given a deeper draught in richer and more abundant measure. Every revelation of God increases the capacity to know and to love, and the continual cry for more is answered with much more. Those who have tasted that love continually desire to know and love him more, and as they share what they have received they receive in richer measure from the fountain, well, and streams of abundant spiritual life.