Water in the Scripture

 

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:1-10 ESV).

 

Did you know there are different kinds of water? Recently I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. That precipitated the ordering of a CPAP. Since I have been dealing with some issues since October without a diagnosis or resolution, I was very happy to see some movement from my physicians to try some other things. We settled on a return to phlebotomies and the CPAP. I’ve been using the machine for the past three weeks and with the return to phlebotomies I feel so much better! During the beginning of using the CPAP I learned something a bit new. There is a difference between distilled water and other kinds of water. Of course, my first call was to Kyle to explain why I needed distilled water instead of purified water. After a short lesson in chemistry, I went to the store and bought distilled water for the CPAP. That also prompted me to think about the different mentions of water in the Scripture.

 

Our reading today is the story of creation. Water appears in a central role in each of the first three days of creation. We know that water is vitally important, both in our everyday lives and in the Bible. In the form of rain, clouds, oceans, rivers, lakes, and more, water is essential for natural life on our planet. At the same time, though, in the form of dangerous storms, flooding, and tsunamis, water can be terribly destructive. At the beginning of the biblical story of creation, we see murky depths and chaotic waters. And yet the Spirit of God hovers over these waters and establishes his good world by shaping them. Then at the end of the Bible (cf. Revelation 21-22) we see a vision in which the sea and its dangers are no more. Instead, we see the peaceful river of life that delivers healing to all nations.

 

Throughout the Bible we also see many other passages referring to water, and among them is a picture of a man literally walking on the waves of the sea. We hear him telling the wind and waves to be at peace, and they are stilled. He also goes into a river to be baptized, and a voice from heaven declares, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well-pleased” (Matthew 3:17). Though the Bible’s many references to water may seem random and unrelated, reflecting on various examples can give us powerful insights into who God is, who we are, and how we are called to live in God’s world. In the coming days we’ll see how the waters of the Bible can point us to Christ, who came to give us living water “welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14).

 

My prayer for you is that you will be refreshed, refocused, and renewed in God’s Word!