For the LORD thy God
bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and
depths that spring out of valleys and hills. A land of wheat, and barley, and
vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of olive oil, and honey. A land
wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing
in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig
brass. When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy
God for the good land which he hath given thee.
(Deut. 8:7-10)
We are entering upon a
new year – surely we cannot but believe, a new age. If we have rightly learned
the lessons of the past, there lies before us a heritage of unspeakable
blessing, which none of these vivid metaphors can too strongly describe;
infinite sources of blessing, for the fountains and waterbrooks are but the
figures of God’s illimitable grace. For with Him is the fountain of life.
A
Fountain Fed by Eternal Springs!
They tell us of
boundless supply: “Bread without scarceness,” the olive oil that speaks of the
Holy Ghost, the honey that tells of the sweetness of His love, and the pomegranates
that are the seed fruit which speak of a life that reproduces itself in the
blessing of others.
They tell of the “nether
springs” which flow from the depths of sorrow in the hard places, in the desert
places, in the lone places, in the common places which seem farthest from all
that is sacred and Divine.
How delightful it is to
have His gladness in the low places of sorrow, and to be able to glory even in
tribulation also.
They tell us of
pleasures that come out the very heart of trial, treasures wrung from the grasp
of the enemy.
How precious the springs
that flow into the places of temptation, for there is nothing in life so trying
as the touch of Satan’s hand, and the breath of the destroyer. Oh, how sweet it
is, even there, to find that the light is as deep as the shadow, and heaven is
nearest when we are hard by the gates of hell, so that we can count it all joy
when we fall into diverse temptations, and can say, “Blessed is the man that
endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life,
which the LORD hath promised to them that love Him.”
How blessed to drink
from the springs of health, and find our strength renewed day by day, and the
life of God flowing into even our physical organs and functions!
“All
my fresh springs are in thee!”
Beloved, God has for us
these springs, and we need them every day. Let us drink of the living waters.
Nay, let us receive them into our very hearts, so that we shall carry the
fountain with us wherever we go. A.B.SIMPSON
