Living Waters : Book of Revelation

“A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.” – Song of Solomon 4:15

There are quite a few verses in the Bible with the phrase ‘living waters’, some in the Old Testament, some in the New. All beautifully describe a spiritual truth under the metaphor of a flowing stream of refreshing, living water.

The first of these is the text above. It is part of the description of the lovely character of a bride as seen by her coming bridegroom, almost certainly symbolic of the Lord and His people.

Then, through the prophet Jeremiah, God laments that “My people…have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water.” – Jeremiah 2:13. Jeremiah states it a second time: “They have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters.” – Jeremiah 17:13.

One day the living waters shall return, however, and Zechariah prophesied that “living waters will flow out of Jerusalem…and the Lord will be king over all the earth.” – Zechariah 14:8-9.

In the New Testament, the Lord Jesus used this metaphor about Himself as He spoke to the woman of Samaria: “ ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, “Give Me a drink,” you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.’ ” – John 4:10. “ ‘Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.’ ” – John 4:14.

Later at a feast in Jerusalem, the Lord Jesus Christ proclaimed to all: “ ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ ” – John 7:37-38.