Saved by the Well of Wisdom
Saved by the Well of Wisdom.
SAVED: The Hebrew word for save is “Yasha,” which means to be set free into the wide open; to be delivered in a time of desperate need; to be saved from destruction and certain death. “Salvation” literally means to become spacious, and refers to “the sense of deliverance from an existence that had become confined, compressed, or cramped.” (Eugene Peterson). When Jesus delivers us from our inner spiritual confinement, we are liberated into a wide open, broad, expansive place. The word for “wide open space” is the opposite of a straitjacket. Without Jesus, our soul will never be freed from our spiritual straitjacket. There are three passages in Psalms that describe this freedom deliverance beautifully:
- “From my distress, I called upon the Lord. He answered me and set me on a large place. After being in a tight spot, the Lord placed me into a broad space. Because I was hemmed in, I called on Lord Yahweh. He answered me and gave me room.” (Ps. 118:5);
- “Lord, you have not given me over into the hands of the Enemy; You have liberated me and set my feet in a wide expanse, a good and spacious land. You have given me the freedom to roam at large, where I can freely move. You have given me room to breathe.” (Ps. 31:8);
- “The Lord rescued me because He delighted in me. He brought me out to freedom into a wide-open space. My soul has been delivered because of God’s love for me, and my soul finally has some elbow room!” (Ps. 18:19).
THE WELL: There are four Hebrew words used in the Jewish Bible to describe the different kinds of ancient wells. There was the traditional well that was a deep hole dug in the ground to tap into an underground source of water. Another type of well was a fountain spring that had naturally broken through the earth’s surface on its own without man’s help. The wellspring is another version of well in Scripture in which fresh water flowed out of the ground in any number of ways to become available for cleansing, nourishment, refreshment, for survival itself. Life-giving wells of water have always been a powerful picture of our dependence upon God for spiritual survival. Just as Creator God has designed the human body to completely depend on water to live, our spiritual life totally relies on His presence in us to not just survive but to flourish. God is our spiritual well of fresh water, the only stable source of nourishment and purity. He is our fountain of life that gushes forth to replenish and cleanse us. God is our eternal wellspring of living water that will never run dry. Each of us is born spiritually dehydrated, and God alone is the constant, reliable water source to bring us back to life. As the silly joke goes, wells are a deep subject, and the biblical wells involve such stalwarts as Hagar and Abraham; Isaac and Moses; Samson and Solomon; the psalmists and the prophets. And of course, the glorious fulfillment of all these ancient stories of wells… Messiah Jesus and the woman at the well.
Wisdom. There are many biblical ways to describe wisdom: understanding and discernment; the practical art of living skillfully; moral and spiritual intelligence; the ability to practice the truth in daily life; astute insight; shrewd street smarts; the ability to apply relevant knowledge to thoughtful decision-making; to think ahead with foresight and anticipate the consequences of actions; to fully appreciate the difference between wise and foolish, right and wrong, beautiful and ugly, good and evil, true and false; to demonstrate a practical spirituality.
Maqor: The Hebrew word used for fountain in Proverbs that means a life-giving wellspring, a fountain well with water flowing out of the ground, much like an artesian well that has water coming up from its underground source naturally from the pressures under the ground.
The Book of Proverbs has a main theme of acquiring wisdom, of doing whatever it takes to gain understanding and discernment. Not only that, but one of the most-repeated images for wisdom is the vivid picture of a wellspring, a fountain of life-giving water. Wisdom is the gift that keeps on giving, to oneself and to others as well. But what is the first step in opening up this well of wisdom? “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (NASB). Fear of the Lord means…Reverence; Honor; Adoration; Respectful Fearfulness; Awe; Devotion; Trusting Openness; Astonishment; Wonder; Bow down. Knowledge in the Bible means… The content of wisdom; Truths that lead to understanding; Aspects of God and His creation that involve personal involvement; The substance of that which is knowable; Truthful information that is learned by experience; Portions of reality that engage both intellect and passion; Revealed facts that demand personal attention and familiarity; Truths that affect behavior; The raw materials for an abundant life; Moral revelations. “Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge; Fools hate wisdom and discipline.” Fools are those who are… Self-satisfied; Stubborn; Immoral; Ignorant; Gullible; Rebellious; Refuse advice; Self-sufficient; senseless; Unwillingness to grow and learn and mature; Repeats poor decisions. “How then does a person gain the essence of wisdom? We cross the threshold of true knowledge when we live in obedient devotion to God. Stubborn know-it-alls will never stop to do this, for they scorn true wisdom and knowledge.”
And now, words to the wise about the Fountains of Wisdom. These proverbs explain themselves, and so further comments are not needed in the least. There will be various versions of each “fountain” verse that will hopefully deepen our understanding of the passages: