The fountains

"You will draw water with joy at the fountains of salvation." Isaiah 12. 3

The fountains evoke very little for our generation. We only know the faucets of our indoor and outdoor facilities to get water ! A century or two ago, the fountains were distributed in the various quarters of our towns and villages ; everyone was going to get fresh water. It is true that now a certain nostalgia leads to the restoration of the village fountains ; they are flowing again, but nobody comes with a pitcher to stock up !

The land of the Bible was characterized by the abundance of living water (Deut 8: 7). The presence of these water points was vital for the inhabitants who came to draw water. They were also an important meeting point.

Let's mention some fountains from the Bible :

The fountains of the meeting.

The best known of all is perhaps that where a Samaritan woman meets Jesus, who becomes his Savior (John 4: 6). Is it not the fountain of salvation of the biblical text of the day ? But there was one in which God reveals himself to guilty Agar (Gen. 16, 7, 13); the one where Rebecca, the bride chosen, meets the servant of Abraham ; and again those where the whole people of God makes a refreshing step in an oasis in the middle of the desert (Ex. 15:27). Have we had the opportunity to make these beautiful and rich encounters.

Fountains are also images.

Is our local church, like the beloved of the Song of Songs, a "sealed fountain" and she keeps herself to refresh her beloved as well as those who visit her, "a fountain in the gardens" ( Cant 4. 12, 15)?

Is our mouth "a fountain of life" for others (Prov.10, 11, 13. 14, John 4. 14), or "a troubled fountain" (Prov 25. 26) or completely polluted as those of the world (Rev. 8. 10, 16. 4), or without water like that of the ungodly (2 Pet. 2. 17).

Our eyes, like those of Jeremiah, can sometimes be like "a fountain of tears" (Jer 9: 1). If we cross the valley of tears with God, it can become a refreshing fountain for others (Ps 84. 6) ; and then, one day, God will lead us to the "fountains of the waters of life" and "wipe away every tear from our eyes" (Rev. 7:17).

Source (Pleasing the Lord)