Isaiah 12:2-3 Behold, God is my salvation (Yeshua in Hebrew), I will trust and not be afraid; 'For the LORD JEHOVAH, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation (Yeshua). Therefore with joy you will draw water from the springs of salvation (Yeshua).
John 7:37-38 On the last day, the great day of the feast, Yeshua (Jesus) stood and cried out, saying, "If any man thirsts, let him come to Me, and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, "out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."
During the Feast of Sukkot, the Jewish people took part in a water drawing ceremony on the last day of the feast. They would go down to the Pool of Siloam, draw water and bring it to the Temple Mount. Then they would pour out the water and recite Isaiah 12, "and with joy you shall draw water out of the wells (springs) of salvation." In Hebrew, the word salvation and Yeshua (Jesus, in Hebrew), are the same.
Imagine the scene at the time of Yeshua's appearance. It is likely that in the midst of this ceremony, He stood up and proclaimed, "If anyone is thirsty, let Him come to Me and drink." He who believes in Me as the Scripture said, "from His innermost being shall flow rivers of living water."
This promise is true for us today. Our Messiah is the same yesterday, today and forever. He did not promise a sprinkling or a tiny stream. He promised rivers of living water. Claim this promise today -- claim the fullness of life in Him. Draw from Him the peace that passes all understanding. Draw from Him pure love -- agape love. Draw from Him the joy that makes the trees clap. Draw all that you need, but in order to draw from Him -- you must go to Him. One cannot draw water from a spring unless one goes to the spring. Go to the spring that never runs dry -- go to your spring of Yeshua!
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]While most read the story of Jonah focusing on Jonah’s journey, I want to pause and examine the lives of the pagan sailors. What a journey they were on! We see the hand of God touching them providentially through Jonah’s disobedience. Talk about God bringing good from evil.
So the captain came to Jonah, and said to him, “What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish.” At this point the captain (who probably worshiped Baal and Yamm, god of the sea) has more faith than Jonah.
It must have been a bad storm. These men were experienced, hardened sailors who had seen it all at sea. If they were scared, this could have been the first “perfect storm” since Noah’s flood. So they started the first interfaith prayer meeting in the Bible, each man crying out to his own god. As the ship groaned and creaked in howling wind and massive waves, and the men threw cargo overboard in a desperate attempt to save it, where was Jonah? On deck helping them? Confidently praying to His own God? Shaking with fear and paralyzed with deep conviction? No, he’s taking a nap down below…
The story of the Exodus is a story of miracles – yet in the beginning when Moses first appeared before Pharaoh to deliver the children of Israel from 400 years of slavery, the Israelites were severely tempted and became angry because of the initial hardships that were laid upon them.
One beautiful correlation when celebrating Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles) is recognizing its connection to marriage, specifically pointing to our future union with God. This festival not only commands us to rejoice, but it also carries deep symbolism that mirrors the joy and intimacy of a wedding celebration.
During the feast of Tabernacles in Yeshua’s (Jesus’) day, the temple priests would set up four great lampstands with golden lampholders, which they would light with the aid of enormous ladders in the Temple courtyard. The lighting of these lamps began the celebration of the “Great Hosannah” (Hoshannah Rabbah, in Hebrew).
Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles) started last week, and it’s customary to say to everyone this week — Chag Sameach, which literally means joyous festival! As we mentioned, the feast of Sukkot commemorates the time in which God led the Israelites through the wilderness for 40 years, providing them with every need on a daily basis — shelter, food, water and clothing. You may know that a during Sukkot, a portion of Ecclesiastes is read in the synagogues. Interestingly enough, it speaks of the vanity of materialism.