Well of Living Waters
By Karen Holland ... 6-1-07

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Song 4:12,15     You are a [rock] garden locked up, my sister, my bride; you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain. ... You are a fountain [springing up] in a garden, a well of living waters, and flowing streams from Lebanon.

This beautiful picture of the bride of Christ, again, has me thinking about the 'well', the 'well of living waters'. The bride is a rock garden enclosed. This brings to mind the images from a previous article 'Sing to the Well'. Singing (or speaking) to the well (Num 21:16-18) was linked with striking the rock in order for abundant waters to flow. Christ is this Spiritual Rock (1 Cor 10:4). The Rock and those who believe in Him have a well of living water that flows forth (John 4:14, 7:38-39).

The bride is a sealed fountain. In biblical times wells were sealed to both keep out dust and dirt and to declare ownership (Gen 29:3). Similiarily God has reserved us for His very own and protects us with the seal of the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 1:13-14     And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession�to the praise of his glory.

Looking at Genesis 29, we discover that at this sealed well, Jacob meets his bride, Rachel. This really grabbed my attention because Jacob is a type of Christ and Rachel is a type of bride of Christ. Rachel was coming to the well to draw water (Gen 29:6). Looking at the cross references, Moses also met his bride Zipporah at a well, she also came to water her flock (Ex 2:15-21).

Now my interest was really piqued. Several monthes ago, I was at a local church earnestly seeking the Lord on where to worship. What I was really questioning was if this was the right place for me. The sermon that night was on Isaac and Rebekah from genesis 24 - finding a bride for Isaac. Abraham's servant is sent to Abraham's native land to find a bride for Isaac. The servant arrives at a well outside this town towards evening, the time the women go out to draw water (Gen 24:11)! The servant then prays this prayer:

Genesis 24:12-14     Then he prayed, "O LORD, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a girl, 'Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I'll water your camels too'-let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master."

Rebekah appears as an answer to this prayer even before the servant finishes praying (Gen 24:15). She gives the servant a drink and waters the camels too (Gen 24:19).

In Rebekah we can see the following qualities of the Bride:

  • She is from the 'family' (Gen 24:48)
  • She is a 'virgin' (Gen 24:16)
  • She is able to draw water from the well and water 'the flock' (Gen 24:19)


The Holy Spirit seemed to be telling me that this also is the way I would recognise the bride of Christ. The place of worship I was seeking would be able to draw living water from the well and offer it not only to me, but to my family -- or anyone else that I should bring. The moment I realised this, it was as if the Lord reassured me that I had found what I was seeking - a place to drink and offer living water from the well.

John 4 contains a description of another woman found at the well. Interestingly it's Jesus who first asks her for a drink (Jn 4:7). This leads to a discussion of living water and prompts the woman to ask where this living water can be found (Jn 4:11).

John 4:13-14     Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

During this discussion the woman recognises that Jesus could be the Messiah. Is it a coincidence that when Isaac and Rebekah first recoginised each other, Isaac had just come from Beer-lahai-roi (the well of the living one who sees me (Gen 24:62-64; Gen 16:14)?

John 4:19-24     "Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem."
Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."



The woman then goes and tells others, drawing others back to the well.

John 4:29     "Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?"

The word 'come' in the above invitation is the same word used by the Spirit and the bride to invite others to take the the free gift of the water of life (Rev 22:17). This makes me think that the above verses in John 4 paint a picture of a type of bride of Christ. Again this bride seems to be found going to draw water from the well. The Messiah or Bridegroom is also at the well and it seems to be here at the well where they recognise each other. John 4:23 also reveals another quality of the Bride - she will worship in spirit and truth.

Wow! This again points back to images from a previous article 'Sing to the Well'. This article also reveals more qualities of the bride having to do with striking the Rock with a rod; these are collected below.

A picture of the Bride of Christ



The bride is a rock garden locked up, a fountain sealed. A secret place hidden and protected belonging to God thru Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The bride is a spring of living waters welling up to eternal life. A beautiful place of communion and fellowship with the Lord is found at this well of living water. The bride and Bridegroom recognise each other here. Worship in spirit and truth occurs here. Water is drawn here by the Spirit and the Bride and offered to the thirsty. The Spirit and the Bride say "Come"!

Come! Come to the well and sing with joy
Worship the Lord in spirit and truth
Give to the Lord the glory due to His name
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness ... (Ps 29:2)
Under the shadow of His wings drink
Drink the living water from the fountain of life
The river of delights. ... (Ps 36:7-9)

Come and abide in the secret place
High upon the Rock
Dwell in His house
Drink in His presence
Come and behold the beauty of the Lord ... (Ps 27:4-5)
The Bridegroom!



Come! Come to the well of living waters!






Isaiah 12:2-3     Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation. With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

Psalm 84:1-2,4,10     How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you.
Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere!

Revelation 22:17     The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.







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