What happens:
- The Lord talks about establishing a fountain for the washing of sins. He also says that He will remove all idols and false prophets from the area. In regard to the prophets, even their own parents must cast them out.
- There is then a section about God putting his people to the test with the image of a Shepherd and sheep. He is going to kill two thirds of the sheep and strike down the shepherd!
Meaning:
- In the first section the fountain refers to Jesus as the spring of living water. It's a fountain as well which means it is a constant flow of clean water, not a stagnant pool or well that remains still and can dry up. Jesus is the source for the redemption and forgiveness of sinful people.
- The second section is scary. It could mean that God deals with people in such a way that they lose a great deal of there things in order to be put to the test - I guess in a Job kind of way. It could mean that the flock refers to one person and the losing of two thirds of the sheep means that the person will be reduced to almost nothing and then God will purify and restore. Either way it's a pretty scary concept!
Stuff for us:
- Jesus is the fountain of life. We need to daily refresh ourselves in the fountain of Jesus and drink from it everyday.
- Don't be discouraged when hard times hit because it means the Lord is putting us through the refining fire. Yes it is hard and painful but the after effect is that we revere God fully and know Him to be God.
1 comment:
For Zec
Image of a fountain where we can come and ask for fogiveness - water to cleanse us and make us new again
The removal of all false prophets so Jerusalem can start again with good - the renewal part
God seems to then reduce the people who will live there. He wants people who will stay close to Him and not run away when things get hard and testing. He wants true disciples and followers, not just sheep who aimlessly follow.
For us to take away
We need to ask for forgiveness. Love your thoughts on the fountain - water refreshes and we need to be overflowing with God
We need to be disciples of Jesus who will step out, who will follow no matter what goes on or how hard it gets, but always declare that He is our God.
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