DAY 134

FAMILY

2 Kings 19, 20 & 21 and John 4:1-30

In the Old Testament we read of a wonderful king, who is in a very tough spot. Hezekiah, a good king of Judah, is having to face the powerhouse of Assyria. Assyria has already dealt a final blow to Israel. They are brutal in their methods. The family that Moses led across the desert, splintered for decades now, is a facing extinction.

These battles are actually verified with some amazing archaeological finds. Here is one website that provides some information:

http://www.reclaimingthemind.org/blog/2010/07/top-ten-biblical-discoveries-in-archaeology-10-assyrian-lachish-reliefs/

Hezekiah seeks counsel from God’s prophet Isaiah. The story unfolds with God protecting the city of Jerusalem. In one instance God distracts the Assyrians, and in another he destroys them. Hezekiah gets a bit ahead of God and allows some Babylonian envoys to have a full view of the treasures of God. After Hezekiah’s death we read about his two sons: it is not good and you no doubt know where this is going.

In the New Testament we have the story of what is often referred to as the “woman at the well.” Now before we dig into the story let’s just connect some dots. The woman is from Samaria and she says that her ancestors use to worship on the mountain and Jesus’ in the Temple. Have you connected the dots? Samaria is where the ten tribes that formed Israel were. Worshiping on the mountain – is the High Places that were never torn down. We know that the Jews really disliked the Samarians – and yet they share a common ancestry. Sure that ancestry has twists and turns. People get moved, intermarrying takes place, but this woman is able to say “our ancestors worshiped on this mountain.”

I find this story amazing. Put yourself in Jesus’ shoes and then imagine you saying to the face of a woman, “You are right, you’ve had five husbands and the man you are living with now isn’t one of them!” I cannot imagine that I would get the positive reaction that Jesus received. Yet an encounter with Jesus is different than any other encounter. An encounter with Jesus is…is an encounter with…the opportunity to drink in Living Water.

That opportunity exists today for everyone. His point of being at the well was to begin the process of reconciling the world to God, what better place than to start with a people that were once part of the chosen family – and that is the point – for we are meant to be part of the family.