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The 6 Water Pots of Stone

by Tony Warren



Six Stone Jars         A question came up in a recent discussion where I was asked what I thought the number six represented in the scriptures, and more specifically as it relates to the "six waterpots of stone" referenced in John 2:6. My answer was that it doesn't really matter what I think, what matters is what the scripture have to say in affinity with these six stone jars. The accurate interpretation of scripture is not found in our reliance upon the thoughts of men, but upon the divine words of God, which are the only tangible representations of His thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). His thoughts were divinely inspired to be written upon the pages of scripture. Indeed, even as righteous Joseph understood, interpretations belong to God (Genesis 40:8; 41:15-16). Therefore, if the word of God itself does not validate our understanding of scripture, then we have no real evidence that what we believe is anything more than private interpretation, our personal opinion of what we read.


The Number Six

        Over the years there have been quite a few opinions concerning the number six, but in most cases, there hasn't been a conclusive scripture that would clearly validate these ideas. One example is the idea that six hundred and sixty-six is the number six three times, which of course is actually not the case. It is actually the number "six hundred and sixty-six," which of course is a totally different number than either six, or six written three times. Another example is the belief that the number six represents the number of men. When asked for Biblical validation for anyone to to presume this, I am told that the Sixth Commandment prohibits the murder of man, or that since man was made on the sixth day, this is justification for this belief. However, man isn't the only thing created on the sixth day. So using this rationalization is like also concluding that the number six is the number of cattle because God also created cattle on the sixth day. Or we might go further and say the number five is the number of lobsters because God created the creatures in the sea on the fifth day. Clearly, this interpretation is built upon an unsound hermeneutic and is the flimsiest of justifications upon which to construct a sound Biblical construct. Using sound Biblical hermeneutics means that we must have some solid biblical foundation and reference before we conclude that a number is illustrative of a certain thing. And there is no such Biblical reference with the theory of the number six being the number of man. Quite the contrary, when we look circumspectly at the number six as it is seen throughout the Holy Bible, it most often deals in some way with the application of "work" in the world. The Bible clearly reveals that the number six ultimately identifies with either work itself, or our period of work as we sojourn in this world on our way to the Sabbath of rest. In reality, from the very beginning, God has given us some very Biblical and practical examples of the number six used to illustrate a period of work or labor. The Lord Himself records that He "worked" for six days, and then rested on the seventh.

  Genesis 1:31

Genesis 2:1-2

God did all the work of creation, made Heaven and earth and all that is in heaven and earth in six days. The "seventh" day was the day of completion, where He rested from this six days of the work of creation. That is not insignificant. The number six is used here to signify the total period of time that God worked in creation, and the seventh represents His completion, when He ceased to work. The days are the units of six, the number of which He uses to designate the period of work. Moreover, just as God worked for six days, He also uses that same number for man that He commands "to work" these very same six days.

Exodus 20:9

Here again, the number "six" was the designated length of time that God assigned Himself to work in creation, and it is also the length of time He assigned to man to work in this world he created. That is a fact of great significance and importance. Moreover, this signification for this number consistently bears itself out throughout Scripture as it is not only illustrated in six days but is also applied in years. For example, we read that God had made a Covenant with the children of Israel and that the Hebrew slaves or bondmen were to work for their masters for "six" years. In the seventh year (which was the year of completion), they were to be set free. This is ultimately pointing to Christ and signifying our freedom from captivity in our Sabbath of rest from our labors. Again, that same sign that the number six is illustrative of the period of work.

Jeremiah 34:13

The emphasis again is on the working for the period of time illustrated by the number 6, and in the 7th year of its completion when they were to be set at liberty from that work. This law was spiritually pointing to a spiritual Sabbath of rest in Christ, wherein those in bondage to sin might be set free from their bondage. God doesn't inspire these things written by mere coincidence, these are spiritual truths to guide and teach us what the number truly signifies. The number seven illustrates the totality (completeness) of whatever is in view, [1] while the number six is designated for our time of work.

Exodus 35:2

The fact is, this number is clearly illustrated in far too many places of scripture as a designator of our work in the world to simply be by happenstance. It is often specifically signifying work on this earth before we enter into our Sabbath of rest, which is in the Lord Jesus Christ. We work in this world for six, and then we enter into our Sabbath of rest on the seventh. This is backed up in the scriptures as God Himself declares that we are in this world in fact, "laboring to enter into His rest." This is even though, the efficacy of our works was already finished in Christ from the foundation of the world (Hebews 4:3). He uses the seventh day Sabbath as an indicator of that rest in its completion. Of course, ultimately we enter into that rest the moment that we become regenerated a "new creation by the Holy Spirit because our works were accomplished before the foundation of the world through the Promise/Covenant of Christ, but that labor is "worked out" in our lives as those sent of God as His ministers. Christians labor in the world as ambassadors of Christ, spreading the truth, and declaring His gospel, and it is all because Christ has "finished" the requirement of works for us through His death and resurrection. This is why we also read of Paul's exhortations:

Hebrews 4:9-11

We earnestly labor, striving in this world, bringing the gospel of Christ to a rebellious people, knowing that there is a rest awaiting us in glory that is worth far more than our meager efforts. This idea of our labor and rest is also seen in verses found in places like Revelation chapter 14.

Revelation 14:13

Again we see clearly that the 7th day Sabbath is equated with our rest from our 6 days of work. When Jesus gave the parable of the sower in the field, it was a picture of our laboring in the world bringing the gospel in Christ. Would we really think that it is just coincidence that Israel was commanded literally to sow in the field six years, and to rest on the seventh year? The answer of course is, absolutely not, because it was part of God's magnificent salvation plan and a marvelous spiritual portrait of God's program of evangelism.

Exodus 23:10

Who "truly" are the poor and needy in view that shall be filled in the seventh year? The seventh year was to be a "cessation of work" that the poor and needy may eat of the fruit of their labors. These are all spiritual truths signifying that in Christ (our Sabbath) shall the poor and needy eat and find rest from their labors. These are the continual illustrations by God that the number six is a signification of the period or time of work we do in the world.

Sometimes the meaning of the number is less conspicuous, as it is for example in a verse like Ezekiel 46:1, when Ezekiel is talking about the Sanctuary.

Ezekiel 46:1

Again, the six signifying "working," and the opening of the gate to the Sanctuary on the Sabbath designating that no one can enter into the Sanctuary except on the Sabbath (Christ) of Rest and with the cessation of works. An even less conspicuous verse is found in 1st Kings chapter 10.

1st Kings 10:19

If we weren't conscientious Christians we might think that God had arbitrarily picked the number six here just because six steps to the throne might be a nice round number. But being knowledgeable of Christ, we understand that God's ways are not our ways and that there is more to be gleaned from scripture than any man could learn in a lifetime. There is a reason God says there are six steps to the throne, which is that these six steps signify our journey to the kingdom and throne of God. Blessed are those whom God gives the knowledge to discern these truths, for it is a portrait of our Christian walk to God in Christ. These passages aren't exceptions, there are many, many verses like this to show that the number "six" is often illustrative of the period of our walk, work, or sojourn in the world, that ends in our sabbath of rest in the Lord.

Deuteronomy 16:8

This indeed is the prevailing illustration in Scripture of what the number six represents. It is not a designator of man, but of the time that God has assigned in the world for work. Whether it be us, or God Himself. The six is illustrative of work.


This number Illustration in the Six Water Pots or Stone Jars

        Taking what we've learned about the number six and going back to John 2:6 and the miracle of the six waterpots of stone, we can slowly begin to see how this number relates to this verse, in relationship to the Jew's idea of the work towards religious purification.

John 2:6

The stone pots or vessels were very literally large stone water basins that were used as receptacles for the supply of water for the Jewish custom or ritual of ceremonial washing in purification (Mark 7:4-5). This is also illustrated in the amount of water they contained, which is about two or three firkins apiece. A firkin is an old English unit of measurement derived from the Middle Dutch "vierdekijn," which means fourth. Thus it is a designator of a fourth of a barrel. You may note that the God-inspired actual Greek word translated "firkin" is "metretes." The metretes is approximately 8.7 gallons. One may ask, why was it translated firkin? We can only speculate that since the firkin is almost the same measure as the metretes, the translators decided to use a contemporary (at that time) term of similar value so the reader would understand. Much the same as I describe the amount above in terms of "gallons" to help us in the U.S. to understand how much water there was. It should be noted, that assigning modern equivalents to ancient measurements is not an exact science. But the real "point" here is just to illustrate that these were large stone basins holding close to 30 gallons of water a piece, and there were six of them. These six stone waterpots were used for their religious ceremonial ablutions or washings for the purification of the Jews. The Jewish tradition was to regard themselves as ceremonially unclean if they did not wash before eating (Matthew 15:1-2). Eg:

Mark 7:3-5

This was the manner, tradition, or custom of the Jews in ceremonial purification in these large stone waterpots that Christ spoke of. These are the jars Christ commanded to be filled with water to the brim. He is about to perform a sign that is an illustration that the "true" purification of the Jews is through the drinking of wine, interpreted to be His shed blood (Matthew 26:27-29). This is the true washing of purification of the Jews that takes place at their spiritual wedding.

John 2:6-7

Here we get to the true spiritual significance of these six jars of stone for purification. Christ is speaking in a mystery about the "works" of men in regards to their purification, contrasting it with His creative miraculous "work" of providing wine that would accomplish their true purification. The sign/signification here is that it is His miraculous creative work alone that would truly be the method of purification for the Jews. Notice the number six with its relationship to this work of the ritual purifying water. The portrait God is painting for us is that the people believed this custom of physical water would actually "purify of the Jews," while God uses this same water in demonstrating that it could not purify the Jews "except" it is miraculously made efficacious by the creative work in it being changed to wine, signifying it is only through their cleansing in blood that they would be considered clean before God. It was illustrative of the creative work of providing the shed blood of Christ. The 6 days of work actually purified no one (Ephesians 2:8-9), it is only through the miraculous creation of the wedding wine that the Jews would be made clean.

Wine in scripture is often used of God to signify blood, and thus without this creative work of Christ turning the water from the stone jars into wine, there would be no actual purification of the Jews (Hebrews 9:22), since almost all things are by the law of God cleansed through blood--and without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of uncleanness. Selah! The new birth through Christ is as in the actual new birth of a child by a woman, there is the actual shedding of water and blood. So also in the actual rebirth brought about in our rebirth as a new creation in Christ Jesus. It must be by water and blood. Not by water alone, but by water that is made efficacious by His shed blood.

1st John 5:6

True purification of the Jews can only come by this method. Note also, the pots or jars that hold the water are carefully identified as "stone" pots, signifying Christ is the stone vessel "from which" the purification must come. There is no other stone that Israel can be purified from, other than the stone that is Christ Jesus. This is all part of the great picture of Christ and His work of purification for the Jews. He is the stone smitten whereof purifying water would come. In a similar fashion, God illustrated this same principle when He provided the saving water for the children of Israel when they came out of Egypt. That water came from a stone, representing Christ. The Jews were forty years in the wilderness and they had no water, and God in His mercy had a Rock smitten that they might have water and not perish. The smitten Rock (Isaiah 53:4) is a spiritual portrait "signifying" that Rock smitten represented Christ who alone could provide the living waters for Israel. Do you see the spiritual correlation here?

Exodus 17:6

"..the Old Testament concealed, is the New Testament revealed!"

That is a faithful axiom. Some may have read this verse in Exodus of smiting a rock and thought that it indeed is curious language that a rock could be hit where water would come out. But the fact is, it's not curious at all. God has set this up as a mystery, a spiritual example, a picture pointing to the smiting of Christ to illustrate His work is in affliction, and this is the method that we will receive the living waters. This is a mystery that we might search out and learn from. It is truly a shadow foretelling that Christ is that Rock that will be smitten so that the children of Israel might have saving water and live. Likewise, He is the true Stone from which the saving water of purification of the Jews must come. And just as Israel was saved by the smiting of this rock, we were saved in the imagery of the wine from that same stone vessel, which is Christ. But don't take my word for it, as in 1st Corinthians God speaks of this episode of the smiting of the Rock in the wilderness:

1st Corinthians 10:4

And so again, it's not idle speculation, God's word very plainly confirms all this. Christ is the true Rock that the purifying water for our delivery comes from, and the Rock in Horeb was merely prophetic, a "shadow" prefiguring this. A mystery or shadow casting forth a spiritual portrait of this actual event that was to come. That is why these stone waterpots in John chapter 2, that the wine would miraculously come from, are meticulously pointed out to be six, and made of stone. Because true purification is from the Stone, which is Christ. Six Stone waterpots signify that it is by "His work" in the miraculous shedding of His blood that the people will have this purification whereby they could enter into His Sabbath of rest. While in Exodus, the portrait of "work" was put forth in the fact that the stone had to be "smitten" in order that water would come forth, here it is illustrated in the pots numbering six, and wine coming forth from them was for the wedding. That is the work Christ did for the Jews that they might become the true children of God. He was smitten of God for their sins that they might be purified for the wedding. In drinking the wine of His blood from the stone vessels, fulfilled God's Covenant (Promise) to provide a deliverer for the Israel of God.

1st Corinthians 11:25

We drink the wine of communion to illustrate our rebirth in communion with Christ through His saving work on the cross. It is no coincidence that the first miracle that God did was in the 6 days of creation, and likewise, this first miracle that Christ did was of "creation" as He miraculously turned the purifying water into the greatest wine. A special wine "signifying" that by our drinking this wine, which signified Christ's blood, it would make the purifying water efficacious. As in the smiting of Christ, and His work of shedding His blood that we symbolically drink that all our impurities are taken away, that we might enter into the Sabbath of Rest.

Isaiah 53:4

Again, as the Rock in the wilderness of Horeb was smitten in order to provide life-saving water, so Christ, the Rock, was spiritually smitten that we might have the living waters of purification by His shed blood. We discern from Exodus that the waters came forth because Christ was smitten. And the six waterpots of stone illustrated that the work that was required for the purifying water to be the power of God is the New Testament wine of the blood of Christ. The power was in the blood of Christ, and the new creation illustrated in Christ "creating" wine from that ceremonial water.


Turning the Water into Wine

        We saw and understand how the number six signified work, and we understand the stone jars of purifying water were for the Jews, and was made efficacious by the blood. Still, some Christians puzzle over why Jesus turned the water in these six stone pots into wine. But as I said earlier, wine in the scriptures is often used to symbolize blood. It is by the new creation in Christ Jesus that His shed blood is the miraculous effect of His work that is required for our actual purification. In other words, without the shedding of blood, there is no purification.

Hebrews 9:22

Without the blood, there is no purification of the Jews. That purifying or cleansing water had to be by the power of the shed blood of Christ. For without this shedding of blood, there is no cleansing of the Jews. It is written (Daniel 9:27) that the Covenant with the Jews had to be confirmed (literally, "made strong") by the empowering of Christ's shed Blood. Consider wisely what Hebrews chapter 9 says:

Hebrews 9:16-18

Clearly, it is the work of the shedding of blood by Christ that gave that New Covenant with Israel its strength. Just as clearly, there would be no purification or cleansing without this spiritual ablution in His blood. His shed blood is the only thing that could truly wash away the impurities of sin from the chosen people of God. Turning the purifying water into wine thus symbolized a new birth, a "new creation" in Christ was necessary in order to purify the Jews and make them clean. We can see another example of wine being used as a signification of blood is found in Revelation chapter 14.

Revelation 14:20

From the winepress came blood instead of wine. We can also see this in the signification of the wine/blood correlation in the great harlot that was made drunken by the blood of the Saints in Revelation 17:6. By the language of made drunken by the blood, God is again equating blood with wine. Or again, in Isaiah 63:2-3 where we read of the garments of Him that were stained in the winepress with blood. Or again, this signification in Isaiah chapter 49:

Isaiah 49:26a

And on and on, wine is often used in the Bible to signify blood, and that is what is being seen in the book of John. In fact, that is exactly the same signification we use when we celebrate the communion service. We use wine as a "sign or token" of the shed blood of Christ. Consider what Christ Himself told us about the wine of communion.

Matthew 26:27

The wine is used as a symbol of the blood of Christ that cleanses us from sin (purification). And that is why the water from the stone was turned into wine. It was to symbolize that there was a work of new creation for the wedding supper. Not this physical one, but the work of Christ in the spiritual wedding has to include blood for the purifying of the bride of Christ. That six waterpots of stone were needed, not by coincidence, but were God ordained to indicate the fullness of the work of Christ by which the Jews were truly cleansed. And without Christ's miraculous work of "creating" wine from this water, we have no picture of the blood coming forth from the stone vessels. Remember, the stone waterpots represent Christ, and without His shed blood there is no true washing, purifying, ablution, or remission of sins. He is the Stone vessel wherein the true purifying water is only evidenced in the miracle of blood. Likewise, when Christ was crucified, we see revealed the very same spiritual picture:

John 19:34

1st John 5:6

There is no creation in Christ without water and blood. Water cannot truly cleanse "without" the efficacy of the blood of Christ. So you see, this is the significance of the six stone jars of purifying water and Christ creating the best wine from it that it was efficacious. Christ is the stone from which the purification comes, but in order for it to cleanse or wash us clean, He had to shed His blood and die, that we might live. Only then do we have the purification and the wine for the spiritual wedding of the bride and bridegroom, and only then are we prepared with proper wedding garments, which represent the righteousness of Christ (Matthew 22:10-11). His blood was the wine of greatest value to perform the cleansing or purification that the previous ritual water could not.

John 2:10

I won't go through all these verses in this chapter, but let's briefly look at the Greek words being used here of good and worse in relationship to the wine. The Lord had kept, held bac, or reswerved the good wine until this time of the consummation of the Wedding. That's why Christ didn't give Mary the wine until the apporopriate time signifying the wedding of Christ and His bride. Note that though the man said worse and good wine, there was no good and worse wine there, there was only the good wine that Christ produced. Mary had Told Christ, they have no wine. But God is using this comment here to illustrate the difference in the ritual purification of water in the first instance, versus the true and better purification by blood in the second. It mirrors the ritual purification of the Old Covenant (that saved no one), versus the true (and thus better) purification by the blood of the New Covenant that the Old Covenant simply pointed to. The word good in the phrase good wine is the Greek word [kalos], meaning "superior or more valued" as being better or greater in merit. The Greek word translated "worse" in reference to the wine is [[i]elasson[/i]], and just the opposite and meaning inferior or lesser (valued or in quality). I believe that this statement signifies that the water of purification in the Old Covenant dispensation was the lesser/superficial or ritual cleansing in view here, and as it was afterward turned into a great wine, signifies it has become the better purification through Christ's blood. Two forms of purification, one the lessor in ritual superficial water, and in the New Covenant dispensation a purification by blood making a new creation, which is the better. Even as the two covenants that are in view here are spoken of as lesser (having faults) and greater, which was by blood.

Hebrews 8:7

Two methods of purification, one of water ablution which was merely a token or shadow pointing to the other, which is the better wine wherein the true purification would take place. So it just keeps getting back to the greater is only received through the wine that is the purification in the blood (Revelation 1:5) of Christ. The wine of purification that is of water and blood, and is greater than the Old Testament ablutions of water.


Why Was Christ's First Miracle A Miracle of Creation!

        We have seen that these things are illustrating the work of Christ in shedding His blood, that we might be made purified. When we celebrate that purification by breaking bread and drinking His blood in communion, we do that in remembrance of the work of His broken body on the cross. Indeed, it is no coincidence that we are told by God that this work of new creation is Christ's "First Miracle!"

John 2:11

This was the First, the beginning of miracles that Christ did on earth. And it is no coincidence that it is mirroring the miracle of genesis in the six days of Creation. Note that those six days were also the beginning of miracles.

John 1:1-4

When we carefully think about this, here in the "water to wine" event, we see the work of the Lord in the creation in His first miracle, mirroring His six days of work in His creation at the beginning. Six stone waterpots signify by His work recreation that we might truly enter into His Sabbath of rest. Likewise, in the beginning, six days the Lord worked and rested on the Sabbath of rest. We can understand it perfectly because in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God, and all things were created by Him. This first miracle of Christ is a sign of creation mirroring Christ's first miracle of creation. In His shed blood, we are made a new creature or creation. And this first miracle symbolized that.

2nd Corinthians 5:17

In the wine of the New Testament, we are made the new creation in Christ. Consider that normally it takes years to make the finest of wine such as Christ did for this wedding. But Jesus simply spoke and it was instantly created. Six Stone water pots filled with water instantly re-created and turned into wine from the stone pots. And it was enough to quench the thirst of all who attended the wedding. The carnal man says this is impossible because fine wine takes years to create. Even as they likewise claim that the world took billions of years to create and surmise that it is impossible that God created it all in "six" literal days. Yet both were done as sure as there is a world, and done instantly, merely by the WORD of the Creator. God can create age instantly precisely "because He is God" and not merely a man! He doesn't need years to create and age the finest wine as the scoffers would suppose. He doesn't need billions of years to create light from a star or to prepare the world for habitation as even some Theologians brainwashed by humanism suppose. He "is" the Creator, the great "I AM' God, and unfortunately even some theologians do not really seem to understand exactly what that really means. He is not a man or even a superman who has to be bound by the laws of physics as men are. The instantaneous miraculous creation of wine was a "sign" that Christ was God, and this purification by His "new creation" of wine would actually be through Christ's shed blood. God is an all-powerful Spirit being, and they who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

  ..he that hath ears to hear, let him hear!


Christ's Response to Mary about the Wine!

        When Christ's mother asked for the wine, have you ever been puzzled by how Christ addressed her? His response was more a spiritual portrait illustrating the timing of His shed blood for the wedding, than a rebuke of Mary for an inopportune request for assistance.

John 2:4

Woman, what have I to do with thee isn't an unkind rebuke to Mary, nor a show of disrespect for her. Rather, it was because the woman of relevance in this instance is a "figure" of the congregation or church (Revelation 12:1-2). Christ's time had not yet come to go to the cross and give the Spiritual wine for the wedding (which is His shed blood). Many people think this was a curious or harsh statement when Christ addressed Mary this way, but it's only curious until we realize that He is finishing off this spiritual picture of His shed blood in declaring that it was not yet "His Hour," which was the time to be nailed to the cross for the remission of the sins of the Jews. Remember, the wine represented His shed blood.

John 6:53-54

This is the true wine of which Christ spoke, which the time was not yet right for the woman, nor the wedding of the bride. It was not yet Christ's hour to go to the cross to provide the wine of communion. Mary was asking for literal wine for the Jews of the marriage supper, but Jesus was talking about the wine which was His shed blood for the marriage of the Lamb. Consider similar language which also illustrates this truth.

John 7:10

John 8:20

This was Christ's hour, the same hour He told Mary had not yet come when she asked for the wine. In all three of these verses, we have the same language illustrating the hour when He would shed His blood had not arrived. That is why Jesus said to her, "Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come." The woman was a portrait of the bride of Christ, which is the church, and it was not yet time for the wine of the marriage supper for her.

Conclusion
So what is the conclusion of the six stone jars for purification and what Christ was talking about? I've heard theologians give all kinds of wild speculative reasons why Jesus said His hour had not yet come, but they do not seem to fully grasp that Christ very often spoke in mysteries or parables concerning the gospel. It's not unlike those who asked about the Temple being raised up in 3 days. They too were talking about the literal temple, but in Christ's answer to them, He was talking about the Temple that is His body. Even the disciples didn't understand this until after He was risen (John 2:20-22). God is magnificent in putting forth His word in spiritual portraits or types. It's by the Holy Spirit of God and to the glory of God (Proverbs 25:2) that we are given the honor to discern that these things must be searched out in order to know the true extent and meaning of them. Jesus said this to Mary only because He was illustrating a mystery of the spiritual truth about when His blood would be shed as wine for the people of the wedding supper. Not because it was an inopportune time for him at a physical wedding, or because He was irritated or cross as some have surmised. Many times we lose sight of what God is truly saying because we simply read scripture in a worldly way rather than in spiritual truth. We don't really understand that the Bible is a spiritual book. We must consider it by comparing scripture with scripture, in spirit and truth, to find out what God is truly declaring. Scripture tells us, Jesus spoke in parables, and without a parable, He did not speak (Mark 4:33-34). We simply do not fully understand that God conceals things to His Glory, and that we, (like the more noble/honorable Bereans) must be honest enough with ourselves to actually search them out in order to know what God intends. Unfortunately, today's Christians seem to avoid Bible study like the Plague. They most often say something like, "..I'll understand it when I get to heaven," or they parrot some other Christian author, or give some overused cliché about it not being an essential or necessity. What ever happened to, "Thy word is a Lamp unto my feet?" Truly, how can His Word guide us if we relegate it to a hour on Sunday in church or a verse before bedtime? My, My, how would those Bereans have fared had they taken the attitude of so many in the church today? When Paul spoke to them of things that they did not understand and that were contrary to what they had been taught, they would have simply walked away saying, "..I guess we'll understand it better, by and by." But these were "nobler" (more honest with themselves) Bereans, and they understood a great many things that the churches today seem to have forgotten. For one, their first love! Thus they consulted God's Holy word concerning what had been told them, and in return, they received God's glorious commendation, belief, and praise. We will not discern God's mysteries or secrets by osmosis, but through surrender to His Holy Spirit in the open-minded study of His unadulterated word.

        To conclude, with spiritual eyes, we can see that the six waterpots of stone was deligated for the purification of the Jews, and it being miraculously turned into wine by Christ is a magnificent example of the treasures that God has hidden in His Holy word for his conscientious children. We should treasure this like the "more noble" Bereans who received God's word with all readiness of mind, and God says it was for this reason that they believed.

Acts 17:11

Likewise, may we be more honest and search these things out in Scripture to see if they are true or not, rather than simply blindly be skeptical and blinded by the obstinance in unbelief. Let us by the mercies of God nor forget that it is to the Glory of God for Him to conceal things in His word, and to the honor of His kings and Priests to search out the matter.

....He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. May the Gracious Lord give us all Wisdom and Understanding in the Study of His most Holy word. Amen!

Peace,

Footnotes

[Return.]     1. The Significance of the Numbers In Scripture - By Tony Warren
                        ( http://www.mountainretreatorg.net/bible/numbers.html )


Copyright ©1994 Tony Warren
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