Jewish Well of Salvation
The Jewish Well of Salvation is a spiritual analogy that speaks of how Abraham secured his rights to claim the well which he dug at Beersheba for all following generations. In the same way, the Jews forever hold the rights to claim salvation originated with them and came from them and was provided by God through their Jewish culture and through their own Jewish Messiah.
To understand the meaning of a “Spiritual Analogy” the lesson about the book of Ruth is helpful.
See the link “Ruth-A Spiritual Analogy” for more details.
Well at Beersheba Represents the Well of Salvation
The Jewish Well of Salvation refers to the fact that salvation originates with the Jews. There is no other Name by which humans can be saved except by the Name of Yeshua (Jesus) the Jewish Messiah.
John 4:22 (NIV2011)
22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.
Jesus told the Gentile Samaritan woman that they do not know what they are worshipping because salvation is from the Jews. Whenever Gentiles suppose that they can find their own way of salvation by inventing their own false religion then they are in error. There is only one way of salvation and this comes from the Jewish Messiah Yeshua.
Acts 4:11-12 (CJB)
11 “This Yeshua is the stone rejected by you builders which has become the cornerstone.
12 There is salvation in no one else! For there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by whom we must be saved!”
There is no other Name by which humans can be saved except the Name of Yeshua. God has provided salvation through no one else besides Jesus the Jewish Messiah. Therefore, salvation is from the Jews only and there is no other avenue to come to God except through Yeshua (Jesus) the Jewish Messiah.
John 10:7-9 (NIV)
7 Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.
8 All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.
9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.
Jesus is the only way of salvation for all humanity and he is the gate for the sheep. All who falsely assume to offer any other way of salvation are false cult leaders and false shepherds seeking only ensnare souls into hell by their false religions. Only through Jesus can the sheep come into salvation and go out and find real “spiritual” pasture to feed their souls.
Tower of Babel
Genesis 11:3-4 (NASB)
3 They said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.” And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar.
4 They said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”
The Tower of Babel represents mankind’s rebellion against God and seeking to create their own man-made way to heaven. These people tried to build a tower that reached into the heavens symbolizing a false salvation derived from human self-effort. Each of the hundreds of millions of bricks represent all of the multitudes of “human-invented” false religions that ensnare human souls into hell.
See the link “Religious Vultures” for more details.
Gentiles Wandering Aimlessly Without God
Genesis 21:14 (NLT2)
14 So Abraham got up early the next morning, prepared food and a container of water, and strapped them on Hagar’s shoulders. Then he sent her away with their son, and she wandered aimlessly in the wilderness of Beersheba.
Beersheba is where Abraham and Isaac and Jacob all heard God speak to them. This is where Isaac dug a well and this represents salvation that was created through the Jews. But Hagar was wandering aimlessly in the wilderness of Beersheba walking around in the parched desert even though she was very near Beersheba which represents the well of salvation!
The wilderness or desert represents a place of no water and no life and best describes the Gentiles who were apart from God and who have no inheritance among the children of Israel (the possessors of salvation).
Wandering Aramean
Deuteronomy 26:5 (NASB)
5 “You shall answer and say before the LORD your God, ‘My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down to Egypt and sojourned there, few in number; but there he became a great, mighty and populous nation.
This speaks of how Hagar the Egyptian slave represents Abraham and his descendants (who became slaves in Egypt). This happened after Jacob went to Egypt during the famine and become a great and populous nation there. The reason for this great multiplication was that God wanted to multiply one man into a great nation so his descendants would bring positive godly influence upon all of the pagan nations of the earth.
Hagar the slave was wandering aimlessly around in the wilderness of Beersheba. This also speaks of the aimless ways of the ungodly who had no hope and are without God on earth.
Gentiles Without God in the World
Ephesians 2:12 (NASB)
12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
The Gentiles were separated from Christ and excluded from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise God made with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. They had no hope and they were left without God in the world.
This is a picture of Hagar the Egyptian slave wandering aimlessly in the desert of Beersheba so near to salvation but at the same time so far away from it!
Genesis 21:19 (NLT2)
19 Then God opened Hagar’s eyes, and she saw a well full of water. She quickly filled her water container and gave the boy a drink.
Hagar had her eyes opened to see a well she never saw before even though she was sitting right beside it. This speaks of Gentiles seeing salvation when they hear the gospel for the first time.
Salvation in Your Mouth
Romans 10:8-13 (NIV)
8 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming:
9 That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
11 As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”
12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile–the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,
13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Hagar was sitting by a well of water even as she sat there dying of thirst. God opened her eyes to see the well and she got water for herself and her son. In the same way salvation is not far away from humans but is in fact in their own mouth. They only have to speak and ask the Lord for salvation by faith and they will be saved. The word of salvation is near to them just like Hagar sitting by a well as she was dying of thirst. Whoever calls upon the Name of the Lord will be saved. Salvation is like a well of water within their hearts springing up to everlasting life.
John 4:13-14 (NIV)
13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,
14 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.”
Jesus said that salvation is like a well of water within the hearts of those who believe and it springs up the water of salvation to eternal life.
Acts 26:17-18 (NLT2)
17 And I will rescue you from both your own people and the Gentiles. Yes, I am sending you to the Gentiles
18 to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.’
God send the Apostle Paul to preach the gospel to the Gentiles and to open their eyes to see salvation available only in Jesus. This was done to turn them from darkness to the light and from the power of Satan to God. In this manner, the Gentiles could also receive forgiveness for their sin and be given a place among God’s people who are set apart by faith in Jesus.
The unbelieving Gentiles are like Hagar sitting beside a well of life she does not know exists. But when their eyes are opened by the truth of the gospel then they can see salvation and only have to call upon the Name of the Lord to be saved. It is as simple as drinking from a well that is right next to them. Salvation is as close as their own mouth so they only have to call upon the Name of the Lord to be saved.
Jews Were First to Receive Salvation
Matthew 10:5-8 (NIV)
5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans.
6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.
7 As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’
8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
The disciples of Jesus were first instructed to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. This means that the preaching of the gospel (and salvation) was to begin with the Jews first.
Acts 2:5-12 (NIV2011)
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.
6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.
7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?
8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?
9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome
11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”
12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
On the day of Pentecost, the Jewish Apostles first preached to the Jews. These Jews came from every country and city on earth and were in Jerusalem for observing religious festival. All of these people heard the Apostles declaring the wonders of God using their own native languages.
Jewish Salvation
Acts 2:36-41 (NIV)
36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off–for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”
41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
The Apostle Peter preached the gospel to these Jewish people and that day they had about 3,000-Jewish believers added to their number. These same Jewish believers later returned home again to their respective nations and cities and they became the seed God used to spread the gospel to all nations.
Salvation is much like seed which causes plants to multiply and spread over the whole earth. When each believer shares the gospel with others and they become believers also then the gospel has the potential to spread throughout all societies and cities and nations and even future generations.
Gentiles Trust in Messiah
Romans 15:9-12 (NLT2)
9 He also came so that the Gentiles might give glory to God for his mercies to them. That is what the psalmist meant when he wrote: “For this, I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing praises to your name.”
10 And in another place it is written, “Rejoice with his people, you Gentiles.”
11 And yet again, “Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles. Praise him, all you people of the earth.”
12 And in another place Isaiah said, “The heir to David’s throne will come, and he will rule over the Gentiles. They will place their hope on him.”
It was the plan of God to bring salvation through the Jews for all of the nations of the Gentiles on earth. The Gentiles would put their hope in Yeshua the Jewish Messiah for their salvation.
Genesis 18:18 (NIV)
18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.
God promised that all nations on earth (all of the Gentiles) would be blessed through Abraham and his descendants (the Jews). This blessing most certainly includes the gift of salvation which comes from the Jewish Messiah Yeshua (Jesus).
Jews are Abraham’s Chosen Descendants
The people who were led out of Egypt by Moses were given the ordinance of “Passover” by God. Until today the only race of people who celebrate Passover are the Jewish people. This identifies that these are the very descendants of the same people whom Moses led forth out of Egypt during the Exodus. It was specifically the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who inherited the promise and it was from this Jewish lineage that Yeshua the Jewish Messiah was born.
Acts 4:10-12 (CJB)
10 then let it be known to you and to all the people of Isra’el that it is in the name of the Messiah, Yeshua from Natzeret, whom you had executed on a stake as a criminal but whom God has raised from the dead, that this man stands before you perfectly healed.
11 “This Yeshua is the stone rejected by you builders which has become the cornerstone.
12 There is salvation in no one else! For there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by whom we must be saved!”
There is no other Name by which humans can be saved except for the Name of Yeshua (Jesus) the Jewish Messiah!
Salvation like a Well of Water
John 7:37-38 (NIV)
37 On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.
38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”
Jesus compared salvation to having a well of water within the heart of a believer to satisfy their spiritual thirst continually.
Revelation 7:13-17 (NIV)
13 Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes–who are they, and where did they come from?”
14 I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 Therefore, “they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them.
16 Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat.
17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
These people obeyed God during the tribulation period and were faithful unto death and escaped eternal damnation as a result. The Lord will lead them to springs of living water and this speaks of the leading of God by the Spirit of the Lord that dwells within every believer when they are saved.
See the link “Led by the Spirit” for more details.
Salvation is like having a spring of water inside of them to have the Spirit of God dwelling within and hearing God’s voice guiding them continually. But disobedience will stop the flow of God’s communications because like Saul God will not speak to those who are disobedient.
Cut Off from God’s Voice by Disobedience
1 Samuel 28:6 (NASB)
6 When Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by prophets.
Saul had been anointed by God as the first King of Israel but he fell away from God through disobedience. God stopped speaking to Saul after he disobeyed and the voice of God stopped like a spring which dries up. To be cut off from God’s voice is like wandering in a desert and being parched with thirst where no water to be found whatsoever.
Obedience to the Gospel
2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 (NIV2011)
8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.
All humans who do not obey the gospel of salvation (found only in Jesus the Jewish Messiah) will be punished with everlasting destruction. They will be shut out from the presence of the Lord. God cannot dwell in the presence of sin and those who refuse to accept salvation as a free-gift will not have their sins washed away. Therefore, they are separated from God just like King Saul who was cut off from God’s presence and God never spoke to him again.
Isaiah 59:2 (NIV)
2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
Disobedience cuts humans off from God because all disobedience is sin. God does not speak to those who do not obey him. Abraham was God’s friend because Abraham obeyed God in all things even offering his only son Isaac as an offering. Obedience opens the door to fellowship with God and obedience to the gospel (to be saved) is the first requirement of God.
Amos 8:11-14 (NLT2)
11 “The time is surely coming,” says the Sovereign LORD, “when I will send a famine on the land— not a famine of bread or water but of hearing the words of the LORD.
12 People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from border to border searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it.
13 Beautiful girls and strong young men will grow faint in that day, thirsting for the LORD’s word.
14 And those who swear by the shameful idols of Samaria— who take oaths in the name of the god of Dan and make vows in the name of the god of Beersheba— they will all fall down, never to rise again.”
King Saul was cut off from the voice of God by his disobedience (sin) and when people do not humble themselves to obey the gospel and be saved then they are also in sin. God does not speak to such people because they have separated themselves from God by their sin. People will search far and near trying to find the word of the Lord but they will not find it. It will be a famine of God’s word and they will thirst for it like a man dying of dehydration in the desert seeks to have water. God does not speak to humans who refuse to obey his commands and this silence is like a famine of food or a lack of water to drink in a hot and dry place.
Jeremiah 17:5-6 (NIV)
5 This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD.
6 He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.
Those who trust in humans for their strength can also include those who depend on the false-hope of “man-made” false religions for their own salvation instead of calling upon the Name of the Lord. They will be like a bush in the wastelands and dwell in the parched places of the desert in a salt land where no one lives. This speaks of those who are in a spiritual wasteland of false religion and are cut off from God’s voice (like a well of water within them having been dried up). Such people become dry and desolate spiritually for this reason.
Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NIV)
7 “But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.
8 He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
Again, those who drink of the well of salvation will have the voice of the Spirit of God guiding them and leading them. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends its roots out by the stream. It has no fear in the year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. Such are the believers who drink continually from the well of salvation that wells up within them. They will never become spiritually parched or dry or desolate but always hear God’s communications.
Temple of the Holy Spirit
1 Corinthians 6:19 (NLT2)
19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself,
The believers are temples of the Holy Spirit who dwells on the inside of them. He is like a well of water refreshing them with salvation continually at all times!
Romans 8:14-16 (NASB)
14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”
16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,
The Spirit of God leads the believer and guides them into all truth and dwells within them. The Spirit of God testifies to the human spirit of a born-again believer that they are a child of God. This is all part of the well of salvation when the believer hears the voice of God who leads them in every step that they take.
Salvation from the Well of Abraham
Isaiah 51:1-2 (NASB)
1 “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, Who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were hewn And to the quarry from which you were dug.
2 “Look to Abraham your father And to Sarah who gave birth to you in pain; When he was but one I called him, Then I blessed him and multiplied him.”
Abraham was noted as a man of obedience to God even offering his son Isaac in obedience to what God had said, just as God later offered his only Son Yeshua as a sacrifice for the sin of all mankind.
Looking to the rock from which they were hewn could also be related to how men may chisel through rock and stone while digging a well to reach a water flow beneath. Abraham and Sarah were the parents of the promised son Isaac and through his descendants the Jews brought salvation to the whole world!
Luke 2:4-7 (NIV)
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.
5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.
6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,
7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Jesus was born of the lineage of King David according to God’s promise.
Luke 2:11 (CJB)
11 This very day, in the town of David, there was born for you a Deliverer who is the Messiah, the Lord.
The angels announced to the shepherds that in the town of David as deliverer and the Messiah was born!
Romans 1:2-6 (NLT2)
2 God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures.
3 The Good News is about his Son, Jesus. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line,
4 and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.
5 Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name.
6 And you are included among those Gentiles who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ.
Jesus was born into the lineage of King David and he was also the Son of God and sacrificed himself as an offering for the sins of all humanity and was raised from the dead. This salvation also was made available to all Jews as well as the Gentiles.
This shows that it was from the lineage of Abraham’s descendants and most specifically of the lineage of King David that the Messiah was born according to God’s preordained plan.
Luke 18:37-38 (NLT2)
37 They told him that Jesus the Nazarene was going by.
38 So he began shouting, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Jesus was often referred to as the “Son of David” because of the Old Testament prophecies which predicted in advance that the Jewish Messiah would be born of the lineage of King David.
Abraham’s Well of Salvation
When Abraham dug a well at Beersheba it had great spiritual significance as representing the well-of-salvation provided for both Jews and Gentiles through the lineage of Abraham and his future descendant King David.
Genesis 22:15-19 (NASB)
15 Then the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven,
16 and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son,
17 indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies.
18 “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham lived at Beersheba.
It must be noted that after Abraham obeyed God to offer his only son Isaac then God swore that he would bless him for his obedience. This is a type and a shadow of God offering is own Son Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah. In fact, the location in Abraham’s day (where he offered Isaac) pointed to the same location over 2,000 years later where the temple was built and where Jesus the only Son of God was offered nearby as a sacrifice for the sins of all humanity.
Mount Moriah Location of Sacrifice of Jesus
Genesis 22:1-2 (NASB)
1 Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
2 He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.”
Abraham went to the land of Moriah to a specific location that later was the site of the first Temple built by Solomon.
2 Chronicles 3:1 (NASB)
1 Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
Solomon build the first temple on Mount Moriah which was the site David made an offering to the Lord on the threshing floor of Oran the Jebusite (near Jerusalem). This was the same location that over 2,000-years earlier Abraham had offered his only son Isaac in obedience to God’s commands.
This pointed to the sacrifice of Jesus who was also crucified just outside of Jerusalem and who was the only begotten Son of God whose sacrifice of himself paid for the sins of all humanity past and present and future.
The obedience of Abraham is tied into salvation just as he offered his only son Isaac as God offered his only Son Jesus.
Genesis 22:15-19 (NASB)
15 Then the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven,
16 and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son,
17 indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies.
18 “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham lived at Beersheba.
God promised that he would bless the lineage of Abraham and his descendants through Isaac and through them (the Jewish race) all the nations of the earth would be blessed by having the free gift of salvation offered to whoever would receive it by faith.
After Abraham offered his son Isaac on Mount Moriah then he returned to Beersheba and lived there. This relates this name place to “salvation” and living as a believer in complete obedience to the Lord.
Gentiles Come to Abraham
Genesis 21:22-24 (NLT2)
22 About this time, Abimelech came with Phicol, his army commander, to visit Abraham. “God is obviously with you, helping you in everything you do,” Abimelech said.
23 “Swear to me in God’s name that you will never deceive me, my children, or any of my descendants. I have been loyal to you, so now swear that you will be loyal to me and to this country where you are living as a foreigner.”
24 Abraham replied, “Yes, I swear to it!”
The Gentile Philistine ruler Abimelech and Phicol his army commander came to visit Abraham and said that they could obviously see that God was helping Abraham in everything that he did and God’s blessing was upon Abraham. These Gentiles did not know God but they recognized God’s blessing upon Abraham and wanted to make a treaty with him. This is a type and a shadow which speaks of the Gentiles coming to salvation which is only found among the Jews and through their Jewish Messiah Yeshua.
Asking Abraham not to deal falsely with them speaks of the fact that Abraham had the real source of salvation and worshiped the One True God and he was not offering a “false salvation” like all of the pagan religions invented by mankind.
No One Should Forget that Salvation Comes from the Jews
Genesis 21:25-30 (NLT2)
25 Then Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well that Abimelech’s servants had taken by force from Abraham’s servants.
26 “This is the first I’ve heard of it,” Abimelech answered. “I have no idea who is responsible. You have never complained about this before.”
27 Abraham then gave some of his sheep, goats, and cattle to Abimelech, and they made a treaty.
28 But Abraham also took seven additional female lambs and set them off by themselves.
29 Abimelech asked, “Why have you set these seven apart from the others?”
30 Abraham replied, “Please accept these seven lambs to show your agreement that I dug this well.”
The gospel has spread to all nations and all generations of people for over 2,000-years since Jesus was raised from the dead. Often however Gentiles forget all about the fact that salvation is from the Jews and the Jews were the author of it and the source of salvation which came through their Jewish Messiah. When Gentiles read the bible (as if in a vacuum) they often forget that it is completely Jewish in origin.
Abraham complained that the servants of Abimelech had taken away the well he had dug and claimed it for themselves. This type of thing can also happen when Gentiles falsely suppose the gospel is of Gentile-origin and they falsely assume that they have no more need of the Jews.
Abraham wanted to have a lasting testimony that he dug this well (which has spiritual significance to his “well of salvation” which came from Jewish origin). In order to ratify the agreement Abraham gave seven-ewe lambs to Abimelech which speaks of something that is capable of producing offspring for generations to come. It is possible that even 2,000-years later there could be sheep which descended from these original seven ewe lambs (as long as no one ate them all but allowed them to reproduce). These ewes were to represent a lasting witness that Abraham had dug that well.
And so, there is spiritual significance present here that even over 2,000 years after Jesus sacrificed himself for all humanity and his sacrifice and the resulting “well-of-salvation” has its origin exclusively with the Jews!
John 1:29 (NASB)
29 The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
John knew that Jesus was the Passover Lamb to take away the sins of the whole world. It was God who ordained the Passover sacrifice of a lamb without blemish and this was a type and shadow that spoke of future things when Jesus would come and sacrifice himself as a Lamb of God to take away the sins of the whole world!
See the link “Atonement Series” and [Jesus our Lamb] for more details.
Salvation originated with the Jews and their sacrificial system taught humans that atonement must be made for sin (as the innocent die for the guilty). In the same way this spoke of the sacrificial work of Jesus when the innocent Son of God died on behalf of all wicked humanity just like the Passover Lamb that was sacrificed in order that God’s judgment would pass over those who were sinners.
Beersheba Represents the Well of Salvation
Genesis 21:30-33 (NLT2)
30 Abraham replied, “Please accept these seven lambs to show your agreement that I dug this well.”
31 Then he named the place Beersheba (which means “well of the oath”), because that was where they had sworn the oath.
32 After making their covenant at Beersheba, Abimelech left with Phicol, the commander of his army, and they returned home to the land of the Philistines.
33 Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there he worshiped the LORD, the Eternal God.
So, the seven ewe lambs could reproduce for all of the following generations just as the animals on earth today are all descendants of the animals God created in the beginning just before he created Adam. These ewe lambs represent a witness for all following generations and speak of the fact that Abraham dug that well and that well speaks of the “Well of Salvation” which every human can receive by faith in Jesus the Jewish Messiah.
Abraham also planted a tree at this time which is known for long-life and also has the potential to produce seeds. So, a tree can reproduce more trees just as all of the trees on earth today descended from the original trees God created in the beginning.
1 Corinthians 2:7-8 (NLT2)
7 No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began.
8 But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord.
Before God created the world and before any human was created God already knew in his foreknowledge that mankind would fall into sin. Therefore, God prepared a sacrifice of his own son before the world began. God already predestined Jesus to come and sacrifice himself before mankind existed and before they fell into transgression.
This plan of salvation was affected through the descendants of Abraham God’s friend and specifically through the promised son Isaac and thus salvation comes only through the Jews.
This fact should never be forgotten because the Gentiles owe the Jews a great debt that they can never repay! It was through the Jews and their Jewish Messiah that all the nations of the earth have come into salvation. There have been billions of Gentiles saved in all nations since the time that Yeshua (Jesus) the Jewish Messiah died on the cross until today.
Wells of Isaac
Genesis 26:19-22 (NIV)
19 Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there.
20 But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen and said, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Esek, because they disputed with him.
21 Then they dug another well, but they quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah.
22 He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth, saying, “Now the LORD has given us room and we will flourish in the land.”
Isaac also dug wells but the Gentile shepherds in Gear claimed that the well he had dug for themselves. This also has spiritual significance when Gentiles falsely assume that the “well of salvation” they have received is their own but in fact it is as well dug by the Jews that provides them with their spiritual refreshing.
Then Isaac dug another well and the Gentiles again claimed it for themselves saying it was theirs (even after it was dug by Isaac and his men). Again, this shows Gentiles taking credit for the salvation they received as a free gift (without working for it) when it was provided to them via the Jews!
Then for the third time Isaac and his men dug another well and this time no one tried to seize it from him. This means that he provided more than enough wells and met the needs of everyone and had some to spare for himself as well.
This can also be used to illustrate the Jewish concept called “Tikkun olam” (Hebrew for “world repair”) when the Jewish people make the world a better place. The greatest thing they provided of course is salvation for all humanity through their Jewish Messiah Yeshua. But they also have brought great natural blessing and civilization to every area on earth.
Even in the early American West many of the cities were under the leadership of Jewish mayors or other Jewish civic leaders and the Jews provided professional services and merchant services and banking services and trades which resulted in causing early pioneer towns to become civilized.
See the link “Jewish Pioneers” for more details.
This is an example of “Tikkun Olam” in making the world a better place. In fact, the United States rose up to be the most prosperous and advanced nation on earth with only a short 200-year history because they based their civil laws and sanitation laws and all laws for governing upon the Jewish Torah (which reveals these principles for living). This foundation of God’s laws was derived from the Bible and is what caused the nation to prosper. There can be no business environment for prosperity apart from the moral foundation of God’s word. All of these good things can be traced to the Jews who received God’s laws on Mount Sinai as recorded by Moses.
In the same way, Isaac was digging wells for others to be blessed and finally he was able to dig his own for his own use. This is the nature of Jewish people to bring blessing to others even before they also partake of the blessing which they create.
Genesis 26:23-25 (NLT2)
23 From there Isaac moved to Beersheba,
24 where the LORD appeared to him on the night of his arrival. “I am the God of your father, Abraham,” he said. “Do not be afraid, for I am with you and will bless you. I will multiply your descendants, and they will become a great nation. I will do this because of my promise to Abraham, my servant.”
25 Then Isaac built an altar there and worshiped the LORD. He set up his camp at that place, and his servants dug another well.
After digging four wells then Isaac moved to Beersheba and dug yet another well. When he arrived in Beersheba the Lord appeared to him that very night. God confirmed his blessing which was given to his father Abraham and now had given to Isaac. God promised that through the descendants of Isaac (the Jewish race) that he would become a great nation. It was through this great Jewish Nation that God was able to bring blessing to all of the nations of the Gentiles on earth! The Gentiles were blessed by free salvation for anyone who would call upon the Lord by faith and they were also blessed when Jewish people created wealth and build civilizations where none previously existed. The Jews most certainly made the world a better place to live in with benefits too numerous to mention.
See the link “Wisdom of the Jewish People” for more details.
Genesis 26:26-33 (NLT2)
26 One day King Abimelech came from Gerar with his adviser, Ahuzzath, and also Phicol, his army commander.
27 “Why have you come here?” Isaac asked. “You obviously hate me, since you kicked me off your land.”
28 They replied, “We can plainly see that the LORD is with you. So, we want to enter into a sworn treaty with you. Let’s make a covenant.
29 Swear that you will not harm us, just as we have never troubled you. We have always treated you well, and we sent you away from us in peace. And now look how the LORD has blessed you!”
30 So Isaac prepared a covenant feast to celebrate the treaty, and they ate and drank together.
31 Early the next morning, they each took a solemn oath not to interfere with each other. Then Isaac sent them home again, and they left him in peace.
32 That very day Isaac’s servants came and told him about a new well they had dug. “We’ve found water!” they exclaimed.
33 So Isaac named the well Shibah (which means “oath”). And to this day the town that grew up there is called Beersheba (which means “well of the oath”).
Again, in the time of Isaac a man named Abimelech and his army commander Phicol and an advisor named Ahuzzath came to see Isaac. It is interesting that they have the same names as the men who also visited his father Abraham. It is possible that these men outlived Abraham or otherwise they may have had the same names or titles. This however speaks of the fact that this same agreement formerly made with Abraham was again also ratified with Abraham’s son Isaac.
Isaac did not offer any livestock or plant a tree as Abraham did because that was already accomplished previously and was good for all generations to follow. But Isaac did swear an oath with these Gentile leaders.
It is interesting that the very same day that Isaac swore an oath with these Gentiles that his servants again struck water in the well they were digging. They named this well Beersheba or well of oath.
Exodus 6:7-8 (NIV)
7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.
8 And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD.'”
God swore an oath to bring his people Israel into the land which he had given to Abraham and Isaac and to Jacob (the three patriarchs of the Jewish nation). God swore to give them this land with his own uplifted hand!
Bringing the people of God out of slavery in Egypt ties this into salvation because prior to salvation unbelievers are in bondage to sin and are slaves to sin just as the Israelites were slaves in Egypt for 430-years.
The Exodus from Egypt and the drowning of Pharaoh’s army represents salvation and the death to their old self that was in bondage to their sin nature which keeps humans in slavery to sin. Overcoming the Promised Land speaks of overcoming on earth so that they can be people of faith and enter into the eternal kingdom of God.
God Speaks to Jacob in Beersheba
Genesis 46:1-7 (NIV2011)
1 So Israel set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.
2 And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, “Jacob! Jacob!” “Here I am,” he replied.
3 “I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there.
4 I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.”
5 Then Jacob left Beersheba, and Israel’s sons took their father Jacob and their children and their wives in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to transport him.
6 So Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt, taking with them their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in Canaan.
7 Jacob brought with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters—all his offspring.
During the famine Jacob left the land of Israel to move to Egypt to be cared for by his son Joseph. On the journey to Egypt Jacob stopped at Beersheba in southern Israel and God spoke to him in a vision at night. God promised Jacob that he would multiply his descendants to become a great and populous nation. In Egypt the descendants of Jacob remained for 430-years and multiplied to be over 600,000 Jewish families. This was a large enough population to have a positive and godly effect upon all of the Gentile nations on earth. These were the people brought out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses and these people received the Jewish Torah from God himself on Mount Sinai.
This Torah later became the foundation of all western civilization and caused all nations to be improved and uplifted and civilized in ways too numerous to be listed here.
Both Abraham and Isaac dwelt in Beersheba and had wells there and God spoke to both men in this place. Jacob (Israel) also was in Beersheba when God spoke to him the same as he also spoke to his father and grand-father before him. When God speaks to humans it is like a well of living water and it represents salvation when the Holy Spirit dwells within the hearts of believers and speaks to them and communicates God’s will and plan for their lives. The wells dug by Abraham and Isaac at Beersheba represent that salvation comes from the Jews and it provides living water for all humanity. Jacob received the same promise from God as his forefathers. He carried this promise in his heart to Egypt and his descendants became the source of the lineage of Yeshua (born as the son of King David).
Again, it should be noted that salvation has come from the Jews and the Gentiles should never forget this fact. Salvation is not something they invented for themselves (like false religions do) but salvation came by God’s instigation and it came specifically through the Jewish race and their Jewish Messiah.
All people on earth from every nation owe the Jews a great debt of gratitude for their salvation and also for the advancement and civilization which has its foundation based upon the Jewish Torah. All things good come from the Jews and Gentiles should never forget it.