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THE KING’S BUSINESS
if the Woman had really known who it was who was speaking to her ¡and what He could .give, she would have been the asker and not' He, for thirsty as He was, she had a deeper thirst and ctie that more needed satisfaction. ' The Jews were familiar with the use of the phrase “ living water” as ap plied to the quickening energies which proceed from Jehovah Himself (Zech. 14:8; Jer. 2:13; 17: 13). But the Lord Jesus was about to give a more definite and fuller meaning of this familiar phrase. The whole verse indicates that the Lord Jesus Himself is the Giver of the Holy Ghost, and that the three conditions necessary on our part in order to receive the Holy Ghost are First, that we know that there is such a Gift; Second, that we know Jesus Himself, the Giver of the G ift; Third, that we simply ask Jesus to bestow the Gift of the Holy Ghost up us (cf. Luke 11:13). If she had asked of Him, He would have given and if we ask, He will give. By speaking of Himself as the Giver of the Holy Ghost, and thus the foun tain of living waters, the Lord clearly claims Deity for Himself. Nobody but God can give the Holy Ghost and in the Old Testament it is Jehovah, and Jehovah only, who is “ the fountain of living waters” (Jer. 2:13). Even more clearly in verse 14 does Jesus set Himself forth as being the One who gives the Holy Ghost and thus claims the position of Deity for Himself. V. 11. "The xvoman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the zvell is deep: from (omit, from) whence then hast thou that liv ing water (rather, the water, the liv ing).” The woman is evidently softening; there is still a measure of hesitation and of doubt and a disposition to argue, but she more and more clearly
from the Prince o f Givers, who was right there with her. The purpose of Jesus’ answer was to awaken in that sleeping soul a desire for the great gift of God and a realization of Whom He Himself was. The gift of Gpd to which the Lord Jesus here refers, as the context and .other passages show, was the real living water of which the best earthly water was but a type and suggestion, namelv, the Holy Ghost (vs. 13, 14, cf. ch.'7:37- 39). Any one who really knew this gift of God would long for it. Alas ! that there are so many today even in our churches who do not know it. They have heard of it but have the dimmest sort of apprehension of what it all means. Oh, that all might really know this “ gift of God,” what it really means and brings. If also she had known who the One speaking with her was, namely, the Christ, the Son of God, the Giver of the gift o f God, the Holy Ghost (Matt. 3:11; ch. 1:33; Acts 2:32, 33), she would have at once asked of Him regardless of the fact that He was a Jew and she was a Samaritan, and He on His part would have heard her prayer and granted her then and there the living water. Before she was done with Him, she did come to know in a measure the gift of God, and who it was that said to her “ Give me to drink,” and did ask of Him and re ceive. The living water was “ the gift of God,” the Holy Ghost, and why this gift of God is called “ living water” we will see later. In a sense the water in Jacob’s well might be called “ living water,” but far better than the water that had been welling up in that spring for âges was the true living water which Christ Himself could and would give. The Second “ Thou” in this verse is wry emphatic, the thought being that
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