Bible
Study
2014 North Dakota District
Fall Rally
Draw from the Well of Salvation
In 1887, work began on the largest hand-dug well in the
United States. A team of 12 men dug for
over a year to produce the “Big Well” in Greensburg, Kansas. The well is 32 feet in diameter, and goes
down to a depth of 109 feet. It was
built at a staggering cost (for 1887) of $45,000, to provide water for the
Santa Fe and Rock Island railroads which passed nearby, as well as drinking
water for the town citizens.
Over the years the railroads changed from steam locomotives
to diesel, eliminating their need for the water the “Big Well” provided – but
still water flowed in its depths. The
town dug a new more modern well in 1932, one that could pump the water directly
into your home, eliminating the work of pulling a bucket on a rope. In May 2007, a giant tornado ripped through
the town of Greensburg, filling the Big Well with debris from the town. Yet through it all, the “Big Well” still has
water in it to this day. Repairs to the
well have been made, and you can walk down spiral stairs to the very bottom,
and see the water of the “Big Well” up close and personal.
Water still flows from the “Big Well” – even today!
In a similar way, Holy Scripture speaks of the “Well of
Salvation” that flows with God’s grace and mercy. It flows with the forgiveness earned by Jesus
into our own lives, despite our many sins and shortcomings. It comes and washes us in water and the Word,
so that we are God’s holy precious children, adopted heirs of Christ. It flows that we may be made whiter than
snow.
Prayer: Dear Lord
Jesus Christ, our sins are as scarlet, marking us as guilty people. Wash us, and make us whiter than snow with
the water of life that flows from the wells of salvation. In your holy name we pray, Amen.
Isaiah 12
You will say in that
day:
“I will give thanks
to you, O Lord,
for though you were
angry with me,
your anger turned
away,
that you might
comfort me.
2 “Behold, God is my
salvation;
I will trust, and
will not be afraid;
for the Lord God is
my strength and my song,
and he has become my
salvation.”
3 With joy you will
draw water from the wells of salvation. 4 And you will say in that day:
“Give thanks to the
Lord,
call upon his name,
make known his deeds
among the peoples,
proclaim that his
name is exalted.
5 “Sing praises to
the Lord, for he has done gloriously;
let this be made
known in all the earth.
6 Shout, and sing for
joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
for great in your
midst is the Holy One of Israel.”
Read Isaiah 12:1 You will say in that day: “I will give thanks to you, O LORD for though
you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort
me.”
What does it mean “in that day”?
Why would God be angry with us?
See 1 John 1:8 and Deuteronomy 5:9b
Are you a sinner? How
do you know? Romans 3:9-18
Luther’s Catechism on the Office of the Keys: Am I a sinner?
“Consider your place in life according to the Ten
Commandments: Are you a father, mother,
son, daughter, husband, wife or worker?
Have you been disobedient, unfaithful or lazy? Have you been hot-tempered, rude or
quarrelsome? Have you hurt someone by
your words or deeds? Have you stolen,
been negligent, wasted anything, or done any harm?”
What have you deserved from God because of your sins?
See Romans 2:5 and Romans 6:21-23
Whom did God’s anger fall in your place? Why has God’s anger turned away?
See 1 Thessalonians 5:9 and 1 John 4:10.
What promise then do we have from God because of Jesus?
See 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 and 1 Peter 2:24
Read Isaiah 12:2 “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust,
and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has
become my salvation.”
What does it mean that “God is my salvation”?
See Luke 23:33-34 and Ephesians 2:4-5
Can we by our own strength trust in God or believe?
See 1 Corinthians 2:4, Romans 8:7 and Ephesians 2:1
How can we as sinners ever hope to trust or believe
then? See Romans 1:16 and the
explanation for the third article of the creed in the Small Catechism.
“I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength
believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has
called me by the Gospel…
Where is it that Christ’s work on the cross comes to me, to
forgive my sin?
See Titus 3:4-7 and Colossians 2:11-14
Are these words familiar?
We sing them in the Liturgy in the service of Prayer and Preaching. (See the end of our study.)
Read Isaiah 12:3 “With joy you will draw water from the
wells of salvation.”
What is the well of salvation?
See Ephesians 1:13, 1 Peter 3:18-21, and Matthew 26:26-28
Let’s focus specifically on the “water” aspect. What “well” have you been washed in? Where does that “well/font” sit in your
church? Why?
Many churches have their baptismal font in the back entry
way of the church so that you must pass through baptismal waters to enter the
church – symbolic of the way God called us to be Christians in baptism. One Missouri Synod Church has that symbolism
carried even further. Their baptismal
font overflows into a stream that one must cross to enter into their altar rail
and receive the Lord’s Supper for forgiveness, life, and salvation – a great
reminder that in baptism you’ve drowned your sin with Jesus and risen to new
life.
Many baptismal fonts are 8 sided, as the number 8 is a
symbol of eternity and re-creation.
Jesus died on the sixth day of the week (Good Friday) rested in the tomb
and rose again on the eighth day of the week – Easter Sunday.
Read Romans 6:3-10.
What promise do we have in our baptism?
What does baptism do to the Christian?
See Mark 16:16, Galatians 3:27 and Acts 22:16.
The Small Catechism says it this way: “What benefits does baptism give? It works forgiveness of sins, rescues from
death and the devil, and gives eternal life to all who believe this as the
words and promises of Christ declare.”
If there’s time – see John chapter 4, where Jesus meets a
woman at a well, and tells her about the living waters He offers. If she partakes in Christ’s living waters,
she shall never thirst again, and they will well up within her to eternal
life.
How does this relate to our study?
Does the well of salvation in baptism really promise us
eternal life with Christ?
See Revelation 7:9-17.
When are the above words often read?
What do they promise?
They promise that Christ will lead us to springs of living waters, and
wipe all tears from our eyes.
Read Isaiah 12:4-6
“And you will say in that day:
“Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among
the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted.
“Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be made
known in all the earth. Shout, and sing
for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of
Israel.”
Whose work is baptism?
Who has done gloriously?
Whose deeds are done among the people?
Why is that good news to us sinful people?
To whom alone do we owe our salvation?
What then do we do in response to the salvation given to us
in baptism?
Pray the Lord’s Prayer
Dear Lord, today You have brought me to the well of
salvation – the baptismal font – where You washed away all my sins, and made me
well in the promises of Christ. Because
of Your great mercy and work on my behalf, I am able to “give thanks to the
Lord, call upon Your name, and make known Your deeds among the peoples.” Keep me in that baptismal faith, all the days
of my life, that they may well up into living waters with in me forever.
Amen
To close, sing “The Lord God is my Strength and My
Song” on the next pages.
The Old Testament Canticle based on Isaiah 12
