My dear readers,

Proverbs 11:25 “The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.” [synonymous parallelism]

Water is a critical life source for the world. Without water, no life can exist. With water, life begins and continues. For the Israelites in the Middle East, water was more treasured than in other parts of the world, with copious amounts of fresh water, including freshwater lakes, regular annual rainfall, melting snow from snow-capped mountains, and deep underground lakes. God told Israel when they entered the Promised Land that it would not be like Egypt, with a constant supply of water from the mighty River Nile. They needed to depend on the LORD to provide the early and latter rain for their annual survival. When neither the early nor the latter rain comes, the Promised Land would suffer as well as all who lived in it.

Deuteronomy 11:10-15 “For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs: 11 But the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven: 12 A land which the LORD thy God careth for: the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year. 13 And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, 14 That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. 15 And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full.”

The LORD gave the reason for the clear delineation of Israel’s dependence on the early and latter rain, given in the preceding two verses. Deuteronomy 11:8-9 “Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go to possess it; 9 And that ye may prolong your days in the land, which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land that floweth with milk and honey.” By this constant dependence on the early and latter rain for their survival, the LORD had designed a survival system for His people, reminding them of the pitfall of carnality if they were to forget the LORD and turn to idols. Deuteronomy 11:16-17 “Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; 17 And then the LORD'S wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you.”

Whether it is a national or a church witness, the LORD’s desire for His people is always their holiness, achieved by depending on Him rather than on self or other gods. The world remains in spiritual darkness. The light of Christ is the only light that can penetrate through this spiritual darkness, designed and fabricated by the evil one, enhanced by the total depravity of sin inherited from the first Adam, man’s federal headship representative, who sinned against God in the Garden of Eden. But in Christ, God’s children become instruments of spiritual blessings everywhere they go. Everyone they interact with is an interaction on behalf of Jesus Christ. That is the thrust of Proverbs 11:25.

The literal translation is, “The soul that pronounces the benediction shall be made fat: and he that waters abundantly shall himself be watered.”

• Water others abundantly –The benediction or blessing of God’s children on others is as watering that gives life. The benediction of God was given by God in Numbers 6:23-27 “Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, 24 The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: 25 The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: 26 The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. 27 And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.” The one living and true God hears the blessings of His children. That is why God’s children need to be mindful and careful who and how they bless. Their blessing is not like a person who says, “bless you” after someone sneezes. That is more of a response born of a spontaneous gesture, like using muscle memory when driving. This heartfelt desire of a believer to pronounce God's benediction on everyone he meets fills his heart and mind with kindness, compassion, and goodness; it is grounded in God’s Word, not sentimentality. He relates to others with eternity’s perspective behind every action and word spoken and written. He tries to help and not to hurt. He sacrifices his personal desires and preferences in order to help others. He cares very much for sinners’ salvation. He cares for fellow believers' spiritual well-being.

He serves the Lord faithfully by helping others. He is generous and considerate. He thinks of others first before himself. When he hurts someone, he is ever ready to seek forgiveness and apologise for his wrongdoing. He is prayerful as he learns to pray without ceasing, knowing that only when he leans on his God can he continue to water others bountifully. He studies God's Word diligently to ensure that he waters others bountifully according to the teaching of God’s Word. He knows that sincerity is important only after truth has been understood and applied. Sincerity is never a replacement for God's truth. He learns that material things are possessions entrusted to him as God’s steward. He needs to learn faithfulness in the management of the least, i.e. his possessions, in terms of his generosity, so that he can be trusted by God to be faithful in the much, i.e. the lives of men, women, and children, and all things spiritual. He helps the needy and the poor in the church, knowing that they cannot reciprocate in any manner. He trusts God to provide as he learns to help others.

• You will be watered too – God is no man’s debtor. God will water His faithful servants who help to water others copiously. Believers are to help the poor and needy who cannot repay in any form and who are just thankful that help came in answer to prayer. The LORD was real in the Israelites’ lives in the Promised Land. There were God’s children who rendered help when their neighbours were in need. God blessed them for helping His people. Deuteronomy 15:7-11 “If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: 8 But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth. 9 Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee. 10 Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto. 11 For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.”

In the context of the church, the blessing from the LORD is primarily spiritual because the church's witness is not based on a piece of land for its witness existence. In contrast, for the national witness, the nation would not exist without the land, and thus, the blessings for Israel as the only Christian nation were both physical and spiritual. God’s children will experience peace of heart and mind from God when they help God’s children. Their labour in God’s Word will not be in vain. God’s Word will never return unto Him void, as it will forever be the power unto salvation to all who believe. To all God's children, it will be the power that sanctifies every heart and mind, helping them to conform more and more to the image of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. They will think more like Christ. Their words and counsel are the wisdom of Christ. Their discernment has the power of God, helping them make righteous judgments about people and in all circumstances.

Keep watering others abundantly with your kindness and good works, for Christ’s sake, and in turn you will be watered.

Yours faithfully in the Saviour’s Service

Rev Dr Quek Suan Yew, Pastor