“From there they continued on to Beer, the well where the LORD said to Moses, “Gather the people together and I will give them water.” Then Israel sang this song: “Spring up, O well! Sing about it, about the well that the princes dug, that the nobles of the people sank– the nobles with scepters and staffs.” – Numbers 21:16-18 (NIV)
In their journey towards the Promised Land, the Israelites came to a place where God promised to give them water. It was called ‘Beer’ (which in Hebrew means ‘water’) – but interestingly it doesn’t seem like there’s any water there – as God has to specifically tell Moses that He will give water to the people. So the people sing, and the princes and nobles dig, and the water flows.
Leadership Principles
There’s some keys in this passage for those who are leaders – as every leader in some way is a shepherd, with the responsibility of both feeding the sheep and leading them to water. We feed them with the Word of God, but in order to water them, we must bring them into places where they encounter His power and presence. Churches and leaders need both the Word and the Spirit working simultaneously in order for the ‘sheep’ to be healthy. So how do we get a ‘well’ going for our people when it seems like it’s all dry?
Key 1 – Find An Historic Well
The Israelites came to a place called Beer, called water. There may not have been any water there when they arrived, but there must have been water there at some point in the past for it to have received the name it did. God has ordained a whole lot of different ‘wells’ for His people to drink from, but many of them have been stopped up or stopped flowing over the years. But the water is still there, under the ground – ready to be tapped. Some of these wells include salvation, healing, revival, worship. When these wells get tapped then power begins to flow and the people of God get refreshed.
Key 2 – Gather The People Together
The power of unity is well documented in the Word of God – and is an essential key if we’re going to get a well going. The people must be gathered together, and given a common focus and plan. Without a united group people – no well will be opened. But when the people are together – then God’s blessing quickly comes upon the work. We unite the people by showing them why they need the well – and what has happened historically when that well has been opened.
Key 3 – Sing To It
Worship has supernatural power to unblock wells. One of the best ways that we can start to unblock a particular well is by choosing songs that we sing together about that well. For example, if we want to see a healing well unblocked – then it’s important that we’re corporately singing songs about God’s healing power. The worship not only ‘speaks’ to the situation with words of power, but worship also carries God’s transforming power to change the hearts and minds of those who worship. Worship gets into the hearts and minds of the people. Whatever we sing to will spring up in our midst!
Key 4 – Get The Leaders And Nobles Digging
The final key is to get those who have visible leadership – the ‘leaders’ and ‘nobles’ – to get them ‘digging’ alongside you. Get them committed to prayer & fasting, and to speaking and encouraging the others. Get them investing in it.
In Conclusion
When Israel rocked up to Beer, there was no water there. But they left behind them a flowing well. God is calling us to be people like that too – who come into situations where there is no life, and not only get life flowing in our time, but leave behind us a legacy for those who will follow as well.