A well of water - the Lord's living water Gen 21:19, 25

But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.John 4:14

In a recent trip to New Orleans  my husband and I took a ghost tour that guided us through much of the French Quarter. The tour guide shared animated stories of death and destruction, the necessary prerequisites for ghosts.  It turns out that one of our ghosts was the cause of the 1788 fire that destroyed nearly 80% of the city.

The story of  the New Orleans fire gave me reason for pause, for within this story comes the reason for the cities “well(s) of water.” But as it turns out New Orleans wells did not provide the promise of life or  protection from death that Spanish rule hoped they would. They in fact proved quite the opposite. 

As a prominent government leader and resident of the French Quarter Army Treasurer Don Vincente Jose Nunez had on a religious alter within a second story bedroom of his home, a large number of lit candles, and was prayerfully observing Good Friday when his servant called him to lunch. While downstairs the wind blew the curtains into the room full of candles causing fire to rapidly spread throughout the room.  Aware of the fire he ran 3 doors down to the church to sound the town fire bells. Within minutes the Cedar framed house hewn from the nearby swamps and used to construct almost all of New Orleans exploded. The resin that served to make cedar impervious to water also made it highly flammable.  The tragedy of the story is that the fire bells used to warn the town of just such a danger had been wrapped in silence in observation of Good Friday. With no warning and the match-light qualities of the homes, the fire consumed, within five hours, 856 of the 1100 structures.

To prevent such a catastrophic event from ever happening again, Spain decreed that all new structures must be built of brick, have iron railed balconies and courtyards that contained an inner well of water. So it is that every home within the reconstructed New Orleans had a well whereby water could be drawn for the use of cooking, drinking, bathing and most importantly putting out fire. 

The full tragedy of the fire comes not from the destruction of the town but in its rebirth. The twenty-eight years between 1789 and 1817 represented years of reconstruction. No one could have conceived that the wells of water that were placed to prevent death and destruction would prove to be the cause of the cities massive deaths. As stagnant bodies of water they  became the breeding grounds for mosquitoes, the transporter of Yellow Fever.  No records exist that allow the cataloging of death before 1817 but between the years of 1817-1905 more than "41,000 people died from the scourge of yellow fever in New Orleans." 

Not all wells of water bring life. Not all wells bring truth. As an Egyptian raised on the mighty Nile, Hagar knew the important relationship between water and life. Having been cast into the wilderness of the desert, Hagar believes what her life has taught her that without water she and her son will perish. 

Hagar stood but a short distance from a well of water that promised to save her and Ishmael and could not see it. What was Hagar's well of life? The water? Or was it her ability to hear and obey the voice of the Lord? What is it that helps us to see "the well of life" that God has provided for us? What is that we must do to help us open our eyes and find the truth that will not only fill our physical needs but also lead us into eternal life? 
  
The Lord had made a promise to her that her son would become "a nation." (21:18) Within the Lord's promise came the well of living water. Indeed the well of living water for Hagar was the covenant and promises that she and Ishmael had made with Lord when they partook of the Abrahamic covenant. Hagar's life was not spared by the existence of a well of water but by her faith in the Lord who directed her to "open her eyes" and see the well of water. 

Alone and forsaken Hagar could not see the promise of the Lord. Why? Why do most of us not see what God has promised us? In her most dire state Hagar was like most of us when life turns against us. She was angry and: 

         1. Separated (14) from all the family she had ever known.
         2. Grief stricken and left to wander in the wilderness (14).
         3. Without water (15) or food
         4. Alone (15) separated herself further from Ishmael
         5. Distraught and overwhelmed by her circumstances(16) waiting to die.
         6. Fearful (17).
         7. Given to prayer of desperation and weeping (16 & 17)

From the talk by Aileen H. Clyde I found these words about truth, living water, and Hagar. 

Consider the Savior’s image when he spoke of the necessity of discerning truth. He likens knowing the truth to receiving “living water”; that is, water that is fit to drink: pure, running water. He tells the woman at the well: “If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water” (John 4:10). 

When I think of lifesaving water and of wells, I also think of Hagar (see Gen. 21:14–20). Hers is a complicated family story. She is forced alone into the wilderness of Beersheba with her young son, Ishmael. In due time the water and bread she has taken with her into the desert are consumed, and thirst and hunger overwhelm her and her little boy. Because she cannot bear to hear the cries of her son, the record tells us that she puts him in a shaded place and goes “a good way off” (Gen. 21:16). There, she lifts up her voice and weeps. In response, an angel of God speaks comfort to her and reminds her that she is not forsaken. Then, we are told, “God opened her eyes, and shesaw a well of water” (Gen. 21:19; emphasis added). We, like Hagar, are required to see “a well of water.” We, like the woman at the well, must ask of the Lord: “Give me this water, that I thirst not” (John 4:15). This is the purpose of Relief Society. It teaches us as daughters of God how to see and how to ask for that which we need of the Lord so that we need not thirst again. Remember the Prophet Joseph’s promise to us that through this society we “shall rejoice, and knowledge and intelligence shall flow.”

Hagar's life was saved and restored because of her faith in the Lord. The Lord offers each of us a well of living water. We can choose to drink of it and live. But water abounds in our life, how do we choose wisely which water will save us? How do we learn to know the living water of truth and let it be our guide?


The Spanish believed that the answer to their survival relied on the physical existence of water within a close proximity to danger.  They believed their source of water would alone aide in their survival. They could not see that their "water" had become their most imminent danger. Stagnant, separate, preserved, and unable to be cleansed, their wells served as breeding grounds for the mosquito and ironically their own death. 


Living water flows with life, action, and truth. It inspires and leads us to share and interact with one another. With each drink we are renewed and refreshed. It cannot be preserved but must be shared. Living water delivers us not only by offering our bodies its required need but by feeding our soul with its pure, clean principals. Hagar found living water when she prayed and wept unto the Lord. She again found living water when she opened her eyes to the promises that the Lord had made to her and Ishmael. Her living water filled her when she once again served herself and her son by returning unto him and sharing her knowledge not only of the well but of the angels message. She accepted the Lord's gift of love and allowed his promise to be fulfilled. Later the same well that served to save them from death becomes the means for their promised inheritance of Beersheba. Did Abraham know how this would work out when he turned Hagar and his son into the wilderness? I don't know.  But he had faith that the Lord would provide. He had faith that the Lord would keep his promise unto his seed that came through Ishmael.

This story portrays the difficulties that Hagar and Ishmael had to face before remembering the Lord's promise to them. Their life was hard. They faced challenges that at times seemed overwhelming, but when they remembered the gospel principals of prayer, obedience, service, etc. their life became filled with promise. In the 2008 General Conference Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge of the First Quorum of the Seventy spoke to the choice that we have when facing life's challenges. He says,

 The Lord’s way is not hard. Life is hard, not the gospel. "There is an opposition in all things," (2 Nephi 2:11.) everywhere, for everyone. Life is hard for all of us, but life is also simple. We have only two choices. (Moroni 7:15-17.) We can either follow the Lord and be endowed with His power and have peace, light, strength, knowledge, confidence, love, and joy, or we can go some other way, any other way, whatever other way, and go it alone—without His support, without His power, without guidance, in darkness, turmoil, doubt, grief, and despair. And I ask, which way is easier?

2008 October General Conference, The Way

In addition a talk entitled the Abundant Life helps us understand that our living water comes from the acceptance of the spiritual. Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve talks about some of the characteristics that will help us recognize the Lord's promise in our lives.

 Today, I want to list a few of the characteristics that the happiest people I know have in common. They are qualities that can transform ordinary existence into a life of excitement and abundance. First, they drink deeply of living waters. Do you seek peace of mind? Drink deeply of living waters. Do you seek forgiveness? Peace? Understanding? Joy? Drink deeply of living waters. The abundant life is a spiritual life. Too many sit at the banquet table of the gospel of Jesus Christ and merely nibble at the feast placed before them. They go through the motions-attending their meetings perhaps, glancing at scriptures, repeating familiar prayers-but their hearts are far away. If they are honest, they would admit to being more interested in the latest neighborhood rumors, stock market trends, and their favorite TV show than they are in the supernal wonders and sweet ministerings of the Holy Spirit. Do you wish to partake of this living water and experience that divine well springing up within you to everlasting life? Then be not afraid. Believe with all your hearts. Develop an unshakable faith in the Son of God. Let your hearts reach out in earnest prayer. Fill your minds with knowledge of Him. Forsake your weaknesses. Walk in holiness and harmony with the commandments. Drink deeply of the living waters of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

2006 April General Conference, The Abundant Life

As I think about water and its significance in our lives, I am filled with the idea that water alone is not enough to save us. In the town of New Orleans their stagnant water protected them from fire but invited an unseen death.  Hagar's ability to live depended not on drinking the water but on finding the water. The idea that God has made promises to me and that I must not despair but must drink daily of his living water through service, obedience, inspiration, joy, kindness, understanding, and through accepting all the blessings the gospel brings. When we partake of the Lord's covenants, his promise to us becomes our well of living water. And it flows within us. It cleanses us. It renews us and brings us Joy. 

A Father's Blessing Genesis 21:9-13

And he loveth those who will have him to be their God. Behold, he loved our fathers, and he covenanted with them, 

yea, even Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and he remembered the covenants which he had made; 

wherefore, he did bring them out of the land of Egypt.

1 Nephi 17:40

What mother has not wanted the best with regard to her own child's welfare, livelihood, or inheritance? Or has done what was necessary to ensure it? What father has not grieved over his wife's anxiety and fear concerning their child's welfare and inheritance? What mother has not sought the blessings of God's higher power to help ensure her child's longevity, success or place in his kingdom? What older child has not acted out in jealousy at the birth of a younger sibling? Especially when as many as fourteen years separated them? 

The story of Sarah and Hagar  is one that carries many familiar human emotions common to family life. As I read it I was reminded of my own feelings and desires surrounding the birth of my children.  For each birth I rejoiced, prayed and hoped for the very best.  Before their birth I created a journal for them and then used it to describe their own birth experience. I created a scrapbook to document their firsts: words, steps, etc, and I made each an outfit of white to wear to their first priesthood blessing.  I would do whatever was needed to ensure that each of my children  had the best opportunities and that nothing (even my own shortsightedness) stood between them and their family inheritance: love, faith, gifts, education, time, stories, traditions, and above all the blessings that their father and his sacred priesthood could offer them. Indeed I purposefully chose to marry a man who as a priesthood bearer honored and sustained all that I hoped for with regards to my children. I purposefully chose a man who not only would love and cherish me but would understand the importance of how his priesthood power could shower down the blessing of heaven upon my children, our posterity. A man who lived worthy to both receive and give the priesthood blessings to our family. A man who respects and adheres to the example of Abraham's blessing upon his sons. 

Through no real planning of his own Abraham has found himself the father of two, not one son. 

Through his faith fulfilled Abraham found himself and Sarah the proud parents of Isaac. Ishmael came as a result of Sarah's fear that Abraham's God had failed him. Later after Sarah's faith matures, Isaac came as a result of Sarah's faith in "one who had promised." (Hebrews 11:11) 

I read allot about the relationship between Sarah and Hagar and Abraham. They all brought forth very valid points concerning their circumstances and their faults and the judgements we place on them and their actions. I believe that this story is really about a mother's love for her sons. Sarah loved Ishmael. Hagar loved Ishmael. As family they loved each other and one another's sons. Abraham loved them all. But his love of God and respect for his ability to bless them that proved to be the motivation for his action.  Even though the family appears to take a matrilineal track (with the adherence of Sara's will) it was in fact the Lord whom Abraham chose to obey. (Gen 21:12-13) It was Abraham's choice to respect his priesthood power of prayer and revelation as well as his covenants that led to setting his "bondwoman" or slave free,  into the wilderness, where the Lord could then fulfill his promise to her by providing her and Ishmael with the land of Beer-sheba. Gen 21:14-31. 

Both Sarah and Hagar desired a father's blessing for their child. Each received it. Both Sarah and Hagar desired an inheritance for their son. Each received it. The difference was not in the son but in the mother's faith and trust in the Lord's promise to them. Sarah, having learned her lesson of unbelief in Abraham's God recognizes Ishmael's mocking as disbelief and a lack of faith. Maybe a difference of perspective but none the less enough of a difference to alarm Sarah. As the guardian of Isaac's faith and the Abrahamic covenant I do not hold Sarah's actions as being ones of disgruntlement or jealousy. I see her actions as ones of protection for the faith of her covenant with God and protection of Isaac's upbringing and as a way to ensure that Ishmael does nothing to dishonor his father's love for him. I believe that Sarah's actions stemmed from her devotion to God and respect for her husband's priesthood, that she was full of truth and took her matriarchal duties to teach and uphold the covenat seriously. That she understood that nature of Isaac's divine birth.  Did she realize that God's love would ensure Ishmael's land inheritance and survival. I think yes.  Sarah was much older and wiser than Hagar.  She was aware of what faith in Abraham's "most high God" could do for all of those she loved and called family. 

Who was Hagar? Some believe she was more than an Egyptain slave given to Abraham by the Pharaoh,  that she might have been the Pharaoh's daughter, a princess born of and accustomed to royal birth. She would have had to endure a great culture shock as she left the grandeur of the Egyptian palace for the nomadic dessert. She would have been accustomed to judging a woman's usefulness not merely by her beauty but rather by her ability to give birth, hence her quick despise of Sarah when she conceived. As Sarah's slave and handmaid she would have been present at Isaac's birth. She would have been loved by Sarah or else why would Sarah have entrusted her to her husband's bed. They would have shared many intimate secrets that would have bound them to one another as sisters. 

But Hagar's inability or refusal to comprehend the faith of Abraham and Sarah becomes an issue that must be reckoned with before Isaac reaches an impressionable age. Sarah's love for Hagar and Ishmael cannot preclude her love for God who fulfilled his promise to her and Abraham. So it is to Abraham that she turns to for the fulfilling of both son's blessings and for the guidance that Abraham, as the father of both sons, must receive. 

Ishmael 

• 14 years of age at time of separation
• like Esau, Reuben or Manasseh Ishmael is the oldest brother 
• Paul refers to him as a child "born after the flesh," referring to his birth that came as a result of man's arrangements not from God's promise.  (Galatians 4: 23) 
• as a circumcised male he belonged to the covenant (Gen 17:23-27) age 13 
• Abraham rejoiced over Ishmael (17:18) "Oh that Ishmael might live before thee"
• An Angel came to protect Ishmael while in utero. (Gen 16:9)  Hagar had fled from Sarah and in order for the child to survive (the first three years were crucial) she needed Abraham's house for protection and security.
• Ishmael has his own promise from the Lord: "I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation" (Gen 17:20) 
• Ishmael's separation from Abraham and Sarah was likely a way to divide the inheritance land thus providing Ishmael with a land of his own. Was Sarah being spiteful or loving in setting a proper precedence of inheritance between Abrahams two sons? 
• Ishmael shared the blessing of posterity and land that came from the covenant (Gen 17:20)

Isaac 

• 3 years of age (or close to it) near the time of his weaning. 
• Like Jacob, Joseph, and Ephraim, Isaac was the second oldest brother
• Paul refers to him as a child that was born  "as by promise," referring to the miracle of his birth to one who was ninety years of age and past the time of women. 
• Was circumcised at the age of 8 days to ensure his place in the covenant. The token of circumcision was vital to the covenant. 
• Isaac was greatly rejoiced over and made a fuss over. Isaac was conceived by Sarah's faith because as Paul put it, "she judged him faithful who had promised." Hebrews 11:11 
• Isaac's name "to laugh" refers to the joy that Sarah and Abraham felt at his birth
• Ishmaels departure from the camp of Abraham secures Isaacs spot of inheritance. 

9  ¶ And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. - Was it Ishmael's actions, (a 14 year old son of Abraham) that caused Sarah concern or Hagar, his mother's unwillingness to discipline her son and ensure the proper guardianship of the covenant? 

10  Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.-  Is not Ishmael Isaac's older brother? Will his influence and hence Hagar's influence have profound affect upon Isaac? What will she do to ensure that her part of the covenant to raise Isaac righteously before the Lord is upheld? 

11  And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son.- Ishmael is his son as is Isaac. Would Abraham have been able to see the influence of Hagar's attitude that "despised"Sarah. (16:5)

12  ¶ And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. Abraham calls upon the Lord for wisdom and receives it. 

13 And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.

Genesis 21:9-13 Abraham is assured that Hagar and Ishmael will be protected and watched over. 

Waiting on the Lord Genesis 21:1-8

Isaac 

Second patriarch; son of Abraham and Sarah. He was the child of a miracle, for at the time of his birth his mother, hitherto childless, was ninety years old, and his father a hundred. By the command of God the child was named "Isaac" (; in poetical language  = "laughter"), because Abraham had, covertly, laughed in incredulity when, a year previously, he had received the promise of God that a son would be born to him by Sarah (Gen. xvii. 17); so also did Sarah as, standing at the door of the tent, she heard the promise reiterated by the angel (Gen. xviii. 12). Isaac was circumcised when he was eight days old, and at his weaning the parents manifested their joy by giving a great feast. As a solicitous mother Sarah urged Abraham to send away Ishmael, his son by the servant-maid Hagar, whom she had seen mocking Isaac. At first Abraham hesitated, but at the command of God he complied with the wish of his wife; Isaac was thus declared the sole heir of his father.

Dear Sarah. 

What joy you must have felt to realize the Lord's promise in your life, fulfilled. To give birth at the age of ninety, to see the miracle of birth restored to you, a woman whose time had passed, to understand the power of God is greater than the power of nature. What joy you must have felt as you felt your son's unborn life quicken within you. And how the women around you must have fussed over you, talked about you and your miracle. How it must have given them hope and taught them of faith in the God of Abraham. 

If I could have been there? If I could have been a fly on the wall, what might I have heard? What might I have understood about your faith, your willingness to cleave unto your covenants? And the joy received because of your strength of faith. 

I love Abraham's choice of a name for your son. Isaac. So strong and so joyful. A way for you to always remember how to rejoice. You must have known that it comes from the word Yitzhak, which in Hebrew means "laughing one," or as God's promise to you it also is a reminder of how your son is a "child of the promise." I suppose God could not allow you to call your son Yitzhak, laughing one because it has so many connotations, but Isaac, this means covenant and promise and rejoicing in the fulfillment of the promise. You are so blessed to be able to have a son you can call Isaac. 

And your family was the first we know of to establish the custom of circumcision. I wonder how you dealt with this? Did you trust Abraham? Here he was with the child you were promised would bring you seed as the sands of the sea and he wants to do what? Clearly as a new custom of less than one year, it had not been fully accepted.  I wonder if you understood? How much of your actions were based on faith and how much on reason. I wonder if Isaac's circumcision played a role in his reaching the age of three when he could be weaned? I applaud your faith. When my own sons were born I questioned it and did my own research.

According to our social custom, my sons were circumcised in the hospital within hours of birth.But I remember studying how important it is to circumcise at day eight because in days 5-7  a child experiences a rise in Vitamin K which then acts as a pain killer and prevents hemorrhaging. As proof that the medical community is aware of this my second son was born with a minor heart defect that  required heart-valve surgery but the surgeons insisted on waiting to day 8 to preform it. I think it is amazing how the customs that we practice today came from revelation given to you and Abraham as you awaited the birth of a very much wanted son. I wonder how circumcision in young boys during your time helped prolong their life in a world where cleanliness was not as well established as it is today. 

In today's world most women stop bearing children by the age of 45. And you were twice past this age? Abraham was one hundred. I think I have generational problems with my youngest? I am certain that you had housemaids help you teach your son. You had a network of family and servants to help him understand his social customs and his religious rituals. But there were no grandparents to help here because you had traveled away and Abraham's father had passed. There is no mention of your family being with you.  I am thinking of how at each of my births I too was a traveler and although I could share the news with my family they were not able to attend the birth. 

And you Sarah rejoiced at the birth of your son Isaac. You rejoiced at his growth and ability to thrive in a time when children rarely made it to their third birthday. You were able to wean your child and bring him to the table for meat and honey. What a joyful day. I read somewhere a while back that the Jewish celebration of weaning was put in place to celebrate the child's ability to thrive and survive. It was a very important day. And Isaac's weaning was significant because it proved the Lord's love once again. It showed how the Lord was not only able to keep to his promise of giving Abraham a son, but he would help him thrive and survive. 

I wanted to say also that as I read "who would have said unto Abraham that Sarah should have given children suck?" I realized that you didn't use a wet nurse, but you nursed the child yourself. Wow. Another miracle. What a powerful message for God to send to all the world. He is in charge of life and birth and the milk that flows from our breasts. Having nursed six children I am very much aware of the importance it holds in passing on immunity and vitamins and fat and all of the necessary nutrition to help a child survive. 

Sarah so much is lost in your story of how you gave birth. So much is not considered because words can only tell us what happened. As a woman I am aware of your pain, your joy and your rejoicing because you chose to cleave tight to your covenants and believe in a God that promised you more than nature could itself provide. 

With love 

Your spiritual granddaughter