The Pool Of Siloam

by WOODS, D. | Category: N/a | May 2002

John 9 recounts the Lord's wonderful healing of the man born blind. The Lord spat on the ground to make clay which he applied to the eyes of the man and then told him to '"Go, wash in the pool of Siloam"' (John 9:7). Why did the Lord send him to the Pool of Siloam?

King Hezekiah had the vision to dig a tunnel to bring water into a pool inside the city of Jerusalem (2 Kin. 20:20). Jerusalem was often under attack during this period and Hezekiah understood the importance of having water to survive.

Assyrian armies besieging the city could easily stop-up surface water supplies and create serious problems for the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Hezekiah knew water needed to be brought in by a protected route - so he made a tunnel to bring fresh water to the Pool of Siloam.

Is this not the same for us today? We need to dig tunnels in our hardened lives to allow the fresh water of God's Word to flow into our lives. Only with this protected supply will we survive and flourish. We need to make pools of fresh, flowing water in our lives. The Pool of Siloam had a through-flow of fresh water. We need to maintain the flow of God's Word through our lives so we don't become stagnant Christians.

Archaeologists tell us that the tunnel was 1,777 ft. long and most probably dug out by hammers, pick-axes and wedges to break up the rocks. One group of workers started digging inside Jerusalem, another group started digging in the surrounding mountains east of the city. They worked towards each other and eventually, through careful planning, broke through to make the tunnel clear.

Those working in the eastern mountains harnessed 'the upper spring of the waters of Gihon' (2 Chr. 32:30 RV). The 'Upper Spring' can speak to us of the heavenly source of the water that enters our lives from God. 'Gihon' means 'to gush forth' or 'a gushing fountain'. Does this not remind us of the Lord's words in John 4:14 '...the water I shall give him shall become to him a well of water springing up to eternal life'? God's provision for us is so abundant and ever-flowing!

We have a responsibility to work from our side, 'digging the tunnel'. God has made provision from the heavenly side so that, in response to our exercise of heart, the gushing water can flow freely into our lives. We need to 'dig our tunnels', as it were, towards God's presence. He is waiting for us to 'break through'!

Nehemiah 3:15,16 gives us another glimpse of the Pool of Siloam. Those repairing the ruined walls of Jerusalem worked in defined areas. One individual repaired the wall of the Pool of Shelah (Siloam) that was 'by the king's garden' (v.15 RV). We can imagine the kings of Judah enjoying a time of solitude and relaxation in the garden irrigated by the fresh waters of the Pool of Siloam. Our King requires a well-watered garden in our lives, a garden of beauty where He enjoys time with us.

Another individual made repairs 'as far as the artificial pool [the Pool of Siloam or one siphoned from it] and the house of the mighty men' (v.16). The Pool of Siloam was close to the house of the mighty men. What a lesson! Mighty men and women of God are those who live close to the water of the Word, gaining strength and vitality for service from it. Think of the mighty people of God you know today: they spend their lives near the pool, don't they?

God told Isaiah that the 'people have rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah (Siloam)' (Is.8:6) and, for this reason, the king of Assyria would overtake them. This has a warning for us. When the flowing water comes into our lives we must be careful to look after the channels and the pools in order to enjoy the benefits the water brings. To reject the flowing water of the Word will only cause us harm and the Adversary will soon overcome us.

So back to John 9: the Lord Jesus sent the blind man to the Pool of Siloam as part of his healing process. The man could not see before he had washed his eyes with the fresh flowing water of that pool. We are often so guilty of spiritual blindness and need to continually come to the cleansing water of the Word for further insight and understanding of God's great purposes.

Let's continue to dig protected tunnels to bring the gushing, heavenly water into our lives. Let's make pools for the water of the Word and by 'washing' in it daily then see as God intends us to.

(Scriptures taken from the NASB except where stated otherwise)

WOODS, D. | May 2002
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