Judges 1:15 “And she said unto him, ‘Give me a blessing: for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water.’ And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the nether springs.”
SPRINGS OF WATER. She was given to a good man: a valiant warrior; a leader of men; a hero; a winner of battles. And yet we cannot feed on fame - we need food. We cannot live on reputation – we need reality. We cannot survive on past blessings – we need present benefits. We cannot live long looking back – we must turn and look ahead to the future. She could have complained or looked to this new husband, Othniel to do everything for her, but she was her father’s daughter. She had eyes in her head. She knew the difference between a south land and a north. And she didn’t complain about the inheritance she had been given. She could see the problem and worry about it, or she could see the solution to the problem, and do something about it.
Achsah must have learned a lot by watching her father. His willingness to stand out against the crowd and popular opinion, set him apart from the people around. His physical and moral strength, were not acts of chance, but choices he made before the Lord his God whom he had learned to trust and obey. His fearlessness in the face of huge, fleshly men would’ve impressed his daughter that what was impossible to a man in his own strength, was easily done when God is working for me. So, even though Caleb was a man of old age and great and honorable before the people, she knew what she needed and knew where to get it. He alone could give her the water needed for the south land. The dry and arid south slopes could have all the nutrients needed in the soil, but it needed water to bring them out.
Achsah didn’t ask for another field where the work wouldn’t be so hard. She recognized that God had given the mountain to Caleb; he had asked for it and God gave it to him. She didn’t ask for the north land where the summer heat wouldn’t be so oppressive. She didn’t ask for the west where the breezes from the Great Sea would cool the heated brow. She didn’t ask for the eastern slopes where the morning sun would brighten the fields early so the hard labor could be over before the heat of the day. She accepted gratefully what she had been given. But knowing her sensible father would understand, she asked for a present, a sensible present; springs of water: water that she could carry to nourish fragile plants; Water that could bring from dry ground, life-giving food that was needed. Water that could make a desert blossom; water that would make the difference between famine and fullness was her simple, precise request. It would require her time, energy and strength to use the water, but she was willing to pay that price. All she wanted was water: that’s all; not an aqueduct to carry it – just water. Not a waterfall with tepid water flowing noisily over the cliff that she could easily channel, but springs that she could dip from. Springs that would come cool and refreshing from deep in the earth. She knew if she received such a gift, it would be a blessing. Not just today, when the waterfall is making its noise but dries up in the late summer when it is needed, but a spring that never runs dry. Not a river flowing by, that requires little effort to draw from, but springs that will be there always, in season and out of season. Springs produce the needed food for sustenance, and that would also provide for the constant need for her life and that of her family for years to come.
Caleb must’ve smiled with deep satisfaction as this young lady, his own child, came to him in such wisdom as to “keep it simple”, but also trust that indicated “You can do it if you will.” He responded by giving her more than one could expect: upper springs that would flow full early in the season, and would enable her to easily carry it downhill all the way to where it was needed. Then to her grateful desire to receive from his fullness, he gave her the nether (lower) springs too, that would be there when all else failed. Those lower springs would bring blessing to her and her hero-husband and family, but also to those who lived below her who would benefit from the overflow and would live peaceably beside her because of the water they received.
Our Giving God is a great Benefactor, who does “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.” However, it is our responsibility (and right as children) to be specific, intelligent and appreciative of all that He gives as a result of our asking in faith. Her faith was in the person of her father to meet her need. Our faith is in our Father who tells us that when we come to Him, we “must believe that He is, and He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”
“O Father and God of all provision: I know every good and perfect gift comes from above. So, I don’t think I am out of place asking for some springs of living water to quench my thirst today and make productive the food I want to pass on to others. Perhaps there could be some overflowing blessing for those that are downhill from here and will perish if they don’t get a drink of the living water. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.”