In the biblical context, fountains and springs are often used metaphorically to convey spiritual truths and moral teachings. The imagery of water sources is prevalent throughout Scripture, symbolizing purity, life, and the sustenance provided by God. The concept that a fountain or spring sends forth only one kind of water is rooted in the idea of consistency and integrity in one's spiritual and moral life.

Biblical References

The Book of James addresses the inconsistency of speech and behavior, using the metaphor of a spring to illustrate the importance of purity and consistency. James 3:11 states, "Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?" This rhetorical question emphasizes the impossibility of a source producing two different types of water, thereby urging believers to maintain integrity in their words and actions.

Similarly, in the Old Testament, the prophet Jeremiah uses the imagery of a fountain to describe God as the source of living water. Jeremiah 2:13 declares, "For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water, and they have dug their own cisterns—broken cisterns that cannot hold water." Here, God is portrayed as the pure and life-giving source, contrasting with the unreliable and impure alternatives chosen by the people.

Symbolism and Spiritual Lessons

Fountains and springs symbolize the source of life and spiritual nourishment. In the arid landscapes of the biblical world, a spring was a vital source of water, essential for survival. This physical necessity is paralleled in the spiritual realm, where God is depicted as the ultimate source of life and sustenance. The purity of a spring is a metaphor for the purity of God's nature and the life He offers.

The notion that a spring cannot produce both fresh and salt water serves as a moral lesson on the importance of consistency in the Christian life. Just as a spring is expected to yield one type of water, believers are called to exhibit a singular devotion to God, reflected in their speech and conduct. This metaphor underscores the biblical call to holiness and the rejection of duplicity.

Practical Implications

The teaching that a fountain sends forth only one kind of water has practical implications for the believer's daily life. It challenges Christians to examine the consistency of their faith and actions. Just as a spring's water is expected to be pure and life-giving, so too should the words and deeds of a believer reflect the purity and truth of their faith.

In the broader biblical narrative, the imagery of fountains and springs points to the transformative power of God's presence. Jesus, in His conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, speaks of the "living water" He offers, which becomes "a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John 4:14). This living water represents the Holy Spirit, who indwells believers and empowers them to live lives marked by integrity and spiritual vitality.

In summary, the biblical metaphor of fountains and springs sending forth only one kind of water serves as a powerful reminder of the call to purity, consistency, and reliance on God as the true source of life and spiritual nourishment.James 3:11
Does a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?
Torrey's Topical Textbook

The Shortest of the Seven Cries
... "The sea is his, and he made it," and all fountains and springs are of his ... and his
prayer, which was denied him, was, "Father Abraham, send Lazarus, that ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 24 1878/the shortest of the seven.htm

The Cedars of Lebanon.
... believes that nymphs and fairies live in fountains or in ... dead skeleton of it""Thou
sendest the springs into the ... Our king has no right to send them to build ...
/.../kingsley/westminster sermons/sermon xvi the cedars of.htm

The Great Reservoir
... If thou hast all thy springs in God thy heart ... old historians tell us that there were
fountains in Cheapside ... Oh, that I could send streams of pure gold into ...
//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/sermons on proverbs/the great reservoir.htm

The Great Reservoir
... If thou hast all thy springs in God, thy heart ... old historians tell us that there
were fountains in Cheapside ... Oh, that I could send streams of pure gold into ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/the great reservoir.htm

Epistle Lxxii. To Jubaianus, Concerning the Baptism of Heretics.
... the Father hath sent me, even so I send you ... of God; we guard the boundaries of the
living fountains. ... baptism is recognised by us; since thence springs the whole ...
/.../cyprian/the epistles of cyprian/epistle lxxii to jubaianus concerning.htm

Papal Tombs.
... hands, not in receptacles of stagnant water, but in springs or living fountains. ...
was so closely pressed that it was impossible to send to Constantinople for ...
/.../lanciani/pagan and christian rome/chapter v papal tombs.htm

The Voice of Job.
... the seasons, the marvels of the heavens, the springs of the ... Then will the waters
that rise from God's fountains, run in ... a man must do right if it send him to ...
//christianbookshelf.org/macdonald/unspoken sermons/the voice of job.htm

The Invasion of Scythia.
... It came from thirty-eight springs, all issuing from the same ... was produced by the
mingling of these fountains were pure ... every man in his dominions to send him an ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/abbott/darius the great/chapter viii the invasion of.htm

Of the Necessity of Divine Influences to Produce Regeneration in ...
... seems, in more senses than one, to send from heaven ... a seed this plant of paradise
springs up, and ... their head were waters, and their eyes fountains, that they ...
/.../practical discourses on regeneration/discourse vii of the necessity.htm

The Vanguard and Rereward of the Church
... go nowhere next year except where God shall send you. ... I will open rivers in high
places, and fountains in the ... a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/the vanguard and rereward of.htm

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