A Note from Kim: Today is our 37th anniversary, and I am thrilled to be able to share this article written by my husband, Joe Olachea, the person I know the best (and who knows me the best) on this earth. He is truly a “Man of Integrity”.  I am blessed beyond measure to be married to this man who is faithful to His Lord, to me, and to our children and grandchildren. He is a loving and faithful pastor who diligently and consistently studies God’s Word, prays for the people of his church and sacrifices his time to care for those in need in the church and in the community. He is passionate about the Great Commission and making disciples, sacrificing his personal time and his resources to “go and make disciples”, as teaches and coaches pastors and church leaders in the US and overseas. 

 

Fresh Water in the Desert

Dr. Joe Olachea, Jr.

 We are told that a healthy, fit person will only last a day in the desert without water. Those who hike or travel through the desert give many warnings regarding the dangers, especially of dehydration. The Egyptian Bedouin who travel approximately 1500 miles of desert on a regular basis are said to rely on close to 1 ½ gallons of water per day. Clean water is not only a luxury in the aridness of the desert, it is a necessity.

In Proverbs 5:15 – 18 (NKJV) we read,

Drink water from your own cistern,
And running water from your own well.
Should your fountains be dispersed abroad,
Streams of water in the streets?
Let them be only your own,
And not for strangers with you.
Let your fountain be blessed,
And rejoice with the wife of your youth.

If you have seen photos of the land of Israel at the time of the birth of the nation, you have seen how barren it was in the mid 1940’s into the 1970’s. Today the advanced technology of irrigation has proven so effective that some areas of the land produce as much vegetation per acre as anywhere in the world. This irrigation has also caused the Dead Sea, into which the Jordan River flows, to divide so that one section of it will eventually evaporate away. Obviously, this was not the case in the times of the writing of the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament/Covenant).

Ancient Israel was an agrarian society that relied on the land for survival. As a result, there were three requirements for settlement: water, high ground for security, and proximity to a main trade route for accessibility. This is why excavations in the near east uncover generations of settlements on top of one another, called Tels. Drinkable water had to come from a river, an underground spring or man-made, sophisticated gutter systems carved into the ground or the side of the mound to catch what little rain came and take it to a cistern where it was collected for future use.

The need for water is revealed in the engineering developed under Herod who was called the Great (74/73 BC – 4 BC), not because of his character, but his aggressive building projects. From the cisterns found in his palaces to the aqueducts at Caesarea Maritime, that flowed from the springs near Shuni, 16 kilometers away (approximately 10 miles), Herod’s engineers were able to feed the populace and the palaces with usable water for their cisterns.

Verse 15 of our text reads, “Drink water from your own cistern, and running water from your own well.” From the context, which speaks of letting “…your fountain be blessed, and rejoice with the wife of your youth” (v. 18), we know that this addresses the intimacy of a God blessed marriage.

Sandwiched between the above verses is a question of warning, “Should your fountains be disbursed abroad, streams of water in the streets?” (v. 16) and the statement, “Let them be only your own and not for strangers with you” (v. 17). In the context of the chapter as a whole, this addresses the “immoral woman” whose “…feet go down to death, her steps lay hold of hell” (v. 5). This temptress has lips that “…drip…honey…” and are “…smoother than oil” (v. 3). However, in reality, sin is like the polluted water flowing down the streets picking up everything from trash to animal discharges.

In a culture that is drenched in sexual “eye candy” and sensual innuendo, it is wise to guard our hearts and minds. The book of Proverbs speaks of wisdom, which is following God, and folly, which the “immoral woman” pictures. Sin looks beautiful to us or it would not be tempting! But who wants to drink of the polluted street water when we have our own well and cistern of fresh water?

I write this on the eve of Kim and my 37^th wedding anniversary. What an awesome privilege it is to walk together in life with one who is of like mind and heart as well as Spirit! The “Teacher” of the biblical book of Ecclesiastes reminds us that,

Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up.

Though one may be overpowered by another,

two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken. (4:9, 10, & 12 NKJV)

Every morning Kim and I spend time at the table with our coffee and God’s Word. She is currently studying the book of Job and I am spending at least a year in the study of the book of Deuteronomy. Oftentimes our first conversations after our initial “Good morning! How did you sleep?” are the things we have just gained from the Scriptures. What a way to start the day!

We have walked through many things in life over these 37 years. We have experienced much heartache and many joys. We have held one another up when we have experienced our weakest moments. We have laughed, cried, prayed, and ministered together for close to four decades. I am reminded of the Scripture that my Dad shared when he did our wedding, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the LORD” (Prov. 18:22). After all, the only thing not described as “good” in all of creation was Adam when he was alone!

When we step back and look at the folly of the possibility of immorality, as appealing as it might appear, why would we give up the blessing of God and each other for a few moments of so called pleasure? Why would we “…mourn at last, when your flesh and body are consumed…” (v. 11) when our LORD has provided His best for us – each other?

Remember how our chapter closes:

For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord,
And He ponders all his paths.
His own iniquities entrap the wicked man,
And he is caught in the cords of his sin.
He shall die for lack of instruction,
And in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray. (vv. 21 – 23)

Thank you, Kim, for 37 wonderful years of walking together and for being such a great and godly lady,  wife, mother, and grandmother. I love you and I thank God for you!

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Dr. Joe is the Senior Pastor at Lakes Community Chapel in Medford, NJ, where he has served for fifteen years. His pastoral ministry spans almost thirty-five years, serving churches in North Carolina, Georgia, and New Jersey.

Dr. Olachea earned his PhD in Research at Oxford Graduate School in Dayton, TN, with an emphasis in First Century Jewish Worldview and the Preaching and Praxis of Jesus. He is a Fellow in the OGS Society of Scholars and continues his research of discipleship within the context of the local church.

Joe is a Discipleship Consultant and Coach, and serves as the Trainer for DisciplePath, mentoring, coaching, and training pastors and churches in whole-church intentional discipleship in the US and overseas. Dr. Olachea’s ministry includes teaching at seminaries in the Philippines and Moldova, and more recently he has trained pastors and church leaders in discipleship in Africa, Asia, and Europe.  He is the past President of Central Jersey Bible Institute where he served for 12 years during which time he hosted the daily live daily radio show “Our Line”.

In addition, Pastor Joe is an experienced tour host, leading six tours to Israel since 1997. The next tour is scheduled for April 17-28, 2017. Joe and I would love to have you join us as we partner with America’s Keswick, to explore The Life & Land of Messiah. Visit Joe’s website, Real Spiritual Life, for more information and to request a brochure.

Pastor Joe has served in his local community for over twenty years as a volunteer firefighter and chaplain. He currently works with the New Jersey Mercury (CISM) team, with certificates that include School Violence, Suicide Prevention, Intervention and Postvention, and Individual and Group Crisis Intervention.

He and His wife, Kim, are the parents of five adult children and grandparents of seven grandchildren, including six handsome, rambunctious boys and one adorable baby girl, Carys.

©2016