By the pen of Charles Spurgeon:

This verse symbolizes the inner life and very plainly shows the idea of secrecy. It mentions a spring that is enclosed. In the Middle East, springs would often have some sort of covering or enclosure over them in order to protect them from people other than those who knew where the secret entrance was located. In the same way, there is a mysterious life no human power can touch in a believer’s heart that has been renewed by God’s grace. It is so mysterious and secretive that no one can truly know it. In fact, even the one possessing it cannot share it with another person.

Today’s verse not only shows the idea of secrecy but also separation. The spring is not one from which every passerby may drink but is protected and preserved. It is a “sealed fountain” bearing the King’s royal seal, a particular mark indicating it is special and intentionally separated from all others. It is the same with the spiritual life, for God’s chosen were separated by His eternal decree, separated by Him “for the day of redemption” (Eph. 4:30), and separated to possess a life others don’t have. Thus, it is impossible for them to feel at home in the world or to delight in its pleasures.

There is also the idea of sacredness. An enclosed and sealed spring indicates it is reserved for some special person, just as a Christian’s heart is a spring kept for Jesus. Every believer should feel he has God’s seal upon him and should be able to say with Paul, “Let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus” (Gal. 6:17).

Finally, there is another prominent idea, one of security. Oh, how safe and secure is the inner life of a believer! Even if all the powers of earth and hell come against it, God’s immortal principle will still prevail, for He who gave it pledged His life for its preservation. And “if God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31).

By the pen of Jim Reimann:

“God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness’ ” (Gen. 1:26), and He followed through in many ways. In today’s text the Lord refers to us as a spring, which is also how He refers to Himself in the following verse: “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water” (Jer. 2:13).

Jesus spoke of a spring as well when He told the woman at the well, “Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14). Later in Jerusalem, during the Feast of Tabernacles, “on the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him’ ” (John 7:37 – 38).

In agreement with these truths, David wrote, “You give [men] drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life” (Ps. 36:8 – 9).

Jesus, may Your living water freely flow from within me to a dry and thirsty world. May I trust in Your provision alone, O Lord, and may You help me remember: “All my fountains are in you” (Ps. 87:7).