Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and there was water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple faced east; the water was flowing from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar. 2 He brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me around on the outside to the outer gateway that faces east; and there was water, running out on the right side. (Ezekiel 47:1-2)
The water represents the Holy Spirit. See John 14:16-18. It does this in three ways:-
Source – It comes from the throne of God. The Holy Spirit also came from the very throne of God.
Course – It comes from the altar which is the place where the ultimate sacrifice was made and the Holy Spirit came from the altar of Christ’s sacrifice at the cross. (Matthew 20:28, John 16:7)
And when the man went out to the east with the line in his hand, he measured one thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the water came up to my ankles. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through the waters; the water came up to my knees. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through; the water came up to my waist. Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross; for the water was too deep, water in which one must swim, a river that could not be crossed. He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?” Then he brought me and returned me to the bank of the river. (Ezekiel 47:3-6)
Now, it is one thing to see this river and another thing to get wet completely! There are many who hear the gospel, see what God is doing in the lives of people around them but they never take the plunge.
For this river to do you any good, you have to get into it. You have to get wet, just like the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8:36-37.
Ankle Deep
Water up to my ankles is literally water to the soles of the feet. This speaks of our walk of obedience to the Father. The Father tells us in Isaiah 1:19 that if we are willing and obedient we will eat the good of the land, but that we will be consumed by the enemy if we walk disobediently!
God spoke to His people saying, “Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours… (Deuteronomy 11:24). A life of blessing is not an accident. It is life lived with purpose. We must purposely pursue God’s best for our lives.
Knee Deep
Water up to the knees speaks of the power of a consecrated prayer life. Jesus tells us that if we will meet Him in the secret place, He will reward us openly with His Spirit and power (Matthew 6:6).
We are only powerful to the extent we are prayerful! Only when we pray with fervency can we see the full purpose that God has for us - individual and corporately.
Waist Deep
Water up to the waist speaks of spiritual strength. Paul encourages us to gird our waist with truth (Ephesians 6:14). It’s the Word of God that provides spiritual strength! …I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one (1 John 2:14).
Isaiah 33:6 reveals: Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, and the strength of salvation… Wisdom and Knowledge is the Word of God! We can only be strong in the Lord as we are strong in the Word! This provides a foundation for the Holy Spirit to use us.
Water in Which to Swim
Finally, Ezekiel mentions water in which one must swim. This is the place where the river over takes you. The river at this point is so deep that you are completely at the mercy of the river. There is no way of crossing over as it is too deep and there is no bridge.
This speaks of the end of self-effort in the life of a Christian. The Lord wants each one of us to come to place of total surrender.
The great man of God, Smith Wigglesworth perhaps summed it up well when he said: All of me-none of God; less of me-more of God; none of me-all of God! The will of the river becomes your will
Prayer:
Father, in the name of Jesus, teach me to totally surrender to You through my obedience and prayer life. Cause me to step out into the deeper waters of Your Presence.
Then he said to me: “This water flows toward the eastern region, goes down into the valley, and enters the sea. When it reaches the sea,its waters are healed. And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes. (Ezekiel 47:8-9)
Notice, wherever the river goes, it brings life. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of life. He is the Spirit of liberty (2 Corinthians 3:17)
Chapters
- Chapter 1
- Chapter 2
- Chapter 3
- Chapter 4
- Chapter 5
- Chapter 6
- Chapter 7
- Chapter 8
- Chapter 9
- Chapter 10
- Chapter 11
- Chapter 12
- Chapter 13
- Chapter 14
- Chapter 15
- Chapter 16
- Chapter 17
- Chapter 21
- Chapter 22
- Chapter 26
- Chapter 27
- Chapter 29
- Chapter 30
- Chapter 31
- Chapter 32
- Chapter 33
- Chapter 34
- Chapter 35
- Chapter 36
- Chapter 37
- Chapter 38
- Chapter 47
- Chapter 48