Water from the Sanctuary gives Life

November 16, 2014 Background Scripture: Ezekiel 47:1 – 12 Lesson Passage: Ezekiel 47:1 – 12 Since the beginning of time, God has made water to be both a giver and a sustainer of life. On the fifth day of creation, God commanded the waters to bring forth in abundance living creatures that would be marine life in the waters and fowl to fly above the earth. With that commandment, God brought water into the creative process as a giver of life. Likewise, when God planted the garden east of Eden, He gave it a source of water that flowed out of Eden and after passing through the garden, the water divided into four rivers. Each of the four rivers was given a name but the water that flowed out of Eden was not. Just as the Garden of Eden depended on the unnamed water to irrigate it, all forms of living beings depend on water as an absolute necessity to sustain life. Even when we choose to fast and pray, the maximum length of time is determined by the body’s need for water. Living beings respond to the presence or absence of water including its quantity and quality. Just as the river flowed eastward out of Eden with its life sustaining qualities, the Prophet Ezekiel saw a river flowing eastward out of the temple in the vision the Lord gave to him. A man in the vision led Ezekiel through the waters proceeding from the temple and moving eastward. At the temple the water was shallow, even below his ankles. But the water became an impassable river at a distance Ezekiel estimated to be about a mile away from the temple. Ezekiel noted that every where the river flowed, it either brought new life or it restored life that had previously died. Even in areas that had become desert, life flourished where the river flowed. After observing this, Ezekiel then noted that the banks of the river were lined with trees. The man told Ezekiel that the trees were evergreen and bore edible fruit. Again there are similarities to what happened in the garden as a result of the water that flowed out of Eden. The man informed Ezekiel that the trees bore fruit continuously and the leaves had medicinal value. This river in Ezekiel’s vision takes on characteristics that are similar to the water that flowed out of Eden in the book of Genesis. However, the vegetation that lined the banks of the river is descriptively the same as that on the banks of the river that flowed out of the throne of God and the Lamb that was described by John in the book of Revelation. The continuous supply of fruit and the medicinal leaves are recorded by both Ezekiel and John in the respective visions that the Lord gave them. Whether the river flows out of Eden, out of the temple, or out of the throne of God and the Lamb, it is clear that in all cases the river is a source and sustainer of life. We can conclude with assurance that God is the source of the water that gives life because of the presence of the temple and God’s throne. Therefore, God, the source of the water, is the true giver and sustainer of life. Jesus called his spoken word a life-giving spirit. Jesus also told his disciples that they were clean through the word he had spoken to them. Paul reiterated the same when he said that the church is washed by the water of Jesus’ word. The word that flows from God is a giver and a sustainer of life. The word of God that is received in the sanctuary should be taken into the world where it can bring life to a dying world. Robert C. Hudson November 7, 2014