River of God
David calls it the “River of Delights” (Ps 36:8) (NIV), and he says this River makes “glad the city of God” (Ps 46:4) (NIV).
And, of course, Jesus talked about the river. In John 7:37-39, Jesus said:
“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (NIV)
So now we know that the River is used to mean the Holy Spirit. Of all the descriptions of the River, I like the passage in Ezekiel the best. Ezekiel had a vision. In the vision, a man led him to Israel, and gave him a very detailed tour of the temple. In chapter 47, this man leads Ezekiel into the temple.
In Ezekiel 47:1-2, we read:
The man brought me back to the entrance to the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar. He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and the water was trickling from the south side. (NIV)
Notice that the water is just a trickle at this point. Does the river make any difference yet? No not yet- but wait a minute, it will. Ezekiel 47:3-6:
As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits (1500 feet) and then led me through water that was ankle-deep. He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist. He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in—a river that no one could cross. He asked me, “Son of man, do you see this?” (NIV)
As Ezekiel was led farther along, the river grew deeper. And when the River was so deep no one could cross, the man says- “do you see this?” Things are going to start happening now that the river is very deep. Ezekiel 47:6-7:
Then he led me back to the bank of the river. When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. (NIV)
Now we see a great number of trees on each side of the river. Trees love to be near a river because even in a drought, they can always count on having water to drink.
People love to be near the presence of God. Wherever Jesus walked, people loved to be near Him. Just like trees next to an earthly river, people want to be closer to the River of Life. They are drawn to the River.
Most of us have felt a trickle of the Holy Spirit. We feel the heat, or we start swaying a little. And we like it. We say, “Oh, I really felt the Holy Spirit today!”
And that’s just a trickle. What’s it like to get the whole River? Ezekiel 47:8:
He said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, (that’s the Jordan valley), where it enters the Dead Sea. (NIV)
So now, the river that’s too deep to cross enters the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea, on the border of Israel and Jordan, is the lowest point of land on the entire earth. When water flows into the Dead Sea, it never flows out. It’s like a big puddle; it has no streams leading out from it.
The only way out is by evaporation, so it has a high salt content. It’s nearly 10 times as salty as the Ocean water. Because of the very high salt content, no fish can live in it. Except for certain species of bacteria, there’s no life there. ("Why is the Dead Sea so Salty" 2019)
If you want to scuba dive in the Dead Sea, you have to wear a full face mask to protect your eyes and mouth. If the water gets in your eyes the salt water would instantly burn and probably blind you. If you accidentally swallow the water if would cause your larynx to inflate, and you would suffocate. That’s why animals don’t live there. Fish don’t live there. Only certain bacteria can survive and that’s it. (Dell'Amore 2016) Do you see the symbolism here?
Whenever you go through a low spot in your life that makes you feel like you are suffocating, dying, drowning, then that’s like being thrown into the Dead Sea. If you are grieving, that’s suffocating. Grief is like being in the Dead Sea.
If you are suffering from disease, fear, or oppression, that’s like being in the Dead Sea. Most of us can relate to having a Dead Sea point in our life. But look what happens when the River of Life enters into the Dead Sea. Ezekiel 47:8,9:
When (the river) empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh. Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. (NIV)
Now that’s a miracle. The salt water just becomes fresh. So fresh that suddenly it’s filled with fish!! All kinds of healthy, happy fish! The water, which has almost 10 times the salt of a normal Ocean, just becomes fresh and full of life when the River flows in. When the River of God flows in, the salt disappears!
Salt in the Dead Sea stands for anything that sucks the life out of a person. Salt could represent demons or temptations or pain or suffering or painful memories – and it all disappears when the River flows in.
Joe Jordan is an evangelist. For years, whenever he preaches, the River begins to flow. People sometimes act like they’re drunk, just like on the Day of Pentecost. In one of Joe’s meetings, a woman began to laugh. She laughed louder and longer than anyone else. When she got into her car to go home, she slumped over the steering wheel laughing for 20 minutes before she could pull herself together enough to drive home.
Joe later found out that she had been molested all of her childhood, and even when she was grown she had nightmares of it every night. After that night, the nightmares stopped. Joe wrote, “God had miraculously delivered her from all the bondage of the enemy. Jesus is a deliverer. He will continue to do things such as this, when we allow the Holy Spirit to move freely among us.” (Jordan 1994).
When the River begins to flow, all the gifts are there as well… joy, peace, love, healing, deliverance, salvation, signs wonders and miracles!
After the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost, the River began to flow through the apostles and especially Peter. In Acts chapter 5, we read:
The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. More and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. People brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed. (Acts 5:12-16) (NIV)
The River was flowing, and people were getting saved, healed, and delivered of demons. We need the River today. I want to look at Ezekiel 47 again, verse 11:
But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt. (NIV)
Swamps and marshes are shallow places. They don’t hold a lot of water, and we’ve already learned that the River didn’t make a difference when it was a trickle, or ankle deep, or even knee deep. It only made a difference when it was too deep to cross. Swamps don’t get that deep, and so they don’t hold a lot of water. I don’t want to be a swamp. I want to hold a lot of the River of Life. I want to be on overflow.
The River brings life, joy, emotional healing, physical healing, and deliverance. We need this River today, to bring life and healing darkest, deepest places in our lives. Into the darkest places in our neighborhoods, in our families.
We need the River of Life flowing through us. We don’t need just a trickle, not even ankle deep or knee deep. - we need to be overflowing with the Holy Spirit. That’s our goal. That’s what we’re shooting for.
References:
Dell'Amore, Christine. “New Life-Forms Found at Bottom of Dead Sea.” National Geographic, 25 May 2016, www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/9/110928-new-life-dead-sea-bacteria-underwater-craters-science/.
Jordan, Joe. God's Happy Hour: Revealing the Colorful Side of God. Joe Jordan, 1994.
“Why Is the Dead Sea So Salty? Facts about the Saltiest Sea on Earth.” DeadSea.com, 4 July 2019, www.deadsea.com/articles-tips/interesting-facts/why-is-the-dead-sea-so-salty/.
Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.www.zondervan.com. The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.
Scripture quotations marked (TLB) are taken from The Living Bible copyright © 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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