THE RIVER OF LIFE

“In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink.  He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.  (But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)” (John 7:37-39). 

The feast that John was referring to in this verse is the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot, as it is called in the Hebrew language.  It was a week-long celebration that occurred at the end of harvest to remind the Jews, among other things, of their sojourn in the wilderness when they dwelled in temporary structures before they entered their final resting place: the Promised Land.  God instituted the Feast of Tabernacles when He said to Moses, “Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD.” (Leviticus 23:34).  The name Sukkot refers to the booths, or huts, that the Jews were instructed to build during this time and dwell in for the seven days of the feast.  These booths also served to remind God’s people of the temporary nature of our sojourn here on earth.  We are, after all, just strangers in a strange land, passing the time of our pilgrimage on earth until we inherit our eternal home.

During the time of the Second Temple, certain traditions were added to the law to embellish the Feast of Sukkot.  One such tradition was the water libation which consisted of the priests collecting water from the pool of Siloam in a golden vessel and pouring it out beside the altar of God.  This was done with great pomp which included the blowing of the shofar horn and a procession back to the temple while reciting the Hallel (Psalms 113-118).  On the last day, or “great day” of the feast, the priests circled the altar seven times and poured out the water.  In so doing they were asking God to send rain upon their nation in the next year, but also to pour out His Spirit upon them in the days ahead to quench their thirsty souls.

It was against this backdrop that Jesus spoke these powerful words, “If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink.  He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”  On the very day (and perhaps the very hour) that the Jews were asking God for the life-giving waters to be poured out upon them, Jesus was declaring Himself to be the answer to that prayer!  This caused a division among the people.  Some declared Him to be the Messiah, while others were ready to take Him to judgment because of His supposed blasphemy.  While the priests were offering dead traditions to the people, however, Jesus was promising them Life!  As Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, “Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:13, 14).

“If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink.”  Man searches everywhere to quench the spiritual thirst that he feels inside.  He looks into philosophies and religions and finds nothing that satisfies his soul.  That is because he is searching for a “thing” instead of a person.  Many expect that the living water is something that Jesus keeps in a canteen slung over His shoulder that He dispenses to those who are thirsty, but they miss the fact that Jesus is the living water!  He is the One that we must drink from if we want to quench this thirst!  If we are searching for the right way in our lives, we must learn that Jesus is the Way.  If it is truth that we desire, we must see that Jesus is the Truth.  If it is an abundant, meaningful life that we want, again, Jesus is the Life.  It is Jesus that we must come to if we are thirsty.  For all of our “I wants” in life, Jesus is the “I AM.”

The Prophet Isaiah said, “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.  Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto Me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.  Incline your ear, and come unto Me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.” (Isaiah 55:1-3).  It seems like everyone is trying to sell us something today.  They tell us that they have the truth and for only $19.95 we can have it too!  The truth is not for sale, however.  It is free to whoever will come to the waters (Jesus) and hearken diligently to what God is saying to them.  They are the ones who will be satisfied and whose soul will delight itself in fatness.  It is they who will find real Life!

Jesus said, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” (Matthew 5:6).  Some seek for a superficial blessing from God, but have no interest in actually submitting their nature to God and being molded into His likeness.  They want all of God’s blessings, but none of His demands.  They are like the folks who Jesus said were not seeking Him because of the miracles He worked, but because they got their bellies filled with fish and bread.  He told them, “Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you.” (John 6:25-27).  The children of God are marked by a real desire – a hunger and thirst – for God’s truth, holiness, and righteousness.  They have their eyes fixed on the eternal more than the temporal.  Their love for Jesus Christ is manifested by their longing to be more like their Lord and Savior.

There is a beautiful prophecy in the 47^th chapter of the book of Ezekiel that tells of a river of life that would one day issue out of the temple of God.  Zechariah also saw this and prophesied of it.  “And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.” (Zechariah 14:8).  The Apostle John then saw a vision of the fulfillment of these prophecies in the last chapter of the Bible, chapter 22 of Revelation.  He wrote: “And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.” (Revelation 22:1).  This is the river of living waters that Jesus promised to every thirsty soul that would come to Him when He cried out on that great day of the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles!

In Ezekiel’s vision and prophecy, he saw waters running out of the house of God and flowing to the east.  They originated from the south of the altar and issued from under the threshold of the temple.  This is significant because it was at the altar of God where animals were brought to be offered up for the sins of Israel.  Their death, and the shedding of their blood, was what atoned for the sins of the Israel.  Paul tells us, however, that: “…it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.” (Hebrews 10:4).  All of those sacrifices only served as types and shadows.  They pointed to a more excellent offering that would occur in the fullness of time. That is when the precious Lamb of God, His dear Son, would pour out His life’s blood to redeem the world from sin, and save those who are thirsting and willing to come to Him in faith.  Calvary became the altar of God from where the waters of Life found their source!

In Ezekiel’s vision there was an angel with a measuring rod in his hand who took Ezekiel to the east side of the house of God to view the waters that were issuing out.  “And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles.” (Ezekiel 47:3).  The angel began measuring out from the temple 1000 cubits and had Ezekiel pass through the waters.  A thousand cubits is roughly the length of fifteen football fields.  After the first measurement, the water was only to the prophet’s ankles. 

“Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins.” (v. 4).  After the next measurement of 1000 cubits, the water was to Ezekiel’s knees; and when the angel measured a third time, it was to his waist.  After that, the angel measured one more time.  What had started as a trickle had now become a flood.  “Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over.” (v. 5).

This gospel of the Kingdom of God, started out with one man Who was willing to lay down His life to proclaim it.  Then it spread to 12 disciples, then 120 at Pentecost, then thousands and tens of thousands of converts.  It spread from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria and then to the uttermost parts of the earth.  Like the course of a mighty river whose progress cannot be stopped, the gospel has spread over the whole earth.  Millions have found healing and wholeness in Jesus Christ!  “Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed.  And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh.” (Ezekiel 47:8, 9).  There is healing in these waters - and Life to those who will drink of it!

“And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many.” (v. 10).  This speaks to me of the great harvest of souls that appears wherever the rivers of Life flow.  Jesus has called us to be fishers of men, but we must have the rivers of living waters flowing out of us before we can lead others to salvation.  This is how we keep this Life flow going.  It comes from the throne of God to us who believe, and then it flows from us to those who we minister this Life to.  After that, those we have reached can reach others and so on.  The river just keeps getting deeper and broader as it goes.  Also, as we progress in God, our knowledge, experience, and faith grow too.  The further we walk with the Lord, the deeper and wider we find this river of life to be!  We discover that Jesus has not come just to give us life, but He has come to give us ABUNDANT LIFE!  He didn’t intend for us to just walk in the shallows forever either.  He wants to lead us to where the waters are deep and we must learn to swim!

In St. John’s vision in Revelation, he saw the Tree of Life on either side of the river.  “In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” (Revelation 22:2).  Ezekiel saw the same thing, but described it like this: “Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other.  And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.” (Ezekiel 47:7, 12).  John saw the Tree of Life, which is Jesus Christ, on either side of the river.  This Tree is always bearing the fruit of righteousness and bringing life to the world.  The leaves of it bring healing to the nations.  Ezekiel, on the other hand, saw “very many trees.”  These trees also bear fruit continually every month of the year, and their leaves are for medicine. 

I believe that God would have us who believe to be trees of life to the world.  If the River of Life is flowing out of our belly (innermost being), then it makes sense that that Life can produce life and healing in others also.  In the fruit of Jesus, the Tree of Life, is a tree yielding seed that can propagate itself when it falls into good ground.  It then can bring forth fruit: some 30, some 60, and some 100 fold. 

Psalm 1 says, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.  But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in His law doth he meditate day and night.” (Psalm 1:1, 2).  Then the psalmist describes what that person is like: “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” (v. 3).  Sound familiar?  Proverbs 11:30 tells us, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.”

Jesus is the only source of eternal life.  That Life is surging up and through Christ the True Vine and into us, the branches.  There is only one way to get it.  We must first hunger and thirst for it.  Then, we must not only come to Jesus, but drink from Him.  As we believe in Him and the words that He has spoken, then this river of Life will begin to flow up and out of our spirit.  Wherever it flows, there will be healing and wholeness.  When this happens, you will find that “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.” (Psalms 46:4).

“Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.” (Isaiah 12:3).