Entering into the River of Life

In my previous blog I looked at how the Jonah story foreshadowed the ‘Baptism in the Holy Spirit’ that was given in the second chapter of Acts. I also said that this was not just a once off event but was the beginning of a process of transformation. I furthermore stated that the events of the New Testament could only be fully understood with reference to what was revealed in the Old Testament. While trying to understand this process of transformation I was drawn to look at a revelation that the prophet Ezekiel was given regarding a River of Life which flowed from the Temple of God.  

The wider context of the vision of the River of Life which is depicted in Ezekiel Ch 47 is that Ezekiel was given a vision from God of a city in the land of Israel (Ezekiel Ch 40-46); and he encountered an angelic being in the form of a man. This man whose face “shone like bronze”, told him to pay close attention to all that he showed him and then return to the people of Israel and tell them everything that he had seen. He held a measuring tape and measuring rod in his hand.

The angel showed him around a very large area, like a city, which was enclosed by a high, thick wall. Inside of this was an outer courtyard around a walled inner courtyard. Within this courtyard was the Temple. The angel gave him a tour of these areas, pointing out different features and told him what each of them was for. As they went he measured them and made Ezekiel aware of their measurements. On each of the four walls of the two enclosures were gates. Three of them were accessible by the people; but were guarded. The Temple had double doors accessible to the people on three of its four sides. Inside the Temple was a Holy Place; but within that was an inside room which was the Most Holy place. Many different functional things are documented; as well as details of wooden panelling inside the Temple, and decorative carvings.  

 Ezekiel was shown the Altar that was situated within the Most Holy Place and was told that this “is the table that stands in the Lord’s presence” (41:22). Details of the necessary sacrifices in the form of sin and peace offerings were given. Ezekiel was given a vision of the glory of the Lord coming into the Temple through the east gateway. Because God had entered the Temple through this east side it was not accessible to the people.Ezekiel said that: “The sound of his coming was like the roar of rushing waters, and the whole landscape shone with his glory” (42:2). His appropriate response was to fall down before the Lord with his face in the dust. Ezekiel was then taken into the inner courtyard and the Lord spoke to him and said that this would be the place of his throne and the place where he would live among the people of Israel forever. They would no longer defile his holy name by their adulterous worship of other gods. He was told to describe to the people of Israel the Temple that he saw; its appearance and its plan, so that they would be ashamed of their sins. He needed to write down and give them the detailed specifications that were measured out for him by the angel so that the people would be able to remember them. The Lord emphasised that the basic law of the Temple was absolute holiness.  

The picture of the Temple given here was an ideal one, yet still within the context of the Law of Moses, requiring constant blood sacrifices. It fell far short of the image we are given In Revelations, where there is no Temple as such and goes beyond these blood sacrifices; because Jesus was sacrificed once for all.

Against this backdrop Ezekiel was given a vision of a stream flowing eastward from beneath the Temple threshold (Ezekiel 47: 1-12).This is the same side from which the glory of the Lord entered the Temple. The angel led Ezekiel around the outside of the wall to the east gateway through which the river flowed, but then turned south. The angel measured out 530 metres (1000 cubits) and then told Ezekiel to go across the water. He found that the water was ankle deep. After measuring another 530 m he was again told to cross; whereupon he saw that the water was now knee deep. This was repeated after another 530m and the water level was now waist high. After a further 530m the river was too deep to cross without swimming.

The angel told Ezekiel to be aware of what he sees. As he was led back along the river he noticed, to his surprise, that there were now many trees growing on both sides of the river. He was told that the river flowed east through the desert into the Jordan Valley, where it entered the Dead Sea. The waters of the river would heal the salty water of the Dead Sea and make it fresh and clean. Everything that touched this water would live. Fish would abound in the previously salty water of the Dead Sea. [At present the Dead Sea has a salt concentration of 25%, four times that of ocean water. The magnesium bromide it contains prevents organic life.]All kinds of fruit trees would grow along the banks of the river. They would be evergreen and provide a new crop of fruit every month. The fruit would be for food and the leaves for healing.

The first thing that struck me was that the water that came from the Temple of God was life-giving and a source of healing. It transformed everything it touched. It also produced trees on its banks which were sources of abundance and fruitfulness. The fruit was constantly available and was good for food, which sustained life. The leaves of the trees were good for healing. It does not specify what type of healing; therefore one is left feeling it must be for holistic healing of every aspect of a person.

My second awareness was that this picture of the river was one of increasingly greater depth as one moved along its length. If Baptism is a picture of being immersed in water (as Jonah was immersed in the sea) then this is a picture of a progressive immersion in that water of life. As one initially entered the water it was only ankle deep. The further one walked down its length the depth became greater: knee deep, waist deep and then one had to start swimming. The water level was then above one’s head. At this point one was no longer in control. One could only swim for so long and then had to give up and surrender to the flow of the river. A person would have to float and trust that the river would take them where they needed to go.  This was in the same way that the great fish delivered Jonah to the right shore to journey onward to Nineveh.

Questions for reflection:

·         Have you experienced this River of Life?

·         If you have, how far down its length are you?

·         Can you surrender yourself  to its flow?