In Ezekiel 47:1-12, God gives Ezekiel a vision of a river that flows from under the threshold of the temple. Rivers are, “a flow of water that has a source, a course and a force.” “Source” is where the river has its start. “Course” is where the river flows. “Force” reveals what effect the river will have.
“Source.” Ezekiel says that it came from underneath the temple altar. Jesus seems to speak to this prophecy when He was attending the Feast of Tabernacles. There was a ceremony that involved water being poured to run down the temple courtyards. Jesus used that graphic ceremony to draw attention to Himself (John 7:37-39). Moreover, consider Revelation 22:1, 2: “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life. It was as clear as crystal. It flowed from the throne of God and of the Lamb. It flowed down the middle of the city’s main street.” There is just One Source of this spiritual river, and that is the sacrificial work of Jesus.
“Course.” The water flowed eastward from the temple and the city of Jerusalem, through the Judean wilderness until it reaches the Arabah—a sandy desert—and enters the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth. This is a poignant picture of the power of the Holy Spirit to reach anyone, no matter how low they may be. As the river flows from the heights of Jerusalem to the depths of the Dead Sea, so the reach of the Holy Spirit is from the high to low; it’s all-inclusive.
“Force.” Though this river starts as a mere trickle, within a relatively short distance, it increases in depth—ankle deep, then knee deep, then waist deep. Within 7,000 feet, the water was too deep for a man to stand. And as the river deepens it irrigates the desert on either side.
“Where are we in the river?” The depth of the water speaks to our depth of surrender to the Holy Spirit. If we’re splashing about in the shallows, it would mean that we are in the water, but conditionally. We want to stay only where it is safe, where the challenges are minimal; where we feel that we are in control. The only way for us to fully experience the Holy Spirit is to surrender to the flow of the river, wherever it takes us
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