November 16, 2014 ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON A TRANSFORMING STREAM MINISTRY INVOCATION O God: We give thanks to You for the manifold blessings to us. You did not have to bless us but You did. We shall remain eternally grateful. Amen. WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW AND UNDERSTAND The life-giving water in Ezekiel s vision is a symbol of God s blessings and presence, which flow from the sanctuary and are available to the earth and His people. THE APPLIED FULL GOSPEL DISTINCTIVE We believe in the indwelling of the Holy Ghost for all believers and that the Holy Ghost verifies and validates the Believer as part of the Body of Christ. TEXT: Background Scripture Ezekiel 47:1, 3-121 Key Verse Ezekiel 47:9 Lesson Scripture Ezekiel 47:1, 3-121 Ezekiel 47:1 (NKJV) 47 Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and there was water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple faced east; the water was flowing from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar. 3 When the man went forth eastward with the line in his hand, he measured a thousand cubits, and he caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the ankles. 4 Again he measured a thousand, and caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the loins. 5 Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass through; for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed through. 6 And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the bank of the river. 7 Now when I had returned, behold, upon the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other. 8 Then said he unto me, These waters issue forth toward the eastern region, and shall go down into the Arabah; and they shall go toward the sea; into the sea shall the waters go which were made to issue forth; and the waters shall be healed. 9 And it shall come to pass, that every living creature which swarmeth, in every place whither the rivers come, shall live; and there shall be a very great multitude of fish; for these waters are come thither, and the waters of the sea shall be healed, and everything shall live whithersoever the river 1
cometh. 10 And it shall come to pass, that fishers shall stand by it: from En-gedi even unto En-eglaim shall be a place for the spreading of nets; their fish shall be after their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many. 11 But the miry places thereof, and the marshes thereof, shall not be healed; they shall be given up to salt. 12 And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow every tree for food, whose leaf shall not wither, neither shall the fruit thereof fail: it shall bring forth new fruit every month, because the waters thereof issue out of the sanctuary; and the fruit thereof shall be for food, and the leaf thereof for healing. COMMENTARY 47:1 2 The man who appears is the angel-guide who had taken Ezekiel through his vision of the new temple in 40:3. He regularly appears to guide the prophet in his tour of the millennial temple. The man brought the prophet back to the entrance of the temple area, where he saw water coming from the threshold of the sanctuary. The threshold may refer to some architectural feature visible to Ezekiel from a vantage point outside the sanctuary. If this threshold is like the one in 46:2, it probably was elevated. Perhaps the water flowed under it, or it may have had an outlet built in the threshold itself. The water that flowed from the threshold proceeded from the sanctuary on the east side and then flowed southeasterly past the altar on the south side, then to the south side of the eastern gate (v. 2). From that point, it became a stream that flowed into the Kidron Valley at first turning south, then continuing past the Hinnom Valley, and then taking a turn southeast. This description of the flow of the water follows the contours of the present geographical and topographical features of the city of Jerusalem. Ezekiel 47 hints at some possible major changes in the geography of the area. If changes do occur, then the flow of the water would follow the topography of the altered terrain on the eastern side of the old city. A great cleavage in the Mount of Olives would allow the water to flow east from the temple area before turning southeast toward the Dead Sea. Although Ezekiel did not specifically mention such changes, his vision does not contradict anything revealed by these other prophets. Some would claim that the flow of the water from the temple mount follows the natural contours of the land. In this case, the water would flow into the Kidron Valley, then southeastward to the point of intersection with the Hinnom Valley. It would then flow through the wadi En-nar, which finally turns eastward. This would be the route taken by one traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. Second, based on the idea of dramatic geographical changes that will result in a cleavage in the Mount of Olives, the water would flow unobstructed toward the Dead Sea. 2
The existence of available water sources in this area has been a matter of record since earliest times. David entered the city when he conquered it by coming up the water shaft and Solomon was anointed king at the spring Gihon, which Hezekiah connected by tunnel to the pool of Siloam. The idea of water flowing from the temple mount is therefore not unreasonable. That the source of this river had its origin at the threshold of the sanctuary is a most significant fact. Symbolically it presents a beautiful picture of God as the Source of life for a world that thirsts for spiritual truth, including forgiveness and salvation. The correspondence of language, symbols, and figures between Ezek 47:1 12 and Rev 22:1ff. is more than coincidental. The answer to this phenomenon is not to be found in borrowing, but is evidence that there are two independent witnesses each with its vision describing the same area. Ezekiel s vision has been a common source of rituals associated with Sukkoth among Jews and with water baptism among Christians. The root meaning of these symbolic applications is expressed in the truth Ezekiel saw that God is the source of lifegiving and healing waters, which flowed from his sanctuary (vv. 1 2). God alone is the Source of life and provides the Word of life that is the lifegiving water that quenches the thirst of the human heart for life, forgiveness, and salvation. 47:3 5 The size of the river is described in a manner totally different from the process of measurement used on the temple complex. Four identical thousandcubit distances were measured by the angel-guide to suggest the increasing depth of the water. At each thousand-cubit interval, he led Ezekiel into the water with him. The prophet reported the depth in increasing increments of ankle deep (v. 3), knee deep (v. 4), waist deep (v. 4), and deep enough to swim in (v. 5). Apparently, there is no particular symbolic significance in this method of measuring the river. Ezekiel s comments do provide the reader with a personal frame of reference to judge the water depth and rapid rise of the river s flow. When the prophet first saw the water, it was coming (lit. trickling, v. 2) out of the threshold of the sanctuary. This trickle from the sanctuary soon became a flowing stream when it reached the south side of the eastern gate. The word ( flow ), was commonly used to describe liquid flowing from a bottle. It suggests continuous flow. By the time the fourth measurement of depth was taken (v. 5), the flow had become a flood. The river is like the blood of the Messiah from the cross of Calvary that began as a trickle (John 19:34). Finally, the blood, like the river, became a flood of redemption for all people (Rev 1:5). So, the flow from Calvary became a fountain of redemption for all people including Israel. Just so, the water of life that the 3
prophet saw coming from the threshold came forth gently, then began to flow, and finally became a mighty river of life healing all in its wake. When God s Word is received,, he transforms death into life and produces life in abundance springing up as life-giving water within every person. This abundant sustenance was made available to all people through Jesus Christ. 47:6 8, 12 The sufficiency of this life-giving water from the throne of God is portrayed in language reminiscent of the garden of Eden. It also is another expression of the idea presented in 36:35 regarding the restoration of Eden. As Ezekiel walked with the angel-guide along the banks of the river, the guide asked, Do you see this? (v. 6). Ezekiel saw numerous evergreens on both banks (v. 7) that bore fruit every month (v. 12). The fruit of the trees was good for food, and the leaves of the trees had healing properties. Thus both the elements of the tree of life concept from Gen 3:22 and the restoration of the tree of life with healing and salvation of John s vision in Revelation are found in Ezekiel s vision of the healing waters of the river. The life-giving power of the water is presented in this vision of fruitfulness, food, and healing. The water of the river ultimately produced the fruitfulness of the trees because it brought life from the sanctuary of God (v. 12). The water continued its flow down to the Arabah (v. 8), a name that once applied to the whole lower Jordan River valley including the Dead Sea and south to the Gulf of Aqaba/Eilat. So the water will enter the Dead Sea, probably at the northern end near where the Jordan River empties into it today. The sea of v. 8 is the Dead Sea that contains twenty-four to twenty-six percent minerals compared with normal sea water, which contains four to six percent. Because of this extremely high mineral content, there are no fish or other aquatic life in the water, hence its name, the Dead Sea. The sufficiency of the water from the throne is portrayed in the miraculous transformation of everything that it touched. Ezekiel said the toxic water of the Dead Sea became fresh (v. 8). The sufficiency of the water of life from the throne of God is evidenced by the fact that no additional elements were needed to produce life, fruit, transformation, or healing. With the life-giving water from God the barren becomes fruitful, the dry becomes nourished, the empty becomes filled, the bitter becomes sweet, the unhealthy is healed, and the dead is made alive. 47:9 11 The healing and saving power of this water is demonstrated by the revitalization of the Dead Sea. The water from the sanctuary descended from the temple area 2,430 feet above sea level to the surface of the Dead Sea 1,292 feet below sea level, a drop of over 3,700 feet. The combination of the living water from the sanctuary with the toxic water of the Dead Sea will heal the deadly 4
properties of the poisonous water, and it will be filled with life (v. 9). The Dead Sea will become the living sea, teaming with aquatic life and fish (vv. 9 10). On the banks of the Dead Sea, fishermen, seen in Ezekiel s vision will stretch their nets from En-Gedi to En-Eglaim. En-Gedi is located at the midpoint of the west bank of the Dead Sea near Masada. En-Eglaim has been identified with Ein- Feska at the northwestern end of the Dead Sea near Qumran. The fish the prophet saw in his vision were numerous in species as well as quantity, comparable to that of the Great Sea or Mediterranean (v. 10). The marshes and swampy areas around the Dead Sea will remain saline perhaps to provide a source of salt for domestic use (v. 11). Everything in Ezekiel s description presents a picture of the life-giving, healing, and life-sustaining properties of the water from the sanctuary. Whatever the water touches from the parched earth in the Judean wilderness to the toxic mineral water of the Dead Sea is given life (v. 9). On its journey from Jerusalem, the river nourishes the grove of trees that produces fruit every month (v. 12). The leaves of these trees will not wither but will be a valuable commodity providing healing herbal medicines. The water of life flows into what is today a dry desolate area, which the prophet in this vision saw restored to a fruitful habitat. He saw the final restoration of all things that in his earlier vision he had called the restoration of the garden of Eden. Thus in both a literal and symbolic way he presented the efficacy of the life that flows from the throne of God to transform everything and everyone who will receive it. Jesus told the woman at the well that the healing waters of God could be an internal spring of water welling up to eternal life (John 4:14). Likewise, in John 7:37 38 streams of living water are presented as flowing from the body of believers, suggesting the life-giving flow that comes into a person s life through faith in God and Jesus Christ. The early church spiritualized the visions of both Ezekiel and John. In these interpretations the river represented the increase in the number of believers; the fourfold measurement of the water represented the four Gospels with the deepest measurement depicting the Gospel of John, which was the deepest ; and the river was a symbolic foregleam of baptism. This symbolic approach to interpretation focused solely on spiritual aspects of the vision of Ezekiel while ignoring any possible literal or physical truths. This illustration serves as a reminder of the consequences of taking an unbalanced approach to this passage. The passage is both symbolic and literal, and any interpretation should necessarily reflect both elements. The vision of 47:1 12 is one of the most compelling expressions of hope for life in the Old Testament. The river Ezekiel saw was a real river with water that 5
had life-giving and healing properties. But this real river also represents the spiritual life and healing that flows to the human family from the throne of God. This picture of a healing stream, issuing from the temple, fertilizing the desert, and changing the bitter waters of the Dead Sea into sweet rests on some natural and some spiritual conceptions common in Ezekiel s time. There was a fountain connected with the temple-hill, the waters of which fell into the valley east of the city and made their way toward the sea. Such waters in the east are the source of every blessing. Yahweh himself is the giver of all such blessings that flow from his presence. When the tabernacle of God is with His people, external nature also will be transfigured. Every good is to be enjoyed, and there will be no more curse. The desert will blossom like the rose. The barren land toward the east and the bitter waters of the sea were a contradiction to the ideal of an external nature subservient in all its parts to those in the fellowship of God. Therefore, the desert will be fertilized and the waters of the sea healed. It would be an error to regard this fertilizing, healing stream as a mere symbol of heaven. This would overstep the limits of the Old Testament since the Hebrews had no conception of a transcendent sphere of existence such as heaven. The final abode for humanity was considered to be still on earth. God came down and dwelt with humans; they were not translated to abide with God. However, God s presence with humans on earth did give to earth the attributes of heaven. In these blessings the Hebrews saw in the token and the sacraments God s favor and presence with them. The power of the river of life is shown in the life it generated in everything it touched. God is the source of the river, but a world of lost people is its end. Abundant blessings for the human family are a basis for praise and thanksgiving to the gracious Father who is their source. Praise God from whom all blessings flow! RELATED DISCUSSION TOPICS CLOSING PRAYER My God: I am grateful to have found You and kept You in the forefront of my being. Bless us continually with Your grace and mercy. They represent bountiful blessings for all of us. Amen. 6