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Waters From the Sanctuary
Ezekiel 47:1-
1 Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar.
2 Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side.
3 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.
4 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.
5 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.
6 And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river.
7 Now when I had returned, behold, at 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 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.
9 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.
10 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.
11 But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.
12 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.
The waters that flowed from the sanctuary, issued from the south side of the altar. The altar is the place of sacrifice; and all the Old testament offerings found their fulfillment in Christ. Hence, the message is the healing, life giving flow from the sacrifice of Christ.
One interesting phenomenon is the fact that the further the heavenly measurer moves from the house of God, the deeper the waters become, (the exact opposite of what we would expect from an earthly water source), perhaps predicting the massive growth of the kingdom after Pentecost. The nature of the grace of God is such that the more people who tap into the source, the more provisions there are.
This account also allows us to explore our own level of engagement in the provisions that flow from the altar. Waters only to the ankles speaks of a shallow Christian experience. Many Christians settle for far to little in their walk with God. Why settle for ankle deep water when up ahead there are waters to swim in? Probably the main reason for reluctance to get into the deeper waters is because it requires greater commitment from us. The next level mentioned is the knee deep water. One condition for a deepening experience with God is the knee experience, as in spending ample time with God in prayer. As we move up the river with God we reach the loin deep experience. The loins are the strength of a man. As we “draw nigh to God” in prayer he draws near to us, the Devil must flee from us, and we become “strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus”!
Oh, may God grant us an insatiable thirst after him that cannot be satisfied with anything other than the water that flows from the sanctuary. By Gods’ grace let us constantly move upstream, casting ourselves with total abandonment into the deeper waters of the grace of God, and lose our selves in Christ!
Quote: “We will have as little as we are satisfied with. We will have only as much as we insist on having!” Lee Diller