A slightly longer sermon, but the congregation were warned - now so are you!
Ezekiel's vision of the temple, including this section refers to things that Israel never saw fulfilled, so either they were false prophecies, or they are still being fulfilled today.
The river provokes images of God's blessing, holiness and love.
A natural river is a combination of many sources, but this river only has one source, the presence of God.
A natural river takes the path of least resistance and destroys or leaves barren the resistant areas. God's river flows to the barren places and creates life in unlikely places.
Impurity pollutes a natural river, which in turn pollutes the sea. God's river purifies and creates new life. (Rev 17:1, 15 - images of the polluted "Waters" that still await the purity of God's "River").
Triplet of purpose in marshes and trees ...
for salt,
for food and
for healing.
Even salt, otherwise a pollutant, is restored to honour God and for human benefit. God's purity restores the good as well as destroying evil.
The trees are the people of God (Ps 1:3). Their whole being relies on the sustenance of the River of God. The faithfulness of this sustenance also reflected in Revelation 22:3.
Fruit for food, leaves for healing ... God is interested in providing for our physical as well as spiritual wellbeing, because his kingdom is for the whole human, not just the human spirit.
John 4:14; 7:38 - The source of the River is the presence of God, in the New Covenant temple that is the church and our own bodies. It is the Spirit now living in us, through us, growing in us and flowing out from us.
Physical thirst ... it is easily denied, leading to physical weakness and headaches. How much more so the ease and effect of denying a whole-person-thirst for the Spirit of God. Let's take time to be thirsty and to drink!
© 2004. Used with permission.
