EZEKIEL’S VISION OF THE LIVING WATERS
Ezekiel 47: 5 and 11
Sermon by:
Rev. H.A. Bergsma
PUBLISHED BY
PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE
OF THE
FREE REFORMED CHURCHES OF NORTH AMERICA.
(January 2005)
LITURGY:
Psalter 279
Law of God
Psalter 152
Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 47: 1 – 12
Text: Ezekiel 47: 5 and 11
Congregational Prayer
Offerings
Psalter 357
Sermon
Psalter 127
Thanksgiving Prayer
Psalter 346
Doxology: Psalter 413
Congregation of the Lord,
Extended periods of drought give rise to great appreciation for rain.
How wonderful, when, after a dry spell, it rains again!
It makes all of nature revive again.
It seems then that nature itself comes to life again.
How good it is to see dried up riverbeds carry fast flowing waters again; to hear the rush and splash of water where once there was nothing but cracked, dried-up mud.
How refreshing it can be, even in terms of fragrance, when a dry garden or a dry lawn gets its necessary showers again.
Water is then a blessing of wonderful proportions.
For instance, when I visited Western Canada once in springtime, I quickly became aware that the farmers and ranchers were particularly pleased because their rivers and canals were filled with water, either by the rains that came down, or from the snow melting in the mountains.
They were pleased with this abundance of water, because the year before had been a particular dry spell.
Now, water has been a very valuable commodity in the land of Palestine for as long as it has been in existence.
Extended periods of drought were well known in the land of Palestine; parched fields, wilting crops, and dried riverbeds were not uncommon, and once the waters came again, it was, invariably, a literal revival for the land and for the people.
It is no wonder then that the flowing of water has taken on a spiritual dimension in the Bible and has, at times, acquired the label of “living waters.”
In this hour I invite you to visit the prophet Ezekiel with me as he is busy receiving a vision of a river of water, and let us concentrate particularly on the verses 5 and 11 of Ezekiel 47 of our text … “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. …
But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.”
Let us consider these words by the following heading and division …
EZEKIEL’S VISION OF THE RIVER OF WATER FOR THE ENCOURAGEMENT TO PRACTICE TRUE RELIGION
- The River of Water of this Vision
- The Dark Side of this Vision
- Interpretation of this Vision
Congregation,
Ezekiel finds himself in a situation that many of us would love to find ourselves in, especially on hot and dry summer day … swimming in a river … swimming in a place that is suitable for swimming, called “Waters to swim in.”
The only thing different with Ezekiel is that it is only “virtual-reality” with him, because it is a vision of a river of water, and it is in a vision that Ezekiel finds himself swimming in this river.
What is happening?
Well, God is communicating with Ezekiel by way of a vision.
This happened more often in Old Testament times, and meant that God had something to tell that was of a spiritual nature.
In other words, it was something of an “object –lesson” for the people.
In our text too, God has something to tell Ezekiel, and through Ezekiel, God has something to tell us, which, you can be sure, will be of a spiritual nature.
This is why I feel it necessary to divide this message into several parts … explain to you the vision itself; say something about the dark side of this vision; and give you the interpretation of this vision.
The vision itself then begins with Ezekiel seeing the temple at Jerusalem.
And it is an unusual sight by the temple at Jerusalem … there is water flowing out of the temple, particularly from under one of its doors, that is, from the gateway facing the east.
Apparently the water is mysteriously bubbling-up within the temple, first flowing past the altar of sacrifice, and making its way out of the temple by flowing forth from the threshold of the east-gate.
As Ezekiel observes this unusual occurrence, we are told that he also observes the flow of this water, which is of an unusual nature … the further the water flows from the temple, the deeper and wider and stronger the flow becomes.
Apparently, there is someone with Ezekiel to help him measure the flow of water, and who is identified as a man with “a line in his hand.” (v.3)
A quarter of a mile away from the temple, the stream of water appears to be ankle deep; another quarter of a mile it is knee-deep; then up to his waist; and before the stream is a full mile from the temple, it is a river of water, so deep and wide that you cannot cross it by walking through it, in fact, it has become a river good enough to swim in, called in our text “Waters to swim in.”
Quite unusual, to say the least, because normally, the further you get away for the source of the water, the less volume of water there is, and the smaller the stream becomes.
But here it is the other way around … the water increases in volume and strength, and the stream becomes a veritable river the further it goes forth.
It ends up becoming a river, which has such a broad expanse that its waters cannot be passed over and are like “Waters to swim in.”
There is something else quite unusual about this river of water: it has great healing qualities.
The path in which it flows brings healing and restoration to the land, even if the land happens to have been desert before.
Trees in many varieties grow in lush abundance at its banks, and all of them are of the fruitful kind, bearing new fruit every month.
Every type of fruit, growing on those trees, is said to be good for food, and, so we are told, even the leaves of those trees have value, apparently having medicinal qualities.
The wildlife existing in the waters of this river is noteworthy too!
The creatures are of the healthiest sort.
Not only is there is a great abundance of fish, but a great variety of them as well, and all of them flourishing and abounding.
Indeed, listening to a description of this river of water, we may draw the conclusion that these waters are nothing else but living waters and of a most desirable quality.
I venture to say that this river is not all that much different from the rivers that ran through the Garden of Eden, or Paradise.
It is a sight to behold, and no doubt, Ezekiel is thrilled with this part of the vision.
I’m sure that if you owned some property you would love to have such a river running through your property … abundant in volume; good for the land; good for the wildlife; good for the vegetation; even good for your health.
But, as much as I hate to bring it up, Ezekiel also sees a dark side of this vision, which we must consider in the second place.
This dark side is only given to us in a few lines and is articulated in our second text-verse, verse 11 … “But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.”
Right in the middle of this wonderful description of a river with living waters, there is this one line describing a scene so jarring and out of place, and so contrary to what we have heard and seen so far.
Here is a part of the scene, obviously belonging to the overall vision, called “the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof” which do not fare well; which in fact do not benefit from the healing qualities, and, so we are told, “shall be given to salt.”
Now, when a plot of land is “given to salt” it means that such a plot of land is rendered unfruitful, due to the fact that salt has been sown in it.
It may have been a fertile piece of land at one time, growing rich and plentiful crops, but if it is given to salt, it becomes a useless piece of soil, good for nothing.
In Bible times, it was part of warfare, to sow the enemy’s gardens or lands with salt.
We have an instance of this in Judges 9:45, where a city, or a city’s gardens and lands are sown with salt.
There we read … “And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt.”
And in Deuteronomy 29:23 we have an example of a land, given to salt, where it is described as … “ the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the LORD overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath.”
A land sown, or given to salt is therefore a land that is dead.
Well now, this is how it is with the miry places and the marshes that Ezekiel has to look at as part of the vision.
These places do not suffer from drought; there is no lack of water in these places as such; there is some water present there, but they are called “miry places” and “marishes.”
In other words, we have here a description of swamps and marshes.
No doubt you have seen such places … swamps and marshes.
In such places the water does not flow; it is at a stand-still; the water is stagnant; green algae often lies on the surface, and dead, broken trees hang in it and around it.
And no doubt such places smell horribly as well and are often mosquito-infested, if not infested by other sorts of creepy-crawly creatures of the dark.
Indeed, this is the dark side of the vision shown by God and seen by Ezekiel.
You and I may come to the conclusion already that these miry places and marshes are not attractive sites, and certainly do nothing to enhance the beauty or the health of the land, and are not fruit producing by any means.
In fact, we are told that such places shall be given to salt … and you know now what sort of judgment this means for the area.
The vision of living waters, and the dark side of it … the miry places and the marshes.
But now, as my third consideration: the interpretation of this vision.
Obviously, there is a spiritual meaning to it.
Right on the forefront already is the interpretation for Ezekiel and for the people of Israel, who, by the way, were in the time of Ezekiel in exile.
The interpretation for them is … that the land of Israel, and its people, would be restored again, watered, healed, and become a food-producing land and nation again, with a future!
This vision is therefore meant as a comfort for Ezekiel and the people in exile, and an encouragement for them.
But there is a larger spiritual interpretation of this vision; and it is one that should speak to us too.
God is saying something to us too by way of this vision.
What does this water bubbling up in the temple mean?
Allow me to suggest that it is a picture of the grace of God, particularly as it comes by way of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Psalm 46: 4 also speaks of it … “There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.”
Jesus Himself speaks of it in a somewhat similar way in John 4:14 … “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life”
And in Revelation 22:1 we have something similar again … “And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.”
So you see, water, particularly a river of water, or living waters, have a spiritual dimension that closely resembles the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
This Gospel is with God Himself; it bubbles up within Him, so to speak; God Himself is the source and fountainhead of these spiritually living waters.
And these waters run first past the altar, that is, the altar of sacrifice … the cross … upon which Jesus Christ has given His life and shed His blood.
These waters gain potency, life-giving and healing qualities and blessings therefore, through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
And then these waters flow forth from the threshold of the temple; remarkably, from the east-gate of the temple, facing the east; that is, facing the direction from which Jesus Christ has risen from the grave and back to life.
Remember Easter and the “Eastern skies’? … They speak of the hope of new and renewed life; the hope of the resurrection.
And the resurrection is certainly central to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Well, it is from the eastern direction that the living waters of the Gospel of Jesus Christ flow forth.
And indeed, the Gospel of Jesus Christ did originally issue forth from the Sanctuary and from Jerusalem.
After Easter and Pentecost, wasn’t it preached by the apostles first in the temple of Jerusalem? … even from the threshold of the temple?
You can read of this in the early chapters of the Book of Acts.
Matthew Henry expresses it wonderfully well in his commentary on Ezekiel, where he too speaks of the Gospel of Christ, “which went forth from Jerusalem, and spread itself into the countries about, and the gifts and powers of the Holy Ghost which accompanied it, and by virtue of which it spread far and produced strange and blessed effects.”
You see, as the stream went forth, it grew in volume, in strength, in breadth and in width, till it became “waters to swim in.”
So it is with the Gospel of Jesus Christ; as it progresses, it increases on many fronts.
This Gospel has flowed forth through the ages with increasing volume and has gone forth into the nations.
On a more personal level, this Gospel of Jesus Christ has come into your life with increasing strength.
And for you who have come to faith, the Gospel of Jesus Christ has made you acquainted with the grace of God through Jesus Christ.
It may first have seemed to be ankle deep, but then it rose to be knee-deep, and up to the waist, and finally became like waters to swim in … and now you see the grace of God all around you; grace lifts you; grace guides you; the grace of God has become your life and way of life; grace … amazing grace has become like waters to swim in.
Have you not found it so, my friend?
Hasn’t the Gospel of Jesus Christ become like living waters for you?
Hasn’t it brought you into the knowledge and the experience of the grace of God in Christ Jesus?
If not, let me urge to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to believe it.
It will be like living waters for you.
These living waters will be of greater value to you than any rain falling upon a dry and thirsty land.
These living waters of the Gospel of Jesus Christ will refresh you, bring healing of heart and food for the soul.
These living waters of the Gospel of Jesus Christ will become your joy and life … they will become waters to swim in.
I urge you: believe the Gospel; believe on Jesus Christ; receive the grace of God, and become part of the beautiful and bright side of the vision has described for us.
Of course, there is the dark side if the vision as well, … about the miry places and the marshes.
These are a description of the people who have heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ … the water has come to them so to speak … but they have not believed the Gospel; in fact, they have rejected the Gospel, by not believing on Jesus Christ.
They have become like swamps and marshes … religious and church going? Sure!
But they are like stagnant waters; there is nothing bright about them; nothing healthy about them, and soon to be destroyed by salt.
Dear people! Examine yourself.
Is your religion still like a swamp or a marsh?
Are there no refreshing things to be said about you, and no fruit to be found with you?
Are things still stagnant with you; no progress; no growth; no increase?
If so, you must be urged to repent of such a life, because remember, in this vision of our text, God makes known that He hates miry places and marshes, and unless you repent of the mire of sin and your marsh of deadness and unfruitfulness, you too will be given to salt.
But let this not be the last word of this message.
Let me give you yet, what I believe is a striking example of what it means to be in waters to swim in.
And with it I wish to close this message.
I’ll have to admit that this is a somewhat different way of closing a sermon than usual, because it will be done with a poem, … a rather lengthy poem, but I believe a very gripping poem.