Step Into the Water
One Year Bible: November 24
Ezekiel 47-48:35
Step Into the Water
“In my vision, the man brought me back to the entrance of the Temple. There I saw a stream flowing east from beneath the court of the Temple and passing to the right of the altar on its south side. The man brought me outside the wall through the north gateway and led me around to the eastern entrance. There I could see the water flowing through the south side of the east gateway.” (Ez. 47: 1-2)
What do we know about this water?
Ezekiel tells us that the water was “up to his ankles”, then “it was up to his knees”, then it was “up to his waist”, and then the river was ‘too deep to walk across”. “It was deep enough to swim in, but too deep to walk through”. (47: 3-5)
Then “The Measuring Man,” asked, “Have you been watching, son of man?”
As we end the book of Ezekiel today, this is the question that we all need to answer…
“Have we been watching?”
Today’s message is truly a message of Thanksgiving on this Thanksgiving day. It tells of a literal feast and a feast of plenty in food and healing.
“Fruit trees of all kinds will grow along both sides of the river. The leaves of these trees will NEVER turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit on their branches. There will be a new crop every month, for they are watered by the river flowing from the Temple. The fruit will be for food and the leaves for healing.” (47:12)
Oh, I love Thanksgiving time with all the brilliant fall colors, but I hate the period after that when the leaves fall and there is cold emptiness. This description lets us know that God’s living water is bringing life and refreshment, and the dead has come to LIFE!
In this chapter, the priests are told HOW TO LIVE, WHERE to LIVE, and that LIFE IS CELEBRATION!
Remember, how the priests were to only wear LINEN? “When they enter the gates of the inner court, they are to wear linen clothes; they must NOT wear any woolen garment while ministering at the gates of the inner court or inside the temple.” (44:17)
Why you may ask? The priests weren’t supposed “TO SWEAT IT”. Linen was much lighter than wool. They were not supposed to physically sweat in that heat and create bacteria which causes uncleanliness, nor were they to the labor of their own “Sweat”.
When God’s presence was with His people the “living water flowed” and they were to move within that power of life… Check out Deut. 11: 10-14 where God provided for all their needs and they drank the “water of the rain of heavens”.
God’s presence ALWAYS involves LIVING WATER FLOWING!
God will provide for their land, food, and blessings… AGAIN!
Not only that but there will once again be CELEBRATION!
There were three major feasts observed by Israel. In October there was the Feast of Tabernacles. Passover was in April. Fifty days after that came Pentecost.
In this passage, the people, led by the prince, will partake in the Feasts of Passover and Tabernacle, but not the feast of Pentecost. Interesting, isn’t it?
The Passover Lamb is Jesus and he will literally “dwell or tabernacle” there with them. (John 1:14). Pentecost, the Feast of First fruits, was a feast of “Anticipation” and was poured out in the Upper Room in Acts 2.
The Spirit poured out there like a “mighty rushing wind” or “rushing water”. In God’s timing, they will experience the “living water that is rising… rising… rising…” It is so deep that they can literally swim in it!
My dad loved a good gospel quartet and he sang bass quite well. I can remember riding in his car many times to the sounds of a song called “Step Into the Water”. All the grandkids could sing this song for you in their finest “quartet voices”. There was humor in the air as they sang it until Grandpa passed away. The song took on a different tone after that…
“Step into the water, Wade out a little bit deeper. Wet your feet in the water of his love. Oh, step into the water, Wade out a little bit deeper, Come join angels singin’ Praises to the Lamb of God.” (Step Into the Water, the Cathedral Quartet)
There is not a Thanksgiving that goes by that I don’t thank God that one day all of our memories will be eclipsed by Majesty and that broken hearts will mend because of Calvary. Jews and Gentiles will celebrate the living water running freely and strife will end.
May we “Step into the Water” of HIS love and praise the Lamb of God!
