The river flowing from His presence

June 2, 2014

It’s an unusual thing to think of a river in terms of what it flows out of. In our common experience, rivers begin drop by drop as the rain falls, first with small streams, which then merge into larger and larger rivers that finally reach the sea. But this thing that’s so unusual in our common experience is actually quite common in Scripture:

Genesis 2:8-10
Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters.

Ezekiel 47:1-12
The man brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar. He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and the water was flowing from the south side.

As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and then led me through water that was ankle-deep. He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist. He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in—a river that no one could cross. He asked me, “Son of man, do you see this?”

Then he led me back to the bank of the river. When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. He said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Sea. When it empties into the Sea, the water there becomes fresh. Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many kinds—like the fish of the Great Sea. But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt. Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.” 

 Joel 3:18
“In that day the mountains will drip new wine, and the hills will flow with milk; all the ravines of Judah will run with water. A fountain will flow out of the LORD’s house and will water the valley of acacias.

Zech 14:8
On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea, in summer and in winter.

Rev 22:1-6
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.” 

All of these Scriptures talk about a river of water flowing out of someplace – flowing from the Garden of Eden, from the Temple, from the Lord’s House, from the City of Jerusalem, and from the throne of God.

Looking at these verses together, it becomes more clear what it actually means when Scripture refers in this way to the source of a flowing stream of water. Every one of these locations refers to a place where God is. In Eden, in the Temple, in Jerusalem, on His Throne. These streams of water all flow out from His presence.

In light of this, listen to what Jesus says in the book of John:

John 7:37-39
On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

It doesn’t change our basic understanding of the verse. John’s commentary has already made it clear to us what Jesus is talking about here – that those who come to Jesus and believe in Him will be given His Spirit. But to think of it in the context of these other verses adds a new depth of understanding – realizing now that just as God’s presence was in Eden, and in His Temple in the City of Jerusalem, and continues to be on His Throne – in the same way, God’s presence now is within me.

Jesus talked about this living water on another occasion too, when he met the woman at the well in Samaria:

John 4:10-14
“If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, and his sons, and his cattle?” Jesus said to her, “Every one who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Wow. How deep is this gift. The very One that I long to know, whose voice I strain to hear, and whose presence I so long for – this very One is actually here within me. Simply because I came to Him and gave Him my heart. My heart is now His throne! My body is now His Temple!

Psalm 139:17-18
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you.

Not only is He here with me now, but His presence in me will “well up to eternal life”, as He continues walking with me, guiding me, strengthening me, through whatever I have to face on the way, carrying me through the deepest shadows, and even through death itself. And when I awaken on the other side, He will still be with me.

Ephesians 3:14-19
For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.