The Hidden River

Ezekiel 47:1-12

In my vision, the man brought me back to the entrance of the Temple. There I saw a stream flowing east from beneath the door 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 out through the south side of the east gateway.

Measuring as he went, he took me along the stream for 1,750 feet[a] and then led me across. The water was up to my ankles. He measured off another 1,750 feet and led me across again. This time the water was up to my knees. After another 1,750 feet, it was up to my waist. Then he measured another 1,750 feet, and the river was too deep to walk across. It was deep enough to swim in, but too deep to walk through.

He asked me, “Have you been watching, son of man?” Then he led me back along the riverbank.  When I returned, I was surprised by the sight of many trees growing on both sides of the river.  Then he said to me, “This river flows east through the desert into the valley of the Dead Sea.  The waters of this stream will make the salty waters of the Dead Sea fresh and pure.  There will be swarms of living things wherever the water of this river flows. Fish will abound in the Dead Sea, for its waters will become fresh. Life will flourish wherever this water flows.  Fishermen will stand along the shores of the Dead Sea. All the way from En-gedi to En-eglaim, the shores will be covered with nets drying in the sun. Fish of every kind will fill the Dead Sea, just as they fill the Mediterranean.  But the marshes and swamps will not be purified; they will still be salty.  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.”

Ezekiel is known for his visions more than anything else and this is another example.  Here, Ezekiel describes a specific river that has never existed.  Jerusalem is one of the few great cities of the ancient world that did not have a major river running through it.  It still doesn’t. And if you listen carefully to his description, it’s a river that hasn’t existed anywhere before because its properties defy the laws of physics.  It begins with a trickle and gradually gets wider, deeper and flows more powerfully.  Actual rivers tend to be the opposite; they begin with power and depth gradually lose it.  Another noteworthy characteristic of this river is its healing properties.  The river proceeds from the temple in Jerusalem to the Dead Sea to the east and brings the Dead Sea back to life!  This stands in contrast to a situation that those in Israel would have been familiar; the Jordan River east of Jerusalem does flow into the Dead Sea (the lowest place on earth) and has for thousands of years.  However, the Dead Sea is still “dead.”  You will not find any usual aquatic life there.  In fact, people have choked to death after accidently inhaling its waters.  So, Ezekiel’s vision describes a river that is ever becoming more powerful and bringing healing wherever it’s waters flow.  Now listen to Jesus’s vision a couple of thousand years later:

On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me!  Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)          John 7:37-39

Jesus uses the same imagery to describe the work of the Holy Spirit.  There are lots of nuances that could be explored for further insight, but today, just focus on the core image.  The river proceeds from God’s presence in both Ezekiel’s and Jesus’s visions.  The river brings life and healing and everywhere it is allowed to flow – even to the lowest and “deadest” places.  Perhaps spending time on the banks of this River could do us some good. 

Prayer:  God, thank you for your provision of healing for even the saltiest places on earth and in our souls.  Let the river flow over us though us that new life might spring forth. Amen.

Prayer:  Pray for the healing of our earth today.

Song:  Testify – Needtobreathe