This review is brought
to you by the Kentucky
First Jurisdiction Church of God in Christ Sunday School Department.
LESSON AIM: By the end of the lesson, we will: know about Ezekiel's vision
of life-giving water; appreciate our covenant with God as an ever-deepening
river of blessing and commit to communing with God daily.
BIBLE TRUTH: In Ezekiel's vision, water is the symbol of God's presence and
blessings that flow God's sanctuary and are available to the earth and its
people.
Ezekiel 47:1, 3-12 | King James Version (KJV)
1 Afterward he brought me again unto the door
of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the
house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the
waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side
of the altar.
3 When the man that had the line in his hand
went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through
the waters; the waters were to the ankles.
4 Again he measured a thousand, and brought me
through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand,
and brought me through; the waters were to the loins.
5 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.
6 And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou
seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the
river.
7 Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank
of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other.
8 Then said he unto me, These waters issue out
toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea:
which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed.
9 And it shall come to pass, that every thing
that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and
there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come
thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river
cometh.
10 And it shall come to pass, that the fishers
shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to
spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of
the great sea, exceeding many.
11 But the miry places thereof and the
marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.
12 And by the river upon the bank thereof, on
this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not
fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new
fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the
sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for
medicine.
We’re continuing to see into Ezekiel’s vision and
its meaning. The majority of the focus here is around the flowing water of the
rivers. Look at verse 3. The water only rises to his ankles. In verse 4, it’s
up to his knees. By the time we get to verse 5, there’s a pool so large that
you can’t even pass over it. And, once this amazingly growing source of life
continues to expand, everything within its path comes to life, flourishes, and
thrives!
We all learned early on in life that roughly
71% of the world in which we live is covered in water. It can be found in the
air, in rivers and oceans, glaciers, and even in soil. So, what’s the
significance of this important element? Indeed, it is life’s precious resource.
Without water, there would be no oxygen (the air we breathe), and no ability to
grow food (the nourishment we need to thrive).
The symbolization of water seen in our lesson
references the need for God to flow fluidly in aspect of our lives. Not only
should God be consulted for external decisions that affect us, but the Holy
Ghost be free to flow inside of us, to provide the leading and guiding that we
need each day. All of God is all we need. When you find a life with no God, you’ll
find a desert and dry-like being. Fruitlessness is commonplace there. Only god’s
healing flow can restore, revive, and renew such places. The promise that God
makes in these verse 12 holds true for us today. We have the blessed assurance
that He will heal such places.
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