Ezekiel 47

Everyone wants to be used by God. Many long for their first love, the first encounter with God. Some go throughout life with such a spirit of entitlement, leaning on the God of their parents- having never really tasted and seen for themselves. Many come to the temple every Sunday and go through rhetorical formalities, singing aloud, perhaps shouting aloud, perhaps crying aloud to a God they’ll never fully surrender to. And, they read about him- but they’ve yet to ever taste him. We go to department stores, walk pass perfume counters and smell scents so strong that we can taste them! But, we enter into the house of God and our spiritual noses are stopped up! God speaks, but we can’t hear, because we’ve not practiced hearing all week. He invites us to step in the river. This river of progression of relationship with Him. The almighty God, the creator of heaven and earth invites us to be in relationship with him, and we decline the invite. He doesn’t have anyone else deliver the invite. He doesn’t email/text you via Evite. No- he hand delivers, knocks on the door of our hearts and says come walk with me- let me take you through the river.

But, we come to the temple. We are literally in the temple. We are standing in/ seated in the very source of our healing, of our deliverance, our understanding, relationship, salvation… everything that we could ever need or even hope for.

Here’s what Ezekiel saw when he was brought back to the temple. He said as he was “led” through the water:

Verse 3; ankle-deep;

a. this level marks the most accessible level of God’s truth’s. It’s the initial stage of spiritual understanding. You understand very little spiritually. You find yourself standing in what’s shallow, when it appears that others are closer to the deep.

Verse 4a; knee-deep;

b. this level is where you decide to have a lifestyle of prayer. This is where you decide you no longer want to be shallow. But, you want to go deeper in relationship with God- and you realize you can only do this by talking to him. Because the first step to any healthy relationship is clear communication. So, you begin to beat your flesh daily. You do seek his face! With all 5 of your senses! This is where if the tv show doesn’t bring God glory- you don’t want to watch it. If the song doesn’t bring God glory- you don’t want to hear or sing it! This is where you begin to beat your flesh- because you want to live a life that produces.

Verse 4b; waist-deep;

a. this is where you produce! You bear fruit of the spirit. You bear spiritual offspring. You bear works that glorify God.

Verse 5; a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen. It was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through.

a. We should be growing from walking, to praying, to producing.

The water symbolizes;

life, salvation, the restoration of dead things…

when it passes by desert lands begin to produce again.

It brings divine provision.

it turns salt water into fresh water.

Ezekiel saw trees standing on both sides flourishing.

What if Ezekiel had not continued to be led?

What if he had stayed in the shallow end of the water?

What if Ezekiel had said, “I’ll stay right here on the edge (close to the shore). No need to go to the deep. Bishop will tell me everything I need to know. I don’t need to pray. I don’t need to be disciplined”.