A River in the Wilderness

Ezekiel 47:1–12 NLT

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 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.”

The prophecy of Ezekiel brings a lot of conclusions. This highly visionary young prophet wrote his prophecy six centuries before the birth of Christ. Ezekiel probes deep within our hearts and he has shown us ourselves as individuals, as a community of God’s people, and as a nation.

Ezekiel sets forth a clear unchangable law of God and with one another. At the same time there has run through this hard piercing prophecy an undeniable message of hope.

In this last message from Ezekiel we find a vivid description of another vision God gave to this prophet.

In this last vision God showed Ezekiel the temple in Jerusalem. Out from under the foundation of that magnificient house of worship flowed a river. This mighty river flowed down from Arabah to the Dead sea. As the water flowed, it changed that bleak, arid, blistering desert into a fertile vibrant garden.

In other messages we heard this prophet deal will commerce, politics and sociological issues. But in the last vision of the book he spoke of geography of the land.

Symbol of Destitution of the people.

The dry desert area between Jerusalem and the Dead see is the symbol of the destitution of a people.

To the east of Jerusalem the land of Palestine is rugged.

There is a great geological fault that runs through central Palestine.

At the lowest depth of the fault (18 miles east of Jerusalem, is the Dead Sea, which is the lowest known spot on the surface of the Earth.

Dead sea 1292 feet below sea level of Mediterranean Sea. Jerusalem is located on the ridge half a mile above sea level.

To the West of Jerusalem - there are mountains, gullies, moisture laden clouds from the Mediterranean blow over Palestine.

East of the city, on the side ridge where the terrain drops steadily down to the Dead Sea, there is no practically no rainfall.

Therefore there is a desert or Arabah, that Ezekiel saw in his vision. it was rugged, barren, dry and desolate stretch of land that flows the Jordan River.

From the air the Jordan Vallet is one of the most impressive sights you can imagine.

It is a jagged streak of emerald green water that cuts through the desert.

Here and there mixed through there is channeled life giving water to a relatively flat field, which is vibrant and fruitful.

This is just a brief look into the natural geography of the land to help us understand what Ezekiel is talking about spiritual truth in geographical terms.

2. The River that transforms the wilderness into a garden - the river Ezekiel waw in his vision - is not the Jordan. And the wilderness he saw is not really the Arabah at all. It is a symbol of spritual desolation in which Ezekiel’s people were living in and the same is true for thousands of people today.

Ezekiel is trying to say here that a persons first need is for a right relationship with God.

The inner person, without Chrst, is desolate and unproductive.

A person’s hope is to be changed and redeemed by the grace of God.

The arid dry desert must be made to blossom like a rose. The soil of the Arabah was rich in minerals but poor in water.

We are told that the oranges that grow in these parts are more luscious than Florida oranges.

The soil in our own land cannot compare in mineral content with the soil in the Arabah. But all of the potentially good soil in the Arabah is no good without water.

The River Ezekiel describes

It is a most unusual river

no tributaries - only a source - yet it flows through dry and thirsty country.

as it does it grows deeper and wider

river flows uphill and downhill!

What does the river represent in the vision?

flows right from the temple of God which is obviously a symbol of the love of God.

The phrase “the love of God” has two meanings.

you love him

and He loves you

Like Ezekiel we live in a time when people have grown cynical about many things.

People were making clevver and flippant remarks about God and religion to cover up their own spiritual emptiness.

Don’t we hear the same things today?

Even nominal Christians do not take God and Christianity very seriously. They make crude jokes about God and the church. They refer to God flippiantly as the “Big guy” or the “man upstairs”.

What is it that brings true joy to a Christian?

realization and confidence that in the midst of the mess society has made of things God is working out His purposes for eternity - and nothing or no one is going to stop him!

if we truly believe that, then in the midst of the most devestating set of circumstances, we have something to be joyful about.

That is not all. Ours is a day of tension. The storms of uncertainty swirl about us on every front - a “quiet center” - like the eye of the hurricane - around which the storm can blow as fiercely as it pleases.

Ezekiel is talkig about our “quiet center with God” and he compares it to the river - the love of God - the brings fruitfulness and healing to the rich soil of our souls.

There is something else about our love for God.

It ought to bring direction and purpose to our lives.

Our love for God can be called “faith” whereas his love for us is called “grace”.

It doesn’t much matter whether we call Ezekiel’s river a stream of “faith” or of “grace”.

In Christ the two are bound into one.

You love God - that means you know where the river is flowing.

God loves you - that means the river will reach its destinationno matter what.

At Christmas we sing “Joy to the World, the Lord is come!”

Another line says: “He rules the world with truth and grace”.

Sometimes we forget this, for the desert is so wild and frightening.

Sometimes we lose our way.

But my friend, God is not lost!

He has told us to “overcome evil with good”.

And He is in the process of helping us do just that.

The Temple

The temple in the last vision of Ezekiel - the temple from which flowed this life-giving river.

Ezekiel saw in his vision the river flowing out from this temple transformed the desert.

The last 8 chapters of Ezekiel’s prophecy are about the temple of God that stood in the midst of the land.

And through it all, Ezekiel is telling us that worship is a person’s central business in life.

In chapter 1 Ezekiel showed us that the reality of worshiping God can take place anywhere!

But at the same time, common sense and the evidence of history shows that true worship most often takes place in the hearts of people who have formes the valuable habit of coming to worship in a place that is dedicate to that purpose.

Ezekiel told us this by describing in careful detail the temple building.

Here is something interesting and it is the heart of the message of his closing vision in Ezekiel’s prophecy.

With all of the emphasison the temple you would think that this river flowing from it would be its deepest in the area of the temple, right by the sacred altar.

But Ezekiel knew better than that!

The temple area - where the river began - it was just a trickle.

The stream of divine love shimmered across the courtyard and through the Eastern Gate.

A quarter of a mile away that little trickle of divine love was beginning to be a recognizable stream.

Another quarter of a mile and it was up to Ezekiel’s knees.

Twice more the guide measured the stream, and at a distance of a little more than a mile, it was too deep to wade.

Ezekiel saw lush vegetation along the banks, and the guide told him that those waters grew wider and wider and deeper and deeper.

They brought healing to the land and produced unbelievably lush vegetation.

Where does the love of God really count?

in worship?

as we worship together?

when we sing hymns and prayers

listened to sermons

He wants our total lives!

Not just an hour of our time doled out to him on Sunday morning and evening.

Conclusion:

What was Ezekiel saying?

He was not saying that the temple - the church and its worship services are not important.

For the miracle of worship is more likely to begin right here more than anyother spot on earth.

The point is if our woship ends here, then there is no miracle.

Nothing is going to be accomplished.

What happens in this building is worship if it is filled with your office, on your farm, in your shop, on the job, in the school room, and in your home.

How deep is your river - your love for God, and His love for you?

Has it transforme the wilderness of your life?