“Everything shall live whither the river cometh.” Ezekiel 47
From this wistful text written by this fine young Jewish priest, we see with our mind’s eye one who is swept away in a beautiful vision to his cherish homeland.
For decades he has been in exile in the pagan land of Babylon. Still burning in his mind is the heartbreaking deportation by Nebuchadnezzar’s army driving God’s wayward people, his kindred, out of the burning city of God. Ezekiel’s graphic vision still captivates one’s thinking now. We can see that river flowing from beneath the temple’s altar. Ezekiel said it was flowing from the heights. What we must see here is that all hope for this dead, barren wasteland on earth is to be reckoned only from God. In him alone is there any hope for a better world. Jeremiah said, “It is not in man that walks to direct his own steps,” yet, all his proposed planning is continually on the horizontal plain. Utopia is to be found here if man can utilize his own power to make it happen — but it never happens. God says such thinking is a blind hallucination. Hope flows only from the altar of God.
That has not changed, yet man continually fights a futile battle with God’s word in a struggle to bend his will to man’s. In the midst of this, the church must not forget the Rock from which it is hewn—its calling to be the pillar and support of the truth. Less than this is a mockery when observing the Lord’s Supper.
Ezekiel wants his readers to know that as the life-giving water flows, the stream progressively deepens — from the ankles to the knees and on up to be waters to swim in.
It is past time to examine ourselves whether we have the joyous life left in us and if it is growing. Paul challenged the church at Corinth to look back at their experience since they became Christians to make sure they were making progress (2 Cor. 13:5). There is something wrong with our calling if we make no effort to do that.
Ezekiel’s vision was not just truth and hope for the suffering Israelites; it was written for us too (Rom. 15:4). Has our life for Christ been a steady deepening stream of wonder and every wonder true? Are we lingering lethargically in the shallows of a milk-toast commitment? Matthew 6:33 is specific and means what it says.
God asked Ezekiel –and us—”Have you seen this?” That is, do we comprehend the seriousness of the situation and realize a deepening joy in our salvation as we grow in commitment to his word?
Wrapping up the thought is this:
Do we really like the church exactly as Christ designed it? Do we really cherish the healing waters that flow from below the altar at Calvary and the word of God? Are we happy to swim in the deep waters of full commitment?
It’s the only healing stream that flows.