Today's Scripture
Ezekiel 47:1-12
Today’s reading Ezekiel 46-48
Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple; there, water was flowing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east); and the water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar. 2 Then he brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me around on the outside to the outer gate that faces toward the east; and the water was coming out on the south side.
3 Going on eastward with a cord in his hand, the man measured one thousand cubits, and then led me through the water; and it was ankle-deep. 4 Again he measured one thousand, and led me through the water; and it was knee-deep. Again he measured one thousand, and led me through the water; and it was up to the waist. 5 Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross, for the water had risen; it was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be crossed. 6 He said to me, “Mortal, have you seen this?”
Then he led me back along the bank of the river. 7 As I came back, I saw on the bank of the river a great many trees on the one side and on the other. 8 He said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah; and when it enters the sea, the sea of stagnant waters, the water will become fresh. 9 Wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish, once these waters reach there. It will become fresh; and everything will live where the river goes. 10 People will stand fishing beside the sea from En-gedi to En-eglaim; it will be a place for the spreading of nets; its fish will be of a great many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea. 11 But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they are to be left for salt. 12 On the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.”
RJ's Devotion
What does the passage say?
V. 1-2 Ezekiel is led to see that there is a stream of water coming out from the temple.
V. 3-6 The water flows to the east, getting deeper every 1,o00 cubits (approx. 1,500 feets); starting from ankle deep to a river one cannot cross.
V. 7-12 The guide helps Ezekiel to look back and see not only how it was amazing to see how this river grew, but also how this river became a blessing to the world.
What does this passage mean to me/us?
We are reading through the Book of Ezekiel, according to the One Year Bible reading challenge.
If you missed the sermon, on this passage, catch up by clicking here.
Today will conclude our journey of reading through Ezekiel. Of course, all the harsh word of God to the Israelites and the surrounding countries can sound like a broken record. However, it also shows how prone we are to turn our backs away from God, especially when we have our focus on the world, not God.
The overarching theme of Ezekiel is the restoration of God’s covenant with the world, and how God initiates the restoration through God’s temple. We can say that the temple is the church, and I personally think that the church needs that restoration. However, we cannot limit God’s restoration in this world to the church. It started with Jesus Christ, and it will flow through the people of God, who jump into the plan of God’s restoration through the river.
Jumping into this river of God’s blessing, at first can sound scary. Since it requires for us to let go of our control and the fear of the unknown. However, we believe that God’s river of restoration will continue to flow and become deeper as we follow God’s way. So we pray that the river will continue to flow in this world, through our lives.
Prayer
Lord, let your river of restoration flow in this world. We pray that we will be able to hear your call and jump into your river of blessing, so we may become a blessing to the world. In Christ Name, AMEN.
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