Sunday School Lesson: “Water From The Sanctuary Gives Life”, Ezekiel 47:1, 3-12 New Living Translation Ezekiel 47:1 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. 3 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. 4 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. 5 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. 6 He asked me, “Have you been watching, son of man?” Then he led me back along the riverbank. 7 When I returned, I was surprised by the sight of many trees growing on both sides of the river. 8 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. 9 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. 10 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. 11 But the marshes and swamps will not be purified; they will still be salty. 12 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 People, Places, and Times Ezekiel. Ezekiel was a prophet of God while the Israelites were in Babylon and was active for twenty-two years. He was born to a priestly family during a time of political upheaval both nationally and within the surrounding kingdoms. Among the Israelites exiled to Babylon, the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 587 B.C. occurred during his lifetime. Ezekiel’s Visions. Ezekiel’s vision of the river is the third major vision in the book of Ezekiel. Visions are, in essence, waking dreams. They were seen by numerous Bible characters including Abraham, Peter, and Paul (Genesis 15; Acts 10; 2 Corinthians 12). Visions contain messages from God concerning the individual experiencing the vision or for the larger community of His people. Most of the time visions contain things that are beyond the scope of what could happen in real life. They are rich with symbolism and usually have to be interpreted in much the same way as dreams. The Lord seemed to communicate to Ezekiel major portions of his prophecy through visions. Backstage The first three chapters of Ezekiel detail the calling and commissioning of Ezekiel as a prophet of God. The rest of the book of Ezekiel can be divided into three main sections. The first section, chapters 4–24, is prophetic messages of judgment upon Israel and Jerusalem, ending with the prediction of the fall of Jerusalem in chapter 24. The second section, chapters 25–32, is prophetic messages of God’s judgment of foreign nations. The third section, chapters 33–48, is predictions of Israel’s restoration and redemption, and include details concerning the temple, the sacrificial system, and the rebuilding of Jerusalem. These last chapters also point toward the re-establishment and exaltation of the kingdom of God. Chapters 1–24 reveal God in the fall of Jerusalem and the ensuing national destruction. Chapters 25–32 teach God’s revelation of Himself through His judgments upon the nations, and chapters 33–48 emphasize God’s character through the restoration and renewal of Israel—both literally and spiritually. It is in the context of this last section that Ezekiel receives a multi-part vision of the new temple of God that is to come during the future thousand-year reign of Christ on earth. In today’s lesson, we will examine the last part of Ezekiel’s “temple tour” where Ezekiel is standing just inside the gate of the temple and sees the river flowing from under the temple. Combing Through 1. The Rise of the River (Ezekiel 47:1, 3–6) Ezekiel’s third vision begins as he is standing in the inner court of the new temple in Jerusalem. He sees water coming out from under the temple, flowing from the side of the altar. In Revelation 22:1, we also see “the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb” (NIV). It is significant that this river proceeds from where God dwells. God’s presence has been associated with water elsewhere in Ezekiel (1:24, 43:2). Likewise, the flow of God’s Spirit, through Jesus, brings energizing life and healing to those who will accept Him. As the river flowed from the temple and over the mountains, instead of eventually waning to a trickle, it gained in depth and strength. Ezekiel, in his vision, waded into the river. It was ankle-deep (v. 3). A little farther downstream, the river was knee-deep, then waist-deep (v. 4). One final check revealed that the river was so deep that “no one could cross” (v. 5, NIV). And so it is with our spiritual life. When we first begin our relationship with God, we wade out ankle-deep. We learn the first things about God. As we begin to mature, we search out the deeper things of God that require some “knee-deep” wading into the river. And then there are some things that we will never fully understand, and we must be content to say with the Apostle Paul, “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!” (Romans 11:33, NIV). When we are in covenant with God, His river in our lives grows ever deeper as we spend time communing with Him and getting to know Him better. 2. The Result of the River (vv. 7–12) The waters that proceed from God have a healing, restorative effect. Even the lowest, saltiest body of water in the world, the Dead Sea, will be made fresh by the healing river of God (v. 8). In place of this “dead” water where no life can be sustained, there will be “swarms of living creatures” (v. 9, NIV). This signifies great provision for humankind— fishermen will stand along the shore from one end of the country to the other to fill their nets with the abundance of fish (v. 10). Fruit trees of all kinds will bear bountiful crops—a different kind of fruit every month, because “the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing” (v. 12, NIV). How we wish the water of the sanctuary would flow over us—that healing, reviving presence of God in our lives. How we need His grace, His healing, His forgiveness to wash away the stagnant, dead waters of our lives. Only when we bask in His presence and soak up the living water of His words will we become bountifully fruitful servants of God. Our fruitfulness is not just for us. The fruit we bear is to serve as food to those who are hungry for the Gospel. Our green leaves of revival and purity will be for the healing of others who are sick or wounded. Wash us in Your living water, O God! Lesson Learned According to scientists, 97 percent of all water on Earth is salty. Another 2 percent of Earth’s water is ice, leaving about 1 percent of all water on Earth for human use. Water conservation and pollution are major concerns in our world today, yet this is approximately the same quantity of water that has cycled continuously for centuries. God has blessed all of mankind—both saved and sinner—with the life-giving gift of water. We’ve all seen the pleas for help from poverty-stricken countries where people are dying for lack of pure water. God’s people should not be hardened to the plight of these nations, but we should do what we can to help. God calls believers to hold out a cup of cold water to those who are thirsty—both literally and spiritually (cf. Matthew 25:35). God’s living water is available to quench the thirsty souls of those around us. God’s well will never run dry; His river will never be dammed up. But it is up to us to lead the lost and dying to the water’s Source. Make It Happen What is happening in your life spiritually? Is your stream growing stronger and deeper over time, or is it drying up and becoming stagnant? This week, examine your life. Compare your life today to where you were spiritually a year ago. Are you in ankle-deep? Knee-deep? Ask God for a desire to go deeper into His river and commit to commune with Him daily. youtu.be/FFzqsWOhpPk
Posted on: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 04:09:45 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015