EDEN RESTORED
Opening Prayer
Lord, I need You to restore me today.
Read Ezekiel 47:1–12
The River From the Temple
47 The man brought me back to the entrance to the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar. 2 He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and the water was trickling from the south side.
3 As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits[a] and then led me through water that was ankle-deep. 4 He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist. 5 He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in—a river that no one could cross. 6 He asked me, “Son of man, do you see this?”
Then he led me back to the bank of the river. 7 When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. 8 He said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah,[b] where it enters the Dead Sea. When it empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh. 9 Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. 10 Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many kinds—like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea. 11 But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt. 12 Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.”
Footnotes:
a Ezekiel 47:3 That is, about 1,700 feet or about 530 meters
b Ezekiel 47:8 Or the Jordan Valley
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Have you ever been extremely thirsty? How amazing did water taste once you were able to drink it?The scope of this amazing book couldn’t be vaster as it depicts the victory of God over evil, life over death. The cosmic work of God brings salvation so total that all creation drinks in its benefits. Like yesterday’s passage, today’s spells h-o-p-e.
The river flowing from the place of God’s presence grows wider and deeper the further it gets into the rest of the world. Coursing its way to the least life-supporting place, the salt-saturated Dead Sea, it brings life: plants, people, fish, activity, food in profusion.
Abundant, eternal life flows from God. The temple, where he dwells and where the sacrifice is central, is the source of the river of life. Echoing Genesis 1 and 2 and anticipating Revelation 22, this vision declares the victory of the holy God over all the penalty, power and presence of sin.
The garden, where death came in, appears now as the place of human thriving. The desert becomes that garden. It is the perfect habitat, our true and happiest homeland.
Life now is not the only life. Don’t even expect it to provide your best life. The best is yet to come.
Apply
Imagine for a moment a sunlit river flowing swift and strong through fertile land: just the sight and sound of it is refreshing. How can the eternal life of God refresh you today?
Closing prayer
Jesus, I know there are so many who need the refreshing Water of Life. I pray that they will be saved by You, great Creator-Redeemer.
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