.JPG)
The Bible Breakdown
Bible reading plan and SOAP guide: www.experiencerlc.com/the-bible
Subscribe to my weekly newsletter: www.brandoncannon.com
The Bible Breakdown
Ezekiel 47:The River of Life
Ask a Question
Send Encouragement
|||| Take a Next Step ||||
SOAP Bible Study Method.
Bible Reading Plan.
Free Weekly Newsletter.
|||| Social ||||
Facebook.
Instagram.
X.
YouTube.
The More We Dig. The More We Find.
Well, everybody, welcome back to the Bible Breakdown podcast with your host, pastor Brandon, today. Ezekiel, chapter 47, and today's title is the River of Life. The River of Life I have this mental picture in my head about like a lazy river that's just kind of going down the stream and all this different stuff, and I don't know what the mental image is for you, but we're going to get into it in just a moment. So, if you have your Bibles, I want to open up with me to Ezekiel, chapter 47. While you're doing that, as always, if you like what we're doing here, make sure you take just a moment and like, share and subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast. Make sure you're leaving us a five-star review on the podcast and make sure you are going to the Bible Breakdown Discussion on Facebook. They're doing an amazing job over there. The more we dig, the more we find and, if you did not already know this, we have people who are starting to listen from literally all over the world and I will be honest with you, I do not know how this relates to people who do not live in the United States, but you're welcome to try it, but those who do live in the United States. If you would like to receive a link to the video podcast, the audio podcast and the chapter of the day, you can text RLCBIBLE to 94000 and we will send those to you. And, that being said, we've had some different people listen from different areas, and I just want to give some shout outs over the next few weeks because I'm just I'm thankful for it. I never want you to think that we don't notice, and so I want to give a shout out real quick to Kenton it. I never want you to think that we don't notice, and so I want to give a shout out real quick to Kenton Ohio. There is a big group of people that are starting to listen and watch this podcast from Kenton Ohio, and I want you to know that I love you, I am thankful for you, and make sure, in the YouTube link and on the Facebook group, you give some shout outs and let us know who you are, because, man, I love that you are part of this community with us. There's an amazing church up there that I've had the opportunity to be part of, and they are like family to me, so I just love them. Thank you, guys, everybody from Kenton Ohio.
Speaker 0:Well, as we are rounding third base. We are almost at home. We've got this chapter and one more. Remember, the overall goal of Ezekiel is God's promise of renewal and, as we have seen this long journey that we have been on, we have watched how they have gone from devastation to judgment to kind of picking up the pieces, god putting in a new heart and a new spirit, and he is now showing them what it's going to look like when his presence returns back to his house. And this is one of those chapters.
Speaker 0:If I'm honest with you that as a pastor, I get a little bit I don't want to say frustrated, I'm not frustrated at all but let me just talk to you just for a second here. This is kind of my pet peeve here and that is this I think every chapter and every book of the Bible in God's Word is inspired of God and it's important for us to study. I also think that the Bible helps us interpret the Bible, which what that means is. If you want to know what God's Word says and you don't understand a particular verse, you can go to other places in the Bible that talk about it and it will help you to understand what it means. That's a form of a biblical interpretation is looking at other places in the Bible to see where it is, especially if it comes before it. There's another principle here's your $9 word for today Hermeneutical principle. It's called the law of first mention, which means wherever it appears first in the Bible, that's where it has the primary meaning attached to it.
Speaker 0:And the reason why this is one of those chapters that just bugged me as a pastor is I know a lot of people that love studying the book of Revelation. That's the last book of the New Testament. It is an interesting, it's an amazing book of the Bible. I've studied it for years and the thing is is when I talk to people who study this and I start talking about things from the Old Testament, they will look at me as though I am crazy and they will say what are you talking about? We're not in the Old Testament, we're in the New Testament. It's like, well, yeah, but you got to understand.
Speaker 0:68% of the book of Revelation is a direct interpretation or an indirect alliteration to something in the Old Testament. And they go no, I have no idea what you're talking about, pastor Brandon, you is an idiot, right, and I think well, here's the thing. I'm not when it comes to this. I am in a lot of things, but not with this. And here is one of those examples In Revelation, chapter 22,.
Speaker 0:It talks about how, when God restores his glory to the world, makes a new heaven and a new earth We've been talking about in the past few chapters of Ezekiel. It says that the rivers of living water, the river of life. In Revelation 22, how it will bring healing to the nations and how it will bring glory to this new place. And people are like, wow, that's so awesome. I wonder where that comes from. Well, it comes from Ezekiel 47. And as we look at so many things in the Old Testament, it helps us understand what the book of Revelation is all about. So there we go, rant over, let's read this as the river of life. And I, just so you know, in my mind I have this mental picture of a lazy river, like at a theme park, of just going through here, and I know I have to admit I also have this mental picture of families and inner tubes that are going down this. I have a feeling we get to heaven. That is not going to be a thing, but it's just where my mind is. So let's read this together and let me know in the comments down below what kind of goes into your mind, your imagination, as we read this together. Okay, you ready? Ezekiel 47, verse verse 1, says this In my vision, the man brought me back to the entrance of the temple.
Speaker 0: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 and through the wall, through the north gateway, and led me around to the eastern entrance. There I could see the water flowing through the south side, to the east gateway, measuring as he went, he took me along the stream, for it was 1,750 feet, and then he led me across. The water was up to my ankles. He measured another 1,750 feet and he led me across. 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. And then he asked me "'Have you been watching, son of man? Then he had 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.
Speaker 0: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 Engedi to Englium, and 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 on both sides of the river. The leaves of these trees will never brown or fall and there will always be fruit on these branches. There will be new crops every month, for they are water. Leaves of the trees will be for healing.
Speaker 0:Revelation talks about the healing of the nations, verse 13,. This is what the sovereign Lord says. Divide the land in this way for the 12 tribes of Israel. The descendants of Joseph will be given two shares of land. Otherwise each tribe will receive equal share. I took a solemn oath and swore that I would give this land to your ancestors and it will now come to you as your possession. These are the boundaries of the land.
Speaker 0:The northern border will run from the Mediterranean toward Hithlon and then through Lebo, hamath to Zedad. Then it will run to Beratha and Zebrium, which will be the border between Damascus and Hamath, and finally to Hazar HaKetzithion and the border of Haruan. So the northern border will run from the Mediterranean to Hazar Inan, on the border of Hamath, to the north of Damascus, to the south. The eastern border starts at the point between Haran and Damascus and runs south along the Jordan River between Israel and Gilead, past the Dead Sea as far as Tamar. This will be the eastern border. This will be the eastern border. The southern border will go west, from Tamar to the waters of Meribah at Kadesh, and then follow the course of the Brook of Egypt to the Mediterranean. This will be the southern border. On the west side, the Mediterranean itself will be your border. From the southern border to the point of the northern border begins opposite of Lebel Hamath.
Speaker 0:Divide the land within these boundaries among the tribes of Israel, distribute the land that is allotted for yourselves and for the foreigners who have joined you and are raising their families among you. They will be like native-born Israelites to you and will receive the allotment among the tribes. These foreigners will be given land within the territory of the tribe to whom they now live. Wow, so, as you can see which I love this, by the way not only is he giving access to this to the Israelites and he's dividing up this new land, but then he's also saying all the foreigners who have come in, those who now worship Yahweh, will be invited to be among this.
Speaker 0:And I love this idea of God saying everything is going to be surrounded by this river of living water, this river of life, and there's so many things that if you've been reading the Bible very much, it's kind of going through your head right now. You go to the book of Revelation and you see how he says that the leaves of the trees are for the healing of the nations. In other words, whatever this living water touches, whatever gets its nutrients out of, this living water will be divine. It will have the ability to do great things. It will bring healing to these things to these areas. And he's saying I'm going to use the living water to bring healing to all of this, and I love that idea.
Speaker 0:But my mind can't help but also say where Jesus was talking to a lady in John, chapter 4, and he used water to refer to living water. And in so many places in the Bible when he refers to living or running or flowing water, it's a representation of the Holy Spirit. Did you know that in the Didache that it actually says that if you are going to baptize somebody, you should always do it in living water, and it's because the idea is it's a symbol of the Holy Spirit. And so I wonder if one of the takeaways that we could get from this. And so I wonder if one of the takeaways that we could get from this that the primary takeaway is God's presence is going to flow through his eternal kingdom and that the further you get into his kingdom, the more his presence flows. Remember it said ankle knee all the way.
Speaker 0:You know, the secondary meaning we can get from this is that promise that one day the Holy Spirit was going to dwell with us. And as we allow the Holy Spirit to dwell in us and to move through us, then he can bring healing to every area of our life. And so I'm curious for you when it comes to things like this, when it comes to the idea of flowing further into the kingdom of God, allowing the Holy Spirit to flow through you and then, through you, bringing healing to other people, such as serving others and helping the broken, and all of this. Where are you in that? Can I tell you, one of the greatest things about God's word is that he first tells us to come drink of the water of life, and he tells the young lady in john, chapter 4, he or she who drinks of this water will never thirst again.
Speaker 0:In other words, you're not going to need to go after any other gods, any other things. I'm enough for you. You know what's amazing too, as he said, for all the trees that plant themselves in the kingdom of God, their leaves will be for the healing of the nation. So, in other words, when you plant yourself into the kingdom of God, god then can use you to bring healing to others, and that's one of the great things that's about maturing in the kingdom of God is there is a season when you do need to focus on your own healing. I need to get into the presence of God. I need to do all of these things. There's a season for that and you're never done. We're always growing in the things of God and the kingdom of God. That's true. But there comes a point that as we grow and as the fruit of the Holy Spirit starts to grow in our life, that then others are able to receive healing through our lives, and that can happen in so many ways. It's just as we walk with people in life groups, as we are the hands and feet of Jesus by serving one another, and God uses us to be somebody else's miracle.
Speaker 0:So I want to ask you this question when are you at in that journey? Are you a brand new Christian? If so, can I tell you, drink of the water of life, taste and see that the Lord is good. He is for you and not against you. Have you been a Christian for a little while? My question for you would be have you allowed the fruit of the Holy Spirit to grow in your life? That's love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, patience, self-control. If not, you need to get a little closer to his presence, a little closer to that river of life, so it can grow and then, if it has, have you then turned and started being a blessing to others? If not, man, I got great news for you, and that is that God wants to use you to make a difference in the lives of others, and it doesn't have to be big and spectacular. God often does extraordinary things through ordinary acts of faithfulness. But my question for you is are you allowing him to use you to bring healing to those around you? Let's pray together right now.
Speaker 0:God, thank you so much for today.
Speaker 0:Thank you, god, that you bring healing to us and then you give us the joy and the privilege of being your hands and feet to bring healing to others. And I know, sometimes unintentionally, we can sensationalize that and make it more than what it has to be, when really what it is, it's about serving others. It's about using the gifts, talents, abilities, opportunities you've given us right now to make a difference in the lives of others. I pray you'll help us to do that, help us to never get too far from you. And I know God will never stop growing, will never stop healing, will never stop doing those things, those next steps you have for us. But at some point then you also give us a mission. You give us the opportunity to make a difference, and I'm thankful for that. Today, in Jesus' name, we pray amen. And then what God's word says in Ezekiel, chapter 37, verse 14, it says I will put my spirit in you and you will live again. We got one more chapter to go. I'll see you tomorrow for Ezekiel, chapter 48.
