Compare Ezekiel 47:4 with John 7:38. How do both describe living water? Opening Scriptures • Ezekiel 47:4 (BSB, excerpt): “he led me through the water, and it was knee-deep… waist-deep.” • John 7:38 (BSB, excerpt): “Streams of living water will flow from within him.” Rising Waters in Ezekiel 47 • A literal river issues from the future temple, measuring deeper at each thousand-cubit mark. • Progression—ankles, knees, waist, then waters to swim in—pictures ever-increasing life and blessing. • The source is God’s own house, underscoring that true life flows only from Him (cf. Jeremiah 2:13). • The river heals the Dead Sea and sustains trees that bear fruit monthly (vv. 8-12), a foretaste of restored creation. Living Water in John 7 • Jesus stands in the temple on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles and claims to fulfill the water-pouring rite. • He promises rivers, not trickles, within every believer—fulfilled by the Holy Spirit (v. 39). • The flow is inward-to-outward: God dwells in the heart and overflows to the world (cf. John 4:14). Shared Themes • Source: Both streams originate in God’s presence—Ezekiel’s from the temple, John’s from Christ. • Increase: Ezekiel’s river deepens; Jesus speaks of abundant, unceasing flow. • Life-giving power: Waters heal salty seas and barren hearts alike (Revelation 22:1-2). • Mission: The outward spread in both passages anticipates global blessing during the millennium and in the church age. Personal Application • Receive: Believe in Christ and the Spirit becomes an ever-deepening river within. • Grow: Let the flow move from ankle-deep beginnings to waters that carry you. • Overflow: Carry healing and refreshment to spiritually barren places, just as the temple river transforms the desert. |
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