7/11/2023

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE READING:

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse.”

(Revelation 22.1-3a)

TODAY’S REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

Yesterday, I focused on what was “not” in the New Heaven, New Earth and New Jerusalem: a temple and the unrighteous. In the world today, as it is or desires to present itself, the same might be said. For God’s chosen of the Old Covenant, the Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. by the order of Rome. There were those who saw Caesar and the forces of Rome as the Anti-Christ and his followers. Many in the early Church interpreted such world rulers to be the Beast (as I have mentioned in the reflection on “the number of the Beast.”) From the perspective, the Beast has had many faces. The only “face” the Beast does not have is the one which “turns” to God in repentance and honor Him who holds final judgment in the balance. I can imagine that the disdain for the Church, the Cross and any orientation which points to a power greater than a human being is a hope of those who rather wish that God did not exist. They would choose a god of their own making and the mindset that would go with it. That mindset would then, by their logic, disavow any connection to an accountability that would be called “authentic” righteousness. Without such accountability, there would then be no such thing as “unrighteousness.” With those two factors presented, I can thus say that there is the thought that “we,” meaning the world and not the community of faith, live in a time and place where there is “no temple and no unrighteousness.” What Revelation proposes, however, is that with the absence of “the temple and unrighteousness” there is a new reality which authenticates true life and living. That reality, as we learn from chapter 21, is a) there is no need for a temple because those who have committed themselves to God and being God’s people are in what would have been called on earth “the Holy of Holies;” and b) those people would resemble what Paul had identified as “the priesthood of all believers” who would then present themselves as living sacrifices before God and the world. I would dare say that “in this world” the same could not be presented as the authenticators of “a lack of a temple and unrighteousness.”

We can most certainly define something by what it is not with the aforementioned summary. We know what is not in this “new” kingdom of God by what is there. When we are moved into the conclusion of this Revelation to John for the sake of the Church in general and for the seven churches in particular, we are given one more item on the inventory list of what is “there.” The powerful significance of this “item” is without question: the river of the water of life. We can cast this image as framed by one Old Testament reference and one New Testament reference. In the Old Testament, we hear of a place called Meribah (quarrelling). Some called is Massah (testing). We are able to reference it during the forty year sojourn of Israel in the wilderness following their release from Egyptian captivity (re. Exodus 17, Numbers 27, Ezekiel 47 and others). These references speak to a time of testing and being tested as to their faith in and faithfulness to God. In one instance (Exodus 17), the people were thirsty to the point of lamenting their own death. They began to express displeasure in their leadership and their distrust in God as if neither cared about their welfare. At God’s command, Moses struck a rock in the desert near Meribah/Massah and water came forth in abundance to water Israel and its flocks to satisfaction. By the time we come to the end of their journey, we are given a second opportunity to see another testing ground experience. However, Moses in response to the need of the people, was so discontent with their grumbling and faithlessness that he disobeyed God and instead of speaking to the rock he again struck it forcefully. God allowed the water of life to flow but held Moses to a severe accountability. That accountability was the penalty exacted for his exclusion from entering into the Promised Land flowing with milk, honey and God’s favor.

In the New Testament, we find ourselves at one of Jacob’s wells. It was in the land of the Samaritans. Its location in that place provides an interesting conundrum because while Jacob was a faithful Jew in his day, in the days of Jesus Samaritans were not considered “faithful” Jews. Yet, there we are with Jesus sitting at a well much like Jacob did in his day, and find a woman coming to draw water from the well to “water her flocks.” (Genesis 29: an interesting note is in the description of this well we read “…and a stone was rolled away to uncover this well of living water so the flocks could be provided for….” If that is not prophetic, I am not sure what is!) In the conversation with the woman from Sychar, Samaria, Jesus moves her to transformation with the challenging introduction “If you knew who I was, you would be asking me for a drink…of living water.” (John 4) Jesus was speaking, of course, not of literal water but spiritual sustenance. He was speaking not of survival as we all need water to exist on earth but of eternal life which is the reward of existing for God. In both mentions (Old and New Testaments), we are called to an awareness of contentious rebellion and the need for repentance as well as the dispensation of mercy and accountability. The focus of both stories is on the future “promised land” which exists beyond that which this world can provide. In Revelation 22, we are invited to capture the fulfillment of that visual with “the river of the water of life.” It flows from the very fount of blessing, the throne of God and the Lamb. It provides “eternal” sustenance year round with fruitfulness in every season and without ceasing. What a blessing to see this threefold representation of the glory of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Father representing the centered authority and rule. The Son representing the full body of believers. The Holy Spirit representing the absolute provision for all believers. It is the perfect world which exists beyond our making but freely given to those who will choose to believe in, commit to and follow all the days of their lives. It is our choice as well!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY:

You are our God and we shall be Your people in spirit and in truth. Continue to dwell among us. Let the revelation by Your Holy Spirit inspire us to greater service in a more refined identity. We do not live as ourselves for ourselves. Rather, we live in Christ as He lives in us. We declare it with all the elders and angels in Heaven, saying “Holy, holy, holy is He who was and is and is to come.” In Jesus’ name we live, serve and pray. AMEN.