|
BACKGROUND
DEFINITION OF TERMS
CONCISE OXFORD DICTIONARY
RIVER: STREAM: WATER: CLEANSE: PURIFY:
BIBLE DICTIONARIES
RIVER: RIVER OF GOD: WATER OF PURIFICATION: WATER OF SEPARATION: CLEAN: PURIFICATION: FRUIT: RIVER: CLEAN AND UNCLEAN: PURITY: FRUIT: FRUITS: WATER OF JEALOUSY: WATER OF PURIFICATION: WATER OF SEPARATION: WATER:
The
full background to this teaching is available online at this link
THE BACKGROUND
|
Online links to scriptures (New International Version [NIV] unless otherwise stated) are shown in blue
| THE KEY IMPORTANCE OF WATER |
|
 Each one who has ever been thirsty, and that surely includes us all, knows the vital function water plays in life. Next to air, of which we need a constant supply, water is the second essential of life. While we can live without food for a considerable time – and that would be a good thing for most of us – 3 days is generally regarded as the normal survival time without water. Doctors tell us we do not drink enough. Water cleanses our system and is even supposed to help prevent putting on weight. I obviously don’t drink enough!
Spiritually too, water has been used by most religions as a symbol of purification, and ritual cleansing with water is a significant feature of Old Covenant (Testament) law. For example, in the consecration of the priests:
Numbers 8:5-7
|
|
|
 Finally, too much water is a sign of danger, death and judgement. As is too much of many things! In the Bible two events stand out in this regard. Noah’s flood and the parting of the Red Sea by God for Moses. First, Noah
Genesis 7:17-24
|
|
|
 And then Moses:
Exodus 14:21-28
So it is not surprising that God uses rivers, streams of water, in order to illustrate spiritual truth. Hence, the revelation of The Three Rivers of God.
|
|
|
In the original Garden of Eden it did not rain. For many of us, in winter, that would seem like paradise too!
Genesis 2:4-7
|
|
|
 The first mention of rain is at the time of the Flood:
Genesis 7:4
So the Garden of Eden was watered by a single mighty river, which split into four, the Pishon, Gihon, Tigris and Euphrates, as it left the Garden.
|
| THE PROMISE OF SUSTENANCE |
|
 The river enabled life to exist in the garden, for without it mankind, the animals and the plants would all have quickly perished. The river sustained life. It gave promise. It was the source of life and sustenance. Without it, there was no hope.
Both the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil were watered by it.
The Fruit: Eve plucked the fruit and offered it to Adam - German artist Lucas Cranach, 16th century.
Genesis 2:8-10
So the river first represented God’s promise of sustenance.
|
| THE PROMISE OF PERFECTION |
|
 Secondly, the river represented purity. It was the source of life for the Tree of Life itself. The Tree of life represents perfection, sinlessness, and full relationship with the Father. It was the promise of an eternal presence in the Garden of Eden. A place of perfection, one where mankind could work without ageing or a sore back, without weeds, and without conflict amongst his own kind or with the animal kingdom. Far from today’s reality!
Genesis 2:19-20
|
|
|
It was a vegetarian society, where fruit provided all the dietary requirements of man and beast.
Genesis 2:15-16
|
|
|
 Therefore, one of the biggest areas of conflict both we and the animals face today, the need to kill to survive, was not an issue in the Garden. It was a society in which all could get on with each other, the perfect place, provided God’s rules were obeyed.
|
| THE PROMISE OF JUDGEMENT |
|
Of course, we all know that Adam and family did not remain in paradise. For the river not only fed the Tree of Life, but also watered the forbidden fruit found on the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Genesis 2:17
|
|
|
 Our God did not create people to be robots, to love Him unconditionally, because they were programmed that way. A ‘love relationship’ with a computer is not fulfilling long term, although my wife Kathy, thinks I find it so sometimes! But somehow, even computers never quite seem to do as they are told either! At other times, they do exactly what they are told, which isn’t what we want. Never satisfied!
However, Adam and Eve, while created perfect, had not had their perfection, their desire to remain in fellowship with God, tested and proven. For that to be proven, they had to have a choice, to follow God unconditionally, or to or to place themselves first, before God. This choice is called freewill. And it was this freewill Both Adam and Eve exercised, when eating the forbidden fruit.
To be a real choice, there needed to be an alternative, evil spiritual presence to counterbalance God’s perfection. God provided this in the form of the serpent, satan or the devil, as we now know him. While both God and satan are now invisible, that was not so in the perfect world of the Garden, where, through perfection, spiritual beings were visible.
Genesis 3:8
|
|
|
 God would manifest Himself in a form they could see, for their spiritual eyes were open at the time. And because they were perfect, they could live in God’s presence.
So the serpent offered them his alternative. We don’t know whether they succumbed to his advances the first or a subsequent time.
Genesis 3:1-7
|
|
|
 Of course, they did die spiritually, that day. And instead of living forever, they eventually died physically too. Adam aged 930. We don’t know Eve’s lifespan. But we do know and experience the effects of their actions.
Genesis 3:16-19
|
|
|
 The choice was made, the one we all experience the consequences of today.
|
| THE RIVER OF PROMISE FULFILLED |
|
Most Christians do not understand that God’s promises are always conditional. We like to think about the positives, but very rarely do we pay much attention to the requirements necessary to obtain the particular promise. We see God simply as being the God of love, which is understandable, as we live in the Age of Grace. However He has a balanced personality. So Adam and Eve could remain in paradise, only as long as they resisted the temptation of the forbidden fruit.
So both positive and negative promises flowed down the River of Promise. It sustained the Garden, the waters symbolizing purity and perfection but the waters too, also contained a promise of the consequences of disobedience to the will of God.
|
|
|
 Adam and Eve failed the test. And so we today need to take a swim in the second river, the River of Progress as we move to restore the relationship with God lost in ancient times.
|
| <i>NEXT WEEK</i>
A REVELATION OF……. THE 3 RIVERS OF GOD continues.
|
|
 Looking at the first part of two about the river that flowed from Ezekiel's Temple.
|
| A NOTE FROM DAVID |
|
 Isn't it amazing, that no matter where we look in the Bible, the pattern of man's creation, fall and means of restoration through Jesus, is revealed.
Yet so often mankind chooses to ignore or misinterpret this eternal message and hope of God. For He desires all to return to Him, but it has to be on His conditions, not ours! For God is God, after all! And this is the message that we, His followers, are to take to the world.
Will we be obedient to His Word?
New Zealand is a country with very few native animals. Which is most surprising when you consider that we now have 40 million sheep and 6 million cattle amongst just 4 million people! We are also one of the few countries that has no snakes and only 1 killer spider which lives in places you would not normally go.
This absence of animals meant that birdlife was very strong, and we have some unique birds here.
The most famous is the 30cm (1 foot tall) Kiwi, our national symbol. Hence why New Zealanders are known as 'kiwis'.
The kiwi is hard to find, as it is nocturnal, almost blind, shy and flightless. It has its nose on the end of its long beak, and survives by digging up grubs from the soil. It also has the largest egg in relation to its size of any bird in the world! Each weighs up to 20% of the bird's bodyweight! And they normally produce 2 at a time! Some feat for the ladies! The males do give her a rest by sitting on the eggs though! We men get it easy, don't we?
|
So until next week.......
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD!
His servant and yours
Learn more about us at...
www.wwj.org.nz/about.php
|
A DAVID'S DOODLING
121. Easy success breeds arrogance, but success hard-earned, builds character.
David Tait
|
Check
out the WWJ website for….
More David's Doodlings: www.wwj.org.nz/dd.php
What We're All About: http://www.wwj.org.nz/about.php
PGIM! Weekly Encouragement Ezine : http://www.wwj.org.nz/wwword.php
Reports on past Ministry visits: http://www.wwj.org.nz/diary.php
Eagles Fly High!: http://www.wwj.org.nz/eagle.php
|
