Photo by Marc-Olivier Jodoin on Unsplash
Hearing and watching a stream of water as it flows by is calming and refreshing. It’s easy to lose track of time while watching, listening, and letting our thoughts drift along with the water. This is a simple picture of eternity—the stream continues to flow night and day as the water passes over rocks and between each shore.
Some streams are big and powerful while others are gentle and smaller. All streams have this in common—the water continues to flow with signs of life within the stream and around it. This is especially true of streams originating from an underground spring.
The Feast of Tabernacles was a memorial of when Israel wandered in the wilderness before a new generation would go into the Promised Land of Canaan. It was celebrated towards the end of the year based on Israel’s agrarian calendar.
During Israel’s time in the wilderness, God provided for them in supernatural ways. There was manna from heaven and the Lord used Moses to bring water out of a rock (Exo 17:5-7; Num 20:8).
The Feast of Tabernacles lasted seven days. Each day, water was taken from the Pool of Siloam and poured out on the altar in the temple courtyard. No water was poured out on the eighth day, the final day of festivities. Jesus gives His invitation to come and drink from Him on the eighth day of the feast.
Scripture
On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus was standing ⌊in the temple courtyard⌋. He said loudly, “Whoever is thirsty must come to me to drink. As Scripture says, ‘Streams of living water will flow from deep within the person who believes in me.’”
Jesus said this about the Spirit, whom his believers would receive. The Spirit was not yet evident, as it would be after Jesus had been glorified.
(John 7:37-39 GW)
Key phrase—
“Streams of living water will flow from deep within the person who believes in me.”
Digging Deeper...
Review the Scriptures above as you answer the following questions
When and where is Jesus when He makes His invitation and announcement?
What are the two primary things Jesus says in His invitation?
What does Jesus promise will happen when someone comes to Him and believes in Him?
How are we to understand this on the basis of what we are told has yet to happen?
Reflection...
This is not the first time Jesus spoke of coming to Him for a drink of living water. He said this to a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well while traveling through Samaria. But this invitation is even more significant. Jesus is proclaiming this open-ended invitation in the courtyard of the temple in Jerusalem, the homebase of the Jewish faith.
What Jesus told the Samaritan woman, He now proclaims to all those gathered for the Feast of Tabernacles—a time to remember when the people of Israel complained to Moses while in the wilderness because of their great thirst. As they came to Moses, Jesus tells them to come to Him—the Son of God—for living water.
Jesus declares a powerful truth. This living water will flow out of the innermost being of a true believer. This is similar to what Jesus said to the Samaritan woman—a spring that gushes up to eternal life (John 4:14 GW). But what is Jesus referring to with this figure of speech?
John, the author of this gospel, informs us Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit who would be given after Jesus was glorified. That is, after His resurrection from the dead and ascension to the Father, as seen later in Acts (Acts 2:1-4, 16-21).
Throughout the Old Testament, references are made of God sending His Spirit to live and dwell in those who trust in God. Not for a select few but for anyone who believes and trusts in the Lord (Isa 12:3; 44:3; Ezek 36:25-27; Joel 2:28-29).
The invitation is open-ended. If anyone is thirsty, they can come to Jesus, trust in Him and He will give the Holy Spirit to them—to remain in them and flow out of them with spiritual life.
Taking it to heart...
Read through the Scripture text again as you consider and answer these questions
Who is invited and assured of living water by believing and trusting in Jesus?
What is the promise or assurance given for those who drink this living water?
What or who does this living water represent and how do we know this?
Have you responded to this invitation of Jesus? Have you asked the Lord to quench your inner thirst with His Spirit?
Personalize it...
Meditate On This— Jesus declares a powerful truth. This living water will flow out of the innermost being of a true believer when we come to Jesus and admit our thirst, our inner need for true and lasting fulfillment. He will give the Holy Spirit to us and He will remain in us and flow out of us with eternal life as a witness to others.
Prayer Focus— If you have yet to admit your thirst to the Lord, come to Him in prayer. Ask Jesus to live in you and remain in you by His Spirit. As we admit our need for a new life now and for eternity, He will respond to us by the Holy Spirit.
©2020—Word-Strong