In the book of Genesis we see many seeds of the divine truths, which develop throughout the Bible and consummate in the book of Revelation as a harvest. In Gen. 2 we see the seed of the flowing river, which is developed throughout the Bible and it consummates in the river of water of life in the New Jerusalem.
To understand and fully appreciate what the river of water of life is we need the entire Bible. The seed is in Gen. 2:10-14, the development includes Exodus 17:6 and John 19:34, and the consummation is in Rev. 22:1-2. All these show us how God in Christ wants to be man’s life in the form of food and drink.
For this, Christ has been smitten by God’s righteous law on the cross and out of His side flowed blood (for redemption) and water (for regeneration). Today we can apply the blood of Christ whenever we fail or sin, and then we can drink the river of water of life in Christ’s resurrection to be filled with God’s life, to be sanctified and transformed, and to build up the Body of Christ.
The water of life is in resurrection, and as we drink it we become persons in resurrection and of resurrection. Hallelujah!
Christ the Rock has Been Smitten by God and Living Water Flowed Out
With the help of the New Testament, we can have a full appreciation of the river of water of life. In 1 Cor. 10:4 Paul tells us that the people of Israel drank the same spiritual drink from the spiritual rock which followed them – and this rock was Christ!
If we read Exo. 17:6 we see that God told Moses to strike the rock and water will flow out for all the people of Israel to drink. Christ is this rock, which followed the people of Israel to give them water to drink.
On the cross, Christ was the living spiritual rock, and He was smitten by the authority of God’s law so that the water of life would flow out of Him in resurrection for all God’s redeemed people to drink of it. What an amazing death Christ had!
In His death Christ not only redeemed us, defeated the devil, paid the highest price for man, created the one new man in Himself, released the divine life, etc, but He also was smitten by God and flowed out blood for our redemption and water for our regeneration! Now all we have to do is to speak to the rock – speak to Christ, and He will give you the life-giving Spirit to drink!
We should all drink this same spiritual drink – the all-inclusive Spirit – and we should not drink anything other than the Spirit as the living water! Christ as the living spiritual rock is following us wherever we god, being already smitten and cleft by God, ready to give us living water.
Even when we fail, we have the blood of the Lamb to apply through repentance before the Lord, and we can go on to drink of the river of water of life!
The Living Water is the Water of Life in Resurrection
A very particular aspect of the living water is that it is the water of life in resurrection – it is the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit as the ultimate issue of the Triune God (see 1 Cor. 15:45).
In His crucifixion, Christ was smitten by God and in His resurrection the living water flowed out of Him for all to drink. When we drink of Christ as the living water, out of our innermost being shall flow rivers of living water in resurrection (John 7:37-38).
Resurrection means that something that has been put to death is now alive again; it denotes life that springs forth from something that has passed through death (see John 11:25; Acts 2:24; Rev. 1:18).
The living water we drink today is the water of life in resurrection, making us victorious, transcendent, and full of joy (Eph. 1:19-22; 2:5-6). When we drink the river of water of life we are victorious and transcendent over any negative thing! The blood of Christ takes care of our condemnation, but the river of water of life is saving us from the power of sin.
The way to overcome the strong attraction of the world is not by exercising self-restraint or your natural strength but by drinking the water of life in resurrection! When we drink this water of life in resurrection we become persons in resurrection and of resurrection!
When we simply open to the Lord and call on His name, fellowship with Him, pray to Him, pray over His Word, and contact Him, we drink in resurrection life!
The more we drink the resurrection life, the more we become people of life, people in resurrection and of resurrection (1 Cor. 10:4; 2 Cor. 1:9; 4:14)! Hallelujah, drinking the water of life in resurrection is the way to live Christ, live the church life, and fulfill God’s purpose!
Lord Jesus, thank You for being so near to us, following us as the spiritual rock to give us water of life to drink. Lord, may we drink only the life-giving Spirit as the water of life and stop drinking anything else. We need more life. We open to You. We take You in as the water of life in resurrection so that we may be persons in resurrection and of resurrection. Lord, give us to drink! Fill us with Your resurrection life!
References and Further Reading
- Inspiration: bro. Minoru Chen’s sharing in the message and portions in, Life-study of Exodus (msgs. 40-42), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on the Crystallization Study of Genesis (1), week / msg 7, The River of Water of Life.
- Hymns on this topic:
# Christ, the Rock, must first be smitten, / That the living water flow; / Without death the Spirit’s fulness / Ne’er could dwell in man below. [by Watchman Nee]
# Thou from the heavens as food camest down, / Thou to be drink hast been smitten for me; / Thou as the food, my exhaustless supply, / Thou as the water, a stream unto me. [by Witness Lee]
# I have come to the Fountain of Life, / A fountain that flows from above; / I have passed from the waters of strife / And come to the Elim of love; / I have drunk of the heavenly well, / In the depths of my being it springs. / No mortal can measure or tell / The gladness the Comforter brings. [by A.B. Simpson]
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Lord you love us. I am not worthy of such love. I pray you stsy in my life always.