Tuesday 18 December 2007
- Bible Book:
- Ezekiel
"Wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish, once these waters reach there. It will become fresh; and everything will live where the river goes." (v.9)
Background
Ezekiel was a priest and prophet, living more than 500 yearsbefore Jesus' time. He was among the Jews exiled to Babylon byNebuchadnezzar in 597 BC. Today's reading comes from towards theend of his writings, in a section presenting an optimistic visionof new life. Perhaps this was partly inspired by witnessing thefall of Jerusalem during his lifetime, and his longing for futurechange.
Chapter 47 has a recurrent theme of water, and its potentiallife-giving properties. Several times recently I've flown overEgypt and seen the Nile snaking through the desert. Apart from theriver itself, one can't help noticing the narrow bands of fertileground on each side - bright green, in stark contrast to thehundreds of miles of brown sand stretching to the horizon in everydirection.
So there's no doubt about the potential of water - but what doesEzekiel's metaphor of water represent? Is it healing,life-nurturing? Whatever it is, it is there in abundance. Otherprophets sometimes use water as an image of God's presence flowingin and around the world.
In New Testament terms, the central role of water in baptism -cleansing, renewing in God's name - is perhaps a logicaldevelopment of this thinking.
To Ponder
Does the image of flowing water say something toyou about God's presence in your life?
Think of all the ways in which you will use watertoday. Which of them would be essential if, like so many in theworld, you didn't have an abundant supply of clean water?