Quenching Our Thirst

(Gen. 2:10; Ezek. 47:1-12; Jn. 7:37-39; Rev. 22:1-5)

Introduction

What are you thirsty for? Water is so easily available to us, that we think little about it. If we want it, we just turn on a faucet. It’s not that way everywhere. When Pastor Bart and I were in Sodo, Ethiopia last October, it was clear that many, if not most, homes did not have running water. People had to transport it from a well, or from the marketplace. There were donkeys everywhere carrying yellow containers full of water.

When we flew over Africa, most of it was barren because there was no water. Water is essential for life.

Genesis 2:9-14

In chapter 2 of the Genesis-creation account, we are told that God provided for life by placing a river in the garden of Eden that expanded to create other rivers on the earth:

            The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed.

            Out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

            Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four rivers.

These rivers all flowed out of the river in Eden, and watered the earth so that trees could grow. This river provided for life for Adam and later humankind. That was the point of the rivers—to provide for life—and that provision ultimately came from God.

Ezekiel 47:1-12

The image of water coming from God was picked up in Ezekiel 47:1-12. Since chapter 40, Ezekiel has been describing a future temple where God will dwell, and from it flows life-giving water for God’s people and all the nations:

            Then he brought me back to the door of the house; and behold, water was flowing from under the threshold of the house toward the east, for the house faced east. And the water was flowing down from under, from the right side of the house, from south of the altar.

The rivers became deeper and deeper until they could not be forded, and they made the salt water of the oceans fresh water so that it could be drunk. The Ezekiel explained:

            “By the river on its bank, on one side and on the other, will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear every month because their water flows from the sanctuary, and their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing.”

This future river, flowing from God in His temple, will provide for the needs of the world—bringing about drinking water, food, and healing. The broadening scope of this river-imagery shows that the “water” is providing for many areas were humankind “thirsts” both physically and spiritually. Who doesn’t thirst for healing in life, or deliverance from what we believe threatens our lives?

John 7:37-39

John appears to be thinking of Ezekiel 47 in chapter 7 of his Gospel. On the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, the priests would symbolize this Ezekiel prophecy by bringing water from the pool of Siloam and pouring it by the alter in the temple so that it would run from under the alter. On that day Jesus made it clear that the water symbolized by the pouring was actually going to come from Him:

Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.

            “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” (Jn. 7:37-38)

Clearly, Jesus was saying that the “water,” symbolized in the ceremony, actually came from Him. And as we’ve seen, the thirst is not just a thirst for “water”—it’s a longing for all of life—for wisdom, for healing, and for deliverance from those things that threaten our very life.

Then John explained in verse 39 that this “water” was not about “water,” but about God Himself:

            But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

It was always the case that the “water” symbolized the very presence of God who can satisfy our deepest thirst.

This was true for Nicodemus who was seeking the kingdom of God and was told: “Unless one is born of water, even the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (Jn. 3:5).

This was true for the Samaritan woman who had been in multiple, failed marriages and was told, “whoever drinks of the water that I will give shall never thirst; but the water that I will give will become a well of water springing up to eternal life” (Jn. 4:14). Her “thirst” wasn’t really for “water,” but for the resolution of her life struggles.

This is what the whole world thirsts for, and its resolution comes through God—through Christ! All that we long for, all that we thirst for, will only be realized in Him, and He is present in the Person of the Spirit now. And while we now taste of the fullness yet to come, if we do not tell others, they will never participate in that fullness at the consummation of all things! Revelation 22:1-2 describes that fullness by using the same imagery we heard earlier in the Scriptures:

            Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb in the midst of the broad way.

On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

In light of this, here are some suggested areas for prayer:

1. Thank God that He has provided for the thirst in our lives through Jesus and His Spirit.
2. Pray that we will care enough for people to tell them about God’s provision for their deep thirsts.
3. Praise God that all the world’s thirsts for living, healing, and overcoming death will be fully satisfied in His presence through faith in Christ.