Ezekiel 47:1 says, “Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under, from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar.” The door of the house is the entrance and the exit of the house. The word “threshold” may be translated into “passage.” The threshold in this verse is the passage of the house. The entrance of the temple is toward the east, toward the rising of the sun, which means it is toward the glory (Num. 2:3; Ezek. 43:2). The flowing of the water is toward the glory. Everything concerning the flowing must be for God’s glory.
Also, the waters come from the right side of the house. In the Bible, the right side is the highest position, the first place. Thus, the flow of life must have the preeminence, the first place. This tells us that we should never forget, neglect, or miss the flow of living water, the flow of life. We have to check with ourselves all the time: “Do we have the flow within us? Are we in the flow?” If we are in the flow, everything is all right regardless of the situation that we are in. As long as we are in the flow, we are one with the Lord. We have to pay our full attention to the flow and pay the price to get ourselves into the flow. This flow must be on the right side; it must be in the first place; it must have the preeminence.
The flowing is at the south side of the altar. Everything must be put on the altar for the flow of the living water. We do need a full consecration to enjoy the flow of life. We need to consecrate all that we have and all that we are to the Lord.
Ezekiel 47:3 says, “And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles.” Measuring means to judge or to test. Anything that is measured by God is judged by Him and is tested by Him. To measure something means to test it, to determine whether it is according to a certain standard. Measuring tells us whether the size or weight is right.
To measure also means to possess. In Revelation 21:15 the holy city is measured by God, which means that God is going to possess it. Whatever God measures is what belongs to Him. When one is going to buy a portion of land, the portion that he measures is the portion that he possesses. How much one measures is how much belongs to him. Thus, to measure means to test, to judge, and eventually to possess.
To measure also means to examine. When ladies are going to the drapery store in the Far East to buy drapes, they measure the material. While they are measuring, they examine the material to check for holes or imperfections. Even when people buy a plot of land, they measure it, and this measuring includes their examining it. In conclusion, to measure means to judge, to test, to possess, and to examine.
In the house the water is flowing constantly, but the depth of the water depends upon the measuring. Before the man began to measure in verse 3, verse 2 tells us that the waters ran out on the right side. The American Standard Version tells us in the margin that “ran out” can also be translated into “trickled forth.” Thus, after the man began to measure, the flow of water began to increase. After the first measuring the trickle became a flow to the ankles. At this point the flow is still not so deep because there has not been the adequate measuring. Likewise, the flow may not be so deep within us because we have not been adequately measured by the Lord. We have only been measured a little. We may be able to declare, “Hallelujah, I am in the church. I am in the house of God, and I have the flow.” You may have the flow, but what kind of flow do you have? What kind of flow are you in? Is your flow a trickle or to the ankles?
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