All of us need to be measured by the man of brass. The Lord Jesus as the measuring One, the testing One, the possessing One, needs to come in to measure us. We must allow Him to judge us, to test us, in order to possess us. You may say that you have consecrated everything on the altar, but the Lord wants to measure us. He desires to test and examine us. After His measuring, the waters increase.

The man of brass again measured a thousand cubits, and the waters came to the knees (v. 4). The more you are measured, tested, judged, and examined, the more you are possessed by the Lord and the deeper the flow becomes. The third time of measuring by the man of brass in Ezekiel 47 brings the level of water to the loins (v. 4), a much deeper flow. You may be in the church and in the flow, but how much have you been tested by the Lord? How much have you been judged by the Lord? How much have you allowed the Lord to take possession of you? The Lord examines us by measuring us. The Lord is going to test us, to possess us, and to examine us. He desires to measure everything concerning us, even the small things. He wants to measure our attitude, the way we spend our money, the way we spend our time, and our conduct.

You may declare, “Hallelujah, I am in the local church!” But you have to pass the test. The test we all have to pass is not man’s test, but the Lord’s test. He is the man of brass holding the measuring reed. You may feel that you are in the local church and that you have put everything on the altar. In His wisdom, the Lord would not measure a full four thousand cubits immediately. He measures gradually in units of one thousand cubits. If He would measure us in a complete way at one time, measuring four thousand cubits, we would not be able to take it. In the same way that a mother feeds her little child a little at a time, the Lord measures us little by little. Each time the Lord measures us, He measures one thousand cubits. One thousand is a complete unit in the Bible. The Lord Jesus would not measure you four thousand cubits immediately, but He has to measure you for a complete unit.

The number four refers to the creation and specifically to man as the head of creation. The fact that the measurement by the man of brass is in four times of one thousand cubits means that our entire being has to be possessed by the Lord. The Lord does not want to possess merely a part of our being but our entire being. Our consecration must be absolute. Absolute means four thousand cubits of being measured by the Lord so that our entire being is taken over by Him. After the fourth time of measurement, Ezekiel tells us that the waters became a river that could not be passed over, “for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over” (47:5). Before the first time of measuring, the water trickled forth. After the first time, it came up to the ankles. After the second time, it came to the knees. After the third time, it came to the loins. Finally, after the fourth time, no one could tell how deep the waters were. It had become a river that could not be passed over, waters to swim in.

Before getting into the flow, a person can walk easily on the dry land. It is very convenient to walk on dry land, but to walk in a place where water is trickling forth is inconvenient. After a downpour, the water that trickles on the thoroughfares makes it somewhat inconvenient to walk. When the water comes up to a person’s ankles, it is even more bothersome to walk. When it comes up to the knees, it is even more difficult to walk. When the water comes to the loins, a person can still move but with difficulty. The deeper the flow of the water is and the more we are in this flow, the more inconvenient it becomes. After being measured by the Lord, you will have the feeling that it is harder to move. The more grace you receive, the more you will be limited and bothered.

When the flow of grace rises to the loins, it is very difficult to move. This is the hardest test. At this time you may wish that you were not in the local church, and you may want to get away. However, you cannot get away because you are encompassed with and surrounded by water. When the water is to the loins, your consecration is seventy-five percent; when it is to the knees, your consecration is fifty percent; and when it is to the ankles, your consecration is twenty-five percent. The time when you are seventy-five percent consecrated is the hardest time. At this time you may have sufficient grace so that it is not easy to lose your temper, and yet you do not have sufficient grace to overcome your temper. This is a real dilemma. The grace is there, yet it is not deep enough. You need to be measured again one thousand cubits. Then the consecration will be one hundred percent. When that time comes, no one knows the depth of the water. When there are waters to swim in, there is no need for you to move. This is the time for you to rest because the flow of life is sustaining you, supporting you, and even carrying you away. At that time, you will be able to say “Hallelujah” all day long. At that time there is no longer any human strength, human effort, or human struggle. The flow of life carries you along.

Human beings after the fall always like to move about in complete freedom. They do not like to be restricted in any way. When we were on the dry land, it was easy to move. As the water of life began to increase in our being, it became more restricting and bothersome. You may feel that you have much strength and energy, but something within is binding and limiting you. We may have told the Lord, “Lord, I surrender myself to You.” But it is not until the fourth time of measuring, that we will be fully surrendered. At that time, there is no possibility of exercising our own effort. The only thing we can do in the waters is to swim. We cannot pass over them. After you have been completely measured by the Lord, there is no need of your strength, your effort, or your struggle. At that time you will say, “Lord, I surrender myself to the flow. I commit myself to the flow. I stop all my effort and cease all my struggle. I am resting in the flow and will let the flow carry me along.” We all need to ask ourselves how many steps of measuring we have passed. The picture in Ezekiel 47 is better than one thousand words. We need to praise the Lord that we are in His house, yet we need to be measured thoroughly by Him.
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