Message Ten

The Call to the Thirsty Ones
to Come to the Waters

Scripture Reading: Isa. 55:1-4; Jer. 2:13; Psa. 36:8-9; 46:4;
John 7:37-39; Rev. 22:1; 7:17

1. In the Scriptures there is a line concerning the river of water of life—Gen. 2:10; Psa. 36:8-9; 46:4; John 7:37-39; Rev. 22:1:
   1. The river in Genesis 2:10 signifies the river of water of life, along which the tree of life grows; this river quenches man’s thirst.
   2. In Psalm 36:8-9 the fountain refers to the Father as the source of life, and the river refers to the Spirit as the river of water of life—John 1:4; 7:37-39.
   3. The river in Psalm 46:4 signifies the flow of the Triune God in Christ through the Spirit as life to God’s people.
   4. Revelation 22:1 speaks of the river of water of life:
      1. The river, typified by the rivers in Genesis 2:10-14, Psalm 46:4, and Ezekiel 47:5-9, signifies the abundance of life in its flow; as indicated in John 7:38, this one river with its riches becomes many rivers in our experience of the different aspects of the riches of God’s Spirit of life—Rom. 8:2; 15:30; 1 Thes. 1:6; 2 Thes. 2:13; Gal. 5:22-23.
      2. The water of life is a symbol of God in Christ as the Spirit flowing Himself into His redeemed people to be their life and life supply; it is typified by the water that flowed out of the riven rock (Exo. 17:6; Num. 20:11) and symbolized by the water that flowed out of the pierced side of the Lord Jesus (John 19:34).
2. God’s good pleasure, the desire of His heart, is to be the fountain of living waters to dispense Himself into His chosen people so that they would become His increase as His fullness for His expression—Jer. 2:13; Eph. 1:4-5, 9, 22-23; 3:16-19:
   1. God’s intention was to dispense Himself into man as man’s enjoyment and satisfaction for God’s corporate expression, but man became unfaithful and forsook God for idols—Jer. 2:13.
   2. Israel should have drunk of God as the fountain of living waters so that they might become His expression, but Israel fell by forsaking God as the fountain of living waters and turning to a source other than God, signified by the cisterns, which Israel labored to hew out for themselves—v. 13.
   3. Apart from God as the fountain of living waters, nothing can quench our thirst and satisfy us—John 4:14; 6:35; 7:37-38; Rev. 22:17.
   4. Nothing apart from God Himself as the fountain of living waters can make us His increase for His corporate expression—Rom. 8:2, 10-11; 12:4-5.
3. In the book of Isaiah, God considers that He is our salvation as living waters—12:3; 55:1-2:
   1. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament show that God’s practical salvation is the processed Triune God Himself as the living water—Isa. 12:2-3; 55:1; Rev. 7:10, 14, 17; 21:6; 22:1, 17.
   2. To be our salvation, the Triune God was processed to become the life-giving Spirit as the living water, the water of life—1 Cor. 15:45b; John 7:37-39:
      1. The waters in Isaiah 55:1 and Revelation 22:17 are the redeeming God, the very God who accomplished redemption for us through His incarnation, human living, crucifixion, and resurrection.
      2. In totality, what Christ is and has accomplished is just the divine water, which is the consummated Spirit as the consummation of the Triune God for us to drink and enjoy—Isa. 55:1; John 7:37-39; 1 Cor. 12:13.
4. We need to enjoy our God as living water, even as the waters—Isa. 55:1:
   1. In Isaiah 55 the most striking word is waters; this word reveals that we may enjoy God not only in one aspect but in many aspects—v. 1.
   2. The thought here is similar to that in John 7:38, which speaks of rivers of living water flowing out of the innermost being of the one who believes into the Lord Jesus; these rivers are the many flows of the different aspects of the divine life.
   3. In order to enjoy God as the waters by continually drinking of Him, we, who are sinners, need redemption:
      1. This redemption is revealed in Isaiah 53, a chapter that reveals more of God’s dynamic redemption than any other chapter of the Bible.
      2. The record concerning this accomplished redemption in chapter 53 is followed in chapter 55 by the invitation to the thirsty ones to come to the waters and drink—v. 1.
   4. The call in Isaiah 55:1 is like that in Revelation 22:17, where the Spirit and the bride yearn that the thirsty sinner will come to take the water of life for his satisfaction.
5. The waters are both the eternal covenant and the sure mercies shown to David—Isa. 55:1, 3-4:
   1. As the embodiment of the Triune God as the living waters (John 4:10, 14; 7:37-38), Christ is an eternal covenant to Israel (Isa. 42:6; 49:8; 54:10; 61:8b), even the sure mercies shown to David—55:1-3.
   2. Christ is both the sure mercies and the eternal covenant that guarantees these mercies—vv. 3-4:
      1. Because our situation was miserable and we could not match God’s grace, Christ, the embodiment of God’s grace (John 1:14, 17), became the sure mercies, and through these mercies we are now in the proper position to match God and receive Him as grace (Eph. 2:4).
      2. In Christ as the sure mercies, God reaches us in His grace to be our enjoyment—John 1:1, 4, 14, 16.
6. In eternity Christ the Lamb as our Shepherd will guide us to springs of waters of life—Rev. 7:17:
   1. Springs of waters of life refers to many different springs as waters of life, and, as in John 7:38 and Revelation 22:1, it refers to the unique water of life in different aspects; this indicates that there will be a unique river of water of life that issues in many rivers for our enjoyment.
   2. As the Lamb shepherds and guides us to springs of waters of life, He brings us into God Himself, and we gain the supply of living water, which is God Himself—7:17.
   3. We need to praise the Lord for bringing us to the church, where there is a fountain that is God Himself, the source of living water—Psa. 36:8-9:
      1. This living water flows unceasingly so that it fills us to the point of overflowing—John 4:14; 7:38.
      2. When we are full of this thirst-quenching water, we can overcome whatever comes across our path; by the living water out of the springs, we can overcome all things—Rev. 7:17; 3:21.