Ⅰ
Jeremiah, a book full of speaking concerning Israel’s sin and God’s wrath, chastisement, and punishment, reveals that God’s intention in His economy is to be the fountain, the source, of living waters to dispense Himself into His chosen people for their satisfaction and enjoyment with the goal of producing the church, God’s counterpart, as God’s increase, God’s enlargement, to be God’s fullness for His expression; the kernel of the divine revelation is that God created us and redeemed us for the purpose of working Himself into us to be our life and our everything—2:13; Psa. 36:8-9; John 3:29-30; 4:10, 14; 7:37-39; Rev. 7:17; Eph. 3:16-19:
Ａ
Christ as the living, spiritual rock was smitten by the authority of God’s law so that the water of life in resurrection could flow out of Him and into His redeemed people for them to drink—Exo. 17:6; 1 Cor. 10:4.
Ｂ
Our drinking of the one Spirit in resurrection makes us members of the Body, builds us up as the Body, and prepares us to be the bride of Christ—12:13; Rev. 22:17.
Morning Nourishment
Rev. 22:1 And he showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb in the middle of its street.17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come! And let him who hears say, Come! And let him who is thirsty come; let him who wills take the water of life freely.
The water which came out of the rock [in Exodus 17:6] is the water of life in resurrection. Resurrection denotes something which has been put to death and which is alive again. It also denotes life which springs forth out of something that has passed through death. Because the water of life is in resurrection, it is victorious and triumphant. It transcends every negative thing. When we drink this water, we become people in resurrection and of resurrection.
Let us now look at three pictures portrayed in the Scriptures: the smitten rock with water flowing out of it, Christ on the cross with blood and water flowing from His pierced side, and God on the throne, out of which flows the river of water of life. These pictures do not signify three different kinds of waters, one flowing out of the rock, another flowing out of the body of Jesus, and still another flowing out of the throne of God. No, the water in these pictures refers to the one water. The flowing of the living water began from the throne. Before the rock was smitten and before Christ was crucified, the living water was already flowing from the throne. (Life-study of Exodus, pp. 488, 491-492)
Today’s Reading
The life-giving Spirit as the water of life flows out of God on the throne (Rev. 22:1). On the one hand, the One sitting on the throne is God; on the other hand, the water of life proceeding out of the throne is also God. The water which flows from God on the throne brings God’s authority. When we drink of this water, we receive authority as well as power. We are subdued by the living water flowing within us.The living water flowing from God’s throne [also] conveys to us the riches of the divine life. This is indicated by the fact that the tree of life grows in the water of life (Rev. 22:2). Because the riches of the divine life are carried in the flow of the living water, we receive these riches whenever we drink this water.
The Spirit flows through the smitten Christ, through the Christ typified by the cleft rock (Exo. 17:6; 1 Cor. 10:4). This flowing includes Christ’s humanity, human living, and death. We cannot taste, experience, or enjoy the Lord’s humanity except by the flowing of the living water within us. The more we drink this water, the more we experience and enjoy Christ’s humanity, human living, and death.
The Spirit as the water of life flows in resurrection with the power of Christ’s resurrection (Phil. 3:10), with Christ’s ascension, and with Christ’s enthronement, comprising glorification, lordship, and headship. Although it is difficult to explain, all this becomes our experience by drinking of the living water. We can testify that we have tasted Christ’s resurrection, ascension, and enthronement.
The flowing of the water of life in resurrection is for the formation of the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13). Because we all drink of the same Spirit, we can be one Body. Drinking of the one Spirit in resurrection makes us members of the Body and builds us up as the Body.
The flowing of the living water in resurrection is also for the preparation of the bride of Christ. According to Revelation 22:17, the Spirit and the bride sound forth the call to come and drink of the water of life. The bride is prepared by drinking. The water which the bride drinks is the Spirit. By drinking the Spirit, the bride becomes one with the Spirit….If we drink of the living water day by day, the Body of Christ will be built up, and the bride of Christ will be prepared. (Life-study of Exodus, pp. 495-497)
Further Reading: Life-study of Exodus, msg. 42