Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over. – Ezekiel 47:5
A few years ago, my wife and I lived in a house that had a 16- by 32-foot swimming pool. Sometimes we would invite friends over for a swim after work. Some of our guests would walk up to the pool and stick a toe in to test the water. Some would put one foot in and pull it out quickly. Others would go straight to the edge and jump into the deep end. One big splash, and they would come up from the bottom and call, “This is great! Come on in!”
Our focus verse deals with “waters to swim in.” When the man in Ezekiel’s account began to measure, he went first into ankle-deep water. That probably felt good to his feet. Then the man measured out another thousand cubits, and the water was up to the knees. That must have felt even better. Eventually the water came up to his loins, and I’m sure that felt good too. The part I like the best, though, is when the man measured out another thousand cubits, and it became water to swim in—water so deep he didn’t know its depth, waters that overflowed him!
A spiritual parallel can be drawn between the waters in Ezekiel’s account and the Gospel. The question is, will we plunge in? Possibly we’ve been praying and living a Christian life for years, but have we been fully immersed in the glories of the Gospel? Or have we just stood around the edges observing, maybe “sticking a toe in” from time to time? Are we one of those who is wading in ankle-deep water, and have we become satisfied with that? There are deeper depths to explore! And the deeper we go, the more blessing and joy we experience. If we let the Spirit of God submerge us and take over our lives, we will enjoy blessings that we are not able to explain!
If you have never plunged into the Gospel, get away from the edges. Get out where there is water to swim in. Get out to where God can do something in your life! It is possible to dabble around the edges of the Gospel, but the blessing comes when we submerge ourselves.
With both feet, let’s jump in and prove that the Lord has something extra special for us.