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Scripture Reading: John 7:37-38; Ezek. 47:1-10, 12
In the Bible water is a very important matter and has a great significance. In Genesis 2, after creating man, God put him in the garden of Eden, which was watered by a river. In this chapter we see water, and as we read further, the Bible often mentions water or a river. According to Psalm 36:8, God's people "are saturated with the fatness of Your house,/And You cause them to drink of the river of Your pleasures." The prophets frequently referred to water; Ezekiel 47 vividly depicts water flowing out and becoming a river. In the Gospels, especially the Gospel of John which deals with life, the Lord Jesus referred to water many times. He said, "Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall by no means thirst forever; but the water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water gushing up into eternal life" (4:14). He also said, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes into Me, as the Scripture said, out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water" (7:37-38). The last chapter of the Bible, Revelation 22, indicates that there is a pure river of water of life proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb in the New Jerusalem (v. 1). In these passages, the Bible uses water as a symbol of the life of God. When we receive the life of the Lord, it enters into us and becomes as if it were a spring of water connected to our being. Once we receive the life of the Lord, we are joined to the fountain of life. According to John 7:37-38, when the water comes into us, it becomes rivers of living water flowing out from us. Now we need to consider the following question: How can the life within us flow out like a river of living water?
The word flow is in John 7, and the synonyms issued or ran out are in Ezekiel 47. Both John and Ezekiel said that the water would become a river. If we compare Ezekiel's word with John's, we will see how the water flowed out. It flowed out by measuring. In Ezekiel we see that after measuring, the waters came to the ankles; after measuring again, they came to the knees; after measuring once again, they came to the loins; after measuring the fourth time, they became waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over. From this we should notice one thing. In order for the water in John 7 to flow out like a river, there must be the measuring spoken of in Ezekiel 47. By putting the two passages together we can see that the secret for the living water to flow out is measuring.
What is the meaning of measuring? According to Ezekiel, it means the separation of the holy from the common. The man whom Ezekiel saw in the vision measured several times. Ezekiel 42:20 says, "He measured it by the four sides: it had a wall round about, five hundred reeds long, and five hundred broad, to make a separation between the sanctuary and the profane place." The measuring in this verse discriminates between the sanctified and the profane; it separates the sanctified from the profane. After measuring a piece of land, it is regarded as a sanctified, no longer profane, place and it is consecrated to God. God wants us to be consecrated to Him. This is why He measures us. Any part in us that is measured is no longer profane; it is sanctified. What was once worldly becomes godly after it is measured.
While communing with God, Ezekiel saw the measurer in a vision. His appearance was like the appearance of brass (Ezek. 40:1-3). When the Bible speaks of man meeting God or His angel, it often mentions the appearance. For instance, Revelation 4 says that John saw God sitting on the throne and that He looked like a jasper stone and a sardius. The measurer whom Ezekiel saw had the appearance of brass. The significance of brass in the Bible is judgment. The altar, which was made of brass, represented judgment. The bronze serpent prefigured the Lord Jesus undergoing judgment on the cross on behalf of man. The measurer had the appearance of brass; this signifies that he was a judge. At the time of measuring, there is separation as well as judgment. There must be a definite standard, or a definite scale, in order to measure. Sloppy people cannot measure; neither can those who are unable to differentiate between good and evil. Likewise, those who are ignorant of the measuring scale cannot measure. When we are in fellowship with God and are enlightened by Him, we will come face to face with the measurer. When God measures us, light shines on the areas where we have fallen short of His standard or His delight. This is God's judgment.
Ezekiel 47 says that the water flowed out from under the threshold of the house. After the first measuring, the water reached the depth of the ankles; when it was measured again, it was deeper; after the third measuring, it was deeper still; and after the fourth measuring, it became a river. What is the temple? It is our human spirit. Our spirit becomes the temple, and God's Spirit dwells in our spirit so that the water of life flows out from our spirit. How can the water flow out and become deeper and deeper as it flows on? The secret is in the measuring.
For instance, after you were saved, perhaps you knelt down by your bed to pray one morning; you came before God and touched Him. At that time it seemed as if someone descended from heaven to judge your lips and tongue, saying, "Your lips are so filthy, and your tongue is so sharp." Your lips and tongue were judged by God. When God's light judged you, you reproved and judged yourself, saying, "My lips are indeed filthy, and my tongue is indeed sharp." This is the same as what happened in Isaiah 6:5 when Isaiah met God in a vision and said, "Woe is me, for I am finished!/For I am a man of unclean lips,/And in the midst of a people of unclean lips I dwell;/Yet I have seen the King, Jehovah of hosts, with my eyes." You met God, and your lips and tongue were judged. Then you went on to pray, "Lord, my lips are filthy. Cleanse me with Your blood so that my lips and tongue will be consecrated to You and placed at Your disposal from now on." From that point on, your lips and tongue were separated. If you utter frivolous or sharp words, you will feel uneasy inside. You can no longer speak so freely, because your lips and tongue have been consecrated to God.
Wherever there is judgment and measuring, there is the outflow of the water of life. Often you are powerless in preaching the gospel because your lips and tongue have not been measured; consequently, the water of life cannot flow out from your lips and tongue. When you are enlightened, judged, and measured by God, the water of life will flow out from you. Just one measurement, however, is not adequate; God will measure you two, three, and many times. God measures your lips and tongue first, and then He may measure your clothing and adornments. After you are measured by God, others will sense that even your hair and clothing are dripping with the water of life. Your clothing will satisfy those who are inwardly thirsty, refresh those who are inwardly dry, and illumine those who are inwardly dark, because your clothing has been judged, measured, and sanctified by God. How much the water of life flows out depends on how much God has gained you. As God gains more of you, the water of life will flow farther and deeper. Whether or not the water will flow far or deep enough depends on how much you are measured by God.
The water flowed out from under the threshold of the house. After you are saved, God's life is in your spirit, but it wants to flow out. When God measures you, He starts from the inside. One day as you are drawing near to God, He will touch you and judge the love within you. In His light God will enlighten you to see that your love has not been gained by Him. Even though you know God's love, your own love is still attached to people, matters, and things other than God. God will judge your love and reveal that you have not yet given Him your love. You will spontaneously confess your sin, reprove yourself, and pray, "O God, from this day on I will give my love fully unto You." After your love has been measured by God in this way, life will flow into your love.
Later, when you draw near to God, He may judge your thoughts. He will show you that your thoughts are like an unbridled wild horse and that they have not turned to God. If you have never learned to rely upon the Spirit to control your thoughts, they will be like wild horses running here and there. As God opens your eyes, you will confess your sin. Then a desire will rise in your heart, and you will say to God, "From this point forward, I consecrate my thoughts to You." After your thoughts have been measured by God in this way, life will flow into your thoughts.
Still later you will meet God again, and He will judge your will because your will has been obstinate and you have never learned to obey. Then you will confess your sin. This will subdue your will before God. You will pray, "O God, from today on, I do not want to choose what I want; instead I want to choose what You want." After your will has been measured by God in this way, life will flow into your will.
Is the measuring complete after reaching this stage? No, God still needs to measure. He will measure your body, including your feet, hands, mouth, ears, and eyes. Every part of your body is sound and useful, but none of it has been placed at God's disposal, and none of it is useful in glorifying God. Therefore, God has to measure you. Once there was a woman in her fifties. When others spoke to her about God's Word, she could not hear, but when her son and daughter-in-law whispered to each other, she could hear them perfectly. Her ears were unmeasured. Some people's eyes are very sharp in looking around, but dull when it comes to reading the Bible; their eyes can be used only on the street, but not in the Bible. Their eyes are not measured. One day when God touches such a person, He will judge his eyes. Then he will confess his sin, saying, "My eyes are full of lust, Lord. I beseech You to cleanse me with Your precious blood. Hereafter, I consecrate my eyes to You." Sometimes a certain brother glances at you. He does not need to say anything, yet life enters into you because his eyes have been judged and measured by God.
God will measure not only our soul and body but also our family, knowledge, wealth, and every other thing. Then His life will flow out abundantly from our various parts.
Brothers and sisters, if we want God's life to flow out, we have to be measured by Him. When He measures us, He starts from the inside and works to the outside step by step. According to Ezekiel, there are at least four steps in the measuring. After the first thousand cubits were measured, the waters were to the ankles. When feet are immersed in water, they cannot walk as freely as before. The feet of those who have been taken hold of by God are not so free. Many brothers and sisters prefer to walk freely by themselves; they do not want to be restricted by God's life. Therefore, they do not want to be measured by God. Once a person is measured by God, however, his feet will not be free to walk about at will. After the second measuring, the waters become deeper; walking is even more of an inconvenience. The more you are measured by God, the more you will find that it is inconvenient for you to engage in your own activities. After being measured the third time, the waters were up to the loins; the whole body was hemmed in by the water. When a Christian reaches this point, he will lose almost all of his own activities. He will be enlightened, judged, and measured by the presence of God; God will take hold of him to such a degree that he will be bound by life. Brothers and sisters, this experience is precious. When you meet such brothers and sisters, you notice that their eyes do not turn much, their words are not sharp, and their hands and feet no longer act freely. They are immersed more deeply into God's life, and God has gained more of their inward being. In the final step, the river of John 7 comes, and the water becomes so deep that a man can swim in it. At this point, one is fully carried along by the flow of the water. This is Madame Guyon's final experience — being lost in God. This is the deepest step.
Brothers and sisters, being measured is the secret to having the outflow of the water of life. While you are in communion with God, He will measure you. Verbal consecration is still not true consecration. You can be sanctified and genuinely consecrated only after you are enlightened and measured by God. Having a heart for God and a heart to offer up everything to Him is still useless. You have to be enlightened, judged, measured, and sanctified before there can be real service. The water of life will flow deeper and wider as you are measured more and more. There will be the fruit of life wherever the water of life goes, and others will receive the supply of life. O brothers and sisters, may we be measured by God again and again so that His life will flow out as a river of living water, going deeper and farther as it flows.
