Original Entry: April 1, 2008
McMinnville, OR
Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets, the fish will be of many kinds-like the fish of the Great Sea. Ezekiel 47:9-10
I will never forget growing up fishing White Bass with my dad in Nacimiento Lake. White Bass look similar to a Striper Bass but are typically much smaller weighing in at one to three pounds with more of a football shape. A highly aggressive fish they will take over an entire lake, eating everything in their path and killing local fisheries. In an attempt to eradicate the species there has never been a limit for the aggressive bass. One method we used was to chase the feeding crazed fish as they boiled on the surface casting a yellow or white Rooster Tail into the midst of their frenzy getting a bite nearly every time. When the boil was not present we would simply troll weighted Rooster Tails until bit and then throw the lures to where the hit came from usually finding more. The strength of the highly aggressive fish is also their greatest weakness since their aggressive behavior on the surface make them easy to locate and even easier to catch.
One particular day is especially memorable to me as we actually lost two different sets of stringers with more than 30 fish and still ending up with over 20 for the day!
As I read today’s passage I had to scratch my head. This is a prophetic passage from God to Ezekiel but the problem with the prophecy is that it requires an accurate interpretation. As I reflected on the symbolism of this section I was able to come up with what may just work as a responsible interpretation.
Chapter 47 begins with a river flowing out of the temple. I interpret the temple to be Christ and the river to be time. From the resurrection of Jesus (the temple) to his salvation (the water) flows out to mankind (the river) throughout the age of man. As his salvation flows through time all will “live” who “swarm” in the river. Those who leave the “salt water” of the world for the “fresh” river of life that Christ offers will live (John 3:16, 10:10). Ezekiel further mentions schools “according to their kinds”, which I believe represents the generations that the river passes through; however, it could also represent the various nations of the world. The river of God’s salvation flows through both generations and nations offering salvation to all who choose to swim in its water (1 Peter 3:18).
Verse 10 also mentions “fishermen” which may represent the Apostles or, more realistically, represents leaders through Church history whose nets of influence spread throughout the world and into local communities.
If these “nets” do indeed represent the local church then we can deduce that the local church really is the hope of the world. All this is to say that the local church is vital to a dynamic faith in Jesus. A man must be caught by the ministries of a local church where other men can challenge, encourage, and inspire each him. When a man leaves the net of the local church he is in dire straights of being influenced by the world around him instead of other godly men. The local church must become the place where men spur each other on to love and good deeds.
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:23-25).
