The first two chapters of Genesis are written for us to know how to experience God as our life. After God created the heavens, the earth, the plants, the animals, and man, He put man in front of the tree of life – signifying that God wants to enter into man and be man’s life.
Then, in Gen. 2:10 we see that there’s a river flowing to water the garden, which river then splits into four branches to reach out and water all the earth. The Bible doesn’t say that this river is “a river of water of life”, but because this river is mentioned right after the tree of life, we can conclude that it is the river of water of life.
Throughout the Bible we can see that God wants to be man’s life and life supply in the form of food and drink, and at the end of the Bible in the New Jerusalem the destiny of all God’s redeemed ones is to eat Christ as the tree of life and drink Him as the river of water of life.
This river is full of life, and wherever it goes it brings life and growth! Both at the beginning and at the end of the Bible, when man is mentioned there’s the tree of life and the river of water of life.
Today we can enjoy God and receive Him as life, we can enjoy all the fatness of God, we can have our thirst quenched, we can be watered, we can grow, and we can rejoice as we drink from the river of water of life (see Psa. 36:8-9; 46:4; 65:9; Exo. 17:1-7; Joel 3:18; Zech. 14:8; John 4:14; 7:37-38; Rev. 22:1-2).
Seeing the River of Water of Life in the Bible
God’s purpose in creating man can be fulfilled only by His divine life, and for man to take God in as life God Himself became the tree of life (for us to eat) and the river of life (for us to drink).
There are many verses in the Bible – both in the Old and the New Testament – showing us the unique river, the river of of water of life, the divine river, which is flowing with the divine life as its water.
When man receives the tree of life into him, he also drinks the river of life and enjoys God as life! As John 7:37-38 says, the water of life we receive in us becomes in a fountain of water springing up into eternal life!
As we drink the river of life, we have our thirst quenched, we live a God-man life, we enjoy the fatness of God, and we even swim and flow in this river! This water causes us to have our thirst quenched and makes us life presently and eternally!
Here are some verses showing us the river of water of life in the Bible:
- Exo. 17:6 – God commanded Moses to strike the rock and water flowed out for the entire people of Israel to drink. In Psa. 78:15-16 we see that God splits rocks in the wilderness and gives His people abundant drink as from the depths.
- Psa. 36:8-9 – this river is a “fat river”, making you fat with God, giving you pleasures by giving you God Himself. When we drink this river, we enjoy God’s pleasures, we enjoy God as the fountain of life, and we see light!
- Psa. 46:4 – this river makes us glad! When we drink the river of water of life, we become happy and full of joy!
- Psa. 65:9 – the river of God is full of water. The river of life is the river of God! This river enriches the earth with life and provides life for grain and wheat to grow.
- Ezek. 47:5, 7, 9, 10 – the more we are measured by God, the more the flow of water increases until we swim in it. Everything shall live where this river flows!
- Joel 3:18 – In that day there will be a fountain coming forth from the house of God!
- Zech. 14:8 – water will go forth from the city of Jerusalem.
- John 4:14 and 7:37-38 – Christ came to give us to drink of Himself as the water of life, and whenever we drink of Him there will be a flowing out.
- Rev. 22:1-2 – in the New Jerusalem there’s the river of water of life watering the city and then flowing out through the gates to water the whole earth.
In Genesis 1-2 we see the way to experience God as life (by means of the tree of life and the water of life). The dispensing Triune God of life intends to dispense His life into us by becoming food and drink to us.
By our eating and our drinking of God, He grows within us and spreads in us, and He even matures in us, being manifested through us for His expression and representation. We simply need to eat and drink Christ!
This river is only one – from the beginning to the end of the Bible. God the Father is the fountain of life, God the Son is the spring of life, and God the Spirit is the river of life to reach man and quench his thirst.
Throughout the Bible we can clearly see that there’s only one flow, only one divine stream – which is uniquely one (see Gen. 2:10-14; Rev. 22:1).
One River of Life Becoming Four Branches to Water All the Earth
It is amazing how God wrote the Bible – He is the unique river of water of life to reach man, and for this the river is divided in four branches to reach man wherever he is!
We may live without food for a week or two, but water is indispensable to the human existence. Day by day we need to drink God as the river of water of life so that we may have a proper circulation of the divine life in us.
God as the source and center flows out to reach man in every direction, as shown both in Genesis 2 and Rev. 22.
The first branch is Pishon, which means flowing free, priceless! The Spirit and the Bride call us today, Come, drink freely the water of life! This branch waters the land of Havila, and everything grows!
The second branch is Gihon, meaning turbulence of waters. This river is not small or little, but it is a turbulent one, full of strength, fulness, and power. It is a river of great power and quantity, sweeping everything along. This river is so powerful that it can come into man, regenerate man, renew man, sanctify man, and transform man from sinners into sons of God!
The third branch is Hidekel (Tiber), which means rapid, fast, current, speedy, swift, and instant. This river is for all those who inhabit the earth, reaching them and being available to them.
The fourth branch is Perath (Euphrates), sweet and fertile. This river is sweet, fertile, and makes everything living and fertile.
The river of water of life is not small – it is huge, powerful, full, giving life wherever it goes! It is flowing in its fullness, it is torrential, it is billowing, and very powerful, and at the same time it is sweet, life-giving, fruit-producing, and reaching man! Hallelujah for the river of water of life!
Lord, thank You for being life to us in the form of drink. You are the river of water of life reaching man wherever he is. O, Lord, keep us drinking of You, being quenched with You, and taking You in as the river of water of life. Flow into us as the river of life, flow into every part of our being, and fill us with God’s fatness, God’s riches, God’s life! Keep us drinking of You until we are filled with You and we express You!
References and Further Reading
- Inspiration: bro. Minoru Chen’s sharing in the message and portions in, Life-study of Genesis (msg. 11), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on the Crystallization Study of Genesis (1), week / msg 7, The River of Water of Life.
- Further reading: The Divine Stream (by Witness Lee).
- Hymns on this topic:
# And He showed me a river / Of water of life, / Bright as crystal, / Proceeding out / Of the throne of God / And of the Lamb. / And Thou shalt make them to drink / Of the river of Thy pleasures.
# Christ has come to be life, the processed divine Trinity. / God the Father’s the source, a fountain emerging to be. / God the Son as a gushing up spring, / And the Spirit’s a river for life imparting / Oh how can this miracle be? The Triune God flowing in me!
# Both in the garden and the city fair / A river and the tree of life are seen, / Christ typifying as the life supply, / The Spirit showing as the living stream.
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