Rivers of Water - Digging Into the Psalms

Photo courtesy Stockxchng/roonie roe

There is a river that flows from God above. There is a fountain that's filled with His great love. Come to this water. There is a vast supply. There is a river that never shall run dry (words by Max and David Sapp).


We looked into the word blessed in the first installment of this blog series. We learned how the word really means multiple blessings. We understand that the one who walks uprightly and delights in God's law is blessed with multiple blessings. What are these blessings?


"And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper (Psalm 1:3 KJV)."


Every time I read the word river in the Bible, I can't help but think of the song "There Is A River", which is why I began this posting with a stanza of the song. The prophet Ezekiel writes of this river in Ezekiel chapter 47. The apostle John speaks of this river in Revelation 22:1-2.


Blessing number one:
The blessed one will be like a tree. Give a young sapling plenty of nutrients and water and it will become a solid, extremely difficult to move tree. Put that tree into our lifetime, into our neighborhoods, and it's even harder to take down. There are houses, outbuildings, powerlines, the neighbors property, among other things to deal with when removing trees today.


Blessing number two:
The tree is planted by rivers of water. I want you to take particular notice: this tree is planted by rivers, plural, rivers. The Hebrew word translated as river is derived from a primitive root meaning to split or divide! It's no mistake or coincidence the psalmist uses the plural rivers here. The tree, the one blessed, isn't blessed just once. The one blessed is blessed over and over!


Blessing number three:
This blessing also comes from the rivers. It's the water itself. A river is a continuous flowing supply of water. The water is constantly moving, constantly being refreshed. This constant supply of fresh water is a necessity for Christian growth and maturity. We must allow God to plant us in the water of his Spirit!


Blessing number four:
The tree will bear fruit in its season. A well-watered, strong Christian will bear fruit. I'm not talking about living the high life. I'm not talking the prosperity gospel. I'm not talking about how we act. I'm talking about winning souls! The one who is blessed will bear fruit. We will win souls!


Blessing number five:
The blessed tree will never lose its leaves. They will never wither, fade, or fall off the tree. It's an evergreen tree. How can this be? The blessed one is rooted in an everlasting supply of fresh water. The blessed one grows towards an everlasting sun. The blessed is planted in rivers of water, the Spirit. The one blessed doesn't need to rely on the natural sun to keep his 'leaves' green. Jesus Christ himself is the SUN!


The last blessing listed:
The blessed one will prosper in everything he or she does.I know sometimes it doesn't feel like we're prospering much. Sink your roots deep into the river of God and take in all the water you can get. Allow your branches to spread forth into the light of the Son. Keep drinking. Keep growing. Keep maturing. When your season comes, you will bear much fruit, and you'll bear fruit over and over! The blessing are multiple! God bless...