John 7:37-39
Have A Drink
\\#John 7:2\\ tell us that this event took place during the Feast of
Tabernacles or Sukkot. This was one of the three mandatory feasts
requiring all the Jewish males to attend.
We actually started this chapter two weeks ago as the Jews started
their Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot. I did not preach last
Wednesday which would have been around the last day of the feast so
we are a week or so behind this celebration closing in Israel.
I. There were seven major Jewish feasts, each one teaching something
about Jesus and God’s plan. The first four are spring feasts and the
last three fall feasts.
1. Passover - speaks of Jesus being slain for our sins. I
believe that Jesus was crucified on the Passover.
2. Unleavened Bread - speaks of all sin being removed. Jesus,
who became sin for us, was buried or removed on the day of
Unleavened Bread.
3. First Fruits - This is the celebration of the first harvest.
Jesus resurrected on the Feast of First Fruits.
4. Pentecost - It celebrates God giving the harvest and was the
day God gave the Torah, His Word. It is also the day God
gave the Holy Ghost to the church and the church to the
world.
The three fall feasts, as yet, have not been fulfilled. As they are
Jewish feast and not church feasts, the fulfillments should be in
Jewish events.
5. Feast of Trumpets - Interestingly, there is little detail
given of God’s purpose to this day. The Bible teaches that
the trumpets were blown and that it was a holy day.
\\#Num 29:1\\ The trumpets are used to assemble the people
and most feel that the people were being called into God’s
presence on the Feast of Trumpets. It came to be accepted as
a day to repent before God. For the future, this day is
considered to be the day we are called into God’s presence.
For the church, the rapture; but mostly likely it speaks of
the Jews when Jesus returns to establish His kingdom.
6. Day of Atonement - The day when the High Priest offered a
sacrifice for the sins of the nation, placing the blood on
the Mercy Seat. \\#Lev 16:1\\ This speaks of the Jews being
saved.
7. Feast of Tabernacles - The most festive of the Jewish feasts.
The Jews live in booths for seven days, remembering their
wilderness journey. This speaks of the millennial reign,
when the Jews finally enter into their rest. (\\#Zech 14:16\\
specifically mentions this holy day being celebrated during
the millennium and the nations of the earth being required
to come celebrate it.)
II. What happened during the Feast of Tabernacles.
A. Of course the people lived in their booths.
B. However, a great host of sacrifices were also offered. In
all, 199 offerings. \\#Num 29:12-38\\
1. On the first day, a set of 30 offerings (bullocks, rams,
lambs, and goats) were made.
2. For the next six days, one less bullock in that set was
offered.
3. Then on the eight day, a different set of 10 offerings
were made.
C. Beginning on the second day of the feast, four huge Menorahs
fitted out with wicks made from the worn-out garments of the
priests, illumined the entire temple area. The people would
gather in the Court of the Women, men and women being
separated by a barrier, to dance a torch dance to the
accompaniment of flute paying. At some point, the Levites
chanted the Psalms of Ascent (120-134) (primarily songs of
faith and deliverance), one each on the fifteen steps that
led down from the court of Israelites to the Court of the
Women. (Priests’ court, Men’s Court, Woman’s Court, Israel’s
Court, Gentile Court)
http://www.crossmarks.com/brian/john7x37.htm
http://www.truthnet.org/Feasts-of-Israel/10-Feast-of-Tabernacles/
Index.htm
D. But what was done in the mornings fits John 7.
1. Each morning, either a priest or priest would leave the
temple and the city by the Water Gate on the south wall,
to fill a golden container with water from the Pool of
Siloam.
2. The people would join with the priests, singing and
worshipping.
3. As the priest prepared to re-enter the Water Gate, the
shofar would sound three blast, one long, one trill, and
another long. At which time, a priest would shout out:
Isa 12:3 Therefore with joy shall ye draw water
out of the wells of salvation.
4. The priest carrying the water would then continue his
journey into the city and the temple, walk around the
altar one time, and then pour the water as another priest
would be pouring wine out of a golden container, either
on the altar or at the base of the altar (conflicting
reports).
5. As the priest entered the city, the Levites would sing
Psalms 113-118 (primarily songs of praise to God for His
works).
6. At a particular time, the people would shout out:
Psalm 118:25 Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD:
O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity.
7. Which was essentially what the people shouted as Jesus
entered the city during the Triumphant Entry.
8. On the last day of the feast, the shofar would be sounded
21 times, 7 sets of the normal shofar soundings.
9. And the priest would march around the altar 7 times
instead of just once.
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/14794-water-drawing-feast-of
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/14340-teru-ah
https://www.google.com/search?q=israel%27s+temple+diagram&rlz=1C1AVNA
_enUS607US607&espv=2&biw=1680&bih=935&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa
=X&ei=rMk7VOicHera8AGZvoHIBg&ved=0CB0QsAQ#tbm=isch&q=pool+of+
siloam+diagram&facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=ul2gfj4mhwWi
AM%253A%3BfTIjnibDIVBYPM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252F1.bp.blogspot.
com%252F_660BGWD-yHM%252FTQRXkThtV9I%252FAAAAAAAAIoo
%252FfviM-fMKOok%252Fs400%252Fmap.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fhaupt
mannsblogging.blogspot.com%252F2010%252F12%252Fmon-nov-
11.html%3B350%3B397
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Flloydth
omas.org%2F1-IsraelTimeLine%2F3-ManassehHadrian%2FTemple.htm&h=0&w=
0&tbnid=P_YCvjpGJL8isM&zoom=1&tbnh=288&tbnw=175&docid=fIyUgQ6l
JmHByM&tbm=isch&ei=zso7VNP0M-mD8QGtsoHwDw&ved=0CAQQsCUoAA
http://bible-truth.org/Feasts-Tabernacles.html
10. It was most likely during that time of the priest shouting
that Jesus, stood up in the temple, cried out these
words…
John 7:37 …If any man thirst, let him come
unto me, and drink.
38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture
hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers
of living water.
III. What does it mean?
A. It meant the Living Water had come.
1. Living Water is what Jesus offered to the people.
2. This means several things:
a. It meant Jesus the Living Water had come.
(1) Living Water is the water that brings life.
(2) Siloam was no doubt clean and fresh water, but
it could not do what the Living Water could do!
(a) Jesus brings life to the soul.
(b) Jesus bring life to the sick too.
b. It meant that we could have Living Water flow out of
us.
(1) This is what happened to the woman at the well.
John 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water
that I shall give him shall never thirst; but
the water that I shall give him shall be in him
a well of water springing up into everlasting
life.
(2) She partook of the Living Water and then she
became a Living Well with the Holy Spirit
pouring out of her!
John 4:28 The woman …went her way …and
saith to the men,
29 Come, see a man, which told me all things
that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
(3) This woman was then able to be to others what
Jesus had been to her, i.e. a witness and
spokeswoman to get them to Christ!
B. It meant that the Cleansing Water had come.
1. As far as I know, the blood was never washed from the
altar. So what happened to it?
a. Some of the blood was placed on the horns with the
remainder being poured at the bottom of the altar
\\#Eze 29:12, Lev 4:7,18, 25, 30, 34: 5:9, 8:15: 9:9\\.
b. At some point, there would be a lake of blood around
the altar.
2. Most figure there was some type of drainage system around
the altar, perhaps trenches or perhaps underground drains
that carried the blood away, but even then, it seems that
the drains would need some help staying open so the blood
could flow.
3. The altar was outdoors so I suppose the rains helped a
few times each year to wash some of the blood away.
4. I wonder if one of the purposes of pouring the water and
wine mixed together was to clean the system, allowing
the blood to "wash away" our sins.
a. It is not enough for the blood to cover our sins.
b. We need them washed out of our lives so that we do
not have to look at them.
c. That is what the burial of Jesus and our baptism
pictures.
(1) Jesus was buried on the day that leaven was put
OUT of the house. It was removed, washed away.
(2) And baptism is a picture of our sins being washed
away….
Ac 22:16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and
be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on
the name of the Lord.
5. Jesus had come to completely remove the sin of the
sinner’s life.
C. It meant that the Healing Water had come.
1. Several accounts said that the water and wine were poured
into a conduit which ran from the temple into the Brook
of Kidron.
2. The Kidron Valley is on the east side of Jerusalem,
between the city and the Mount of Olives.
3. That is the same exact path that the healing river will
flow during the millennial reign of Jesus.
Eze 47:1 Afterward he brought me again unto
the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued
out from under the threshold of the house
eastward: for the forefront of the house stood
toward the east, and the waters came down from
under from the right side of the house, at the
south side of the altar.
a. Notice the point of origin - "on the right side of the
house, at the south side of the altar."
(1) This is the same altar at which the water
libation was poured.
(2) The altar stood slightly off the center of the
temple doorway, in front of the door.
(3) In what would appear to be the same spot where
this water was being poured, a river will one
day bubble up.
b. Notice the size of the river - This will be a great
river, flowing more than a mile wide and deeper than
a man could walk across \\#Eze 47:3-7\\.
c. Notice also the direction it flows - "eastward."
(1) Presently, the path to the east is blocked by the
Mount of Olives, part of the Judean Hills.
(2) The Mount of Olives stands 2,710 high with
Bethphage and Bethany both on it.
(3) While this ridge of hills can be traversed, most
roads go around them to the north before bending
back east toward Jericho and the Jordan River
(4) Any water flowing out of Jerusalem to the east
today would certainly be caught in the valleys
and carried another direction.
4. However, when Jesus returns and stands on the Mount of
Olives, the mountain will split with the mountain falling
north and south, creating a valley directly to the east
for this new river to flow into the Jordan Valley. (If
you want to see the Mount of Olives, go before Jesus
returns to establish the millennium because God will put
a valley and river there!)
Zech 14:4 And his feet shall stand in that day
upon the mount of Olives, which is before
Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives
shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east
and toward the west, and there shall be a very
great valley; and half of the mountain shall
remove toward the north, and half of it toward
the south.
5. This river will heal the waters and the land.
Eze 47:8 Then said he unto me, These waters
issue out toward the east country, and go down
into the desert, and go into the sea: which being
brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be
healed.
9 And it shall come to pass, that every thing
that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the
rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall
be a very great multitude of fish, because these
waters shall come thither: for they shall be
healed; and every thing shall live whither the
river cometh.
6. Jesus pictures Himself in this water because He heals.
a. He heals the sin-sick soul.
b. He heals the broken body.
c. He even heals the dry and dead land.
(1) This river will heal the cursed land.
(2) Land is highly prized because it is consistent.
(a) You cannot misplace or lose it.
(b) It cannot be stolen (title can but not the
land).
(c) It does not wear out, tear up, rust away.
(d) Essentially, land is unchangeable.
(3) However, Jesus the Healing Water, will change it.
d. What Jesus does to the land is a picture of what Jesus
can do for the life of the sinner.
(1) The sinner may change but he cannot undo the
things he has done.
(2) They are considered to be unchangeable.
e. Not for Jesus, the Healing Water! When He comes, He
heals EVERYTHING!
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