Streams of Living Water
How do you understand Biblical metaphors?
Often, they’re confusing. So sometimes we pretend. But what if we could understand and benefit from these marvelous word pictures?
My goal is to expand our imaginations to the size of the Bible.
To grasp the significance of each Biblical metaphor, we need the humility to enter into the world of the author. We need the patience to trace its usage throughout the storyline of the Scripture. Instead of jumping to conclusions, we anchor our interpretations in the text - the entire text of the Bible.
In Psalm 1, we’re told that the righteous person is like a tree planted by streams of living water.
It’s a beautiful image. It’s a familiar image. But what does it mean?
It’s clear that large, beautiful trees need a dependable supply of water. So just as a tree needs water, a righteous person needs…?
As we get into interpreting this Psalm, it’s clear what to do: be a righteous person. So if we can understand what ‘streams of living water’ means, we can understand how to be righteous.
Let’s figure it out together.
One resource that I’ve found helpful in this analysis is The New Dictionary of Biblical Imagery. (I’ll refer to this as “Dictionary” below). In it, we read, “Throughout the Bible, ‘water’ or ‘living water’ is a metaphor for the Spirit” (841). It points us to a few passages that we will consider in turn: Isaiah 44:3, Jeremiah 17:12-13, John 7:37-39, and Revelation 22:1.
Isaiah 44:3
In this verse, we hear “the word of the Lord” through the prophet Isaiah:
For I will pour water on the thirsty land
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants
and my blessing on your offspring.
Who is spiritually thirsty and dry? We are.
What does God provide? His Spirit and his blessing. This is what water symbolizes.
Jeremiah 17:12-13
This passage says,
A glorious throne
on high from the beginning
is the place of our sanctuary.
LORD, the hope of Israel,
all who abandon you
will be put to shame.
All who turn away from me
will be written in the dirt,
for they have abandoned
the LORD, the fountain of living water.
This passage makes it very clear: God himself is a fountain of living water.
By contrast, if we abandon God, we are dry dirt, put to shame. It reminds me of Psalm 1:4, where the wicked are described as “chaff that the wind blows away.” Yes, chaff and dirt are different, but they’re equally valueless, and in each passage, separated from God.
John 7:37-39
This passage reads, “On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. The one who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him.” He said this about the Spirit. Those who believed in Jesus were going to receive the Spirit, for the Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified.”
This feast is the Feast of Tabernacles. It took place “five days after the nation re-committed itself to Yahweh on the Day of Atonement, and was forgiven and purified from past sins, pollution and shame” (Dictionary, 753). Further, “On the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, a priest would draw water from the pool of Siloam and carry it in a solemn procession to the altar where, it is suggested, he poured it out. This ritual apparently lies behind Jesus’ statement that if anyone would come after him, that person would experience streams of living water flowing from within (John 7:37–39), a reference to the promised Holy Spirit (John 14:16–17; 16:7)” (Dictionary, 753).
Now, this is getting interesting!
Psalm 1 tells us a righteous person is like a tree planted by streams of water. The Old Testament prophets make it clear that this is symbolism for a person who is close to God, someone that God has blessed. Jesus has the audacity to pick up on this theme at a major religious feast and claim that he is the living water symbolized by this annual celebration. There’s a clear connection: Jesus and Yahweh. We are to come to Jesus in order to drink the water. Yet Jesus is also pointing to the Holy Spirit as the stream of living water!
So what or who is the living water? We see one stream of water, but three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Revelation 22:1-5
In this apocalyptic vision of heaven, John sees the following: “Then [the angel] showed me the river of the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the city’s main street. The tree of life was on each side of the river, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree are for healing the nations, and there will no longer be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. Night will be no more; people will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will give them light, and they will reign forever and ever.”
As the commentator Alan Johnson explains, “this whole city is a Most Holy Place with God at its center. Life from God streams unceasingly through the new world.” For generations, only the High Priest could access the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement (see Hebrews 9:7). But in this vision of reality, humanity dwells with God forever. And what metaphor communicates our spiritual vitality in heaven? The river of the water of life. What is beside the stream of water? The tree of life that heals the nations. Where are we? We’re right there, worshipping God.
Putting it all together
If you want to be a righteous person, you need to be continually experiencing God. Here’s how Paul puts it in 1 Thessalonians 5:17: “Pray constantly.”
This isn’t a legalistic burden. No, it’s an invitation to spiritual life!
Psalm 1 is inviting us to enjoy a constant friendship with God. A tree is happy to be planted near a flowing stream of water. Then its roots can soak up all the moisture that it needs. In the same way, we are happy when we are filled with God’s Spirit, in Christ, as beloved sons and daughters of God.
If you want some encouragement to live your entire life with God, I invite you to sign up for Together. It’s a free devotional. Every day of the month, you’ll get a very short email that includes a quote from Brother Lawrence (a monk who learned to live his life with God), a related Bible verse, and a simple prayer. You can learn more and sign up here: https://uncommonpursuit.net/together.
The Uncommon Pursuit community is here for you.
It’s a relational environment to be transformed for God’s mission.
If you’d like to participate, you can discuss this essay with us.