Morning By Morning #329

There the LORD will be our Mighty One.

It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams.

Isaiah 33:21

From the pen of Charles Spurgeon:

“Broad rivers and streams” produce fertility and abundance, and the nearby land is remarkable for its variety of plants and plentiful harvests. And that is what God is to His church, for because we have Him, the church has abundance. What can we ask for that the Lord will not give us? What need can we mention that He will not supply? “On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples” (Isa. 25:6). Do you need “the bread of life” (John 6:35)? It will drop like manna from the sky. Do you need a refreshing stream? The rock from which the stream flows follows you, and that Rock is Christ. If you suffer from any lack or need, it is your own fault, for if you are impoverished, you are not impoverished in Him but in your own heart.

“Broad rivers and streams” also suggest a place of commerce. Our glorious Lord is a place of heavenly “merchandise” to us. Through our Redeemer we have the affluence of commerce from the past, for we have the wealth of Calvary, the treasures of the covenant, the riches of our election “before the creation of the world” (Eph. 1:4), and all His eternal possessions. All these flow to us down the “broad rivers and streams” of our gracious Lord. But we also have the affluence of commerce from the future. What amazing ships loaded with His treasures to the water’s edge come to us from His millennial kingdom! What visions we enjoy of the days of heaven upon earth! Indeed, through our glorious Lord we transact commerce with angels and share communion with the shining saints washed in His blood who sing before the throne. And better still, we have fellowship with the infinite One.

“Broad rivers and streams” suggest the idea of security. In days of old, rivers provided great security from the enemy. O beloved, what a great defense God is to His church! Even the Devil cannot cross this broad river of God. Oh, how he wishes he could redirect the river’s flow, but fear not—God remains immutably the same! Satan may harass us, but he cannot destroy us. “No galley with oars will ride them, no mighty ship will sail them” (Isa. 33:21).

From the pen of Jim Reimann:

Isaiah refers to the Lord several times as a stream, and especially in the arid Middle East, the significance of this was not lost on God’s people. For thousands of years, even up to the present age, wars in the area have been fought over water. And oftentimes, when the Lord’s chosen people were disobedient to Him, He withheld the rain.

Thus, streams represent the blessing of the Lord, and Isaiah tied the streams more than once directly to the coming Messiah. He said,

“Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs.

Isaiah 35:4 – 7

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.

Isaiah 43:19