The
Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity.
The Collect.
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O
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LORD, we beseech thee, let thy continual pity cleanse and defend thy
Church; and, because it cannot continue in safety without thy succour, preserve
it evermore by thy help and goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
1 God is our refuge and
strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore will not we fear, though
the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midstof the
sea; 3 Thoughthe waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains
shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. 4 There is a river, the streams
whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernaclesof
the most High. 5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God
shall help her, and that right early. (Psalms 46:1-5)
We shall undertake a study
today of three different rivers, each representing one of the Three Persons of
the Godhead. Three different daily devotions will be required to adequately
cover these Three Rivers – the Mighty Nile of Africa, the Zayanderud of Persia,
and Underground River at Shechem in ancient Samaria. We will first examine the
Mighty Nile River and its many characteristics that are typical of God the
Father, as well as to God the Son. On the next two days following, we will
cover the Zayanderud (Giver of Life) and the Underground River at Shechem
respectively. I have written on these rivers before but, hopefully, I will have
gained greater insight from the first writings.
How very much like a
mighty river are the blessings, mercies, and love of God. A true river never
stops flowing, and neither does the love and blessings of God. Both have an
unbounded and munificent abundance as their Source.
The Nile River as a
Type of God the Father:
The Mighty Nile River of
Africa is the longest river in the world – 4,130 miles in length stretching
from the shores of Lake Victoria to the Mediterranean Sea (Fertile Crescent).
God, too, is the Ancient of Days whose beginning and end are without measure.
The Nile River could
extend from Lost Angeles to Washington, D.C. and back again. Perhaps
Washington, D.C. could benefit from its cooling waters to counter the immensity
of `hot air' being generated there.
On a visit to our churches
in Kenya a few years ago, we spotted the very source of the Nile River Waters
at the top of the continent of Africa – Mount Kilimanjaro. Landing at Nairobi,
we could see the majestic, snow-clad mountain some few miles to the south (just
across the national boundary in Tanzania). It appears as a flat-top table with
fair linen draped over its summit – much like the Lord's Table of the
Communion. This mountain is the highest in the continent of Africa (19,341 feet
above sea level).
The snows of Kilimanjaro
are, relatively speaking, eternal; but God, without any relationship to time,
is eternal in nature. Though the snows remain as a crown to the mountain year
around, enough of its abundant snows melt to feed into beautiful Lake Victoria
to its north. The Lake is much like a sea in that one cannot see across its
wide expanse. I was blessed to make temporary quarters for more than a week on
its shores. Those melting snows come, like God, from the very highest source.
Many tributaries from the
mountain streams feed into Lake Victoria which, in turn, feed into the White
Nile. The Blue Nile, most heavily laden with nutrients from the earth, brings
those nutrients and sediments with it as it joins the White Nile. The two
Rivers are much like the Father and Son as they descend to bless the earth below.
The Nile River passes through ten countries on its northward way to the
Mediterranean. It descends from the highest Heaven of Africa to the lowest
level of habitation at sea level. God, too, extends His blessings from on High
to the lowest and most common of all creatures on earth. Thou visitest
the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God,
which is fullof water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for
it. (Psalms 65:9) There is no end to the rich Waters of Life provided
by our Father in Heaven.
Eagerly waiting far away
and far below the snows of Kilimanjaro are the people of the delta region of
Egypt. When all of the world is in famine, Egypt enjoys an abundance of produce
generated by the waters of the Nile. The Nile rushes those thousands of miles
and thousands of feet down to the Nile River Delta where it deposits its rich
minerals and nutrients on the soil of the Delta. The Nile River Bed cannot
contain the profusion of waters, so the great river overflows its banks to
deposit its treasures on the fields of millions of farmers. How generous of it!
If the Nile River is like unto God the Father, and His love, we are like the
river bed that cannot contain that river for its abundance.
This characteristic of the
Nile River may be compared to the Nature of God. He has provided the White
Manna of Life (melting snows laden with nutrients) to us. He hails from on
high. He is pure and White, and His riches are unsearchable. So the Nile River
is illustrative of the Father.
Many souls would perish of
hunger and thirst were it not for the Nile River. Many souls will perish for
hunger for the Bread of Life and the Water of Lifewithout God's Son, Jesus, to
supply our need. Of course, all things of God are also of Christ. He is our
River of Life that God has provided for our salvation and comfort. And he
shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of
the throne of God and of the Lamb. (Rev 22:1) Perhaps this river,
mentioned in the last Book of the Bible, is the same as that first River
mentioned in the first Book of the Bible (Genesis 2:10) restored to us after
Adam's Fall?
Have you tasted these
waters of the river of God? Have you shared its abundance with others today?
