"For with You is the fountain of life: in your light shall we see light." (Psalm 36:9)
With God is the fountain, the well-spring of life. He himself is "the Fountain of living waters." (Jeremiah 2:13)
This is demonstrated to us by the river of water of life, which flows from the throne of God and the Lamb. (Revelation 22:1) It is a real stream, as plainly to be seen by the inhabitants of the heavenly country as any earthly stream is by those who dwell on its banks. Nevertheless it is spiritual, it is indeed the Spirit, for the Spirit of God is living water. "He that believes on me, as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this He spoke of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive...)" (John 7:38,39)
But, "spiritual things ... are spiritually discerned;" (2 Corinthians 2:13-14) and the glorified saints, having spiritual bodies, will be able to see the Spirit of God, even as now with our physical eyes we see each other. "The Spirit is life because of righteousness." (Romans 8:10)
And in the world to come we shall be able to see the Spirit of life proceeding from God in a never-failing stream.
In order to be able to see spiritual things, we must become spiritual. When the Lord comes, and the righteous dead are raised, both dead and living are changed to immortality, and given spiritual bodies. (See 1 Corinthians 15:42-53; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17) All the change that takes place at that time is in the body, outwardly, and this will take place only with those who have previously been led by the Spirit, and walked in the Spirit, having the mind of the Spirit. "You are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His." (Romans 8:9)
The change at the coming of the Lord will be simply the last step in the change from glory to glory. God wishes us now to be filled with the Spirit, and if this be the case, then we shall be able even now to discern spiritual things, even though our eyes cannot see them. The world receives not the Spirit of God, "because it sees Him not." (John 14:17)
But believers are well acquainted with Him, and can discern His presence, although the eyes that they now have are not fitted to see Him.
We have read that God is the Fountain of living waters. In harmony with this is: "A brook, whose waters make glad the city of God, is the Most High in His habitation." (Psalm 46:4,Polychrome rendering)
God himself is the stream of life, for God is Spirit. So we read of the new earth: "There the glorious Lord will be to us a place of broad rivers andstreams." (Isaiah 33:21)
The reason for this is that: "The Lord is our judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King: He will save us." (Isaiah 33:22)
He saves us by His life,--the cleansing stream,--which flows from the throne, the foundation of which is righteousness and justice, that is, His everlasting law. The Lamb in the midst of the throne leads the redeemed unto "fountains of waters of life." (Revelation 7:17,RV)
That fountain, God's own life, will be our drink, and the life of everything that grows from the earth. Thus will it be as plain to the eyes of the redeemed saints that they live directly from the life of God, as it now is to any man that we live by food and drink.
The good things of God, however, are not reserved for the future. God has given us himself in Christ, and so with Him all things. "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32) "The Lord is the portion of my inheritance, and of my cup." (Psalm 16:5)
Even now God chooses men, and causes them to approach unto Him, that they may dwell in His courts. "Blessed is the man whom You choose, and cause to approach unto You, that he may dwell in your courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, even of your holy temple." (Psalm 65:4)
By the blood of Christ we are "made nigh." (Ephesians 2:13)
By that blood,--the stream of life from out God's throne,--we have boldness to enter into the holy place where God dwells. (Hebrews 10:19) "Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God." (Psalm 92:13) "How excellent is your loving-kindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of your wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of your house; and you shall make them drink of the river of your pleasures. For with You is the Fountain of life." (Psalm 36:7-9)
So we see that the river of God's pleasure is the river of life flowing from His throne. The word translated "pleasures" in this text is "Edna," the feminine form of the Hebrew word "Eden." The Garden of Eden is the garden of pleasure, and from its waters God gives us to drink even now. The river that flowed from Eden divided and watered the whole earth. "And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. The name of the first is Pison: which compasses the whole landof Havilah, where there is gold; And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. And the name of the second river is Gihon: that compasses thewhole land of Ethiopia. And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: which goes towardthe east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates." (Genesis 2:10-14)
Eden is no more in this earth, but God still allows men to drink of its waters. Who may drink? "Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." (Revelation 22:17)
God took the man whom He had made, and (literally) "caused him to rest in the garden of Eden." (For example, see Genesis 2:15, in the Literal Emphasis Translation) In Eden there is rest. "We who have believed do enter into rest ... [for] there remains a rest to the people of God," (Hebrews 4:3,9) a rest that comes to us from Eden. That rest is the Lord's own rest--the Sabbath of the Lord. Rest is delight, and so the Lord says, "If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable. ... Then shall you delight yourself in the Lord." (Isaiah 58:13-14)
Those who with all their hearts believe God, worshiping Him as Creator of heaven and earth, rest in His almighty power, and delight their souls in Him. They drink of the water of Eden, and keep the Sabbath that was given to man in Eden.
Just as such ones have passed from death unto life, even while yet in this mortal body, even so they pass from the old earth to the new, even while inhabiting this sin-cursed earth. To them, "all things are become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)
In Christ, who is, and is to come, future things are made present. The Spirit is the firstfruits of the inheritance. So everything that they see (that is, everything that God has made) is to them only the image of the invisible. Every gift of God is a medium conveying the Holy Spirit. So in the rain that comes down from heaven and waters the earth, they receive the water of life, the Holy Spirit poured out upon all flesh.
Even now, as in the beginning, the river of Eden waters the earth, and they who know the Lord delight in it. To them heavenly things are not mere speculations nor simply possible future enjoyments, but present living realities. They "sit with Christ in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 2:6) "You visit the earth, and water it; You greatly enrich it with the river of God, which is full of water." (Psalm 65:9)
According to the marginal note this text would read:
"You visit the earth when you have caused it to desire [rain]; You greatly enrich it with the river of God."
God creates a desire, a longing, for himself, and then He supplies that desire. He alone can satisfy the desire of every living thing. The reason why all do not consciously take of Him, and delight in Him, is that they do not believe or realize this truth. So they go on unsatisfied. "Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness." (Psalm 107:8-9) "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled." (Matthew 5:6)
Yes; every shower that falls from heaven, enriching the earth, and causing it to bring forth fruit, is to those who live in constant recognition of God, a rain of righteousness.
God's witness of himself is that He does good, and sends rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, so that men can rejoice in abundance of food. "Nevertheless He left not himself without witness, in that He did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness." (Acts 14:17) "[He] sends rain on the unjust as well as on the just," (Matthew 5:45) in order that they may accept His righteousness, and turn from their evil ways. "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God: for He has clothed me with the garment of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth her bud, and as the garden causesthe things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations." (Isaiah 61:10-11)
How does the earth bring forth her bud? It is by drinking in the rain that falls upon it. Even so will the Lord cause righteousness to spring forth. How? Just as the earth brings forth her fruit, that is, by the rain. The rain from heaven, recognized as coming direct from God's throne, from God himself, and acknowledged as bringing to us the Holy Spirit, will cause us to bring forth the fruits of righteousness.
The same thing that makes the earth to bring forth fruit will also make them bear fruit to holiness, if they truly believe; for belief brings them into the same relation to God--the same state of receptivity--that the earth is.
Then, "Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near," (Isaiah 55:6) and, "He [will] come and rain righteousness upon you." (Hosea 10:12)--Present Truth, August 25, 1898--Psalm 36:9.