Today’ devotional is from my new book, The Sword and the Spirit: A 40-Day Morning and Evening Devotional. We’ve gotten the kinks worked out, and the book is now available to be shipped. Thank you for your patience!
On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.” (John 7:37)
The Feast of Tabernacles commemorated the wilderness wanderings of the Israelites. Under Moses, the whole nation had lived in tents as they followed the angel of Yahweh for forty years before entering the promised land. God did not want his people to forget the lessons of that generation, so he commanded his people to come together and celebrate once a year (Leviticus 23:33–43).
As often happens with holidays, the traditions associated with Tabernacles grew as time passed. One important part of the celebration in Jesus’ day was a reading from the book of Zechariah, which included this prophecy: “On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it east to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter” (14:8). The Jews believed God himself would one day rule from Jerusalem. Living water flowing east and west out from the city symbolized his global rule. As part of the festivities, priests would bring water from the nearby Pool of Siloam and pour it out at the base of the altar in the temple.
It was in this environment that Jesus stood up and said, “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them” (John 7:38). The living water was supposed to flow from the city—from the throne of the Lord—but Jesus declared it would flow from people. This water is the Holy Spirit (v. 39), and it pours out abundantly from those who have put their faith in Jesus.
It would have been unimaginable to those gathered at the Feast of Tabernacles that day with Jesus, but God’s Spirit is not bound to a building or a city; he now reigns from within his people. This water was given to us so that we would never thirst again (4:14), but it’s also living water; it’s supposed to flow out of us and into the world. The Spirit we carry in our brittle frames is meant to draw others into the kingdom so that, as Zechariah said, “The LORD will be king over the whole earth” (Zechariah 14:9).
You are a vessel of the Holy Spirit, and he is the living water the world desperately needs. Let his presence flow out of you until the whole earth is “filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14).
King of kings, my heart is your throne. Let your goodness and mercy flow through me.
Would you like a free copy of my latest devotional, The Sword and the Spirit? I have some copies from my publisher, and I’d love to bless a few people. No catch. No strings attached. Just drop me a line here with your name and mailing address, and let me know you’d like to read the book. I’ll send a copy to the first five people I hear from.
Pages of Joy // John Greco 
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