1. In the same direction God sent His judgment, He also sent a river. God never sends you east without sending hope behind you.

• Adam and Eve were driven east. Israel was carried east into Babylon. The glory of God departed east. Yet the river from Eden flowed east too. What does that tell you about the heart of God, even in judgment?
• The river divided into four heads and reached the whole known world. Everywhere humanity would be scattered, life was already flowing out to meet them. Where have you seen God’s mercy arrive ahead of you in places that you never expected to find it?
• Have you ever felt sent “east,” far from where you knew you should be? How does knowing that hope was flowing behind you change the way you see that season?

2. The river flows from the temple, the dwelling place of God. Ezekiel’s vision reveals what Eden had been all along: the dwelling place of God.

• The river did not start in the wilderness. It flowed from under the threshold of the house of God. What does the origin of the river tell you about its significance and purpose?
• The garden within Eden was God’s dwelling place with humanity. What exactly did humanity lose when it was driven east?
• If the reach of the river has no limits, and the one who sends it will go to any length necessary to bring it to you, what in your life that you have thought was unreachable now has hope?

3. The river was never meant for one nation or one people. Through Zechariah, God revealed that not only would the river flow east, but also west, reaching all people, everywhere.

• Zechariah saw living waters flowing from Jerusalem, both east and west. Jesus said the gospel would be preached to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. What connection do you see?
• Zechariah said the river would flow “in both summer and winter.” If the river has no natural limitations, then what does that tell you about its reach?
• East was the direction of exile, but the river flows west too—beyond Israel, to the nations. How does it feel to know that redemption reaches farther than judgment ever did?

4. At the Feast of Tabernacles, Israel remembered God’s temporary dwelling among them and longed for the Messiah who would make His dwelling permanent.

• Once a year, Israel lived in temporary shelters to remember when God tabernacled among them in the wilderness. Why would God want His people to remember that season? Does this impact how you view seasons of your life where things felt incomplete and lacking?
• The feast looked backward in remembrance and forward in longing. What does it look like to hold both of those at the same time in your walk with God?
• For centuries, God’s presence among His people was temporary and at arm’s length. How does it change your understanding of Jesus to know He came to make that dwelling permanent?

5. At the most joyful moment of Israel’s most joyful feast, they drew water from a pool called “sent,” fed by a spring named “burst forth,” while aching for the Messiah who was to come.

• It was said that whoever had never seen the water-drawing ceremony had never seen real joy in his life. Why would the most joyful moment of the year center on the pouring out of water?
• They drew water from a pool called “sent,” fed by a spring named “burst forth”—the same name as one of the rivers of Eden. What might be the prophetic significance being conveyed through those names?
• Isaiah wrote, “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” Year after year they drew that water while aching for the One who was to come. That One has now come. How does that impact how you view seasons in your life that have lacked joy? Can one actually lack joy, when drinking from the waters of the Spirit, supplied by Jesus?

6. On the last day of the feast, Jesus stood and said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.” The river that supplies that drink has a name, and His name is Jesus.

• Jesus did not say this on an ordinary day. He stood up on the last day of the feast, at the climax of the water-pouring. Why do you think He chose that exact moment?
• The priest was pouring out water that pointed to the Messiah, while the Messiah was standing in the crowd. How often do you perform what points to Him while missing Him in the moment?
• The One who was sent. The living water. The altar, the Priest, and the One who pours out the Spirit. What does it mean to you that every part of that ceremony pointed to one Person?

7. Through His Spirit, we become the temple of the living God, and His river flows from within us. The invitation is to be like a tree planted by the waters, living where we were always meant to live: in His presence.

• The river once flowed from the temple. Now Scripture says we are the temple of the living God. What does it mean that the river now flows from within you? Does that impact your understanding of the significance of the baptism of the Holy Spirit?
• Jeremiah says the tree planted by the waters “will not fear when heat comes” and “will not be anxious in the year of drought.” If you have the Holy Spirit, why do you allow anxiety to fill your heart, and the elements of your life to dictate your peace?
• Are you a tree planted by the water?