Psalm 46:4

“There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God!”

Frequently in the Holy Scriptures, God is compared to a fountain; in conformity with which idea, the blessings of salvation which flow from him may well be called “a river.”

To the Israelites in the wilderness, there was given a stream which followed them in all their journeys.

To the Church at this day also, is “a river opened for the refreshment of all who travel Zion-ward.”

Innumerable are the necessities of God’s people in this dreary wilderness world; and the “troubles” with which they have to contend are often so great as to make it appear as if “the earth itself were removed, and the mountains were carried into the midst of the sea.”

But God is with his people; and the river which attends their steps supplies their every need. “The whole city of God is gladdened by it, and especially the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High;” for the nearer anyone’s access to God is, the more abundant are the communications made to him of grace and peace.

The exalted character given of this river will justify a minute inquiry respecting it. Let us notice then,

I. The source of this river.

Whence can this river be, but from God himself? But on this subject we are not left to form conjectures; for David says, “With God is the fountain of life! Psalm 36:9.” And John says, that “there was shown to him a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God, and of the Lamb, Revelation 22:1.” From God, as the primary cause of all good, and from the Lamb, who has “purchased the Church with his blood,” and who is constituted “Head over all things to his Church,” and has all fullness treasured up in him for his people’s use; from our adorable Emmanuel, I say, all the blessings of salvation flow!

The Father, of his own sovereign will, planned a way for the bestowment of the blessings of salvation.

The Son, by his atoning blood, procured the blessings of salvation for us.

The Holy Spirit imparts the blessings of salvation to the redeemed people of God.

So that from our Triune God does this river altogether proceed.

In truth, it was typified by the waters that flowed from the rock in Horeb, and supplied the camp of Israel forty years, “They all drank the same spiritual drink,” says the Apostle, “for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them; and that rock was Christ! 1 Corinthians 10:4.”

We may next notice,

II. The channel in which this river flows.

It is in the ordinances of the Gospel that all spiritual blessings are dispensed. For thus says the prophet, “It shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters; and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord, and shall water the valley of Shittim, Joel 3:18 with Isaiah 2:3 latter part.”

To the house of God, those who are athirst come, that they may drink of its refreshing streams! “O God, you are my God,” says holy David, “early will I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my flesh longs for you in a dry and thirsty land, where there is no water; to see your power and your glory, so as I have seen you in the sanctuary! Psalm 63:1-2.” Yes; these are “the golden pipes, by which the golden oil is communicated from the olive-trees” to every lamp in the sanctuary! Zechariah 4:11-12.

See, in the days of old, what blessings attended the ministration of the word, accompanied as it was by an effusion of the Spirit from on high; nothing could withstand its power! So it still “sweeps away from men every refuge of lies, and overflows their hiding places, Isaiah 28:17;” at the same time that it bears them up, as in the ark, and saves them from the deluge that will destroy the world!

We may profitably direct your attention yet further to,

III. The depths of this river.

The Prophet Ezekiel refers so particularly to this, that we must on no account omit the mention of it. He speaks of this river as proceeding “from under the threshold of the sanctuary, and from the side of the altar,” where the sacrifices were offered. Being brought to it by the heavenly messenger who had been sent to instruct him, he was made to pass through its waters, which, in the first instance, rose only “to his ankles.” On being brought to another place, he found the “waters up to his knees;” and, at another place, “up to his loins;” and then, a little further on, it was “out of the depth of any man! Ezekiel 47:1-5.”

Now this gives a most just and beautiful representation of the Gospel; which, in our first approach to it, is so shallow, that a child may walk in it with perfect ease; but, as we advance in it, we find yet deeper truths; until, at last, its mysteries are unfathomable by any created intelligence, “so unsearchable are God’s judgments, and his ways past finding out! Romans 11:33.”

Nothing can be more simple than the great leading truth of salvation by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; a child who can but just “run, may read it,” and “a wayfaring-man, though a fool, may understand it!”

But when we attempt to explore the love of Christ displayed in it, we find “a length and breadth and depth and height that infinitely surpass any finite comprehension!” “May you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully! Ephesians 3:18-19.”

But of its chief excellencies we must especially mark,

IV. The healthfulness of this river.

The Prophet Zechariah, especially referring to the Gospel, says, “It shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem! Zechariah 14:8.” And in the passage before quoted from the Prophet Ezekiel, their efficacy is fully declared, “It shall come to pass, that everything that lives, which moves wherever the rivers shall come, shall live; and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come there; for they shall be healed, and everything shall live where the river comes, Ezekiel 47:9.”

Here then we see, that these streams give health to the diseased, and life to the dead. Truly, there is no spiritual disease which shall not be removed by the use of them. Naaman thought that “Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, might be as serviceable as the waters of Israel, 2 Kings 5:12;” and, in like manner, many vainly hope to heal themselves by the application of carnal remedies to their souls.

But it is this river alone that can purify us from our sins; and the man that washes in it, however leprous he may have been, shall instantly experience its healing efficacy. Nor shall its virtue be confined to a single patient; none shall have cause to complain, like the man at Bethesda’s pool, that one less indigent or more highly-favored than himself has been beforehand with him, and exhausted all its virtue, John 5:7. Not a single believer shall fail of obtaining all he needs, if only he applies the remedy in faith, “The fountain is opened for sin and for impurity, Zechariah 13:1; and its powers are yet as effectual as on the day that David washed in it, Psalm 51:7, or the murderers of the Lord of glory sprinkled its waters upon their souls, Acts 2:41.

It will even give life to the dead. When a dead man was cast into the sepulcher of Elisha, the very instant his body touched the bones of the prophet, he revived, and stood upon his feet! 2 Kings 13:21. And shall not these waters, sprinkled on the soul, produce a like effect? Has not our blessed Lord himself affirmed, “I am the Resurrection, and the Life; he who believes in me, though he were dead—yet shall he live; and whoever lives, and believes in me, shall never die, John 11:25-26.”

Let it not be thought that the Gospel has lost one atom of its power; for though men are in a state so desperate, that, as in Ezekiel’s vision, their bones are reduced to dust, and scattered over the face of the earth—yet shall they “rise up as a great army,” as soon as ever the Word and Spirit of God shall be applied with power to their souls! Ezekiel 37:1-10.

That, however, of which our text more particularly speaks, is,

V. The efficacy of the river to “gladden the whole city of God”.

In two respects does it contribute to the happiness of every citizen of Zion, namely:
by the defense which it affords, and
by the refreshment which it administers.

Common rivers, if they afford protection against those who have no means of crossing them, give, in many instances, a greater facility of assault, either by means of large fleets, which transport an enemy with ease to any point he may choose to attack; or by smaller vessels, whereby he may come suddenly and unperceived, and disembark upon its very banks.

But this river admits no access by any such means. Hear the account given of it by the Prophet Isaiah, “Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts; your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved; its stakes will never be pulled up, nor any of its ropes broken. There the LORD will be our Mighty One. It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams. No galley with oars will ride them, no mighty ship will sail them, Isaiah 33:20-21.”

We may conceive of a river which, by its shoals and cataracts, bids defiance to vessels of any kind; and such is that which encompasses our Zion, and keeps it from every assault. At the same time it supplies the needs of the besieged in rich abundance. From the moment that anyone tastes its refreshing streams, “he thirsts no more;” he has within himself, as it were, “a well of water springing up unto everlasting life! John 4:13-14; John 7:37-38.”

Such perfect satisfaction both to soul and body will these waters give, that all who drink of them will have a foretaste of Heaven itself, “they draw water out of this fountain with inexpressible joy! Isaiah 12:3;” “and they are abundantly satisfied with the fatness of God’s house; and he makes them drink of the river of his pleasures, Psalm 36:8.” It is surely a strong-expression to say that this is a foretaste of Heaven; but look into Heaven, and you will find the very same river running there, and the blessed inhabitants partaking of it; for “the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne is feeding them, and leads them to living fountains of water; and God wipes away all tears from their eyes! Revelation 7:17.”

Let me found an address on this sublime subject,

1. To those believers who are in circumstances of difficulty or danger.

It was after a deliverance from some impending calamity that this Psalm was written; and from that deliverance the Psalmist inferred those who trust in God have nothing to fear. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and are troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.” To every inhabitant of Zion this sweet assurance belongs, “God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God shall help her, and that right early! verses 1-5.” Know then your privilege, brethren; and amidst all the storms and dangers to which you are exposed, see your God as an impassable river around you; or, varying the metaphor, as “a wall of fire round about you, and the glory in the midst of you! Zechariah 2:5.” With such a protector, “can any weapon that is formed against you prosper?” You may bid defiance to every enemy; and say, with confidence, “If God is for me—then who can be against me?”

2. To those unbelievers who are seeking their happiness in the things of time and sense.

Infatuated people, who are “forsaking the fountain of living waters, and hewing out cisterns for yourselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water! Jeremiah 2:13.” When will you see your folly?

When will you allow your continued disappointments to instruct you?

If you will not believe the Word of God, methinks you might learn from your own experience. Did you, from such services—ever receive one single draught that satisfied you? Have you not, even in the moments of your highest enjoyment, found that you were “laboring for that which could not profit,” and that “in the midst of laughter your heart was in heaviness?” Listen, then, to the invitation of the prophet, “Ho, every one who thirsts, come to the waters, and he who has no money; come buy and eat; yes, come, buy wine and milk, without money and without price! Why do you spend money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which satisfies not? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat that which is good; and let your soul delight itself in fatness! Isaiah 55:1-2.”

Truly, if you will come to the Lord Jesus Christ, and “receive the blessings he has purchased for you out of his fullness!”—then you shall “remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people, come to my aid when you save them, that I may enjoy the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may share in the joy of your nation and join your inheritance in giving praise! Psalm 106:4-5.”

Charles Simeon