The last day—the great day of the feast—See others.
Note the order in John:
Indwelling. John 3.
Infilling. John 4.
Outflowing. John 7.
What did the Lord Jesus cry?
If any man! Jacob. There is only room here for “Jesus and me.”
“Thirst”: Whatever that thirst may be—a Passion for Purity and Power—a longing to be more like Him—whatever that thirst, He challenges the agony of your soul.
If any man thirst let him come unto Me and drink.
He that believeth on me etc. His inner life.
The universality of the promise. He that believeth.
The experience not reserved for the spiritual “aristocracy.”
If I believe—then from my, Heart—Emotions—Mind—Will—inner life, will flow rivers, etc.
How far will those rivers flow? We shall never know.
How many people’s thirst shall be quenched from the river flowing out of my life, because my thirst has been quenched in the Lord Jesus—we shall never know.
I can never get into the second part of the verse, save through the first part.
As long as I am a thirsty soul, I can supply no rivers to quench the thirst of other souls.
The “freedom,” “freshness” and “spontaneity” of these flowing rivers from our heart is the result of the power of an ungrieved and unquenched Spirit.
“Outflowing” Illustrate: A spring within a small receptacle. The spring does not stop when it is full—it simply overflows.
Is this well springing up?
Or is it choked or clogged by the luggage and rubbish of life?
God’s people are not called to be stagnant pools or reservoirs which only receive and never give out, we are called to be lifegiving rivers.
The last day—the great day.
Passover—Redemption.
Pentecost—First Fruits.
Tabernacles—End of harvest.
The eighth day.
For seven days water had been drawn from Siloam and poured out—the people rejoiced as they witnessed this.
It was a memorial of the miracle in their history when the Lord, during their wilderness journey, supplied water out of the cleft of the rock.
Exodus 17. Smitten Rock—Water. Christ the Rock smitten. Spirit given at Pentecost.
To the well informed Israelite, who believed the promises of God to the nation it was prophetic.
Zechariah 14:8 tells of the time when living waters shall go out from Jerusalem.
Ezekiel too beheld the living waters like a mighty river flowing forth from the great tizzy.
Note the paradox and the pathos of the situation.
He whom Paul declares to be the Rock that follows them, 1 Corinthians 10:4, is in their midst. As the King Messiah he is with them yet unrecognized and rejected.