Shall We Gather At The River

1
Shall We Gather At The River

• The preacher in full fervor suggests that all the
  booze of the world be poured into the river.
• The song leader leads the congregation in this
  song.

2
Introduction

• There are many rivers mentioned in the Bible.
• Some are literal, and some are symbolic.
• Our concept of a river may not be the same as
  someone who lives in another part of the world.
• But let us notice a few of them.

3
The Garden Of Eden

• Genesis 210-14 One river becomes four.
• Pishon----land of Havilah
• Gihon ---land of Cush
• Tigris (Hiddekel)---East of Assyria
• Euphrates---through Chaldea
• Dont rightly know where it was. Perhaps modern
  day Turkey or Northern Iran
• Topography different after the flood.

4
The Promised Land

• Between Two great rivers. Genesis 1518
• The great river of Egypt (Nile)
• And the great river Euphrates.
• Joseph intrepreted Pharoahs dream about a river
  and the seven cows that came up from it.

5
River turned to blood

• Nile river the book of Exodus
• Pharoah commanded all male children of the
  Israelites be cast into the river
• Moses was spared.
• Eighty years later, Moses took his staff and
  turned the river into blood. 1st plague
• Frogs came from the river 2nd plague

6
Crossing The River

• Spies sent to cross the river to view all the
  land.
• Unbelief.
• Finally the ark of the covenant came to the
  River. Joshua 38
• Stand still in the water and see that God is with
  you. Joshua 310
• A memorial set up in the middle of river.

7
Rivers

• Boundaries
• Markers,
• Reference points
• Until we get to 2 Kings 5.

8
2 Kings 5

• Namaan the leper came to be healed.
• Was told to go dip in the Jordan river seven
  times.
• Thought other rivers would be better.
• After obedience, was healed.

9
River was a separation

• The people wanted to be in Jerusalem
• But there was a river in the way.
• The great river Euphrates is most likely the
  river mentioned in Ezra and Nehemiah.

10
Symbolic of Gods provisions

• Psalm 368 They are abundantly satisfied with
  the fullness of Your house, And You give them
  drink from the river of Your pleasures.
• Psalm 464 There is a river whose streams shall
  make glad the city of God, The holy place of the
  tabernacle of the Most High.
• Psalm 659 You visit the earth and water it, You
  greatly enrich it The river of God is full of
  water You provide their grain, For so You have
  prepared it.

11
The River In Heaven

• Revelation 221 And he showed me a pure river of
  water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from
  the throne of God and of the Lamb.
• Revelation 222 In the middle of its street, and
  on either side of the river, was the tree of
  life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree
  yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the
  tree were for the healing of the nations.

12
Throughout The Bible

• Water has been key for survival of man.
• God provided this life giving water many times.
• And He withheld it to teach them a lesson.
• Sometimes rain is given as a blessing.
• Showers of blessings

13
The Fountain of God

• Sometimes the blessings from God are described as
  a fountain.
• Jeremiah 213 "For My people have committed two
  evils They have forsaken Me, the fountain of
  living waters, And hewn themselves
  cisterns-broken cisterns that can hold no water.

14
The Fountain of Life

• Psalm 369 For with You is the fountain of life
  In Your light we see light.
• Proverbs 518 Let your fountain be blessed, And
  rejoice with the wife of your youth.
• Proverbs 1314 The law of the wise is a
  fountain of life, To turn one away from the
  snares of death.
• Proverbs 1427 The fear of the LORD is a
  fountain of life, To turn one away from the
  snares of death.

15
The Water Of Salvation

• Baptism is to be done in water.
• Examples in the Bible.
• Symbolic of a cleansing
• Symbolic of a washing of regeneration.
• Symbolic of becoming pure by the symbolic blood
  of Christ
• Have you come to the fountain of life?