Behold, there was a man whose appearance was like the appearance of bronze, with a line of flax and a measuring rod in his hand…
— Ezekiel 40:3a
He brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gate by way of the gate that faces east. And behold, water was trickling from the south side. When the man went out toward the east with a line in his hand, he measured a thousand cubits, and he led me through the water, water reaching the ankles.
— Ezekiel 47:2-3
The stream in Ezekiel 47:3 is measured by a man, the Lord Jesus, who has the appearance of bronze. Bronze implies that the Lord Jesus is qualified to do the measuring, for this measuring is according to judgment, and He Himself has fully passed through God’s judgment. He is able to judge His people on all occasions, in all aspects, concerning their whole being. The fact that He holds a measuring line implies that the Lord sanctifies, gains, and possesses everything He measures, examines, tests, and judges. Praise the Lord! His measuring and examining are for His sanctifying and possessing.
Once this flow comes forth, the Lord measures four times (Ezek. 47:3-5), at the distance of 1,000 cubits each time. As He measures, the stream becomes progressively deeper. The number 1,000 is a multiple of ten, which is the number of completion. The number 1,000, then, is a number indicating extreme completeness. Nothing could be more complete than the Lord’s measuring of us.
Adapted from The Reality of the Divine Stream, pages 37-38.
Tomorrow: “The Measuring and the Flowing”