The feast of booths represented a present hope that God would continue to meet their needs for their current harvest. It also foreshadowed a future hope of when the Messiah would gather all those who had been scattered back to their homeland.
At that time, God will dwell in the midst of His people and living waters will flow from beneath His throne, bringing life and healing to the nations (Revelations 22:1-2). Let’s look at John 7:37-41:
37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”
39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. On hearing these words, some of the people said, “This is truly the Prophet.” Others declared, “This is the Christ.” (John 7:37-41)
At the Feasts of Booths, Jesus makes:
A universal declaration - He gives…
An open invitation - and speaks about
An outward manifestation
A Universal Declaration
John was recording the last day of the final feast of the Jewish calendar year, and as the priest is carrying the water to the temple probably for the last time, Jesus stands up and yells out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.”
This must have been a shocking declaration for everyone who heard it. Everyone was looking to and trusting God to meet their natural need for water - to refill their empty reservoirs after the end of the harvest season but Jesus used this occasion to appeal to their deeper thirst, making a universal declaration.
“The feast pointed to Him as the only One who could quench the deep need of the soul. ”
God created human beings for happiness. That’s why God originally put Adam and Eve in Paradise and encouraged them to freely eat from every tree in the Garden and enjoy it. The only prohibition given to them was not to eat of the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 2:16) because God knew this negative choice would destroy their happiness.
But it was through the devil’s deception, promising that greater happiness can be found outside of God’s perfect will, that enticed them to choose to do what they would always regret (Genesis 3:4-6).
Open Invitation
Let him come to me (John 7:37).
This invitation to “come” requires a choice, an action. No one can choose for you,
“the choice is yours and you have to take that step.”
You have to decide to what or to whom you will go to satisfy your thirst.
This is not a one-time invitation but a daily invitation to come as often as you like and to drink as much of this living water as you want.
The Outward Manifestation
Because we are finite beings, we can only pour out what has been poured into us.
“We can only give to others what has been given to us.”
There is no way that you can keep loving, serving, or generously giving without coming and drinking freely from the Fountain of Life.
Neglecting your relationship with the Lord slowly begins to create a void, a vacuum that will drive you to fill it with other things which will only be a quick fix, a temporary solution. If you do not come and drink, your love will dry up, your patience will run thin, your joy will turn to sorrow, your hope to despair and your heart will grow cold and distant.
John 10:10 Jesus said:
I came that they may have life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].” (John 10:10)
“Christ’s life is meant to flow out of you to others.”
Your life matters and can make an impact on this world! When God is filling the void, satisfying your thirst, His life in you will undoubtedly be manifested to others. When God’s Spirit fills and overflows in us, we could be physically and emotionally exhausted but at the same time be spiritually refreshed, encouraged, and happy.
Why? because life does not come from you, it is not dependent on you, your only responsibility is to come, come as often as you can and drink as much as you want and pour it out so that your life will manifest God’s living water.
“Your life will have eternal significance.”
The choice is yours, if you want to know the truth, then you need to investigate what the Bible says about Jesus and what He says about Himself. When you search the Scriptures and you search for Him and the truth with all your heart, you will discover that He is who He says He is, the Son of God, the One true God.
Jesus knows every person is thirsty, that every human being has an emptiness in their life that can only be satisfied by the life that God offers.
If you choose to believe His declaration, accept His invitation to come, not only will the emptiness in your heart be filled but this life will overflow to everyone around you. Jesus loved us enough to die for us, how much more will He give us abundant life if we will only come.
