“Live by the Spirit, … keep in step with the Spirit”
Galatians 5:26
In the last few years, we have been marking the change from the end of summer to the beginning of winter with a short fishing trip to one of our favourite lakes. This year we spent two afternoons on this lake and caught our limit in rainbow and tiger trout.
My wife was the champion on the outing. She caught our first keeper and also a beautiful four-plus pound rainbow. The weather was warm. There was a slight breeze from time to time. Fish were going airborne. It was a wonderful way to finish a season. Now the boat is put away and it’s time to wait for ice fishing.
There are a few references to fishing in the Bible. An interesting one is found near the end of the Prophecy of Ezekiel. Ezekiel is experiencing a vision. He is being led by an individual who takes him to the east side of the temple, and flowing out from under the temple is a river.
Ezekiel’s guide explains “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Dead Sea. When it empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh. Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many kinds—like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea.” (Ezekiel 47:8-10)
Ezekiel was active as a prophet in the year 587B.C. Up to this point he had declared that God was going to send judgment on the nation of his people. (Ezekiel 1-25) Also, he had pronounced God’s judgment on the nations responsible for attacking his people. (Ezekiel 26-32) One writer about Ezekiel says that on January 19, 587B.C. he received notice that Jerusalem had fallen from the siege of the Babylonian army. The content of Ezekiel’s message changed from judgment to consolation and hope for his people. (Ezekiel 33-48)
A conquered people, many deported and living in exile in Babylon, might hear or read Ezekiel’s vision and find some hope. One day in the future they could return to their land and it would be productive and feed them in a bountiful way. To increase the intensity of the point God gave Ezekiel vivid imaginative images of a great river of life that recreated the Dead Sea, making it alive and the source of a fishing industry that would possibly supply the needs of the rebuilt city of Jerusalem and villages all around. God had not given up on his people.
We placed our catch of rainbow and tiger trout in the freezer, anticipating several tasty meals. About three years ago this little lake received aeration which added oxygen to the water, allowing the fish to live through the winter. The fish in the lake thrived and have grown up to a reported six pounds. The aeration in the lake is like the great life-giving river in Ezekiel’s vision, producing abundant life.
The Spirit of God works in our lives like aeration and living water. We can “Walk by the Spirit,” knowing that “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control… Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.” (Galatians 5: 16, 22-26)
