Topical Bible: The Sea: Replenished by Rivers

◄ The Sea: Replenished by Rivers ►

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Topical Encyclopedia

The concept of the sea being replenished by rivers is a recurring theme in the Bible, illustrating the natural cycle of water and the divine order established by God. This theme is not only a testament to the Creator's wisdom but also serves as a metaphor for spiritual truths.

Biblical References

Ecclesiastes 1:7 states, "All the rivers flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place from which the rivers come, there they return again." This verse highlights the continuous cycle of water, emphasizing the constancy and balance within God's creation. The sea, vast and seemingly infinite, receives the waters of countless rivers, yet it never overflows, symbolizing the boundless capacity of God's provision and the perpetual nature of His creation.

In the book of Job, the power and majesty of God are illustrated through His control over the waters. Job 38:8-11 describes God's command over the sea: "Who enclosed the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and thick darkness its blanket, when I fixed its boundaries and set in place its bars and doors, and I declared: ‘You may come this far, but no farther; here your proud waves must stop’?" This passage underscores God's sovereignty over the natural world, including the seas and the rivers that feed them.

Theological Significance

The replenishment of the sea by rivers can be seen as a reflection of God's sustaining power. Just as the rivers continually flow into the sea, God's grace and mercy are inexhaustible, constantly renewing and sustaining His creation. This imagery serves as a reminder of the divine order and the intricate balance that God maintains in the world.

Furthermore, the sea's replenishment by rivers can be viewed as a metaphor for the spiritual life. Believers are called to be like rivers, channels through which God's love and grace flow into the world. As the rivers nourish the sea, so too are Christians to nourish the spiritual lives of others, contributing to the growth and expansion of God's kingdom.

Symbolism in Scripture

The sea often symbolizes chaos and mystery in biblical literature, yet it is also a place of life and abundance. The rivers, representing life-giving forces, bring sustenance and renewal to the sea. This duality reflects the complexity of God's creation, where order emerges from chaos, and life is sustained through divine providence.

In Revelation 22:1 , the imagery of a river flowing from the throne of God in the New Jerusalem further emphasizes the life-giving nature of water: "Then the angel showed me a river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb." This river symbolizes the eternal life and unending grace that flow from God, replenishing and sustaining His people forever.

Conclusion

The biblical theme of the sea being replenished by rivers serves as a powerful reminder of God's creative order and sustaining power. It illustrates the continuous cycle of life and the inexhaustible nature of God's provision, both in the natural world and in the spiritual realm. Through this imagery, believers are encouraged to reflect on their role as conduits of God's grace, contributing to the spiritual nourishment of the world around them.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Ecclesiastes 1:7
All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; to the place from where the rivers come, thither they return again.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Ezekiel 47:8
Then said he to me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Psalm XCIII.
... He chose disciples, He replenished them, His disciples began to preach ... Whence did
those rivers lift their voices ... hast made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all ...
/.../augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm xciii.htm

Of the [Temple And] Cities that were Built by Herod and Erected ...
... was in his kingdom, and which had rivers and trees in ... for those Laodiceans who lived
by the sea-side; and ... and the greatest part of it is replenished with stags ...
/.../chapter 21 of the temple.htm

The Immutability of God
... go, plunge yourself in the Godhead's deepest sea; be lost ... their old diadems in summer,
in rivers trickling down ... body, and so it has been replenished; but its ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 1 1855/the immutability of god.htm

Of Creation
... water in them than is in all the rivers and waters ... that restrains and sets bounds
to the sea, that the ... made for him so glorious a house, replenished with all ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/lecture xvii of creation.htm

Election and Ordination of Bishops: Form of Service on Sundays.
... which was made by Thee through Christ, with rivers, and water ... of the earth: for Thou
hast replenished Thy world ... have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over ...
/.../constitutions of the holy apostles/sec ii election and ordination of.htm

Here Next Followeth the History of Moses
... that all the land was full, the rivers, the houses ... brought the children of Israel
from the sea into the ... Joshua the son of Nun was replenished with the spirit of ...
/.../wells/bible stories and religious classics/here next followeth the history.htm

The Parable of the Wedding Feast
... They are cast into the depths of the sea. ... have sunk so low; on such occasions rivers
of human ... satisfied the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 17 1871/the parable of the wedding.htm

Sennacherib (705-681 BC )
... Pharaoh kept himself behind his rivers; the military ... moment their inexperience of
the sea nearly compromised ... in a short time Babylon replenished her treasury ...
/.../chapter isennacherib 705-681 b c.htm

The Temples and the Gods of Chaldaea
... lord Ea, in the middle of the sea,"-I was fishing, and the sea was all ... He causes
the rivers to swell and overflow their banks; he pours out the waters over ...
/.../chapter iithe temples and the.htm

The Medes and the Second Chaldaean Empire
... He rebuketh the sea and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth,
and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth."* And, "Behold upon ...
/.../chapter iiithe medes and the.htm