THE FOUNTAIN OF TWO CALVES
There have been many sermons preached from the prodigal son story in Luke 15; many on the prodigal son, on his father, or on his unforgiving brother. But Brother David Owens preached tremendously on the fatted calf recently. The fatted calf had been prepared for the day of salvation – he was stalled, or kept in, and not allowed to roam free, run, and play. The fatted calf is dependent on its owner, and is fed of the best of the grain, and sufficient water is brought to it, to prepare it for the hour. A pastured calf can run and play, but relies on itself, and must be constantly foraging for its own grass, and going to find the water. Brother Owens preached that if we forsake the entertainment and playing of the world, and fill ourselves with the things of God we can be a “fatted calf” ready for His use.
In Malachi chapter 4 verses 1 through 3 we are told of the future burning of the earth, and deliverance of those who fear God, much as II Peter 3:7 – 13, or Isaiah 24:1 – 6. But look at the end of verse 2;
Malachi 4:1 – 3 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be as stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.
This verse tells us those that fear His name we will be as calves of the stall; when that time occurs we must be dependent on Him for everything. Only in dependence will men find deliverance in that day. But as Brother Owens told us, God can use your sacrifice for his service now if you will allow yourself to be “stalled”, dependent on Him, and prepared for His use. God will give you spiritual food and drink that is priceless;
Isaiah 55:1 – 3 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.
We have heard that if you eat Chinese food you will be hungry again in an hour. But all physical food and water are similar; it cannot sustain you for very long, your flesh will call you to eat and drink again to keep you alive. God speaks through the prophet of spiritual food, and God then calls us to hear Him, eat and live. Our spiritual food comes through the senses we have ignored, and we are blind and deaf spiritually. Allow yourself to be “stalled”, and fed spiritually with the best food; Jesus, the Word of God, the Bread of Life;
John 1:1 – 5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not.
John 6:47 – 51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
The Word will give you life if you will go to Him for it, and seek it in the Spirit! Will you also drink from rivers of living water until they flow out of you?
John 7:37 – 39 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because Jesus was not yet glorified.)
Let us narrow our focus here to these living waters. Have you been blessed by someone else’s ministry and tried to “catch” and use some of their living water? God uses the minister or evangelist to revive you, not to sustain you. Living waters are not meant to be caught, but to flow. It is a cistern that cannot possibly hold what God has prepared for you;
Jeremiah 2:13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.
Living waters are not meant to be contained, but should flow into and out of you! God has the fountain of living waters; why do we look elsewhere or settle for less? We are foraging if we look elsewhere. The fatted calf is dependent on Him! You only need to be a humble, yielded, believing vessel to receive! Stop being satisfied with a drink that will not sustain you! When John is given the vision of the new Jerusalem in Revelation 21, God speaks of the fountain;
Revelation 21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
We are speaking of spiritual thirst; we need spiritual vision and hearing to know it. Ask God to give you hearing and vision for these things. Place yourself in the position of relying and depending totally on Him and you will begin to find greater depths of what He has prepared for you. John goes on to speak of the river proceeding from the throne in Revelation 22:1, 2. In Joel 3:18, Joel calls it a fountain that comes from the house of the Lord. But for our purposes we want to look at Ezekiel’s account of the waters that issued from the house. In Ezekiel 47:1 – 8 he describes the vision of these waters and the river that they become. He then is told of the healing and life that the waters provide;
Ezekiel 47:8 – 11 Then said he unto 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. And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh. And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many. But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.
The word translated liveth in these verses means alive; life or a living thing. But the words translated live speak of future; to live, to revive. The fountain from the throne becomes the river of living waters.
I have read these verses many times, but as I read through this recently I felt prompted to see what the places Engedi and Eneglaim meant. Ezekiel was seeing a vision, not natural places; what do these places mean in the spiritual? Their definitions from the Strong’s are as follows;
Engedi, 5872, Eyn Gediy, from 5869 and 1423; fountain of a kid
Eneglaim, 5882, Eyn Eglayim, from 5869 and the dual of 5695; fountain of two calves
Why does it say two calves and not the whole herd? These calves must be stalled! Under the law the kid of the goats speaks of atonement, and the calves speak of sacrifice. Between the fountain of atonement and the fountain of sacrifice there will be much fishing according to the scriptures. Will you be a fisher of men? Will you be “stalled” and dependent on Him? This is how you must prepare for the call God has for you. The fountain of living waters will make you a living sacrifice. This fountain will provide everything you need to sacrifice your service unto God. Will you be a living sacrifice for God?
Romans 12:1, 2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
To fully become this living sacrifice we must be stalled first. Find a dependence on God for your spiritual needs. God has our fountain if we will be “stalled” for His use! The fountain of life, the fountain of righteousness, the fountain of word, the fountain of knowledge, the fountain of wisdom, the fountain of faith, the fountain of healing, the fountain of miracles, the fountain of all of the gifts of the Spirit! The fountain of love, joy, and peace, the fountain of all the fruits of the Spirit is in Him! In Him you will find the fountain of your anointing! You will lack for nothing that is necessary for the calling God has for you. The only thing that can shut off this fountain is – you, and we do it frequently with our flesh. We are speaking here of the fullness of the Spirit, not just a sometimes walk in the Spirit. Repent of this failing; find total yieldedness to God and you will not be asking who you will witness to, or what you will preach, or where your anointing went. The fountain will be constantly flowing!
We are exhorted to cast down imaginations and bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (II Corinthians 10:5); we are exhorted to have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5). We seek this in mind, and try fervently to accomplish it, not fully grasping that it is only in Spirit;
I Corinthians 2:11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of the man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
I Corinthians 2:14 – 16 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness to him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
If the fountain is constantly flowing in you the Spirit will be in control and you will have the mind of Christ! This is newness of life (Romans 6:4) and being transformed by the renewing of your mind, and only then can we know the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. It doesn’t matter if we understand it, let it flow! We cannot know God’s ways;
Isaiah 55:8, 9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Hebrews speaks of the patriarch looking for a city, and yes, we should be looking for a city, but let God establish the city in you now! Let the kingdom come;
Luke 17:20, 21 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
God wants to establish His kingdom in you! Give Him the throne of your heart! Be His temple;
I Corinthians 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
All these things are possible when you will be stalled for Him. Let Him be on the throne of your heart, and then the fountain will flow from your temple or house of the Lord! Pray, and seek His face for these things now!