Devotional Day 17

Scripture

Jeremiah 2:1-13

The word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the Lord, “I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown. 3  Israel was holy to the Lord, the firstfruits of his harvest. All who ate of it incurred guilt; disaster came upon them, declares the Lord.” 4 Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the Lord: “What wrong did your fathers find in me that they went far from me, and went after worthlessness, and became worthless? 6 They did not say, ‘Where is the Lord who brought us up from the land of Egypt, who led us in the wilderness, in a land of deserts and pits, in a land of drought and deep darkness, in a land that none passes through, where no man dwells?’ 7 And I brought you into a plentiful land to enjoy its fruits and its good things. But when you came in, you defiled my land and made my heritage an abomination. 8 The priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’ Those who handle the law did not know me; the shepherds transgressed against me; the prophets prophesied by Baal and went after things that do not profit. 9 “Therefore I still contend with you, declares the Lord, and with your children’s children I will contend. 10 For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see, or send to Kedar and examine with care; see if there has been such a thing. 11 Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit. 12  Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the Lord, 13  for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.

Devotional

What we are reading is God’s rebuke of his people for their idolatry given through the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah 2:13 says “for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.”

God tells them that they had committed two evils:

One, they have forsaken God who is the fountain of living waters - God is our true source of life, provision, wisdom and relationship, and God is completely bottomless in this. He is not a cistern, but rather an endless fountain. We see this story play out all over again in John 4 where Jesus encounters a woman at a well - she, similar to Israel in Jeremiah’s day had been living in sin, namely sexual sin. And she also belonged to a people who were very idolatrous, the Samaritans - who attempted to worship both God and idols. Jesus deals very kindly with her, showing that he sees her, he sees her sin and the reasons why she is running to it, saying to her:

John 4:13-14

“Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Jesus is the fountain of living water and we must turn to him to have life.

Two, God rebuked Jeremiah’s generation for hewing out cisterns for themselves, cisterns that hold no water - a cistern is a large container or reservoir used to collect and store water, especially rainwater. In ancient Israel, cisterns were typically carved out of rock or made with plastered walls and were crucial in dry regions where there weren’t reliable water sources like rivers or springs. In a dry and arid spiritual time instead of turning to the fountain, or spring of living water Israel pridefully took matters into their own hands and worshipped idols instead, which are broken and unable to hold water.

Can you hear the love of a good Father through the correction? God is saying to his people, ‘I know you are thirsty, but only I can satisfy you, only I can give you what you need. Yes you have rejected me, and this has damaged our relationship, but you have turned to that which can never sustain or help you. Turn back to me and have life!’

The woman at the well responded well to Jesus, she trusted his word, believing that he was the Messiah and immediately ran back to her town to tell everyone that she had met the Messiah and many came to believe in Jesus.

Do you trust God at his word, that what you have been turning to that isn’t him is a broken cistern that cannot hold water? Turn to Jesus again today, that rivers of living water might bubble up inside of you! That in Christ you might never be thirsty again. This is his promise to all of us who believe in him. That our days of trying to draw water from the broken cistern of sin, that cannot hold water are over if we repent from our sin and turn to Christ in faith.

Prayer

Jesus, I'm sorry for turning to the broken cisterns of sin instead of to you. Please forgive me, and fill me with your Holy Spirit that I might have endless joy and satisfaction in you today.