For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns. broken cisterns, that hold no water. – Jeremiah 2:13
What we wouldn‘t think of doing in natural, daily life, we constantly do in the realm of the spiritual over against the good and holy God. Who would even begin to think of building his house on pure sand, or who would go out to meet the bridegroom without oil in his lamp!
Jeremiah knows such people. The world is full of them. They do unbelievable things, that really just don‘t make any sense. They forsake the fountain of living waters and right next to it dig a cistern that doesn‘t hold any water. How stupid can a person become! But that is what sin does to us. It lays hold of all man‘s faculties and makes him the greatest fool.
The scene of this text is that of a dry country where water is a precious commodity. For us who live in North America in modern homes with water at our disposal with the mere turn of a faucet, this is difficult to conceive of. But there are countries even today where water is as scarce as it was in the days of Jeremiah. The few wells Israel possessed were, therefore, of great value. Often one well was the only source of water for entire areas, towns, and villages.
Sometimes, however, well-digging was in vain. Water simply could not be found. Then the people would, with much sweat and toil, dig cisterns, and line them with primitive mortar. During the rainy season they would “catch” some water and store it in these cisterns. Very poor substitutes they were, however. Before long this water would become stagnant, even odorous and wormy. With the continuance of the drought the walls would crack, the water would leak out, and the cisterns would become absolutely worthless. And of course the people would have no water at all.
This Israel does spiritually, says Jeremiah. No, they are more foolish still. They dig a cistern of the above mentioned type right next to a spring of fresh, living water. Did you ever drink from such a fresh source of water? How pure and fresh it is. And it continues to flow, day and night. Its sources appear to be unlimited. But who in the wide world, with a normal mind, would instead dig a cistern next to such a spring for his source of water? No one, we would say, who is in his right mind.
All this, however, sinners do, and also God’s people often with respect to the Lord. God naturally is the fountain of living water. In His infinity there is a boundless source of love, mercy, grace, and peace in Christ. Never, never is anyone calling upon the Lord turned away empty. The Scriptures speak so often of these blessed truths; of grace that abides forever, of depths of love that are unfathomable, of never ending mercy that is new every day.
The broken cisterns are symbols of the work of man and of all his idols. They stand for that which does not profit, but always fails. Man in himself is always like a broken cistern, without hope, peace or comfort. And yet, time and again, we turn to our broken cisterns of idols—money, self, pleasure, and the material things of this world. In them we expect to find joy and comfort, only to discover anew again and again that all of this world, of man, is but as a worthless broken cistern that holds no water. Constantly we are learning these hard lessons in God’s school of life. And still we tum to them again and again, bypassing, ignoring, negating the very living fountains of life in Christ Jesus.
O yes, we are religious, very much so often. Also in Jeremiah‘s day there was much religion but little sincere worship. Isn’t this the history of the church throughout the ages? Wasn‘t such formalism one of the greatest enemies that the Lord Jesus attacked while on this earth, in His battle with the Pharisees? Isn’t this a description of the nominal church today? And isn’t every child of God guilty of this sin every day in some measure?
• Notice what the Lord does. He contends with His people. He, as it were, argues with them, reasons, strives with words to show them their terrible sin and utter folly.
Is this Israel’s gratitude to God for all He has done for them? Don‘t we have to acknowledge with humility, with God’s people of all ages, that all we have is of grace, that all of history testifies of His goodness and mercy and faithfulness? Doesn’t all of history reveal one truth, namely, that God is the rock for His people? Other nations don‘t forsake their gods, but Israel does forsake her God. Missionaries will tell you that it is extremely difficult for the Moslem to deny his religion, or for the Buddhist to leave behind his superstitions. But God’s people change their glory for that which does not profit.
There they stand, those people who are in great need of water—by those good-far-nothing broken cisterns. Won‘t we ever learn how broken, good-for-nothing and profitless the things of man and of this sinful world are. Man‘s very breath is in his nostrils. Think of this when you stand at a cemetery next to an open grave. This is the greatest evidence of the brokenness of man’s cisterns.
Even the heavens must be astonished, says Jeremiah. Scripture often uses this kind of language that we call speech of personification. How is it possible, how can you explain it, that God’s people deal in this manner with the faithful God of the church?!
• With all this preaching Jeremiah has one purpose in mind: Israel must repent. The world must repent, by all means, but also we who are members of the Lord‘s church, and who have tasted the good love of the overflowing fountain Christ Jesus. Repent is the word, for all of us. Let us be grieved at heart because we so often ignore our heavenly Father and seek our contentment and joy in the good–far-nothing broken cisterns of this world. The word repent always takes on greater meaning for the child of God. when he sincerely, with genuine spiritual introspection looks at the love God has showered upon him in the past. No, we don’t have to mention all our idols. we have a house full of them. Also, only too often do we sing that the Lord is our Shepherd, while at the same lime our hearts are filled with worry. Only too often do we confess that we are Christians, but at the same time are looking for strength, encouragement and joy in some broken cisterns of this world. In church we sing that He is faithful and our only hope and strength, and we have hardly left God‘s house but we are busy making mortar for some worthless cisterns.
Realizing all these failures, we have only one hope left—God’s everlasting mercy. And we also learn that a broken and contrite heart He will not despise. Thank the Lord that He doesn’t. Also do we then pray. “Forsake not, O God, the work of Thy own hands.”
Is this the last word? By no means. He that is forgiven much loves much. And that after all is the purpose of all things and unto the glory of our faithful , saving Lord.
John Blankespoor is pastor of the Pine Creek Christian Reformed Church of Holland, Michigan.