Broken Cisterns
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I don’t want this to be a normal summer harvest. But I want to see the gospel being preached and people coming to Christ.
Great to have my in-laws here, have the Bowermasters here.
The word of the Lord came to me, saying,
“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.
Jeremiah contrasted Israel’s former devotion with her present departure from God.
Something special happened in the heart of Israel when they where in the wilderness.
Something that was very pure and sincere.
there was thankfulness.
Bride
He compares their love for God like being engaged. To be engaged here was like our current way of engagement but more binding. It is like a marriage without the hankey pankey. Without the consummation.
Just imagine you are engaged and the purity, the expectation, the trust, and the dreams of how this relationship will progress and look.
They followed God in the wilderness without the burden having to provide for themselves, not trying to hide themselves, not knowing exactly where they are going but just trusting.
Exodus Israel just followed God, of course there was lapses in there faith. But because of Gods grace, patience and forbearance He looked over them.
Romans 3:25 (NKJV)
whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,
From Adam to Christ The Holy God letting sin pass for 4,000 years. This is the greatest scandal in the universe. For 4000 years sin was left un judged. Though in the mind of Christ sin would eventually be judged. But because of Gods forbearance.
Gods forbearance means that He withheld wrath. Until He placed the ultimate wrath on His Son.
Israel had faith in there wilderness wandering. They where willing to come back to God and seek Him.
Jeremiah is saying that Israel had no faith in God but placed there faith in the false gods. It is depravity at its best.
Our salvation kind of starts out this way. Love for God, loyalty a bit zealous but its all for Jesus. Then there could be a wandering away from whats true.
Israel was holiness to the Lord, The firstfruits of His increase. All that devour him will offend; Disaster will come upon them,” says the Lord.’ ”
Israel was holy, Israel was The first firstfruits of His increase.
The firstfruits signifies what belongs to God.
Jeremiah is saying that Israel belongs to God.
Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob and all the families of the house of Israel.
Thus says the Lord: “What injustice have your fathers found in Me, That they have gone far from Me, Have followed idols, And have become idolaters?
Neither did they say, ‘Where is the Lord, Who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, Who led us through the wilderness, Through a land of deserts and pits, Through a land of drought and the shadow of death, Through a land that no one crossed And where no one dwelt?’
I brought you into a bountiful country, To eat its fruit and its goodness. But when you entered, you defiled My land And made My heritage an abomination.
They followed worthless idols, the forgot that the Lord led them through the wilderness into the promise land. The lord led them through the desert into a fertile land, and the people defiled the land with their idolatry.
God brought Israel out of Egypt, to the desert, to a fertile land and they defiled the land.
How can a land be defiled.
So you shall not pollute the land where you are; for blood defiles the land, and no atonement can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it.
The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants, Because they have transgressed the laws, Changed the ordinance, Broken the everlasting covenant.
Hear the word of the Lord, You children of Israel, For the Lord brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land: “There is no truth or mercy Or knowledge of God in the land.
By swearing and lying, Killing and stealing and committing adultery, They break all restraint, With bloodshed upon bloodshed.
Hosea 4:3 (NKJV)
Therefore the land will mourn; And everyone who dwells there will waste away With the beasts of the field And the birds of the air; Even the fish of the sea will be taken away.
The world became defiled from the sins of Adam and Eve.
Pivot
The priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’ And those who handle the law did not know Me; The rulers also transgressed against Me; The prophets prophesied by Baal, And walked after things that do not profit.
Three groups of people who are charged with leading the nation and exposed their lack of leadership and obedience.
The priest who were to instruct the people in the ways of God. But because they didn’t have a intimate relationship with God lead them towards idolatry. “The law void of relationship with God is idolatry.”
The priest weren’t asking “where is the Lord.” Because they didn’t know Him. Your not going to lead people into Someone they don’t know.
2. The rulers- literally the shepherds. - These were the political and civil leaders appointed by God to guide and protect the nation. The rebel against the One who appointed them to there task.
3. The prophet where the third charged with leading the nation. But instead of declaring Gods word, the prophesied by Baal and urged people to follow worthless idols.
These leaders all did the opposite of what they were called to do!
Lets go down to verse 13
“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.
Israel had committed two sins. The first was one of omission: she had forsaken her God. Her second sin was one of commission: she had replaced her true God with false idols.
The sin of Omission is something I neglect to do that God has told me to do.
The sin of Commission is something I actively do that is against God.
Omission Israel forsaked God . Commission Israel worshipped false idols.
They have forsaken God, the fountain of living waters.
The running springs was the most reliable source of water in all of Israel. This water was dependable; and its clear, cool consistency was satisfying.
For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.
but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
You believe in The One who is The Living water then out of you heart will flow rivers of living water.
Not a still stream not a reservoir but rivers of living waters. Referring to The Holy Spirit.
Does your life feel stagnant today? Maybe thats because we are not in the current with the fountain of living waters!
Jeremiah compared Israels idol worship to a broken cisterns.
Cisterns where the most unreliable source of water. Cisterns were large pits dug into the rock and covered with plaster. These pits were used to gather rainwater. This water was brackish; and if the rains were below normal, it could run out. Worse yet, if a cistern developed a crack it would not hold the water.
I remember we were in a remote village in Haiti we would see this large barrels on peoples roof used to collect rain water. Also you would see buckets on the sides of peoples houses that when the rain water would roll down there tin roof it would collect it.
When empty, such cisterns served as perfect prisons (i.e., Joseph) His brothers threw him into a cistern (pit) essentially a holding cell.
Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it.
Theres things in our life that we have labored so hard for that is suppose to sustain us and we dig we work just for it not to provide us life but for it to eventually become a prison.
Who would one abandon a spring of living waters for broken cisterns?
Israel did
