Broken Cisterns- “ When God’s people turn their back”

Broken Cisterns “ When God’s people turn their back”

Text: Jeremiah 2:1–19 (KJV 1900)

12 Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the Lord. 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.

Introduction:

1) God has revealed Himself in the Scriptures as fountain of living waters.

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.

* Water speaks of that which can satisfy the body, God represents himself in the Scriptures as the one that can completely and continuously satisfy the soul of man. He describes Himself as the source of “living waters.”

Isaiah 55:1–3 (KJV 1900)

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. 2 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. 3 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.

Zechariah 14:8–9 (KJV 1900)

8 And it shall be in that day, That living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; Half of them toward the former sea, And half of them toward the hinder sea: In summer and in winter shall it be. 9 And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: In that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one.

John 4:10–15 (KJV 1900)

10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. 11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? 12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? 13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. 15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

* On the last day of the feast A precession of priests took a pitcher of water and went down to the brook of Kidron, the same brook that the Jesus and his disciples would cross when they went to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed in agony and great drops of blood fell from his face, and then betrayed by Judas. The priest would fill the pitcher and the procession would then return to the Temple and the priest would pour the water out before the alter as a sacrifice to God.

* On that last day of the feast Jesus pointed to that water as it was poured out before the alter and cried out with a loud voice

John 7:37–39 (KJV 1900)

37 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. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

Revelation 21:1–6 (KJV 1900)

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 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.

Revelation 22:1–5 (KJV 1900)

And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: 4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. 5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

Revelation 22:16–17 (KJV 1900)

16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. 17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

2). The Devil counterfeit- the broken cistern:

* A cistern is hollowed out place in the ground used capture rain water.

* The land of Israel was a dry and arid land so when the times of rain came, the water would be stored underground in a pit called a cistern.

* I was important that every house in Israel had a cistern. Most cities in the land also had community cisterns. For example there is a water cavern under the temple area at Jerusalem with an estimated capacity of almost two million gallon capacity.

* When I was a boy I remember my friend’s grandmother had a cistern on her back porch. There was a metal spout with a handle over the cistern. When you turned the crank handle water would be carried by a chain up out of the underground cistern and come out the spout. This is where my friend’s grandmother would draw water from to fill up the tub on her old ringer washer.

* On another occasion, when I was in the second grade some older boys told me about a secret. They took me to an old abandoned house in the woods. Beside the old house was a cistern. We would take turns throwing things down into the concrete pit and watching to see if we could see how deep the water was. It was a wonder one of us didn’t fall in and drown.

* I remember on another occasion when I was a teenager finding an old abandoned cistern near an old farm house. The cistern was dry and left a hole in the ground 10 feet deep and about twenty feet around. It was a pit dug by hand in the red clay and lined all the way from the bottom to the top with stones laid on each other.

* Cisterns such as this were common in the days of the Bible. Many times a cistern would be used as a makeshift jail or prison. We would that a dungeon.

* Joseph was thrown down into a cistern by his brothers. The prophet in our text was thrown down into a cistern. The king’s officials accused Jeremiah of treason and tried to drown him by dropping him into a cistern which they assumed was full. Luckily for Jeremiah, “there was no water in the cistern, only mud, and into the mud Jeremiah sank.” (Jeremiah 38:6) The king’s Ethiopian servant, feared for Jeremiah’s life and came to the rescue. He took some torn, worn-out rags ) and threw them down with some ropes. It took thirty men to haul Jeremiah up out of that cistern.

Jeremiah 38:6–13 (KJV 1900)

6 Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire.

7 Now when Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs which was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon; the king then sitting in the gate of Benjamin; 8 Ebed-melech went forth out of the king’s house, and spake to the king, saying, 9 My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon; and he is like to die for hunger in the place where he is: for there is no more bread in the city. 10 Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from hence thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he die. 11 So Ebed-melech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took thence old cast clouts and old rotten rags, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah. 12 And Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah, Put now these old cast clouts and rotten rags under thine armholes under the cords. And Jeremiah did so. 13 So they drew up Jeremiah with cords, and took him up out of the dungeon: and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.

* The Devil has his imitation of the “Living Water.” Satan dangled the things of this world in front of the eyes of God’s people in Jeremiah’s day and caused the people of God to turn their backs on God the “Living Water.” The people looked at the nations around them and observed them worshiping their idols in the beautiful groves. They observed their neighbors as they reveled in sexual sins and went about their lives with no fear of God before their eyes.

* The Devil is still trying to imitate God, the “God of living waters” today. He goes about tempting and hypnotizing the people of God, those who have places their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, with the shiny cheap trinkets of this world. He uses the television to flash the fancy new cars, cell phones, the newest technological gadgets, beautiful opulent homes, cool name brand clothes, fancy restaurants to cause God’s people to lust and covet after what the world has to offer.

* The Devil lies to God’s people and implies that all this cheap tinsel will satisfy them- make them happy. If I only had that new car, or if I only had that job, or that good looking woman, then I would be satisfied. I would be happy!

* My friend I am here to tell you that God’s people have turned their back on

- the on the true source of satisfaction for man’s soul

- they have turned their back this morning on the only true source of peace!

- They have forsaken the only way to satisfy their thirsty souls!

- They have turned their backs, (backslid) on the savior and creator, the only satisfier of the soul, the Prince of Peace, the self proclaimed “fountain of Living Water!”

* In our text in verse 11 God says of his people “my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit!

* In verse 12 God says to his people “ 12 Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the Lord.

* Again down in verse 21 of our text God says to his people “ 21 A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the Lord their God. 22 Return, ye backsliding children!

* Lets take a look at God reasoning with his people…

I. God reminded His people of their first love.

Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.

3 Israel was holiness unto the Lord, and the firstfruits of his increase: all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, saith the Lord. 4 Hear ye the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel:

II. God asked His people where He had failed them to cause them to leave their first love.

5 Thus saith the Lord, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?

6 Neither said they, Where is the Lord that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt?

III. God asked His people to remember how He had blessed them with good.

7 And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination.

IV. God puts the blame on the pastors for their backsliding.

8 The priests said not, Where is the Lord? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit.

V. God's people had changed their glory for that which does not profit.

9 Wherefore I will yet plead with you, saith the Lord, and with your children’s children will I plead. 10 For pass over the isles of Chittim, and see; and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently, and see if there be such a thing. 11 Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit.

VI. God warned His people to be horribly afraid because they had committed two evils.

12 Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the Lord. 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.

VII. God asked His people, if they were not servants or slaves, then why are they broken down and wasted.

14 Is Israel a servant? is he a homeborn slave? why is he spoiled? 15 The young lions roared upon him, and yelled, and they made his land waste: his cities are burned without inhabitant. 16 Also the children of Noph and Tahapanes have broken the crown of thy head.

VIII. God asked His people what business they had in looking somewhere else for satisfaction.

17 Hast thou not procured this unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, when he led thee by the way? 18 And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor? or what hast thou to do in the way of Assyria, to drink the waters of the river?

IX. God tells His people that they will be punished bitterly by the results of their own backsliding.

19 Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord God of hosts.

Jeremiah 2:27–28 (KJV 1900)

27 Saying to a stock, Thou art my father; and to a stone, Thou hast brought me forth: for they have turned their back unto me, and not their face: but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us. 28 But where are thy gods that thou hast made thee? let them arise, if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble: for according to the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah.

X. God pleads with His people to return and let Him heal their backslidings.

Jeremiah 3:21–22 (KJV 1900)

21 A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the Lord their God. 22 Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the Lord our God.

Conclusion:

Break up the fallow Ground!

Jeremiah 4:2–4 (KJV 1900)

2 And thou shalt swear, The Lord liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory. 3 For thus saith the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.

4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.

Outline Summary

Text:

Introduction:

I.

II.

III.

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VI.

VII.

Conclusion: