Jeremiah 2 … Consider Him, the Fountain of Living Waters

Originally posted: 5/03/2021

“For My people have committed two evils:
They have forsaken Me,
The fountain of living waters,
To hew for themselves cisterns,
Broken cisterns
That can hold no water,” (2:13).

I’ve heard about it more times than I care to remember, a marriage wrecked by infidelity. And it is always heartbreaking when someone has left a faithful marriage in pursuit of something outside their covenant vows; and it is especially so when the one whose trust has been shattered has remained faithful and so undeserving of wrongdoing. And in those instances, I’ve often heard myself wonder aloud, Why… why would they go after someone else; where do they think they will find anyone better?

And today, I also heard myself wonder aloud, How… how could the nation Israel have turned away from Him? Where on earth did they think they would find anyone, anything, or anywhere better than life with Him?

And God lays out His case against them, beginning with fond memories of their love and devotion they had for Him in the beginning. And as He recounts His constant commitment to His people, we collide with their shocking conduct.

God, perfect in all His ways, rehearses their unimaginable unfaithfulness to the One Who had faithfully led them through the wilderness into a fruitful land. And as inconceivable as it all is, they deserted God to go after so many other gods. And God likens their demeanor to that of a wild donkey in heat, governed solely by her passions and available for the taking by any who are on the prowl.

And what makes their behavior even more repulsive, is that God had never stopped abundantly providing for them, nor had He ever ceased pursuing them Himself. As He walked them through their history, He reminds them of what they had forgotten. Every need they had was met in Him, and every need would continue to be richly supplied if they would only come to Him.

But rather than finding all their fulfillment in Him, the Fountain of Living Waters, they deserted Him and sought out their own means of satisfaction. And as they persisted in walking in darkness, they became so blinded and deluded that they could not even see that the feckless gods of the nations coupled with their own attempts to bring satisfaction, were not only cracked and would never supply what they needed, but would actually deplete every resource they had.

And it can be tempting to spend our energy fixated on their behavior, perhaps with contempt, disgusted by their unfaithfulness. But this morning I was reminded that prolonged examination of what is empty and evil is not the way we strengthen our faith.

Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity,
And revive me in Your ways, (Psalm 119:37).

While, devoting time to inspecting the sins of others can provide warnings of pitfalls to avoid, the way He revives and strengthens our faith is as we seek the Light of His ways as revealed in the Light of His Word.

For with You is the fountain of life;
In Your light we see light, (Psalm 36:7-9).

Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path, (Psalm 119:105).

Today we will turn our attention away from the shortcomings of man and turn to the main thing He has made plain to us in the Light of His Word; He has plainly revealed Himself as the Fountain of Living Waters.

Consider Him, the Fountain of Living Waters

“For My people have committed two evils:
They have forsaken Me,
The fountain of living waters,
To hew for themselves cisterns,
Broken cisterns
That can hold no water,” (2:13).

From Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance:
Fountain: 4726. מָקוֹר māqôr: A masculine noun designating a fountain, a spring, a flow. It indicates a source of water…”
Living: 2416. חַי ḥay,  חַיָּה ḥayyāh: A feminine noun meaning a living thing…”
Water: 4325. מַיִם mayim: A masculine dual or plural noun meaning water. It indicates water in its various functions: as a basic element of the earth (Gen. 1:2).”

He Alone is the Source that can never be hewn or helped by man; and He alone gives Living Water, the basic element needed to sustain and satisfy all of life. He alone is the Fountain of Living Waters, the Source Who Provides His Life through the Supernatural Work of His Spirit, realized in the Life of the Promised Messiah, Jesus Christ.

• He is the Fountain of Living Waters Who Pours Out His Spirit on Those Who Believe.
  • ‘For I will pour out water on the thirsty land
    And streams on the dry ground;
    I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring
    And My blessing on your descendants,“ (Isaiah 44:3).
    • Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. ³⁸ He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” ³⁹ But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified, (John 7:37-39).

• He is the Fountain of Living Waters Who Continually Strengthens, Satisfies and Sustains.
  • “And the Lord will continually guide you,
    And satisfy your desire in scorched places,
    And give strength to your bones;
    And you will be like a watered garden,
    And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail,” (Isaiah 58:11).
    • They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; ¹⁷ for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes, (Revelation 7:16-17).

• He is the Fountain of Living Waters Who Is Our Only Hope for Eternal Life.
  • Lord, the hope of Israel,
    All who forsake You will be put to shame.
    Those who turn away on earth will be written down,
    Because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, even the Lord, (Jeremiah 17:13).
    • Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; ¹⁴ but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life,” (John 4:13-14).

• He is the Fountain of Living Waters Who Cleanses us from Sin without Cost.
  • “In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity,” (Zechariah 13:1).

• • • Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city… ¹⁷ The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost, (Revelation 22:14, 17).

How do we respond to Him, the Fountain of Living Waters?

 “For My people have committed two evils:
They have forsaken Me,
The fountain of living waters,
To hew for themselves cisterns,
Broken cisterns
That can hold no water,” (2:13).

While we may not be able to understand what makes a heart wander away from the vows of marriage, the truth be told, today demands an honest look at our own relationship with God.

God describes two evils His adulterous people committed: they forsook Him, and then tried to replace Him with their man-made, broken obsessions. So before we point our fingers in blame, perhaps a long and forthright look in the mirror of His Word is in order.

Because any time we do not choose to walk in faith and begin to seek our worth, our purpose, and our satisfaction in anything other than Him, we are forgetting all He has done for us; and we too are flirting with adultery.

For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; ²⁴ for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was, (James 1:23-24).

And it is God’s Word that will reflect the truth and accurately judge the thoughts and intentions of our heart.

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. ¹³ And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do, (Romans 4:12-13).

His Word will reveal places of the heart that are on dangerous ground. Let us not be afraid to seek the truth about our hearts before Him; after all, He already knows it all. And as we come to Him to drink from the Fountain of Living Waters, He will grow us in our understanding of His love and enable us to see the Light of His Truth.

How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
⁸ They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house;
And You give them to drink of the river of Your delights.
⁹ For with You is the fountain of life;
In Your light we see light, (Psalm 36:7-9).

God often uses the comparison of marriage to describe His relationship with His people. He tells us that it is His Word that will keep our hearts faithful towards Him; and as He washes us with the Living Water of His Word, our hearts are cleansed to love Him in purity and holiness.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, ²⁶ so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, ²⁷ that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless, (Ephesians 5:25-27).

Oh, that we would grow in our desire to never wander from Him, that we would find all our satisfaction in Him alone. For as we come to Him daily and drink from Him, the Fountain of Living Waters, He will lovingly wash and enable us to live as His pure and treasured bride as we treasure His Living Word in our heart.

How can a young man keep his way pure?
By keeping it according to Your word.
¹⁰ With all my heart I have sought You;
Do not let me wander from Your commandments.
¹¹ Your word I have treasured in my heart,
That I may not sin against You, (Psalm 119:9-11).

Let’s Grow Together!