Thirsty?

Dec. 8

Read: Jeremiah 2

Broken Cisterns

“…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.” (v.13)

Our battle in this life - our temptations as the people of God - can be boiled down to these two truths: We have forsaken the “living water” of the Lord and have opted for our own “broken cisterns”. These are the “evils” of God’ people; but what exactly does this mean?

A water cistern was a massive structure built and buried in the ground that was designed to capture or hold water. Water (in the desert especially) means life! When a cistern is broken, it will hold no water, or worse yet - whatever little water it does contain is contaminated and unfit to drink. Imagine societies where grazing animals are the source of income. The ground has its fair share of contaminates that can infect ground water and make it very unhealthy to drink. If you have every had bad water in the wilderness… you know what I mean. Drinking contaminated water leads to you throwing up and feeling miserable. If not treated it will lead to death because you will dehydrate and die. A broken cistern would hold that kind of “dank” water.

God says that there are two “EVILS” that we must look out for: broken cisterns and denying living water. Our own human efforts to solve our problems, make a life for ourselves, and satisfy our “thirst”… these are our “broken cisterns” that we have “made for ourselves”.These cisterns hold the dank water of sin and destruction. They cannot bring life. They cannot satisfy. If we come to them in our thirst and find any water at all in them, what is their will only please us for a moment and then in turn kill us from the inside out. This is sin - a sip of bacteria filled water in the desert that has our stomach’s churning and throwing up a half hour later. That water may have tasted good in that brief moment… but what a price to pay! No wonder we spend so much time and effort as the church / people of God trying to stop people from sinning. Of course we need to stop building these broken cisterns and drinking what is held in them. Of course we need to try and fill them in, block them off, put up signs, and maybe even place a guard near them at times to make sure no one falls into them or draws water. In the end… this is only one of two evils.

It is just as evil to “forsake the living water”. The people of God go to the broken cistern in their thirst because they do not know where the living water is! They are in the wilderness, thirsty, and have no idea that there is a fresh, natural, flowing spring available to them. They have never tasted how good, refreshing and life giving the “living water” is. They have not “tasted and seen that the Lord is GOOD.” (cf. Ps 34:8) It is no wonder they keep wandering back to the broken cistern - when you get thirsty and desperate enough you will drink anything to try and satisfy your thirst. If you think you are going to die in the desert without water (which is true) and you know where the broken cistern is… you will go and drink from it. Have we devoted as much time to teaching people the way to the living water fountain as we have trying to block the cistern?

When you have tasted “living water” and you know where to find it you will not be tempted to drink the “poop water” of the broken cistern. When we grasp the nearness and presence of the “living water”… the Lord … deep within us then we realize we are never far from the fountain. In our moments of longing and thirst HE is near, willing, and able to satisfy. When our people know of the living water, we don’t need to rig our hands in worry over them wandering over and drinking from the filth. I mean, think of it: you are in the desert and there is a puddle of animal dung filled, bacteria ridden, filthy water on your left side and then 20 yards away is a Yeti cooler filled with ice and bottled water. Do you really think we need to worry about coming over and finding someone drinking the “poop water”?

One final note. God does not rebuke or punish his people for “getting thirsty”. The problem is not our “thirst”. The problem is where we go to drink when we are thirsty. The goal is not to somehow will yourself into a place where you are never thirsty… the goal is to drink living water and abandon the broken cisterns!

Are you thirsty? Are you currently doubled over in pain because you have been drinking the “dank water”? Are you busy stacking stones in the midst of constructing your own water cistern that is going be broken and hold no fresh water anyways? Have you been so devoted to avoiding the broken cisterns of sin that you have forgotten to drink the living water? It is just as evil to “forsake” living water as it is to drink bad water! Do you doubt God’s ability to provide what you need to live… to satisfy your deepest thirsts? Take a moment today to talk with someone or to write out for yourself the broken cisterns you have been running to when you are thirsty. Work out the times you have tasted the “living water” and mark on a map where you find it! If you have never “tasted and seen” then ask a brother or sister in Christ if they know where the clean water is and to lead you to it! This is the message that Jeremiah brought to Israel and it is the message I bring to you today. Love you guys. - JDP