Jeremiah 2

Jeremiah, having been appointed by God, begins now to speak the words God put in his mouth.  In the first sermon (Ch. 2-6) Jeremiah gives the fundamental message that Israel has sinned grievously and must return to God.

In what way did they sin?  Jeremiah often accuses them of “backsliding” (v19).  They had slidden back in the sense that they “changed their Glory for what does not profit” (v11).  This exchange indicates 2 aspects of sin.  On the one hand they forsook God, “the fountain of living waters”.  He was their Glory, the One who chose them to be His special treasure.  They agreed to be His covenant people at Mt. Sinai.  God blessed them with provision in the years in the desert.  He had brought them into the land, giving them victories so they could settle the land.  He had made them great in the times of David and Solomon.  Though He had blessed them abundantly they now forsook Him.

On the other hand, they now were committed to making their own “blessings”, if you will.  Their motto became, “God helps those who help themselves;” their song, “I did it my way.”  They followed natural instincts, like a wild donkey in the desert (v23-24).  They thanked (worshiped) nature for it’s blessings without praising the Creator.  Failure to glorify and thank God led them to vain (self-centered) and foolish thoughts (Rom. 1:21-23).  They trusted in Baal (v23), the god of the Sidonians, which had already proved to be a failure in previous times, both in the Northern Kingdom of Israel as well as in Judah.  They trusted in Egypt (v36-37) who would prove incapable of defending herself, much less Israel.  Instead of a fountain flowing with pure and refreshing water, they settled for muddy rainwater that was seeping away in leaky cisterns.

Have you not seen this in your life?  We go to great lengths to build cisterns for financial, physical and emotional security only to find that they are leaky and that the water they hold is not particularly refreshing.  We spend on pleasure only to find that when the moment is over we are not truly happy.  We surround ourselves with friends only to find that, as we, so they live for themselves, and will not be ultimately loyal to us.  As Jeremiah spoke candidly to the people, so we must ask ourselves, “How can you say, ‘I am not polluted’?”

As always, the first step in turning to God is to recognize and admit that you need to turn to God.  Let us consider this matter personally.  Have you not found that material abundance does not bring a lasting satisfaction to your soul?  Have you not found that an abundance of accolades from friends does nothing to satisfy your soul when you have no assurance that you have pleased your Creator?  What cisterns have you built in your life?  Do you not see that they are leaking?  Do you not understand that the taste of that water is nothing to compare to the “fountain of living waters”, the Living God?

“How can you say, ‘I am not polluted’?”