A cracked cistern

Campbell Dye November 15, 2022 0 2

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Jeremiah 2: 1-13 (NIVUK)

1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 ‘Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem:

‘This is what the Lord says:

‘“I remember the devotion of your youth,
    how as a bride you loved me
and followed me through the wilderness,
    through a land not sown.
3 Israel was holy to the Lord,
    the firstfruits of his harvest;
all who devoured her were held guilty,
    and disaster overtook them,”’
declares the Lord.

4 Hear the word of the Lord, you descendants of Jacob,
    all you clans of Israel.

5 This is what the Lord says:

‘What fault did your ancestors find in me,
    that they strayed so far from me?
They followed worthless idols
    and became worthless themselves.
6 They did not ask, “Where is the Lord,
    who brought us up out of Egypt
and led us through the barren wilderness,
    through a land of deserts and ravines,
a land of drought and utter darkness,
    a land where no one travels and no one lives?”
7 I brought you into a fertile land
    to eat its fruit and rich produce.
But you came and defiled my land
    and made my inheritance detestable.
8 The priests did not ask,
    “Where is the Lord?”
Those who deal with the law did not know me;
    the leaders rebelled against me.
The prophets prophesied by Baal,
    following worthless idols.

9 ‘Therefore I bring charges against you again,’
declares the Lord.
    ‘And I will bring charges against your children’s children.
10 Cross over to the coasts of Cyprus and look,
    send to Kedar and observe closely;
    see if there has ever been anything like this:
11 has a nation ever changed its gods?
    (Yet they are not gods at all.)
But my people have exchanged their glorious God
    for worthless idols.
12 Be appalled at this, you heavens,
    and shudder with great horror,’
declares the Lord.
13 ‘My people have committed two sins:
They have forsaken me,
    the spring of living water,
and have dug their own cisterns,
    broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

Jeremiah is one of the major Old Testament prophets. He starts the book by telling us that the “word of the Lord came to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah”.  To you and me, that’s about 627 BC.

I don’t know who would be more distressed – Jeremiah, if he found himself in 21st century Europe or you and me if we ended up in Judah in the 7th century before Jesus. You would think there were few points of common reference. What would he make of the device on which you are reading this?  How would we survive without our creature comforts? Think of a world without Costa and central heating!

And yet, maybe we’re not that different. In the New International Version, this chapter is headed “Israel forsakes God” and Jeremiah writes some pretty harsh words about how God’s chosen people have rebelled and are “following worthless idols”.

Doesn’t this ring true? Haven’t we, as a post-modern liberal society thrown God away? Aren’t we told that we have evolved beyond the need for this superstitious fairy story?

In Jeremiah’s writing, God says that the people have forsaken Him, “the spring of living water”, to replace him with their own cisterns which are broken and cannot hold water.

We dismiss or ignore God at our peril. Rejecting His authority means we can adopt whatever code of morals suits us — the history of the 20th century shows how disaster awaits not very far down that particular road. Dismissing God’s hand in creation cheapens the natural world around us and displaces the unique value of each human being. We replace the good with the tawdry, inadequate and disappointing.

Our society is no different to any other in history, whatever it may tell itself. A society without God places itself at immense risk. “Be appalled at this, you heavens, and shudder with great horror”.

PRAYER

Father God, forgive us when we stray from you. When we make choices which go against your will, help us to see our mistakes and encourage us to make changes. Help us to put you at the very heart of our decisions and lives. Fill us with the wisdom of your Holy Spirit. AMEN.