A Study in the Book of Jeremiah

By Dr. Brian J. Bailey

The Book of Jeremiah is a revelation of the heart and feelings of a tender, loving God reaching out to a backslidden people. Dr. Brian Bailey’s commentary shows the Lord as the Potter who is forming us as clay upon His potter’s wheel. We can be encouraged by the message of Jeremiah in that that the Lord desires to give hope to those who have become discouraged over their past mistakes by reforming them into a chosen vessel, made beautiful for the house of the Master.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zion Christian Publishers
• Release date: Sep 14, 2017
• ISBN: 9781596656925

Book preview

THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH

In the Potter’s House

Dr Brian J. Bailey

The Book of Jeremiah

 © 2000 Brian J. Bailey

Version 1.1

Front Cover Design:

© 2006 Zion Fellowship, Inc.

All Rights Reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles or reviews.

All Scripture quotations in this book are taken from the

King James Version Bible unless otherwise stated.

Published by Zion Christian Publishers

Published as an e-book on September 2017

in the United States of America

E-book ISBN 1-59665-692-1

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Editorial team: Stephen Brogan, Elizabeth Humphreys, Sarah Humphreys, David Kropf, Justin and Sarah Kropf,  Hannah Schrock, Caroline Tham, and Suzanne Ying.

We wish to extend our thanks to these dear ones for without their many hours of invaluable assistance, this book would not have been possible. We are truly grateful for their diligence, creativity, and excellence in the compilation of this book for the glory of God. 

PREFACE

The prophet Jeremiah, more than any other man, had a heart as tender as any woman’s. His heart was like a fragile, exquisitely etched vase of Dresden china. Jeremiah’s many sufferings made him a man of deep and profound compassion; yet he also possessed fearless courage. God made him like an iron pillar to stand against his many adversaries (Jer. 1:10).

In the prophet Jeremiah we see the meekness and humility of the compassionate Jesus, as well as the courage of the Messiah who overturned the tables of the money lenders and rebuked the religious leaders of His day. God said to Jeremiah, I have set thee for a tower and a fortress among my people, that thou mayest know and try their way (Jer. 6:27). Jeremiah was also the weeping prophet whose yielded lips declared the tender pleadings of Jehovah to an erring and rebellious people.

The book of Jeremiah is a study and revelation of the heart and feelings of a tender, loving God reaching out to a backslidden people who were bent upon their own destruction. Jeremiah was rejected by his own generation, but has since been revered by countless generations. The book of Jeremiah also shows us the tremendous battle for the souls of mankind that takes place in our times. Before the Second Coming of Christ, that battle will intensify even more. My prayer is that this book will be a blessing to you.

Brian J. Bailey, Ph. D., D.D.

INTRODUCTION

Jeremiah was one of the four major prophets of Israel. The other three were Isaiah, who preceded him by about 100 years, and Daniel and Ezekiel, Jeremiah’s contemporaries who prophesied while in Babylonian captivity. Jeremiah was their elder in the sense that he commenced his ministry in the thirteenth year of Josiah, king of Judah, while their ministries commenced in the first and second captivities, respectively, during the reigns of Jehoiakim and Jehoiachin.

The book of Jeremiah is not assembled in chronological order as is Ezekiel, nor is it arranged topically. We have chosen in this commentary to follow the format compiled by the scribes of ancient days.

Apart from historical references that help in understanding the background to the prophecies, the book of Jeremiah has many excellent literary accounts of topics that have had a lasting impact upon the people of Israel and also on the Church of Jesus Christ. These topics are noted in our outline of the contents of the book of Jeremiah for those who want to refer to these time-honoured stories and allegories.

OUTLINE

I. The Call of Jeremiah (chapter 1)

A. Introduction (1:1-6)

B. The Call Defined (1:7-10)

C. The Two Signs (1:11-16)

  1. The Rod of an Almond Tree (1:11-12)

  2. The Seething Pot (1:13-16)

D. Jeremiah Strengthened Against His Foes (1:17-19)

II. Prophecies Concerning Judah (chapters 2–45)

A. The 12 Prophetic Utterances of Condemnation (2:1–25:38)

  1. The Wilful Sinning of Judah (2:1–3:5)

  2. Judah will be Judged (3:6–6:30)

  3. Judah’s Hypocritical Worship (7:1–10:25)

  4. Judah Breaks the Covenant (11:1–12:17)

  5. The Promised Restoration of Israel (13:1-27)

  6. Intercession for Judah (14:1–15:21)

  7. Judah’s Restoration Promised (16:1–17:27)

  8. The Potter’s House (18:1–20:18)

  9. Against the Kings of Judah (21:1–23:8)

  10. Against the False Prophets (23:9-40)

  11. The Baskets of Figs (24:1-10)

  12. The 70-Year Captivity (25:1-38)

B. The Battles of Jeremiah (26:1–29:32)

  1. Jeremiah’s Life is Threatened (26:1-24)

  2. The Nations to be Handed Over to Babylonian Captivity (27:1-22)

  3. The Conflict with the False Prophet Hananiah (28:1-17)

  4. Letters to the Exiles (29:1-23)

  5. The Letters of Another False Prophet (29:24-32)

C. The Future Restoration of Israel (30:1–33:26)

  1. The Restoration to the Land (30:1-24)

  2. The Restoration of the Nation (31:1-40)

  3. The Rebuilding of Jerusalem (32:1-44)

  4. The Reaffirmation of God’s Covenant with Israel (33:1-26)

D. The Fall of Jerusalem (34:1–45:5)

1. Prophecies Before the Fall of Jerusalem (34:1–36:32)

  2. Events Before the Fall of Jerusalem (37:1–38:28)

  3. Events During the Fall of Jerusalem (39:1-18)

  4. Jeremiah’s Ministry after the Fall of Jerusalem (40:1–44:30)

  5. God’s Personal Message for Baruch the Scribe (45:1-5)

III. Prophecies Against Foreign Nations (Chapters 46:1–51:64)

A. Egypt (46:1-28)

B. Philistia (47:1-7)

C. Moab (48:1-47)

D. Ammon (49:1-6)

E. Edom (49:7-22)

F. Damascus (49:23-27)

G. Kedar and Hazor (49:28-33)

H. Elam (49:34-39)

I. Babylon (50:1–51:64)

IV. Historical Notes (52:1-34)

A. The Capture of Jerusalem (52:1-11)

B. The Destruction of Jerusalem (52:12-23)

C. The Exiles go to Babylon (52:24-30)

D. Jehoiachin is Favoured (52:31-34)

Topical Subjects Highlighted

1. The Call From the Womb (1:5)

2. The Fountain of Living Waters (2:13)

3. Stand Ye in the Ways (6:16)

4. Reprobate Silver (6:30)

5. The Marred Girdle (13:1-27)

6. The Potter’s House (18:1-6)

7. The Basket of Figs (24:1-10)

PART 1

The Call of Jeremiah

1:1-19

A. Introduction (1:1-6)

B. The Call Defined (1:7-10)

C. The Two Signs (1:11-16)

D. Jeremiah Strengthened Against His Foes (1:17-19)

Introduction (1:1-6)

1:1-3 - The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin: To whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.

At the beginning of his ministry, Jeremiah prophesied at the same time as Zephaniah. We are told that Jeremiah was called during the thirteenth year of the reign of King Josiah of Judah. In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah, the Lord gave the greatest revival that Israel had ever known (2 Chr. 35:18-19). This revival was led by three young men: Jeremiah (approximately 27 years old), Josiah (26 years old), and Zephaniah, who was probably a few years younger.

The revival of Josiah has great significance for our days since this revival preceded the siege of Jerusalem and its consequent fall to the Babylonians. There are three great sieges of Jerusalem recorded in Holy Scripture, each preceded by a very significant revival:

1. The Assyrian siege in the fourteenth year of Hezekiah’s reign followed the revival in the first year of Hezekiah’s reign.

2. The three principal sieges of the Babylonians (terminated by the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C.) came almost 40 years after the revival in the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign.

3. The siege of Jerusalem under Titus in A.D. 70 (terminated by the pillage and destruction of the Temple) came after the Early Church revival and the ministries of John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The siege of Jerusalem in the last days (Zech. 12) will culminate with the Second Coming of the Lord. However, we may state with Scriptural authority that the last siege of Jerusalem will be preceded by a worldwide revival so that all the types and anti-types are fulfilled.

It is worthy of note that all these revivals mentioned were led by relatively young men: Hezekiah and Josiah were 26 years old and John and Christ were 30 years old. Therefore, expect God to use many young men and women during revival in these last days.

The Ministry of Jeremiah

Jeremiah’s ministry can be divided into three main parts:

1. 627-605 B.C. - Jeremiah prophesied during the time that Judah was threatened by Assyria and Egypt.

2. 605-586 B.C. - Jeremiah prophesied while Jerusalem was being surrounded and besieged by the Babylonians.

3. 586-576 B.C. - Jeremiah ministered firstly in Jerusalem  and then in Egypt. Tradition states that he was stoned to death in Egypt by the Jews who took him there.

1:4-6 - Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.

The call of the Lord to Jeremiah has a deep theological significance, especially for the days in which we are living. When he was in his mother’s womb the Lord knew him and ordained him as a prophet to the nations. This is very similar to the words of the Apostle Paul in Galatians 1:15, But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace.

We need to understand that each one of us was a living soul when conceived, as King David states in Psalm 139:13: For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. Therefore, it is the Lord who forms us in our mother’s womb. For this reason, we may clearly state that abortion is the murder of an unborn child.

Another aspect of Jeremiah’s call in the womb is that it illustrates the truth spoken of in Romans 8:29-30: For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

In His foreknowledge of how we will respond to His call, God selects people before birth for the work and ministry that He desires them to perform. God called Paul a chosen vessel in Acts 9:15-16: But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.

As we have read, the call of the Lord was given to Jeremiah when he was in his mother’s womb. According to Jewish tradition, Jeremiah was about 21 years old when God called him to the ministry. The Lord told Jeremiah that he had been ordained to be a prophet. Jeremiah responded, Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child (Jer. 1:6). Jeremiah’s response is similar to the response of many servants of God when they receive their divine call from the Majesty on high. At the burning bush, Moses gave a similar response, and remember, he was 80 years old at the time (Ex. 4:10).

I well remember feeling overwhelmed when God called me to the ministry. I felt that there were many other people who were far more capable than I was. While I was meditating on this during a service conducted by a faculty member of the Bible school that I had attended, that minister said in a prophecy, Of all the millions that call upon My name, do I not choose with care those whom I call into My service?

It was as though the Lord was reading the very thoughts and intents of my heart at that very moment, which, in fact, He was. I then asked the Lord to lead me on into His plan and purposes for my life. Today, after nearly 50 years in the ministry, I am still filled with amazement and deep gratitude that the Lord deigned to choose someone so unworthy as myself for the ministry.

The Call Defined (1:7-10)

1:7-9 - But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.

When the Lord calls people to the ministry, He equips them with the necessary tools. God gave Jeremiah the assurance that He would deliver him from his strong enemies. Since the messenger must have the message, the Lord touched Jeremiah’s mouth and put His words in his mouth. When we preach the Word of God before people, we are ministering as the oracles of God (1 Pet. 4:11).

We should seek the Lord for the promise of Isaiah 59:21: As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.

Then the Lord gave His prophet Jeremiah authority over the nations. The words that he would pronounce over nations would bind them and come to pass, for both evil and good. The purpose of Jeremiah’s prophecies was to remove evil from Israel and replace it with the fruit of righteousness.

1:10 - See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.

The methods Jeremiah was to use in removing this evil are described by the following four phrases:

1. To root out, speaking of pulling out all the weeds that are in the ground of our hearts, such as false doctrines and the works of the flesh (Gal. 5:19-21).

2. To pull down, speaking of bringing down the middle wall of separation between man and God (Eph. 2:14). It also refers to abolishing the enmity in our minds that comes from practicing wicked works, as seen in Colossians 1:21: And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled.

3. To destroy, so that the enemies of God would never rise again. Not only those enemies who are external to us, but the spiritual bondages that bring us into captivity against our wills.

4. To throw down, which spiritually can refer to casting down every wicked imagination and evil thought, as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:5: Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

The two phrases that follow were used to cause Israel to become fruitful again:

1. To build, which speaks of the construction of a physical building, can refer to building up the Church (Eph. 2:20 21) and building ourselves up in the most holy faith. Jude 1:20 says, But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost. Not only must we tear down and break all the bondages of sin in our lives, but we must also be built up in Christ.

2. To plant, which refers to our hearts as the garden of the Lord, planted by Him. Just as Jeremiah was told to plant, we should plant the Word of God in our hearts and in the hearts of others so that it will grow in us and bring forth the peaceable fruits of righteousness (Gal. 5:22-23, 1 Cor. 3:8-9).

The Two Signs (1:11-16)

In verses 11-16, Jeremiah was given two signs by the Lord: the rod of an almond tree (1:11-12) and the seething pot (1:13 16).

1. The Rod of an Almond Tree (1:11-12)

1:11-12 - Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree. Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.

The Lord first gave Jeremiah a vision of an almond tree rod, which is the first tree to bud in the year. God was saying that what He would declare through Jeremiah would soon come to pass. Not only would the words of Jeremiah quickly come to pass, but also all the words that the prophets throughout Israel’s history had declared. In particular, the curses that Moses declared upon Israel, should they turn against God, were going to come to pass (Deut. 28:49).

God said He would hasten to perform it. This statement should be viewed in the context of the whole time period of Israel’s sojourn in the Land of Promise. The Lord spoke this to Jeremiah in the thirteenth year of Josiah’s reign. Josiah still had another 18 years to reign. Josiah was followed by four kings: Jehoahaz (3 months), Jehoiakim (11 years), Jehoiachin (3 months), and Zedekiah (11 years). Jehoahaz was also called Shallum and Jehoiachin was also called Jeconiah.

Even though God spoke to Jeremiah that He would hasten to judge Israel, the judgment did not take place for about another 41 years, when Jerusalem was finally destroyed in 586 B.C. Incidentally, the prophet Jeremiah would have been in his sixties when the fall of Jerusalem took place.

2. The Seething Pot (1:13-16)

1:13-14 – And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north. Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land. This boiling pot, which is a symbol of trouble, was placed toward the north. This sign signified that Israel was going to experience some very troublous and tempestuous times, since nearly all of Israel’s enemies were located to the north.

1:15-16 – For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah. And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.

Then the Lord declares, in essence, that the prophecy of Moses in Deuteronomy 28:49 would come to pass. Moses declared that this judgment would come upon Israel if the children of Israel did not serve the Lord with gladness. The need to serve the Lord with a joyful heart is often expressed in Scripture (Joel 1:12). God was going to bring all the nations of the north against Jerusalem. The kingdoms of the north refers to Babylon and all its satellites.

Jeremiah Strengthened Against His Foes (1:17-19)

1:17 - Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them. A prophet and minister of the Gospel is God’s voice to His people. Therefore, we must ever be faithful to deliver the whole counsel of God. Similar to His charge to Joshua (Josh. 1:5-9), God told Jeremiah not to fear the faces of those to whom he would deliver the Lord’s message. The fear of people is a snare (Prov. 29:25). If we are not faithful in delivering the pure, unadulterated and undiluted message of God, the Lord will put us to shame before His people.

1:18-19 - For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brazen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land. And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee. God faithfully equips His servants for the work that He entrusts to their care. God said He would make Jeremiah like a pillar of iron that no one would be able to prevail against. Certainly, Jeremiah was going to experience the promise of Isaiah 54:17: No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

PART 2

Prophecies concerning Judah

2:1-45:5

A. The 12 Prophetic Utterances of Condemnation (2:1–25:38)

B. The Battles of Jeremiah (26:1–29:32)

C. The Future Restoration of Israel (30:1–33:26)

D. The Fall of Jerusalem (34:1–45:5)

The 12 Prophetic Utterances of Condemnation (2:1–25:38)

In Jeremiah 2:1 to 25:38, there are 12 prophetic utterances of condemnation:

1. The Wilful Sinning of Judah (2:1–3:5)

2. Judah Will be Judged (3:6–6:30)

3. Judah’s Hypocritical Worship (7:1–10:25)

4. Judah Breaks the Covenant (11:1–12:17)

5. The Promised Restoration of Israel (13:1-27)

6. Intercession for Judah (14:1–15:21)

7. Judah’s Restoration Promised (16:1–17:27)

8. The Potter’s House (18:1–20:18)

9. Against the Kings of Judah (21:1–23:8)

10. Against the False Prophets (23:9-40)

11. The Baskets of Figs (24:1-10)

12. The Seventy-Year Captivity (25:1-38)

The First Prophetic Utterance – The Wilful Sinning of Judah (2:1–3:5)

In Jeremiah 2:1 to Jeremiah 3:5, we see the first of 12 prophetic utterances against Judah. The first prophetic utterance speaks of the wilful sinning of Judah.

The Love of Israel’s Espousals (2:1-4)

2:1-4 - Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 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. 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. Hear ye the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel.

The Lord soliloquises reminiscently concerning Israel’s initial relationship with Him when they journeyed through the wilderness under Moses toward the Promised Land. They were a holy people and all who attacked them touched the apple of His eye. Israel sought the Lord’s presence, even as a young bride ever desires her bridegroom’s company. Sadly, the Israelites failed to keep their first love.

It is so important, dear ones, that we always nourish and rekindle the love of our espousals with our spouses. So many marriages have fallen apart because of a lack of love. So many couples fall in love and get married, but then fall out of love because they do not nurture their love for one another. Invest in your marriage and you will reap the countless benefits.

We see in Revelation 2:4 that the believers of the Ephesian Church were severely rebuked by the Lord because they had left Him and had neglected their first love. How we need to cry out to the Lord, even as King David did, Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation (Ps. 51:12). Joy flows from a heart of love. Let us ever rejoice greatly in our dear and beloved Lord so that we have an ever-increasing love relationship with Him.

Israel Forsook the Lord (2:5-8)

2:5-7 - 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? 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? 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.

Israel forsook the Lord. The children of Israel no longer sought the Lord as in the times of the wilderness journey. They did not rehearse all of those wonderful events when the elders gathered at the gates of the cities.

2:8 - 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. The ministers in Jeremiah’s time did not know the Lord in a personal way. They had not personally experienced His salvation. The priests did not know the Lord; the pastors did not walk uprightly; and the prophets were under deluding spirits. Such is the fate of the church that loses its first love for the Lord.

How true this is of denominations and fellowships throughout Church history that were started by revival fires. Only a few years after their founder died, they reverted to religious professionalism, with their ministers so often not knowing the Lord personally. Just 16 years after the death of John Wesley, the Methodist movement was forbidding open-air meetings—a prime means of all the Wesleyan revivals. For that reason, the Primitive Methodists rose up to bring the movement back to its original goals.

We see this same problem in the New Testament Church. The Lord rebuked the Ephesian Church, which had experienced great revival, because they had left their first love (Rev. 2:4). We must always remember that the Lord desires us to have an intimate relationship with Him more than He desires to use us in the ministry. Our first calling is to love Him with all our hearts.

The Lord Pleads with Three Generations (2:9-13)

2:9-12 - Wherefore I will yet plead with you, saith the LORD, and with your children’s children will I plead. For pass over the isles of Chittim, and see; and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently, and see if there be such a thing. Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit. Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD.

The Lord invited the Israelites to go over the sea to the heathen island of Cyprus and to the wilderness of Kedar. Kedar, the second son of Ishmael, was Abraham’s grandson (Gen. 25:13, 1 Chr. 1:29). It is believed that the nomadic descendants of Kedar lived east of Egypt and south of Israel (Gen. 25:18). God challenged this generation of Israelites to observe that the heathen people did not change their gods. Yet Israel had not remained faithful to the one and only true God, Jehovah.

The Fountain of Living Waters

2:13 - 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.  This is one of the key verses in the book of Jeremiah. Here the Lord speaks of the two principal evils or sins that the Israelites had committed. First of all, they had forsaken the Lord, who is the Fountain of Living Waters. Secondly, they had turned to cisterns or substitutes for the Fountain of Living Waters. However, these man-made cisterns were broken and could not hold any water. In essence, the Lord is saying that these broken cisterns, which were substitutes for Him, could not satisfy them.

Although Israel had many naturally occurring fountains and springs, many Israelites built cisterns so that they would have water during times of drought. However, these cisterns were relatively fragile and could easily break in that earthquake-prone region of the world.  This is a lesson for all of us. Many people reject Christ, the Fountain of Living Waters who alone can satisfy, and search for satisfaction in basically four pursuits:

1. Human love – The pursuit of human love is epitomised by the woman at the well who had been married to five husbands and was currently living with a man who was not her husband (Jn. 4:16-18). She was seeking satisfaction from human love, but never found it until she met Jesus. Only the love of Christ can fulfil us.

2. Sport – Proverbs 21:17 says, He that loveth pleasure [or sport] shall be a poor man. Those who play professional sports are among the highest paid of all professions. Why? Because they absorb the time and thoughts of multitudes of people and take them away from the pursuit of God.

Sporting events on Sundays keep many people out of church. It is no coincidence that they are on Sundays either; it is all a part of Satan’s plan to draw people away from the Lord. Many of the greatest sports heroes of all time ended their lives in complete misery and solitude. Why? Because sport cannot satisfy the innermost needs of our heart.

When I was a young man, I played semi-professional soccer in England. One day while I was watching a soccer match, sitting in the midst of thousands of fans, the Lord spoke to me, What are you doing here? The Lord made it very clear to me that I had to quit playing semi-professional soccer if I wanted to fulfil His calling upon my life.

3. Money – Ecclesiastes 5:10 says, He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver. In fact, the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Tim. 6:10). Many people spend their whole lives trying to become wealthy. When they finally become rich, they realise that they are miserable, because money cannot satisfy us.

4. Power or position – Many people think that power or a certain position will make them happy, but these cannot satisfy us either. Consider the parable of Jotham in Judges 9. In this parable, there were four trees: the olive tree, the fig tree, the vine, and the bramble. Three of the trees bore fruit: the olive tree, the fig tree, and the vine. Only the bramble that did not bear fruit was willing to be made ruler. Why? Simply because the others would have had to forsake all their fatness, sweetness, and joy to be placed in the position of power.

Human love, sports, money, and power can never satisfy the deepest desires and longing of our heart. Only Christ—who is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, and power (1 Cor. 1:24, 30)—can satisfy our souls. I think most people strive for at least one of these four things, if not all four, during their lifetime.

King Solomon, who tried everything under the sun, declared at the end of his life that all of these worldly pursuits are vanity. Solomon, who early in his life had an intimate relationship with the Lord, stopped drinking from the Fountain of Living Waters and turned to broken cisterns that could not satisfy him. He tried to find satisfaction in human love, having at one time 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Ki. 11:3), but not even the love of 1,000 women could satisfy him.

He became the wealthiest man of his time (2 Chr. 9:22), he had great power, and held the highest position in Israel. And yet none of these things ever satisfied him because he had forsaken the Lord. Solomon had left his first love and the things of this life could not replace the Lord. You see, there are no substitutes for the Lord that can satisfy us. They are all broken cisterns. Therefore, let us learn from the tragic life of Solomon that human love, sports, money, and power and position cannot satisfy us. May we always drink only from the Fountain of Living Waters—the Lord Jesus Christ.

Another important lesson here regarding the broken cisterns, which the Israelites used to store rain water, is that we cannot store up former blessings and we cannot live on yesterday’s experience. In the wilderness, the Lord gave the children of Israel clear instructions that they were not to keep yesterday’s manna, which was sent from heaven. Why? Because we have to eat something fresh every day. This is especially true in our Christian lives. We cannot live on yesterday’s experience with God. Some people are camp meeting Christians. In other words, they meet with God at a seminar or a camp meeting and they renew their commitment to Christ, but then they go several months without meeting with God until the next seminar or special crusade. We need to drink from the Fountain of Living Waters each and every day, beloved!

Israel Is Leading the Life of a Slave (2:14-19)

2:14 - Is Israel a servant? is he a homeborn slave? why is he spoiled? Israel is the Lord’s firstborn. The Lord said to Pharaoh in Exodus 4:22-23: ... Israel is my firstborn son, and I told you, ‘Let my son go, so he may worship me.’ But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son (NIV). Why was Israel, God’s firstborn, spoiled by the invasion of heathen nations? Because of the Israelites’ disobedience.

2:15 - The young lions roared upon him, and yelled, and they made his land waste: his cities are burned without inhabitant. The young lions represent the Assyrians who invaded Israel and wasted the land, taking the northern ten tribes into captivity. The Israelites brought all of this judgment upon themselves by