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"My people have committed two evils"

Text: Jeremiah 2:13

TWO EVILS HIGHLIGHTED

Many were the transgressions Israel had committed against the Lord. Two were highlighted here!

“‘Be astonished, O heavens, at this,
And be horribly afraid;
Be very desolate,’ says the LORD.
‘For My people have committed two evils:
They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters,
And hewn themselves cisterns—
broken cisterns that can hold no water.'”
Jeremiah 2:12-13

1. The reference to the “heavens”

a) The heavens were personified as people sitting in the Jury box.

b) It could also be a reference to the holy angels who dwell in heaven.

2. Three things were said to them

a) “Be astonished”

i) Israel’s desertion of God was an astonishment indeed.

ii) It was totally uncalled for!

iii) It was unthinkable.

b) “Be horribly afraid”

i) Not for themselves.

ii) But for a nation that had abandoned their Glory.

c) “Be very desolate”

i) A feeling of desolation would be felt as they thought about Israel’s fate.

ii) The heavens would be forlorn and desolate for the terrible sins of Israel.

3. “For My people have committed two evils”

a) God continues to call Israel/ Judah “My people”.

b) “Two evils”

i) The word “evil” can point to something morally bad.

ii) It can also be used to describe something very foolish.

iii) In Israel’s context, both descriptions apply.

4. The first evil

“They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters”

a) To forsake God:

i) This was morally evil. For Israel had committed itself to the Covenant given to them (Exodus 25).

ii) This was foolish and absurd.

b) “The fountain of living waters”

i) God was a fountain of water and life to His people.

ii) Where would the people go to find the life-giving water?

iii) God was the very Source of living water to Israel.

5. The second evil

“And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water”

a) Cisterns were vital for the storing of water.

b) It is to be even more valued in a water-scarce country.

c) What Israel had done was to look for an alternative for the fountain of living water.

d) An honest assessment of Israel’s cisterns.

i) They were obviously not well-made.

ii) They were broken cisterns.

iii) These cisterns could hold no water for they leaked badly.

iv) They were damaged cisterns.

The lament for Israel was to be very deep and greatly felt!