George Santayana is generally credited with the statement, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” We realize the importance of this statement but why is this principle so often ignored? Approximately 2500 years ago the prophet Jeremiah issued this indictment to the nation of Judah, “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water.” I wonder what God would say to the church today?

Note the two evils. First, they’ve forsaken God. He was not in their plans. God wasn’t a priority in their lives and they thought they could live life without God. When we leave God out of our plans we must realize that something else will take His place. Nature abhors a vacuum so we find a substitute to fill the void. The second evil they committed was to create substitutes for God. We also dig our own cisterns, cisterns that are broken and can’t hold water. Have you ever developed your own plans apart from God and then wonder why you experience difficulties?

God is described as the fountain of living waters. Remember these people are living in a desert like climate – access to clean drinking water was a life or death matter for them. One of my favorite backpacking areas is the shining rock area in the Pisgah National Forest. If you’ve been backpacking you know how critical it is to get clean drinking water. There are no rivers or streams at the higher elevations so you must either pack in your water or know where to find it. I remember one trip as I met a couple guys getting some brackish water out of a puddle. I invited them to follow me and a brief distance down the trail was a cold, clear refreshing spring with plenty of water. They were elated! Why is it in that we settle for the brackish water and forsake the fountain of living waters (see John 7:37)? What are some broken cisterns you’ve seen people substitute for the living waters?