In Jeremiah, chapter two, verse thirteen, “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.” God’s people under the old covenant committed two fundamental sins: First, they forsook the Lord, the only One who could give them truly abundant life, as in chapter seventeen, verse thirteen, Psalms thirty-six, verse nine, and John ten, verse ten. Second, God’s people in the Old Testament sought life and pleasure in the idolatrous things of the world, things that had no real or lasting value. In doing so, they lost their purpose and destiny as a redeemed people, as in verse eleven, “Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit.” True “living water,” as in John four, verses ten through fourteen, and John seven, verses thirty-seven to thirty-nine, is found only in a personal, devoted relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Today, people brought up in godly homes become aware of God and even know about the Son of God. However, outside of that, they also discover the ungodly ways and lifestyles offered to them and see how the other side is living apart from God. “Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant,” as in Proverbs nine, verse seventeen. Sin is sweet and may look good for a time, but then, when it fades, it will no longer look or feel good, and sooner or later, it will dry out. Similar to the cistern, which is a well or reservoir that holds water for a period, but eventually breaks, and is unable to hold the water due to the leak that is discovered over time.