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 2:13

Water was a precious commodity to the audience of Jeremiah and they would have clearly understood the difference between a “spring” and a “cistern” and the benefits of one over the other. In fact, to these people it was considered a blessing from God Himself to have a natural spring on one’s land.

For those who were not blessed with such a resource, they were required to dig a hole in the ground and to seal the walls of the hole with lime. Water was then transported to the hole or cistern to be stored for use at a later time. Unfortunately, these crude storage containers would develop cracks over time and the water would leak out into the surrounding soil. As a result, the water would be lost and the walls would have to be sealed again and the cistern refilled.

In this verse, God is saying that His people have chosen to abandon their relationship with Him for personal pursuits of happiness that are not eternal. Pursuits that bring temporary moments of happiness, but eventually crack and run dry.

Are you digging cisterns or drinking directly from the spring?