Categoria: Jeremiah

 Jeremiah 2 presents God’s charges against Israel for their abandonment as they involved themselves in outright paganism and idolatry, exchanging God’s living water for their own broken cisterns! God says: “I remember the devotion of your youth… Israel was holy to the Lord… but they followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves… you came and defiled my land… the prophets prophesied by Baal… therefore I bring charges against you… my people have exchanged their glory for worthless idols!” Then the text goes on to define two specific sins of Israel. First of all the forsaking of God’s living water which is God himself, and secondly the creating of broken cisterns that cannot hold water which represent the political international alliances as with Assyria and Egypt, instead of depending on the Lord. God asks: “why go to Egypt to drink water… or why go to Assyria for water too? Your backsliding will rebuke you!” God goes on to reprimand Israel for its unfaithfulness: “You lay down like a prostitute… How can you say I am not defiled; I have not run after the Baals?… you are like a wild donkey on heat!… as a thief is disgraced when he is caught so Israel is disgraced… they have turned their backs on me… you have as many gods as you have towns O Judah!… Does a bride forget her wedding ornaments? Yet my people have forgotten me!… you will be disappointed by Egypt as you were by Assyria!”