Cistern or Fountain?

Morning Bible Study Lesson

"Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD. 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." (Jeremiah 2: 12,13)

"O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters." (Jeremiah 17: 13 KJV)

Man cannot survive without a source of water. Water is, like bread, the "staff of life." (See Psalm 105: 16 KJV) Man cannot live without bread nor water. It is what he must have, being a neccessity. Besides being necessary for drinking and staying hydrated, it is also necessary for cleanliness, and without cleanliness, one is not safe from filth and from disease.

When man looked for a place to settle down, to make a permanent home, and to build a community, it was necessary to select a well-watered site. A land with many rivers and streams, and with plentiful underground springs and fountains, was of course highly valued. In areas where rainfall and underground water were lacking, people created "cisterns" to hold and preserve the precious water.

A man who had his own fountain or bubbling spring had no need for a system of collecting or saving it. He had a steady supply. Also, a man who had a natural spring of water always had fresh running water. "Running" water is always to be preferred over non-flowing water, or water stored in cisterns.

Who, in their right mind, would choose a cistern over a bubbling fountain? No one, of course. But, the sinner, in his depravity and rebellion against his Maker, in his spiritual stupidity, is not "in his right mind." He needs, like the demoniac of Gadara, to be put "in his right mind" by the Lord. (Mark 5: 15 & Luke 8: 35)

Further, in choosing a cistern over a fountain, who would opt for a "broken" or a leaking cistern, one that can "hold no water"? If a man thinks he has no choice, that he lives in an area where there is little or no water, and that he must, therefore, build cisterns, then he ought to move to a better place. Who, but the fool, chooses the desert over the oasis?

Spiritually speaking, who would choose to live in the desert? Yet, this is exactly what the sinner does in his choice to live in sin. He lives, in his heart, mind, and in his daily life, in a spiritual desert place of desolation, a place where there is "no water" for his soul. That is why the sinner finds no lasting "satisfaction" in his sins, for those carnal "springs" soon "dry up" and leave the sinner parched and "ready to perish" with thirst. (See Luke 15: 17)

It is because this deed and choice are so evil and foolish that Lord God calls it all "astonishing" and what ought to provoke fear and what will surely bring "desolation."

The "two evils" or the "double crime" of the Israelites lay in their "forsaking" God their "living fountain" and choosing instead the "broken cisterns" of their false gods and religion. This choice involved refusing God and in accepting what is false and ruinous. To not take advantage of a ready fountain, when one needs water, is a foolish act. To go further and drink from a broken cistern, from a stagnate source of water, is even greater folly. Yet, this is a perfect picture of the folly of man in rejecting his Creator and replacing him with other gods.

"Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst," He told her. "But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." (John 4:14)

Being "saved" by the Lord first involves the transformation of the soul, heart, and mind. The first experience of salvation is described as "drinking" in God, or the "water of life." As man's lost condition is due to his hewing out his own mental cisterns of falsehood, so his salvation is due to his forsaking those cisterns and in availing oneself of the fountain of living truth.

Every man drinks water, and from some source. This is true with ordinary water for the body, but it is also true for the supernatural water of God's truth and of his presence in the soul.

God is the "fountain of living waters" and to come to him for a source of water, in order to drink in God, Christ, and salvation, and in order to be clean, is to find eternal life.

Lord God is no "cistern." Cisterns are man-made devices, but fountains and springs and naturally occurring wells, are divine creations. The truth about God and salvation is a fountain, but the devil's errors are "cisterns" or "cesspools" of falsehoods.

Religious falsehoods, like all erroneous propositions, philosophical or otherwise, are theoretical systems that "can hold no water." We even use that expression when referring to unsound or invalid propositions, saying of them individually, "that won't hold water," or in other words, "that is a broken cistern," it having all kinds of "holes" or "leaks" in it, and cannot, therefore, be the truth, for truth is ever consistent, without contradiction, or "holds water," or as Jesus said, "the word of God cannot be broken." (John 10: 35)

"Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions." (Ecclesiastes 7: 29 KJV)

"But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." (Matthew 15: 9 KJV)

"Has a nation ever changed its gods? (Yet they are not gods at all.) But my people have exchanged their Glory for worthless idols." (Jeremiah 2: 11 KJV)

These verses speak of a foolish and evil "exchange," wherein people reject God and his word as a source of life and refreshment, and of healing and cleansing, and substitute in his place, and in the place of his word, their own self-made gods and religious view of things, with their own "inventions," all which are designed to justify and condone, or sanction, his evil way of life and to make him feel good in his sins.

The woman at the well of Jacob, in John 4, was offered drink of that water which would so quench her thirst that she would "never have to drink again."

That water is not ordinary water, but extraordianary "living water." Also, the drinking in of this water would be "in her as a fountain of water," not as a cistern, and would remain in her as a bubbling spring, which would be continuaully "springing up into everlasting life" within her. The water in her would never become stagnant or dry up. Her heart and soul would never be a desert parched place again, but an oasis where God is the "living fountain" of life, joy, peace, and salvation.

All men thirst in their souls, but all do not thirst for the truth, or for the one living and true God. They are thirsty for sin and falsehood. Yet, they discover, at times, how the waters of carnal delight are polluted waters held in a broken cistern.

"Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance....Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you." (Isaiah 55:1-3)

"If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink," said Jesus.  "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." (John 7:37-39)

"And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." (Rev. 22:17)

Christ is that glorious "fountain of living water," where the soul may drink, be forever satisfied. Christ is "living waters" too, a place where the sinner may come and bathe and be cleaned and healed. Jesus is a healing spa, the veritable fountain of youth, the source of eternal life. Sinners are called to forsake their cisterns and come to the healing waters, to God and Christ, to the gospel, and to the way of truth and righteousness.

"Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew." (Deuteronomy 33: 28 KJV)

"For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light." (Psalm 36: 9 KJV)

"The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death." (Proverbs 13: 14 KJV)

"The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death." (Proverbs 14: 27 KJV)

These verses identify God and his truth, his law and word, his gospel, as the "fountain of life." When one comes to the fountain of life, he sees light, and departs from the snares of death, and saves his soul.

"A righteous man falling down before the wicked is as a troubled fountain, and a corrupt spring." (Proverbs 25: 26 KJV)

All fountains and springs are not pure or safe to drink nor in which to bathe. Man has within him, naturally, a corrupt fountain of evil. It "spews forth," like a fountain or volcano, its pollutions. This evil fountain needs to be "capped" or "stopped up," and another and better fountain found.

"Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled." (Hebrews 12: 15 KJV)

Here again the inner moral corruption within the sinner is viewed as a polluted fountain, one that bubbles up evil thoughts and passions. This polluted fountain needs to be regularly "capped," while the fountain of God ought to be uncapped and opened up.

"Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh." (James 3: 10, 11 KJV)

Notice the verbs used for this spewing or springing up of water, the words proceeding, and sending forth, and yield. A man may have more than one inner fountain, but each cannot spew forth both clean and unclean water. Each has its own source, clean water, or good words and deeds, come from the fountain of the Spirit, the fountain of living waters, while that which is sinful and morally corrrupt springs from the sinful nature.

"The words of a man's mouth are as deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook." (Proverbs 18: 4 KJV)

Rather than having a mouth be a corrupt fountain, spewing forth cursing and bitterness, and falsehoods, it ought to spew forth truth and wisdom and godliness. The mouth that speaks correctly about Jesus and the Father, and that proclaims the gospel, is such a blessed fountain!

"In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness." (Zechariah 13: 1 KJV)

This is a fountain of blood, a spa not of mineral water, but of the blood of Jesus, the thing that can wash away sin, and heal the soul of the disease of sin, and remove the spiritual and moral filth that pollutes the mind. This fountain was opened on Calvary, when Christ shed his blood "for the remission (removal) of sins."

"All my springs are in thee." (Psalm 87: 7 KJV)

What a lovely thought! One that the Christian knows by gracious experience. He looks to God as a fountain and as a gushing spring! He finds refreshment in God, and healing of soul and mind. He finds in God the source of everything good.

"Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern." (Ecclesiastes 12: 6 KJV)

One fountain that all men have from God is their physcial hearts, the organ that pumps the life blood to all parts of the body. The "breaking" of the "fountain" is probably an allusion to a heart attack of some kind. But, there are also the spiritual or emotional "breaking" of hearts also. The physical heart is a pump, well spring, or fountain. So we read of a woman in the gospels who's "fountain (heart) of her blood" was defective or "dried up." (Mark 5: 29 KJV)

"Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well. Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets. Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee. Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth." (Proverbs 5: 15-18 KJV)

A man's wife is here called his cistern, well, or fountain. It is called a "blessed fountain." It bubbles up blessings, refreshments and joys of all kinds. We are told that a "good wife is of the Lord" and whoever "finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor of the Lord." (Proverbs 18: 22 KJV)

Thus, here are two fountains or springs that are good and beneficial to men, and which have graciously come from God. Truly, all our blessed fountains and springs of joy are from the Lord.

"A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed...A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon." (Song of Solomon 4: 12, 15 KJV)

Verse twelve refers to the church, or bride of Christ, while verse fifteen refers to Christ. Christ is the fountain of living waters, the well from which the believer "draws" refreshement and strength. Oftentimes, however, the fountain within her is often "sealed" or "shut up," and she must needs cry out to the Lord to open to her all her closed and capped fountains.

"And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day: And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not." (Isaiah 58: 10, 11 KJV)

What a precious promise given to every wayward sinner! He is called upon simply to repent of his sins, and to forsake them, and to live for the Lord. He is promised many great blessings, including finding in God the source or spring of all his comforts.

"And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth out of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim." (Joel 3: 18 KJV)

"They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them." (Isaiah 49: 10 KJV)

"They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." (Revelation 7: 16, 17 KJV)

"Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." (Revelation 14: 7 KJV)

"And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely." (Revelation 21: 6 KJV)

Yes, all our springs are in the Lord, both now and in the glorious future. He has manifold fountains for his people to enjoy!

"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation." (Isaiah 12: 2, 3 KJV)

Oh the "joy" of drinking of this well of salvation! This gushing living fountain that gives the "water of life"!

"These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever." (II Peter 2: 17 KJV)

A man without God, without Christ and salvation, without truth, is a man who, spiritually speaking, is either a corrupt fountain or a dried up well. What vivid and fitting metaphors! The believer, on the other hand, is one who has himself become a living fountain, possessing and bubbling up the water of life.

"He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like a river." (Psalm 105: 31 KJV)

"Which turned the rock into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters." (Psalm 114: 8 KJV)

Friend, of what kind of fountain are you drinking? I call upon you to trust in the living God to open up pure fountains of living water for your soul. I urge you to come to the fountain of Christ's blood, where you may wash and be clean.