A Double Evil

It is bad enough to commit one sin against the Lord. It is even worse to commit a double evil against Him. That is when we not only break His commands, but we think that we know better, so we do things in our own way. This is a terrible sin, because it is an insult to God on top of a sinful failure. In a case like this, we have to confess both our sin and our arrogant attempt to meet our own needs without Him. That is what God's people did in Jeremiah's day. (Jeremiah 2:13) They abandoned God, the Fountain of Living Water, and they dug for themselves cracked cisterns that could not hold water. That was not only sinful, but it was very foolish and unsatisfying. We must be on guard against this double evil ourselves.

 God is there for every one of us, as His children. He is there to meet our every need and to do it in His own perfect way. He truly is our Fountain of Living Water. He keeps filling us with new fresh water of all kinds to satisfy every thirst we have in our life. When we reject God and abandon Him, we are giving up that life-giving flow of living water that quenches our soul. This is a grievous evil, as we turn our back on the Lord. Then, when we turn to the things of this world to meet our needs, we show our pride and ignorance. There are no earthly pleasures or cures for our needs that are anywhere close to what God provides for us. Yes, they may satisfy partially for a short time, but soon the refreshment from them has leaked out. We are left worse off than before, because we have insulted the Fountain of Living Water. If we ever commit this double evil, we need to be quick to humble ourselves and to confess both sins, so God will see the contrition of our heart and restore His Living Water to us.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read Jeremiah 4-6.