In Jeremiah 2:13 we see not only something positive—the fountain of living waters—but also something negative—the children of Israel's forsaking this fountain to hew out for themselves broken cisterns, which hold no water. This negative thing indicates that Israel, like Adam in Genesis 3, had become fallen. Adam fell by forsaking the tree of life and turning to another tree—the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Israel fell by forsaking God as the fountain of living waters and turning to a source other than God. This source is signified by the cisterns, which Israel labored to hew out for themselves.
God was burdened that Israel would drink Him to become His increase as His fullness that they might express Him. Israel should have drunk of God as the fountain of living waters, but instead they committed two evils. The first evil was to forsake God; the second evil was to hew out cisterns as another source. Those cisterns, however, were broken and could hold no water. This indicates that apart from God as the fountain of living waters, nothing can quench our thirst, nothing can satisfy us. Nothing apart from God Himself dispensed into us as living water can make us His increase for His expression.
Lamentations 3:22-25 says, "It is Jehovah's lovingkindness that we are not consumed, / For His compassions do not fail; / They are new every morning. / Great is Your faithfulness. / Jehovah is my portion, says my soul; / Therefore I hope in Him. / Jehovah is good to those who wait on Him, / To the soul that seeks Him." Although Israel forsook God, He did not cast them away. God's elect may fail Him, but His compassions never fail; rather, they are new every morning. Because of His compassions, lovingkindness, and everlasting love, God would never give up His elect yet distracted people.
We should not think that we are better than Israel, and we should not read the Bible for others but for ourselves. Every book of the Bible has something to do with us. If we apply this principle, we will see that not only did Israel have idols, but we also have idols. Jeremiah said, "According to the number of your cities / Are your gods, O Judah" (2:28). Do we not also have idols in our daily life? Every day we offend God by worshipping idols. To treasure anything other than God is actually to worship an idol. Every day we treasure something other than God. We have idols, but God has compassions. We are evil, but God is compassionate. It is of His lovingkindness that we are not consumed. If it were not for God's compassions, He would have given up on us long ago. But He has not given us up, for His compassions continue anew every day. His compassions keep us in His hand for His economy.