TWO EVILS

 

"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

Down through the centuries men have not changed. They do not want to reap what they have sown and want to reap what they have not sown. They do not understand the words of Jesus who told them:

"Judge not, that you be not judged. "For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.  "And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?

"Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye?  "Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. Matthew 7:1-5

Men do not understand that the judgment they judge others will be applied to them and the measure they measure to others will be measured to them. Men have always judged others and will continue to do the same until the end of time. But they have not judged properly as Jesus did in the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit. For God’s word is true:

There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse,  And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him,  The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,  The Spirit of counsel and might,  The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.  His delight is in the fear of the LORD,  And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes,  Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;  But with righteousness He shall judge the poor,  And decide with equity for the meek of the earth;  He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,  And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.  Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His waist. Isaiah 11:1-5

Jesus and God’s true ones do not judge by the sight of their eyes nor decide by the hearing of their ears. But with righteousness they shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth. They shall strike the earth with the rod of their mouth, and with the breath of their lips they shall slay the wicked. We have a classic example of this kind of judgment in the Word of God concerning King David and his secret adulterous sin with Bathsheba. God’s word records:

Then the LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him: "There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor.  "The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds.  "But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him.

 "And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him."  So David's anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, "As the LORD lives, the man who has done this shall surely die!  "And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity." 2 Samuel 12:1-6

David ignorantly in judging the story which Prophet Nathan relayed to him had pronounced his own judgment on himself.  For men are so quick to judge others harshly for the crimes that they themselves are guiltier off.   Mind you there are things which God does not forgive just like he did not forgive King David for his secret devious sin which dishonored His great name.  God’s word records:

Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 'I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more!  'Why have you despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon.

 'Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.'  "Thus says the LORD: 'Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.  'For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.' " 2 Samuel 12:7-12

At least David had the wisdom when he was exposed not to deny his sin but to face up to it, confess it and accept his consequences.  For God’s word is true:

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.  But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. 1 John 1:5-10

Mind you there are foolish prominent leaders in America who when their secret sins were exposed refused to acknowledge them and to accept their consequences.  As a result these deceived ones in whom the truth was not in them did not prosper and their consequences were quite severe. For God still rules and reigns in the Kingdom of men and His word is true:

For His dominion is an everlasting dominion,  And His kingdom is from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing;  He does according to His will in the army of heaven  And among the inhabitants of the earth.  No one can restrain His hand  Or say to Him, "What have You done?"

  At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my honor and splendor returned to me. My counselors and nobles resorted to me, I was restored to my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down. Daniel 4:34-37

Those who walk in pride God is able to put down.  However!  King David’s consequences were also not pleasant ones. The sword never departed from his house God raised up adversity against him from his own household. David did things secretly but God did things openly.  The Lord was really upset for David’s stupid sin for it was not only the sin of adultery but of lack of faith and trust in God, the source of David’s total supply. The Lord who  anointed David king over Israel,  delivered him from the hand of Saul,  gave him his master's house and his  master's wives into his  keeping,  gave him the house of Israel and Judah would have also  have given David  much more if that had been too little!

The Lord is good and a Great God but He gets very upset when His people lean to their own understanding and wisdom and put their trust in others and not in Him and curses them with “Woe!”. His word is true to such as these:

"Woe to the rebellious children," says the LORD,  "Who take counsel, but not of Me,  And who devise plans, but not of My Spirit,  That they may add sin to sin;  Who walk to go down to Egypt,  And have not asked My advice,  To strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh,  And to trust in the shadow of Egypt!

 Therefore the strength of Pharaoh  Shall be your shame,  And trust in the shadow of Egypt  Shall be your humiliation.  For his princes were at Zoan,  And his ambassadors came to Hanes.  They were all ashamed of a people who could not benefit them,  Or be help or benefit,  But a shame and also a reproach." Isaiah 30:1-5

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help,  And rely on horses,  Who trust in chariots because they are many,  And in horsemen because they are very strong,  But who do not look to the Holy One of Israel,  Nor seek the LORD!    Yet He also is wise and will bring disaster,  And will not call back His words,  But will arise against the house of evildoers, And against the help of those who work iniquity.

Now the Egyptians are men, and not God;  And their horses are flesh, and not spirit.  When the LORD stretches out His hand,  Both he who helps will fall,  And he who is helped will fall down;  They all will perish together.  Isaiah 31:1-3

" 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

So David and the others of our day in reality had committed two evils in their sin. They had forsaken God the fountain of living waters and the source of their total supply and hewn themselves cisterns and broken cisterns which do not hold water and do not give a solution to their problems.  Men even this day do not change.  They left their first love and wonder why God is upset at them. But His word is true to such as these:

"To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, '   These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: "I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; "and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary.  "Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

"Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place-unless you repent. "But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God." '  Revelation 2:1-7