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The kernel of the book of Jeremiah includes three matters—what God wants from us, what we are in our fallen condition, and what Christ is to us; in order to see these three things, we need to “crack” the shell of Jeremiah and concentrate on the kernel inside, which is the complete teaching of the entire Bible.
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What God wants from us is mentioned mainly in Jeremiah 2:13, which reveals that our God is the fountain of living waters:
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God’s intention in His economy is to be the fountain, the source, of living waters to satisfy us for our enjoyment; He wants us to take Him as the source, the fountain, of our being; the only way to take God as the fountain of living waters is to drink of Him day by day—v. 13; 1 Cor. 12:13; Rom. 11:36:
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This requires us to call on the Lord continually (with thanking, rejoicing, praying, and praising) and draw water with rejoicing from Him as the fountain of living waters—Isa. 12:3-4; John 4:10, 14; Rom. 10:12; 1 Thes. 5:16-18; 4:3a.
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Isaiah 12:3 shows that the way to receive God as our salvation is to draw water from the springs of salvation, that is, to drink Him—Psa. 36:8; John 4:14; 7:37; 1 Cor. 12:13; Rev. 22:17; 1 Chron. 16:8; Psa. 105:1; 116:1-4, 12-13, 17:
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To be our salvation, the Triune God was processed to become the life-giving Spirit as the living water, the water of life; God’s practical salvation is the processed Triune God Himself as the living water—1 Cor. 15:45; John 7:37-39; Rev. 7:17; 21:6; 22:1, 17.
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The fountain is the source, the spring is the gushing up, the issue, of the source, and the river is the flow; the term the springs of salvation implies that salvation is the source, that is, the fountain; God as our salvation is the fountain (Isa. 12:2), Christ is the springs of salvation for our enjoyment and experience (John 4:14), and the Spirit is the flow of this salvation within us (7:38-39).
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In order to enjoy salvation, we need to realize that the Lord Himself is our salvation, strength, and song and that by calling on His name we may draw water with rejoicing out of the springs of salvation—Isa. 12:2-3.
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The way to draw water out of the springs of the divine salvation includes repenting, calling, singing, thanking, praising, and making God’s saving deeds known—vv. 4-6.
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When the living water enters into us, it permeates us, passes through our entire being, and is assimilated by us, causing us to be nourished, transformed, conformed, and glorified—v. 3; John 4:10, 14; Rom. 12:2; 8:29-30.
Morning Nourishment
Jer. 2:13 For My people have…forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew out for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, which hold no water.Isa. 12:3-6 …You will draw water with rejoicing from the springs of salvation…[and say], Give thanks to Jehovah; call upon His name! Make His deeds known among the peoples….Sing psalms to Jehovah….Cry out and give a ringing shout…
The book of Jeremiah may be likened to a walnut: on the outside there is a hard shell, and on the inside there is a kernel….Gradually, the Lord has opened the shell of Jeremiah and has shown me the kernel….Therefore, I have the burden to speak a word concerning the kernel of the book of Jeremiah.
This kernel includes three matters—what God wants from us, what we are in our fallen condition, and what Christ is to us. Jeremiah strongly presents these three matters to us, but they are concealed within the shell. In order to see these three things, we need to “crack” the shell of Jeremiah and concentrate on the kernel inside.
What God wants from us is mentioned mainly in 2:13, which reveals that God is the fountain of living waters. God wants us to take Him as the fountain of living waters for our living. This means that He wants us to take Him as the source, the fountain, of our being. How can we take Him as our source? The only way to take God as the fountain of living waters is to drink of Him day by day. By drinking we take into us the living water that issues from God as the fountain. (Life-study of Jeremiah, p. 259)
Today’s Reading
The most evil thing in the eyes of God is to forsake Him as the source, as the fountain of living waters, and to turn to some other source. All other sources are idols. In this verse the idols are likened to broken cisterns, which cannot hold water. People today are busy hewing out for themselves all kinds of cisterns. Actually, these cisterns are idols. As we consider this situation, we need to realize that God wants us to take Him as the fountain, the source, of our life and our being. (Life-study of Jeremiah, p. 260)The way to receive God as our salvation is to draw water from the springs of salvation, that is, to drink Him (Psa. 36:8; John 4:14; 7:37; 1 Cor. 12:13; Rev. 22:17). To be our salvation, the Triune God was processed to become the life-giving Spirit as the living water, the water of life (1 Cor. 15:45; John 7:37-39; Rev. 21:6; 22:1, 17). When the living water enters into us, it permeates our entire being, causing us to be nourished, transformed, conformed, and glorified (Rom. 12:2; 8:29-30). Both the Old Testament and the New Testament show that God’s practical salvation is the processed Triune God Himself as the living water. (Isa. 12:3, footnote 1) The fountain is the source, the spring is the gushing up, the issue, of the source, and the river is the flow. The term the springs of salvation [Isa. 12:3] implies that salvation is the source, that is, the fountain. God as our salvation is the fountain (v. 2); Christ is the springs of salvation for our enjoyment and experience (John 4:14); and the Spirit is the flow of this salvation within us (John 7:38-39).
Christ as the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45) is the many springs of salvation gushing up from the fountain of the Triune God’s salvation, from whom the believers may draw the water of life for their enjoyment (Isa. 12:3a; John 4:14; Rev. 21:6). As God incarnated, Christ is the very embodiment of the Triune God (John 1:14a; Col. 2:9). Jesus, Jehovah our Savior and our salvation (Matt. 1:21), has become the source of our eternal salvation through the process of His vicarious death for the accomplishing of God’s eternal redemption (Heb. 5:9; 9:12). Based on His redemption, He as our Redeemer becomes our Savior and our salvation. (Isa. 12:3, footnote 2)
Further Reading: Life-study of Jeremiah, msgs. 1, 40; Life-study of Isaiah, msgs. 40, 11