Evening, July 20
Charles Spurgeon · Morning and Evening: Daily Readings
Jeremiah 2:18
"And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters
of Sihor?"
Jeremiah 2:18
By sundry miracles, by divers mercies, by strange deliverances Jehovah
had proved himself to be worthy of Israel's trust. Yet they broke down
the hedges with which God had enclosed them as a sacred garden; they
forsook their own true and living God, and followed after false gods.
Constantly did the Lord reprove them for this infatuation, and our text
contains one instance of God's expostulating with them, "What hast thou
to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of the muddy
river?"--for so it may be translated. "Why dost thou wander afar and
leave thine own cool stream from Lebanon? Why dost thou forsake
Jerusalem to turn aside to Noph and to Tahapanes? Why art thou so
strangely set on mischief, that thou canst not be content with the good
and healthful, but wouldst follow after that which is evil and
deceitful?" Is there not here a word of expostulation and warning to
the Christian? O true believer, called by grace and washed in the
precious blood of Jesus, thou hast tasted of better drink than the
muddy river of this world's pleasure can give thee; thou hast had
fellowship with Christ; thou hast obtained the joy of seeing Jesus, and
leaning thine head upon his bosom. Do the trifles, the songs, the
honours, the merriment of this earth content thee after that? Hast thou
eaten the bread of angels, and canst thou live on husks? Good
Rutherford once said, "I have tasted of Christ's own manna, and it hath
put my mouth out of taste for the brown bread of this world's joys."
Methinks it should be so with thee. If thou art wandering after the
waters of Egypt, O return quickly to the one living fountain: the
waters of Sihor may be sweet to the Egyptians, but they will prove only
bitterness to thee. What hast thou to do with them? Jesus asks thee
this question this evening--what wilt thou answer him?