The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought:
2 “Judah mourns,
and her gates languish;
her people lament on the ground,
and the cry of Jerusalem goes up.
3 Her nobles send their servants for water;
they come to the cisterns;
they find no water;
they return with their vessels empty;
they are ashamed and confounded
and cover their heads.
4 Because of the ground that is dismayed,
since there is no rain on the land,
the farmers are ashamed;
they cover their heads.
5 Even the doe in the field forsakes her newborn fawn
because there is no grass.
6 The wild donkeys stand on the bare heights;
they pant for air like jackals;
their eyes fail
because there is no vegetation.
7 “Though our iniquities testify against us,
act, O Lord, for your name's sake;
for our backslidings are many;
we have sinned against you.
8 O you hope of Israel,
its savior in time of trouble,
why should you be like a stranger in the land,
like a traveler who turns aside to tarry for a night?
9 Why should you be like a man confused,
like a mighty warrior who cannot save?
Yet you, O Lord, are in the midst of us,
and we are called by your name;
do not leave us.”
10 Thus says the Lord concerning this people:
“They have loved to wander thus;
they have not restrained their feet;
therefore the Lord does not accept them;
now he will remember their iniquity
and punish their sins.”
11 The Lord said to me: “Do not pray for the welfare of this people. 12 Though they fast, I will not hear their cry, and though they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them. But I will consume them by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.”
Lying Prophets
13 Then I said: “Ah, Lord God, behold, the prophets say to them, ‘You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place.’” 14 And the Lord said to me: “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds. 15 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who prophesy in my name although I did not send them, and who say, ‘Sword and famine shall not come upon this land’: By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed. 16 And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem, victims of famine and sword, with none to bury them—them, their wives, their sons, and their daughters. For I will pour out their evil upon them.
17 “You shall say to them this word:
‘Let my eyes run down with tears night and day,
and let them not cease,
for the virgin daughter of my people is shattered with a great wound,
with a very grievous blow.
18 If I go out into the field,
behold, those pierced by the sword!
And if I enter the city,
behold, the diseases of famine!
For both prophet and priest ply their trade through the land
and have no knowledge.’”
19 Have you utterly rejected Judah?
Does your soul loathe Zion?
Why have you struck us down
so that there is no healing for us?
We looked for peace, but no good came;
for a time of healing, but behold, terror.
20 We acknowledge our wickedness, O Lord,
and the iniquity of our fathers,
for we have sinned against you.
21 Do not spurn us, for your name's sake;
do not dishonor your glorious throne;
remember and do not break your covenant with us.
22 Are there any among the false gods of the nations that can bring rain?
Or can the heavens give showers?
Are you not he, O Lord our God?
We set our hope on you,
for you do all these things. Jeremiah 14 ESV
Jeremiah 14 Famine, Sword, Pestilence
…11After this, you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The people of Jericho fought against you, as did the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I delivered them into your hand. 12I sent the hornet ahead of you, and it drove out the two Amorite kings before you, but not by your own sword or bow. 13So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities that you did not build, and now you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’… Joshua 24: 11-13
29When the LORD your God cuts off before you the nations you are entering to dispossess, and you drive them out and live in their land, 30be careful not to be ensnared by their ways after they have been destroyed before you. Do not inquire about their gods, asking, “How do these nations serve their gods? I will do likewise.” 31You must not worship the LORD your God in this way, because they practice for their gods every abomination which the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.… Deuteronomy 12: 29-31
1-6. The cry of Jerusalem goes up - God has shut up the skies, it is His land after all, His creation, the work of His hands, and He has a right to expect His creatures to live by His direction. Israel did not, would not and could not exist without His calling her into being from Sarah's dead womb. It is God, Who delivered them from Egypt, and it is He, Who drove out the nations before them. He places conditions upon them being in the land, and if He drove out the people before them for their sins, then naturally He would be unjust, and He could not be considered holy if He did not direct His people to live differently. When they decided to forsake God and their covenant with Him, then God would not be just or consistent if He did not show His opposition to sin and empty ritual. God is eternal so He will always be opposed to sin, and it will not matter who your dad was, or how many bulls you slaughtered, He is a righteous Judge. Now they cry up, but I have done this as a child too, "oh, your going to spank me, your going to take away something that I want, remove privileges," and so I cry, not because of the infraction or the heinous nature of my sin, no, but because I don't like the consequences.
Drought was also a special issue for ancient Israel and Judah, because the often-worshipped Canaanite idol Baal was thought to be the god of weather and rain. Many ancient Israelites were drawn to Baal worship because they wanted rain. - Enduring Word
…47And you not only walked in their ways and practiced their abominations, but soon you were more depraved than they were. 48As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, your sister Sodom and her daughters never did as you and your daughters have done. 49Now this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed, and complacent; they did not help the poor and needy.… Ezekiel 16: 47-49
Her nobles send their servants for water - They are "overseers", this is what they know how to do, tell someone to go, to fetch this, gather that. These nobles expect their words to be carried out, and usually the servants would go, take the pitchers, the pails, open the lid of the well, let down the bucket and draw water, fill their pitchers and return home. These are simple tasks, not requiring a lot of thought, but the servants are going to the well, or here, the cistern, where you would catch and hold rain water, and it's dry. You've prayed to the rain god, Baal, and your master has given an order, but Someone with a higher word than your boss has told the sky not to give rain. Oh, and Baal can't hear you because he isn't real.
…8The centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell one to go, and he goes; and another to come, and he comes. I tell my servant to do something, and he does it.” 10When Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those following Him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.… Matthew 8: 8-10
…25The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” 26“You of little faith,” Jesus replied, “why are you so afraid?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it was perfectly calm. 27The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey Him!”… Matthew 8: 25-27
They cover their heads - The servant can't do what his master requests, what he is kept and paid for. The farmer is known for farming, is considered valuable not only to his family for the food that he provides on their table, but also to the merchants who trade with him. It is like a fishermen living on a body of water where all the fish have died, what good is it to put out his nets? They have all lost their livelihood, what they were accustomed to, and their comforts have gone with it.
“On the back of that confusion came despair; ‘they covered their heads.’ The Orientals cover their heads when in the deepest grief, as David did, when he went over the brook Kedron. It means, ‘I cannot face it. Do not look on me in my sorrow, nor expect me to look on you. I cover my head, for it is all over with me.’“ (Spurgeon)
Even the doe in the field forsakes her new born fawn - There is not enough nutrients to sustain them both, and she does not have the strength to protect her fawn from the jackal. Israel had wealth and abundance yet watched others suffer. As long as they were fat it was okay, but I know this too, and if I don't know how to correct it everywhere then that would be the time to cover my head, to feel the shame, to beg God for wisdom.
Their eyes fail - They can't find enough graze to give them the vitamins, minerals, proteins and fat to sustain proper body function. One organ after another fails, until the vitals go, and the donkey is a carcass. Are we so stubborn that this is where we come to find humility? Can we not hear God's word and just believe?
7-9. O Lord, for Your name's sake - This is a beautiful prayer from the prophet, with all the earmarks of one touched and convicted by the Spirit:
- Our iniquities testify against us - the harsh reality is our own actions are our prosecutors. We are guilty.
- Our backslidings are many - It is not a one off, not a good people who occasionally do bad things, no, this is status quo for us.
- We have sinned against You - No matter what they did or who was affected by it, in the end it was always against the God Who hated sin and had warned this people of it.
It is a beautiful confession, but though he says, "we", yet it is Jeremiah's confession, and not the heart of this nation.
Do not leave us - It is a strong appeal, like a son to his father, we are called by your name, this is your country, city, oh God, Your temple is here. There is the problem, His great name is there, and His honor is at stake. His name is being dragged through the mud, these people do not reflect the glory of His righteousness, His love or His mercy. They have not upheld the law which deals with their relationship to God, nor that part which regards men. Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and thy neighbor as thyself. They have substituted ritual in place of obedience.
…10Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. 11Cast me not away from Your presence; take not Your Holy Spirit from me. 12Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit.… Psalm 51: 10-12
10-12. Now He will remember their iniquity - The outcry against this place is strong; it has reached His ears, and the cup of His wrath is full and ready to be poured out. They have become like Sodom, and even worse, for they had the book of the law and the prophets, but the blood of those martyrs cries out from their streets.
I will consume them, by the sword, by famine and by pestilence - They are in a drought now, and this leads to famine. Much of Judah has already been ravaged by Assyria, who also took the northern kingdom, and now Babylon is coming for Jerusalem. Great civilizations have fallen to disease, and in those times, even if there is rain, men are too sick to work their fields, and the dead become so many that they cannot be buried. The people become prey for other tribes in their weekend state, for criminals and warlords, and much of their technology is lost, it is a dark age. Jeremiah is told not to pray for their welfare, how sobering, what a calling is the call of Jeremiah, the weeping prophet.
