Jeremiah 14:10

The Bible says in Jeremiah 14:10-12, “Thus saith the LORD unto this people, Thus have they loved to wander, they have not refrained their feet, therefore the LORD doth not accept them; he will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins. Then said the LORD unto me, Pray not for this people for their good. When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.” The people did not keep the law, and thus the judgments that came against them could be easily predicted. But it also seems obvious that the spiritual failures of the Israelite people went beyond even their failure to keep the law. Everyone has sinned. Sin is the breaking of the law. The commonality of sin does not excuse sin, but it does mean that the Israelites had gone beyond even failing to keep the law. Their wickedness had grown. They had continued to go away from God. If you go away from God, you will go further into sin. It says in Jeremiah 14:10, “they loved to wander.” They had no shame. They had no restraint, and they had no repentance. As we pointed out in a recent sermon, if a person has un-repented sins, there is no use in praying for other things. The prayer that needs to be prayed is the prayer to Jesus asking for forgiveness.

Notice that the Lord said in Jeremiah 14:12, “When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.” In spite of the tremendously sinful lives that these people were leading, they were still involved in religion. It says that they did “fast.” They did “cry” to God: in other words they prayed. They did offer “burnt offering and an oblation.” All of these religious activities were of no value without repentance from sin. That is the problem with all the false religions of the world: they do not teach repentance of sins and finding forgiveness from Jesus Christ. Jesus said in Luke 13:3, “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” We need to repent because we are all sinners. It says in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” It also says in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. The true worship of God is not a religion. It is a relationship with Jesus. Jesus said in Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”

The Bible says in Jeremiah 14:13-16, “Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place. Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart. Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed. And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and they shall have none to bury them, them, their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters: for I will pour their wickedness upon them.” This passage of scripture is primarily concerned with the message of the false teachers during the time of Jeremiah. The message of the false teachers is given very clearly in Jeremiah 14:13. They said, “Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place.” There are several things can be said about this message. First of all it was a very positive message. Secondly, it was a message that the people wanted to hear, so it was a popular message. These prophets also gave their message in the name of the Lord. But there was one major problem with the message, as the Lord said in verse 14, “The prophets prophesy lies in my name.” Another thing about the message from the false prophets is that it did not sound like a lie. It probably sounded pretty good. It says about false teachers in Romans 16:17-18, “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.” If false teachers are such good speakers, and if their message can sound so pleasant, how can we be guarded against them. Their one main problem is that they teach lies instead of the truth. Therefore, the only way to be guarded against them is to know the truth. Jesus said in John 8:32, “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.”

The Bible says in Jeremiah 14:17-18, “Therefore thou shalt say this word unto them; Let mine eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease: for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous blow. If I go forth into the field, then behold the slain with the sword! and if I enter into the city, then behold them that are sick with famine! yea, both the prophet and the priest go about into a land that they know not.” The tears that Jeremiah had were given to him from the Lord. Evidently this was to show how much God loved His people even though God had to bring judgment on them because they would not repent. Jesus expressed a similar sorrow to the people of Jerusalem. Jesus said in Mathew 23:37-38, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.” God must punish sin because He is holy. He always gives ample time for repentance before any judgment because Jesus does not take pleasure in the death of him that dieth: much the contrary. He grieves for the unrepentant sinner and the unrepentant nation because He knows the punishment that will surely come.

The Bible says in Jeremiah 14:19-21, “Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? hath thy soul lothed Zion? why hast thou smitten us, and there is no healing for us? we looked for peace, and there is no good; and for the time of healing, and behold trouble! We acknowledge, O LORD, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers: for we have sinned against thee. Do not abhor us, for thy name's sake, do not disgrace the throne of thy glory: remember, break not thy covenant with us.” We can find a lot of important spiritual principles in these Bible verses. One of the truths that I see has to do with the doctrine of eternal security. The first question that Jeremiah asked was “Hast thou utterly rejected Judah?” In other words, was this their last chance? In other words, were they cast off forever? The Apostle Paul answered that question in Romans 11:1-6, “I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.” The covenant of the law was set aside, but God has other spiritual principles that remain and always will remain. The nation of Israel came under the law during the time of Moses, but the nation of Israel came into existence before the law was given. Their existence as a nation is not based upon law, but is based upon promise. The promise made to Abraham can be found in Genesis 12:2-3 where God said to Abraham, “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” God’s great promise to Abraham has a fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ in that we become part of the kingdom of God through faith in Jesus. Jesus is the “seed.” But God’s great promise to Abraham also has a permanent fulfillment in the nation of Israel. That is why God has not utterly cast them off, and that is why He still has a plan for them. The spiritual lesson is this: if your relationship with God is based upon a promise from God, then the blessings will endure forever. That is eternal security. Jesus made a promise that is expressed in many in the New Testament, such as in John 10:28 where Jesus said, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” That is eternal security.

The Bible says in Jeremiah 14:22, “Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? art not thou he, O LORD our God? therefore we will wait upon thee: for thou hast made all these things.” Of course, the main problem that is being talked about in this passage of scripture in Jeremiah chapter 14 is the great drought that had come upon the land of Israel that was so devastating to everyone including the animals. Jeremiah is stating the obvious when he asked the question, “Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers?” God controls the weather. God withholds rain or gives it depending upon His purposes for the earth.

It is important to notice what Jeremiah said at the end of verse 22. Jeremiah said to the Lord, “we will wait upon thee.” Whenever you are facing a trial or a trouble or a difficulty, it is important to “wait” upon the Lord. In the situation with the drought, there was nothing that anyone could about it. They were totally powerless. They needed help from another source. Even in the cases where we can do something, we need to learn to wait upon the Lord. To wait upon the Lord means to trust in the Lord for what He will do. To wait upon the Lord means to have faith in Jesus instead of in yourself. One aspect of waiting upon the Lord means to wait for His time for something to take place. His time is not always our time: His time is not usually our time either. Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” Psalm 37:7-9 says, “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.” Psalm 40:1 says, “I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.” Psalm 130:5-6 says, “I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.” Proverbs 20:22 says “Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee.” Isaiah 40:31 says, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Micah 7:7 says, “Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.” First Corinthians 1:7 says, “So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:” Second Thessalonians 3:5 says, “And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.”

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