Jeremiah Chapter 14

At a Glance

  • Jeremiah 14 opens with a stark portrait of drought and national distress.
  • The lament deepens as the prophet laments over the people and pleads for mercy.
  • Historical & Literary Context.
  • Jeremiah 14 sits in a troubling moment of Judah’s history when drought, famine, and political pressure converge.
  • - The mismatch between ritual and reality: outward religious acts without genuine repentance are hollow.

Chapter Overview

Jeremiah 14 opens with a stark portrait of drought and national distress. The land laments; the gates are still; the people’s leaders fail to provide water or hope. The imagery of parched land is not merely agricultural; it signals spiritual hunger and the breakdown of divine blessing. The people cry out, confess their sins, and appeal to God for mercy, but the tone shifts as God reveals the hard truth: even their fasting and offerings cannot override their persistent backslidings. The chapter contains a tense exchange: the people expect comfort and assurance from prophets who claim to speak in God’s name, yet God’s response through Jeremiah is candid—the prophets themselves prophesy lies, and the day of judgment is not far off.

The lament deepens as the prophet laments over the people and pleads for mercy. The Lord’s pronouncement that he will not hear certain prayers sharpens the sense of spiritual distance. The section ends with a tension between human desire for peace and the reality of divine judgment. The chapter thus intensifies the call to listen, repent, and live in fidelity with the Lord rather than chasing false assurances. It invites readers to recognize the danger of hollow religious practices that mask a deeper fracture in the relationship with God.

Historical & Literary Context

Jeremiah 14 sits in a troubling moment of Judah’s history when drought, famine, and political pressure converge. The chapter’s desert imagery and the critique of false prophets fit Jeremiah’s broader warning against untrue messages that bolster complacency. The book uses a mix of prophetic oracles, lament, and direct addressing of both the people and the prophets to depict a community under judgment. The chapter’s critique of prophetic inflation (false assurances) is a recurring motif in Jeremiah, highlighting the danger of spiritual leadership that aligns with political expedience rather than divine truth.

Key Themes

- The mismatch between ritual and reality: outward religious acts without genuine repentance are hollow.

- False prophecy and spiritual deception: warning against leaders who soothe rather than challenge.

- God’s justice and mercy: judgment is real, but mercy remains accessible to those who genuinely turn.

- The limits of prayer under persistent disobedience: not all prayers are heard in the face of ongoing rebellion.

- Lament as faithful response: honest grief before God expresses faithful engagement with the broken situation.

Modern Application

Jeremiah 14 resonates with contemporary concerns about superficial religiosity and leadership that fails to address deeper moral failures. It challenges communities to examine whether religious observances mask systemic injustice, neglect of the vulnerable, or complicity with corrupt institutions. The chapter’s demand for genuine repentance—confession of sin, turning away from idols, and aligning life with God’s will—speaks to modern believers and congregations seeking integrity.

Practically, the chapter invites confession, humility, and a rejection of easy, comforting prophecies that enable continued compromise. It also encourages discernment in leadership and a return to true worship that translates into just and compassionate living.

Cross-References: Jeremiah 7; Ezekiel 13; Isaiah 58; Micah 3

Recommended Personas: Jeremiah; Jesus (reforming false religious practice); Elijah (confronting deceptive prophets)

Chapter Text

1

The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the dearth.

2

Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they are black unto the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up.

3

And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters: they came to the pits, and found no water; they returned with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded, and covered their heads.

4

Because the ground is chapt, for there was no rain in the earth, the plowmen were ashamed, they covered their heads.

5

Yea, the hind also calved in the field, and forsook it, because there was no grass.

6

And the wild asses did stand in the high places, they snuffed up the wind like dragons; their eyes did fail, because there was no grass.

7

O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy name’s sake: for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee.

8

O the hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night?

9

Why shouldest thou be as a man astonied, as a mighty man that cannot save? yet thou, O LORD, art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name; leave us not.

10

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.

11

Then said the LORD unto me, Pray not for this people for their good.

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.

13

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.

14

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.

15

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.

16

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.

17

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.

18

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.

19

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!

20

We acknowledge, O LORD, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers: for we have sinned against thee.

21

Do not abhor us, for thy name’s sake, do not disgrace the throne of thy glory: remember, break not thy covenant with us.

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.

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