Jeremiah

Jeremiah 14: Only the LORD sends rain

Begin in prayer

Before we read about the drought in Judah, let us come to the LORD together. Ask Him to make us honest before Him, to bring our family to trust Him, and to show us Christ, the Giver of life.

I waited patiently for Yahweh. He turned to me, and heard my cry.

Psalms 40:1

Father in heaven, please open our eyes as we read Your Word. Show us that only You give life, and that You judge the lies of false prophets. Help us to turn from our sin and trust Jesus. Make us more like Jesus. And please bless our family as we worship You together. In Jesus' name, Amen.

See where we're going

A drought comes on Judah, and its cisterns are empty while the ground is cracked and the wild donkeys pant (verses 1 to 6). The people confess their sins and ask the LORD to act for His own name’s sake (verses 7 to 9). The LORD says He will not accept their fasting or their offerings, and He tells Jeremiah not to pray for them (verses 10 to 12). The false prophets promise peace, but the LORD says He did not send them (verses 13 and 14). The sword and famine will consume those prophets (verses 15 and 16). Jeremiah is told to weep night and day for the people, who are broken with a great wound (verses 17 and 18). Judah confesses its wickedness and asks whether the LORD has utterly rejected it (verses 19 to 21).

As you read Jeremiah 14, look for the answers:

Reflect together

Key truth

Only the LORD gives rain, and He judges the lies of false prophets.

Rain was the LORD’s gift, and without it the crops and flocks could not live (verses 1 to 6). Cisterns were storage places for water, and when they were empty, the people had no water to drink (verse 3). The people confessed that their iniquities testify against them, and they asked the LORD to act for His name (verses 7 and 9). The LORD told Jeremiah not to pray for them, because they loved to wander (verses 10 to 12). The prophets promised peace, but the LORD says He never sent them (verses 13 and 14). The false prophets would be consumed by sword and famine for lying in the LORD’s name (verses 14 to 16). The people admitted their wickedness and the iniquity of their fathers, and they asked the LORD not to abhor them (verses 20 and 21). Only the LORD gives rain, and Judah’s hope is in Him alone (verse 22).

How does Jeremiah 14 show us that only the LORD gives rain, and that He judges the lies of false prophets?

Only the LORD can send the rain.

The ground is cracked and the cisterns hold no water (verses 3 and 4). The people ask, “Aren’t you he, Yahweh our God?” and wait for Him (verse 22). Even the doe in the field left her newborn fawn, because there was no grass (verse 5).

False prophets cannot give true peace.

The prophets promised peace, but the LORD says He did not send them (verses 13 and 14). Their vision was a lie, and the sword and famine would consume them (verses 14 and 15). The LORD calls their message a lie, a worthless divination and the deceit of their own minds (verse 14).

The people’s only hope is the LORD.

The people say none of the idols of the nations can send rain, and they wait for the LORD (verse 22). They confess, “We have sinned against you” (verse 20). They also ask Him to remember His covenant with them (verse 21). Jesus bore the sin His people confess.

Memorize

Aren’t you he, Yahweh our God? Therefore we will wait for you; for you have made all these things.

Jeremiah 14:22

Looking to Jesus in my life

Ask yourself in your heart, where am I looking for life, when only Jesus can give it?

The people said, “Aren’t you he, Yahweh our God?” and they waited for Him in their drought. But their prayers did not change their hearts, and the LORD would not accept their offerings. The prophets had promised peace, and the people loved the lies that pleased them. Only the LORD can send rain, and only He can bring a rebellious people back to Himself.

Jesus is the One whom the Father sent, and He came to take the judgment that our sin deserved. He bore our wandering on the cross and died for His people. His death paid for sin completely, and His work is enough for every believer. God raised Him on the third day. Through Him God gives life to those who trust Him.

Turn from the lies you have trusted, and confess your sin to the LORD. Come to Jesus with empty hands, and ask Him for mercy. Those who call on the LORD in repentance will find Him near, and He forgives them.

Parent's note

Tell your children that only the LORD gives rain, and that He alone gives life. Parents, you may want to explain the sword and famine in verses 15 and 16 gently, in your own words. Please do not tell them they are saved just because they grew up in a Christian home. Call each child to turn from sin and trust Jesus, and pray that God would give them a new heart.

Pray together

Now please close your time together in prayer. Thank God that He alone gives life, and bring the heart question to Him. Each child may say a short prayer if they wish, and confess sin to the Lord.

But know that Yahweh has set apart for himself him who is godly: Yahweh will hear when I call to him.

Psalms 4:3

Lord, You alone give rain and life, and we confess our sin to You. Please forgive our lies and our wandering, and bring each of us to trust Jesus. Teach us to wait on You this week, and to seek You above every false hope. Amen.