Old Testament Commentary - Jeremiah 14

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 14 Jeremiah prays because of the dearth and famine—The Lord will not hear because of the wickedness of his people.
1 THE word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the ^adearth. 2 Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they are ^ablack 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 ^arain 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 ^adragons; 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 ^arefrained their feet, therefore the LORD doth not accept them; he will now remember their ^biniquity, and visit their sins. 11 Then said the LORD unto me, ^aPray not for this people for their good. 12 When they fast, I will not ^ahear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will ^bconsume 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 ^asword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place. 14 Then the LORD said unto me, The ^aprophets prophesy ^blies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them^a: they prophesy unto you a false ^cvision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the ^ddeceit of their heart.	14^a I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them A true prophet is set forth by the Lord in a particular manner in that God has spoken unto him and commanded him and has sent him. It is a grievous thing to speak forth falsely that one is a prophet and speaks for God when one has not been called and sent forth by God in that God has spoken unto him and commanded him to so prophesy in the name of the LORD.
15 Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I ^asent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; By sword and famine shall those prophets be ^bconsumed. 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 ^abury 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 ^aslain 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^a go about into a ^bland that they know not.	18^a both the prophet and the priest It is a sad state of apostasy when both the prophet and the chief high priest of the temple are false and so declare in the name of God falsely and do not follow the word of God. It is the state of all false religion wither it be ascribed to Jehovah or not. Many false sect of today claim to be 'God's Church' and that they are 'true ministers' of God's Kingdom. Of such God shall say 'depart from me ye workers of iniquity, I never knew you.' And the penalties for such grievous sin in great to falsely speak in the name of God. And yet many men do so proceed to do so. And they work a great evil work in the earth, confusing the people of the earth as to the true of God, who He is and just what His true nature is. The confound the true Doctrine of Jesus Christ. And to so falsely prescribe it in the name of God without the true call and authority of God is but to bring God's condemnation upon them. True it may be that they have sought God and think they have found him, having been confused by false teachers, but to stand before man and present oneself as the Prophet or even authoritative Priest of God when one has not been called by the proper authority and in the particular case of a Prophet to speak for God when God has not spoken to them, then they are most wicked and the wrath of God is upon them.
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 ^apeace, and there is no good; and for the time of healing, and behold trouble! 20 We ^aacknowledge, O LORD, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers: for we have ^bsinned against thee.
21 Do not abhor us, for thy name's sake, do not disgrace the throne of thy glory: remember, break not thy ^acovenant with us. 22 Are there any among the ^avanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the heavens give ^bshowers? art not thou he, O LORD our God? therefore we will wait upon thee: for thou hast ^cmade all these things.