Jeremiah 14 (HCSB)
The Drought
1 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought:
2 Judah mourns; her gates languish. Her people are on the ground in mourning; Jerusalem’s cry rises up.
3 Their nobles send their servants for water. They go to the cisterns; they find no water; their containers return empty. They are ashamed and humiliated; they cover their heads.
4 The ground is cracked since no rain has fallen on the land. The farmers are ashamed; they cover their heads.
5 Even the doe in the field gives birth and abandons her fawn since there is no grass.
6 Wild donkeys stand on the barren heights panting for air like jackals. Their eyes fail because there are no green plants.
7 Though our guilt testifies against us, Yahweh, act for Your name’s sake. Indeed, our rebellions are many; we have sinned against You.
8 Hope of Israel, its Savior in time of distress, why are You like a foreigner in the land, like a traveler stopping only for the night?
9 Why are You like a helpless man, like a warrior unable to save? Yet You are among us, Yahweh, and we are called by Your name. Don’t leave us!
10 This is what the Lord says concerning these people:
Truly they love to wander; they never rest their feet. So the Lord does not accept them. Now He will remember their guilt and punish their sins.
False Prophets to be Punished
11 Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for the well-being of these people. 12 If they fast, I will not hear their cry of despair. If they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them. Rather, I will finish them off by sword, famine, and plague.”
13 And I replied, “Oh no, Lord God! The prophets are telling them, ‘You won’t see sword or suffer famine. I will certainly give you true peace in this place.’”
14 But the Lord said to me, “These prophets are prophesying a lie in My name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a false vision, worthless divination, the deceit of their own minds.
15 “Therefore, this is what the Lord says concerning the prophets who prophesy in My name, though I did not send them, and who say, ‘There will never be sword or famine in this land.’ By sword and famine these prophets will meet their end. 16 The people they are prophesying to will be thrown into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword. There will be no one to bury them—they, their wives, their sons, and their daughters. I will pour out their own evil on them.”
Jeremiah’s Request
17 You are to speak this word to them:
Let my eyes overflow with tears; day and night may they not stop, for the virgin daughter of my people has been destroyed by a great disaster, an extremely severe wound.
18 If I go out to the field, look—those slain by the sword! If I enter the city, look—those ill from famine! For both prophet and priest travel to a land they do not know.
19 Have You completely rejected Judah? Do You detest Zion? Why do You strike us with no hope of healing for us? We hoped for peace, but there was nothing good; for a time of healing, but there was only terror.
20 We acknowledge our wickedness, Lord, the guilt of our fathers; indeed, we have sinned against You.
21 Because of Your name, don’t despise us. Don’t disdain Your glorious throne. Remember Your covenant with us; do not break it.
22 Can any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Or can the skies alone give showers? Are You not the Lord our God? We therefore put our hope in You, for You have done all these things.
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verse 22): Father, please forgive me for often putting my hope in the things and people of this world and not in You. So often I get stuck in thinking the things of this world are worthy of my time and praise, yet every single time they fall short of meeting my expectations. The only time that my expectations are met and even surpassed are when I put my hope in You, Father. Help me to remember this through all things in my daily walk in this life so that I no longer fall to the sin of worshipping the false idols in this life. Forgive me for this constant mistake I make, often unintentionally. Help me to recognize when I’m doing this so that I can refocus my efforts, thoughts, and actions on You, Father.
PROMISE (verse 14): You promise us in this verse that there are and will continue to be many false prophets in this life. That there will be people who make false claims in Your name and that they will have followers who believe every word that comes out of their mouth as if it is directly from You. I see this all the time, especially in today’s very connected world, Father. Please help me to not fall into this trap. Help me to remember to keep my focus, trust, and hope in You through all things. Help me to be better at deciphering when someone is speaking Your actual truths versus false truths being masked as Your truths.
ATTITUDE (verse 20): In this verse, Jeremiah says that he acknowledges his wickedness, the guilt of his fathers, and that he has sinned against You. Help me to always be like Jeremiah, where I have a constant attitude of repentance when I make mistakes, Father. I am living in this broken vessel inside a broken world, so I know I will continue to make mistakes in my life. I pray that the mistakes I make in the future are not nearly as bad as the mistakes I’ve made in my past. Help my attitudes to be aligned with Your fruits of the Spirit, Father, so that I am constantly getting better at minimizing my mistakes, but also recognizing them quickly so that I can lean on You for counsel and correction through those mistakes.
COMMAND (verses 11-12): In these verses You tell us to not spend our precious time praying for the false prophets of this world. To ensure we are able to recognize the false prophets and once we do to no longer include them in our prayers to You. Help me to be able to easily recognize any false prophets in this world, Father, so that I do not spend what precious time I have left in this life on them. Help me to know and understand Your word and Your truths well enough to be able to decipher who is speaking Your truths verses who is claiming to be speaking Your truths but are really speaking something for their own benefit. Remind me to pray for the world of followers to not get sucked into the traps that these false prophets lay out that we often gladly fall into, so that they do not increase the power they have over this world through their false teachings that often speak to our own selfish and sinful desires of the heart.
EXAMPLE (verses 19-22): Once again, Jeremiah provides such a strong example for us to live by. In a time where there are a countless number of false prophets surrounding him, he still remains true to You. He is able to recognize the fact that there are a large number of false prophets leading Your people astray. He acknowledges that Your people have wickedness in their hearts due to these false prophets; that they have a lot of guilt built up due to their fathers before them; that they have done many sins against You over their lifetime. Through all this, however, he makes a bold statement that “we therefore put our hope in You, for You have done all these things” stating that none of the false prophets or false idols have actually done anything they’ve claimed or promised and only You have followed through on all of Your promises. Help me to live a life that recognizes my mistakes early and often, but also one where I remember to keep my focus on You first and foremost and not the false idols and prophets that may come into my path in this life. Help me to always keep my focus and hope in You through everything this life brings to me, Father. Thank You for providing me such a great example to live by through Jeremiah.
*DAILY NOTE: I put so much faith, praise, time, hope, and focus into the things of this world, Father, yet I often fail to put at a bare minimum those same levels of effort into You. Help me to remember to keep my focus on Your righteousness, praise, and glory through this life, Father, instead of my own self-righteousness. Help me to remember that putting my time into my relationship with You is what’s worthy in this life, not the things of this world or any of my selfish desires. Help me to live in a way acknowledging the brokenness of this world without holding back the love You give me to flow through to the broken individuals regardless of the sinfulness and selfishness they live in through their brokenness.
*GENERAL NOTE: I always "sandwich" my quiet time with God in prayer and do it in a location that I will not have any distractions so that I can be focused on my quiet time with God. Do not worry about how short or long your journal entries are for that day's quiet time. Just focus on the actual quiet time and relational conversation with God through the Holy Spirit and His Word. The journaling is an enhancement to your quiet time conversation with God, but also to allow you to reflect on things later as you can look back on your journal entries later when you do the chapters again in the future to see how you have grown. See the FAQ for more detail on how I do my quiet time.
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