Jeremiah Pleads for the People
May 29, 2026
Commentary
Jeremiah described a severe drought that came upon the land because of the people’s sin (vv. 1–6). God had warned that drought would come upon the nation. The cities mourned, the ground cracked, and the cisterns were empty, for there was no rain. Nobles sent servants to ask for water, but they returned with empty containers. Farmers grieved, for the crops had failed. The deer abandoned their young, and wild donkeys searched for moisture, for there was no grass left.
Jeremiah confessed the sins of the nation before the Lord, saying, “Our backslidings are many; We have sinned against You” (v. 7). He pleaded for God’s mercy and asked why the Lord seemed like a stranger (vv. 8–9). Though the people cried out for help, God knew their repentance was not real. God told Jeremiah not to pray for them, for their fasting and sacrifice are not sincere (vv. 11–12). God declared that judgment would come through sword, famine, and pestilence.
Jeremiah then pleaded for the people by pointing to the false prophets who promised peace and safety (v. 13). However, God answered that those prophets were speaking lies (v. 14). They falsely claimed that no disaster would come upon the nation. God declared that the false prophets themselves would perish by sword and famine, and the people who listened to them would also suffer (vv. 15–16).
Jeremiah wept continually because of the coming destruction (vv. 17–18). Death filled both the countryside and the city. The people confessed their sins and the sins of their fathers before the Lord (vv. 19–20). They pleaded with God not to reject them or break His covenant. Finally, they admitted that idols could not send rain and declared, “Therefore we will wait for You, Since You have made all these” (v. 22).
Application
Is my repentance before God truly sincere or only outward? Am I listening to God’s truth or to voices that only promise comfort? Do I quickly turn to the Lord when hardship and problems come into my life? Am I grieved over sin the way Jeremiah was? Am I patiently placing my full hope and trust in God alone today?
Jeremiah 14:1–22 (NET)
1 This was the Lord’s message to Jeremiah about the drought.
2 “The people of Judah are in mourning. The people in her cities are pining away. They lie on the ground expressing their sorrow. Cries of distress come up to me from Jerusalem.
3 The leading men of the cities send their servants for water. They go to the cisterns, but they do not find any water there. They return with their containers empty. Disappointed and dismayed, they bury their faces in their hands.
4 They are dismayed because the ground is cracked because there has been no rain in the land. The farmers, too, are dismayed and bury their faces in their hands.
5 Even the doe abandons her newborn fawn in the field because there is no grass.
6 Wild donkeys stand on the hilltops and pant for breath like jackals. Their eyes are strained looking for food, because there is none to be found.”
7 Then I said, “O Lord, intervene for the honor of your name even though our sins speak out against us. Indeed, we have turned away from you many times. We have sinned against you.
8 You have been the object of Israel’s hopes. You have saved them when they were in trouble. Why have you become like a resident foreigner in the land? Why have you become like a traveler who only stops in to spend the night?
9 Why should you be like someone who is helpless, like a champion who cannot save anyone? You are indeed with us, and we belong to you. Do not abandon us!”
10 Then the Lord spoke about these people. “They truly love to go astray. They cannot keep from running away from me. So I am not pleased with them. I will now call to mind the wrongs they have done and punish them for their sins.”
11 Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for good to come to these people! 12 Even if they fast, I will not hear their cries for help. Even if they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will kill them through wars, famines, and plagues.”
13 Then I said, “Oh, Sovereign Lord, look! The prophets are telling them that you said, ‘You will not experience war or suffer famine. I will give you lasting peace and prosperity in this land.’”
14 Then the Lord said to me, “Those prophets are prophesying lies while claiming my authority! I did not send them. I did not commission them. I did not speak to them. They are prophesying to these people false visions, worthless predictions, and the delusions of their own mind. 15 I did not send those prophets, though they claim to be prophesying in my name. They may be saying, ‘No war or famine will happen in this land.’ But I, the Lord, say this about them: ‘War and starvation will kill those prophets.’ 16 The people to whom they are prophesying will die through war and famine. Their bodies will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem and there will be no one to bury them. This will happen to the men and their wives, their sons, and their daughters. For I will pour out on them the destruction they deserve.”
17 “Tell these people this, Jeremiah: ‘My eyes overflow with tears day and night without ceasing. For my people, my dear children, have suffered a crushing blow. They have suffered a serious wound.
18 If I go out into the countryside, I see those who have been killed in battle. If I go into the city, I see those who are sick because of starvation. For both prophet and priest— they go peddling in the land but they are not humbled.’”
19 Then I said, “Lord, have you completely rejected the nation of Judah? Do you despise the city of Zion? Why have you struck us with such force that we are beyond recovery? We hope for peace, but nothing good has come of it. We hope for a time of relief from our troubles, but experience terror.
20 Lord, we confess that we have been wicked. We confess that our ancestors have done wrong. We have indeed sinned against you.
21 For the honor of your name, do not treat Jerusalem with contempt. Do not treat with disdain the place where your glorious throne sits. Be mindful of your covenant with us. Do not break it.
22 Do any of the worthless idols of the nations cause rain to fall? Do the skies themselves send showers? Is it not you, O Lord our God, who does this? So we put our hopes in you because you alone do all this.”