Jeremiah 14:1-6 – Time for introspection

Jeremiah 14:1-6 describe a severe drought that had come upon Judah. The Egyptians had the Nile to go to for their water. Here in Judah, the people needed to depend on rain for water.  When the Sovereign Lord withheld the rain there was nothing anyone could do.    

 

Drought meant deprivation of water. Because of Judah’s refusal to repent from their rebelliousness, God withheld rain and precipitated a drought.  Verse 2 depicts the severity of the drought.  So severe was the drought that Judah was driven to distress that the whole city gathered to mourn, weep, and wail.  Verse 3 went on to show us how acute the drought was. Everyone from rich to poor, and infant to adult were all badly affected. No one was exempted. From all walks of life, whether a noble or a farmer, none was spared the agony of the lack of water. The nobles sent their servants to look for water everywhere, even from broken cisterns. But they all returned with empty vessels, dejected, and humiliated.

 

Verse 4 said that farmers who needed water for their farming were gravely affected. They were in distress and greatly dejected too. Their grounds were dry and cracked due to the absence of rain. Thus it was impossible to plow the hardened ground. Then verses 5-6 tell us that even the animals were badly affected.  Even doe (female or mother deer) had to abandon their young because they had no milk because they had been deprived of grass due to the drought. Other animals such as the wild donkeys and jackals also suffered from diseases because of the lack of vegetation.

 

The physical drought the people of Judah experienced had spiritual causes. It was God’s dealing with them for their waywardness. God brought a drought to help them see how flawed they were to deflect from Him to trust in false gods. In much the same way, when things go wrong for us naturally and we are driven into distress, the first place we should deal with is our relationship with God. Our struggles in life signal a call for us to return to God. Like the Psalmist, we can come before Him and do a self-introspection.  Like David, we must pray Psalm 139:23-24:-

“Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
And see if there be any hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.”