The Spiritual Drought

Text: Jeremiah 14:1-16

Introduction

Over the past several weeks the news has been flooded with reports of the mounting damage resulting from the forest fires and droughts along the western seaboard. Several people have been evacuated from their homes and many more know it only to be a matter of time. Yet even the severity of these droughts pales in comparison to perhaps the worst drought experienced in US history.

Imagine that you are a farmer along the great plains toward the tail end of the Roaring Twenties. You have experienced nearly a decade of unprecedented growth and prosperity with ever-increasing yields. Nothing on earth could prepare you for the coming disaster. After a decade of good rainfall and relatively moderate winters, the summer of 1930 seems bizarrely dry. In fact, over the next ten years, your farm would experience four of the seven driest years since 1895. It would not be until 1941 that your land would see sufficient rainfall.

As the soil became drier crops began to fail constantly leaving the plowed fields exposed to the wind. As the winds swept across the Great Plains the fine soil was carried away. On November 11th, 1933, a very strong dust storm stripped the topsoil, but this was only the beginning. On May 9th, 1934, a strong dust storm removed so much soil from the Great Plains that dust began to fall in Chicago. The amount was a terrifying 12 million pounds. But the storm continued to move on to as far as Washington D.C. Eventually, things became so bad that Red Snow would fall in New England, and on April 14th, 1935, twenty dust storms would sweep through the Great Plains from Canada to Texas causing blackout conditions and immense damage. The day became known as “Black Sunday.”

During the ministry of Jeremiah, the people of Judah were facing a drought of great magnitude. Perhaps are own history helps shed some illumination on what the people of Judah were experiencing because of their sin. This morning as we work through our text, we will see that the physical drought only reflected the spiritual drought that was taking place in Judah. This morning we will see that shallow Christianity, a wandering heart, and faith in false teachers can lead to a spiritual drought.

Let’s turn in our Bibles to Jeremiah chapter fourteen verses one through sixteen. As we open our Bibles let us remind ourselves that we believe that God’s Word is holy, inspired, inerrant, and authoritative.

Jeremiah 14:1–16 CSB

1 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought: 2 Judah mourns; her city 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 iniquities testify against us, Lord, 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 resident alien 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, Lord, and we bear 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 iniquity and punish their sins. 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 lasting 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.”

Main Body

As our text opens this morning we are greeted with a familiar phrase, “The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah.” Though the wording in Hebrews is unique and first appears here in chapter fourteen the emphasis is still to remind Jeremiah and his audience that the message that is about to be communicated comes not from the prophet’s imagination but rather through divine revelation. Nevertheless, this revelation is regarding the drought taking place in the land of Judah currently.

It should be noted that the word “drought” here in verse one in Hebrew is “basarah.” Interestingly this word in Hebrew is plural. The use of a plural word reflects the severity of the drought taking place in Judah. In this part of the world, the results of rain not being received at the appropriate time can be devastating.

Jeremiah carefully chooses his words as he paints the severity of the crisis being experienced. In verses, two through four Jeremiah uses clever wordplay to describe the harsh reality of the drought affecting all social classes. He begins by describing the nation mourning and her city gates, places of the congregation within the cities being in languish. The Hebrew word for languish also can mean “dried up.” Thus, Jeremiah’s reference is that the dryness of the land has led to the people drying up as well.

The drought is so severe that the nobles send their servants, literally the “little ones” to the cisterns to find some sort of water to relieve the need. Cisterns are artificial reservoirs dug for collecting and storing water. They were dry and the ground was so lacking in water that it had dried up and cracked as well. In our area of Missouri, we are quite familiar with this concept.

Given that the word used in Hebrew means “little ones” it could imply that the nobles were sending children who were in their service or perhaps even their children into the recesses of the cistern where an adult could not reach. Despite the effort, the servants returned empty-handed and ashamed. Here are Jeremiah’s second uses of wordplay. Jeremiah uses a word for “ashamed” that derives its origin from the word that is translated as “cracked” in verse four. Jeremiah is saying the servants are “ashamed” because they can find no water. The ground is “ashamed” because there is no water to give. This imagery is picked up in the second part of verse four with the farmers being “ashamed” because they have no produce.

Verses five and six give perhaps the clearest indication of the severity of the drought taking place in Judah. “Even the doe in the field gives birth and abandons her fawn since there is no grass.” Proverbially the doe is known for its considerable care for its offspring. However, in Jeremiah’s recount, the doe abandons its newborn fawn and leaves it to die because there is no grass.

Jeremiah then moves on to describe a wild donkey that is standing on a barren hill looking for grass. However, despite the donkey’s normal ability to find grass anywhere, he is unable. As a result, he is unable to find food, or water to relieve the heat so he pants like a jackal trying to find relief. Jeremiah’s point is that the drought is so severe even the animals are without hope.

This condition should lead the people to repent; however, the physical drought brought by God as a punishment also served to mirror the spiritual drought in Judah’s heart.

However, as we look to verses seven through nine, we see the people of Judah respond to the situation. There has been some debate as to whether this is the people responding or Jeremiah responding for them; however, the sarcastic and presumptuous nature of some of the verses suggests it was the people.

I. Shallow Faith (Vs. 7-10)

While it is an undeniable truth shared by Jeremiah 14:7 that salvation and grace are not simply for the sinner but also a demonstration of God’s glory. The people have no concern for God’s glory or their sin. Notice the almost scoffing verbiage used by the people of Judah. “Though our iniquities testify against us, Lord, act for your name’s sake.” The people are calling on God in their time of calamity not out of faith or reverence but rather challenging God to act to defend his honor.

In the ancient world, it was believed that someone’s name could reveal his essential character. Since the Hebrew Scriptures revealed God to be creator, self-existent, and sustainer the people believed God would act per his revealed character. They referenced Exodus 3 where God revealed himself to Moses, hence “for your name's sake.” After the exodus from Egypt, Moses led the people once again to Sinai to receive the Commandments (Exod 19–20) and to establish the covenant (Exod 24). The giving of the covenant at Sinai is intricately linked to the name of God, and therefore to do something for the “sake of your name” would be a prayer of the people for God to keep the covenant.28[1] The people of Judah developed the misguided understanding that God had to deliver his people to protect his reputation. They did not realize that God’s reputation required that he judge and punish Israel and Judah for their sin.

At first glance their faith seemed to be genuine; however, as you proceed to verses eight and nine you see the people challenge God to act even going as far as mocking him. They ask why he is treating Judah like a stranger and seems uninterested in the suffering of his chosen people. When the response they desire is not solicited they result in name-calling. “Why are you like a helpless man, like a warrior unable to save?” Almost as if adding salt to the would they think they inflicted they add, “You are among us, and we bear your name? Don’t leave us!”

The sadness is that the divine blessing and position of special possession that Israel and Judah had enjoyed since the exodus had already been removed in some sense. Jeremiah’s point in reciting the words of the people is that their faith and identity were still wrapped up in their heritage not a relationship with God.

God responds to their plea, but not in the way in which they wanted. He reveals the truth of their character and the motivation behind their request. “Truly they love to wander, they never rest their feet. So, the Lord does not accept them. Now he will remember their iniquity and punish their sins.”

Spiritual droughts begin when there is shallow faith. When the faith is shallow then it is only a matter of time before the streams begin to dry up. There was no substance or depth to their faith. Sadly, for many in the church, the reality is much the same.

When Paul writes to the church of Corinth he has to address a form of shallow Christianity reflected in divisions and immorality.

1 Corinthians 3:1–4 CSB

1 For my part, brothers and sisters, I was not able to speak to you as spiritual people but as people of the flesh, as babies in Christ. 2 I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, since you were not yet ready for it. In fact, you are still not ready, 3 because you are still worldly. For since there is envy and strife among you, are you not worldly and behaving like mere humans? 4 For whenever someone says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos,” are you not acting like mere humans?

Many Christians never allow the Word of God to root deeply in their hearts. Instead they only develop a shallow faith and when matters become difficult or the challenge of being a follower proves to be to much they falter. They are the seed sown along rocky ground in the Parable of the Sower. See Matthew 13, Mark 4, and Luke 8.

II. A Wandering Heart (Vs. 10-12)

When our faith is shallow, and we have no firm roots then we tend to wander. Notice in verse ten the Lord’s response, “Truly the love to wander, they never rest their feet.” The people of Judah moved from one idolatry to another. They found themselves never satisfied and always searching. This is a very real danger facing Christians in the church today.

They are many forms of idolatry and false teaching that are captivating the minds of men and women across denominational lines. What once stood as the pillar of Christian doctrine, i.e., the Scriptures have been tossed aside for the precepts of men. We are quick to grab the next self-help book off the shelf without considering for a moment author may not have godly interests at heart. Some of the greatest temptations we face are of our design.

We must be on guard to ensure that we are not wandering away from the truth of Christ! This is why God through Christ has given us faithful individuals to lead and teach.

Ephesians 4:11–16 CSB

11 And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness. 14 Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. 15 But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head—Christ. 16 From him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building itself up in love by the proper working of each individual part.

The situation was so bad in Judah that once more Jeremiah was told to not pray for the people. The restriction though is not for just the false teachers, religious leaders, and political leaders but the nation this time. God says that because of their wandering he will no longer hear their pleas or accept their offerings. They cannot remain faithful to the One True God so he will leave them with the results of their consequences.

If we continue to neglect the great grace we have been given then we to will find ourselves in dire straights.

Hebrews 10:26–27 CSB

26 For if we deliberately go on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire about to consume the adversaries.

III. An Ear to False Teaching (Vs. 13-16)

Turn your attention to verses thirteen to sixteen. In what appears to be a change of heart Jeremiah begins to defend the people. He places the blame for the current situation in Judah solely on the false prophets. Jeremiah brings his case with, “Oh no, Lord God! The prophets are telling them, ‘You will not see sword or suffer famine. I will certainly give you lasting peace in this place.”

The Lord responds to Jeremiah by confirming Jeremiah’s accusation. The false teachers and prophets were falsely prophesying in the name of God a message contrary to the message of the Lord. As a result, punishment would come to them. Because they had denied the way God would punish Judah’s wickedness, they would firsthand experience the punishment. The people, however, went right along with the false teaching.

God instructs Jeremiah that their prophecies were marked by their “false visions,” “worthless divinations,” and “the deceits of their minds.” This last phrase is the key phrase. These false prophets were sharing their ideas and opinions. Their messages were not based upon truth nor were they under the Word of God. Unfortunately, in the church today there are too many shallow and wandering Christians who have attuned themselves to false teachers.

Instead we are called to avoid such false teachers.

Romans 16:17–18 CSB

17 Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles contrary to the teaching that you learned. Avoid them, 18 because such people do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites. They deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting with smooth talk and flattering words.

Because their faith is not deeply rooted in a strong relationship with Christ they are no longer anchored to the truth and then wander from one direction to another direction. They are led astray by the creative teaching of false teachers who are speaking ideas of men instead of the Word of God.

Conclusion

Jeremiah warns us of the danger of falling into accepting false teaching. Even if God does blame the false teachers for leading many astray, we individually are responsible for the shallowness of our faith and the wandering of our hearts.

If we consider for a moment our opening illustration. For nearly eleven years the Great Plain’s suffered a lack of rain but a continual bombardment of winds wandering from one direction to another. Because the soil had nothing deeply rooted within it, it simply blew away.

If we are that soil, we must ask ourselves the following questions.

Is the Word of God deeply rooted in my life so that I cannot be blown around?

Am I wandering in search of something to satisfy while as a Christian I have the eternal living water provided through the Cross of Christ? Have I anchored myself to the Cross?

Do I keep faithful to the Gospel and the Word of God, or do I follow every new fad and teaching that comes my way?

I cannot answer these questions for you, but I pray that would carefully consider your responses.

Let us conclude with this passage...

2 Timothy 1:8–14 CSB

8 So don’t be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, or of me his prisoner. Instead, share in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God. 9 He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. 10 This has now been made evident through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11 For this gospel I was appointed a herald, apostle, and teacher, 12 and that is why I suffer these things. But I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to guard what has been entrusted to me until that day. 13 Hold on to the pattern of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard the good deposit through the Holy Spirit who lives in us.