What is the meaning of Jeremiah 14:1? This is the word of the LORD • The verse opens by underscoring divine authorship; what follows is not human opinion but God’s own proclamation. • Scripture often begins prophetic messages this way (Jeremiah 7:1; Ezekiel 1:3), reminding readers that the Bible carries absolute authority. • Because “All Scripture is God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16), we can receive this warning with confidence, knowing the Lord’s character is righteous and His motives are loving. that came to Jeremiah • God chooses a specific messenger. Jeremiah, already set apart “before [he] was born” (Jeremiah 1:5), becomes the conduit for heaven’s message. • This personal reception highlights that revelation is relational: the Creator speaks to people, not merely through impersonal signs (Hebrews 1:1). • It also reminds us that prophets bear the weight of obedience when delivering hard truths (Jeremiah 20:8-9). concerning the drought • The subject matter is a literal, devastating drought afflicting Judah, described in vivid detail a few verses later (Jeremiah 14:2-6). • Drought was a covenant curse for persistent rebellion (Deuteronomy 28:23-24), so its appearance signals divine judgment, not random climate fluctuation. • Similar judgments had occurred in Elijah’s day (1 Kings 17:1), reinforcing that God sometimes withholds rain to call His people to repentance. • The verse therefore sets the stage: God is addressing a physical crisis with spiritual roots, urging the nation to turn back before worse follows. summary Jeremiah 14:1 announces that the sovereign Lord has a specific, urgent message about a real drought striking Judah. By stressing divine origin, identifying Jeremiah as the appointed messenger, and naming the calamity, the verse frames the entire chapter: judgment is falling, but God is still speaking. Listen, repent, and find mercy while His Word is sounding. |