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Daily Devotions

Jeremiah

Jeremiah 
Day 
Day 181

"The ground is parched"

Text: Jeremiah 14:4

A PICTURE OF A FORLORN LAND

Jeremiah went on to describe the effects of the Droughts that had hit the nation of Judah. The whole nation was devastated because of a lack of water.

“Because the ground is parched,
For there was no rain in the land,
The plowmen were ashamed;
They covered their heads.
Yes, the deer also gave birth in the field,
But left because there was no grass.
And the wild donkeys stood in the desolate heights;
They sniffed at the wind like jackals;
Their eyes failed because there was no grass.”
Jeremiah 14:4-6

1. “Because the ground is parched, for there was no rain in the land”

a) There was no rain in the land!
b) The ground became parched.
c) Why was a Drought ordered by God?
d) Judah had been so taken up with Baal worship.
i) He was a chief of the pantheon of gods.
ii) He was responsible for bringing fertility to the land.
e) But Baal could not bring rain, no matter the amount of worship given.

2. “The plowmen were ashamed; they covered their heads”

a) Many of the people worshipped Baal in the hope of being blessed with a good harvest.
b) Those who worked as plowmen had worshipped Baal devotedly.
c) But they had plowed in vain!
d) They covered their heads in shame for their faith in Baal had brought no blessing.
e) The withholding of rain demonstrated the weakness of Baal worship.

3. “Yes, the deer also gave birth in the field, but left because there was no grass”

a) The deer lived off the land.
b) They fed on the grass.
c) In the Droughts, there was nothing to eat in the field.
d) They gave birth to their young, only to leave them to die.
e) They had to leave the fields of Judah in search of grass elsewhere.

4. “And the wild donkeys stood in the desolate heights; they sniffed at the wind like jackals;
their eyes failed because there was no grass”

a) The wild donkeys were able to live in desolate heights.
b) But they still needed grass to survive.
c) They had highly sensitive noses and good eyes.
d) They strained their eyes to see if they could spot grass anywhere.
e) But nothing could be found because of the Droughts.

This stark description of the land highlighted the plight of a nation that had forsaken its God!