Jeremiah 14:22

My Notes

What Does Jeremiah 14:22 Mean?

Jeremiah appeals to God as the only source of rain: are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? art not thou he, O LORD our God? therefore we will wait upon thee: for thou hast made all these things.

Are there any among the vanities (hevel — vapor, emptiness, worthlessness) of the Gentiles that can cause rain? — the question is rhetorical: no. The vanities — the idol-gods of the nations — cannot produce rain. Rain requires power over atmospheric systems, water cycles, and weather patterns. The idols have no power over anything. The vanities are empty — vapor masquerading as deity.

Or can the heavens give showers? — the second question eliminates the impersonal alternative: maybe rain just happens naturally, without any god involved? The answer: no. The heavens (shamayim) — the sky itself — cannot independently produce rain. The sky is not self-actuating. It does not give showers on its own authority. Someone governs the sky.

Art not thou he, O LORD our God? — the answer to both questions: you are the one. The LORD (Yahweh — the covenant God of Israel) is the one who causes rain. Not the vanities. Not the impersonal sky. Thou — you, personally, specifically, the God of the covenant. The question expects an emphatic yes: you are he. The rain comes from you.

Therefore we will wait upon thee — the conclusion: because you alone cause rain, we will wait (qavah — to hope, to look eagerly, to bind ourselves to) upon you. The waiting is directed — toward the one who controls the rain. The waiting is confident — based on the identity of the one being waited upon. If God is the rain-giver, then waiting on God is the rational response to drought.

For thou hast made all these things — the final argument: creation. You made all these things — the sky, the water cycle, the atmospheric systems, everything. The one who made the system is the one who controls it. The maker of rain is the source of rain. And the source is God alone.

The context is a drought (14:1-6). The land is parched. The cisterns are empty. The animals are dying. And Jeremiah's prayer acknowledges: the idols cannot help. Nature cannot help itself. Only God — the maker and controller of all things — can end the drought. The prayer is the right response to the right God in the middle of the right crisis.

Reflection Questions

• 1.How does the question 'can the vanities cause rain?' expose the impotence of everything worshipped instead of God?
• 2.What does the heavens' inability to 'give showers' independently reveal about the governance of natural systems?
• 3.How does 'thou hast made all these things' function as the definitive argument for waiting on God alone?
• 4.What 'rain' do you need that only God can provide — and what vanities have you been looking to instead?

Devotional

Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? No. The idol-gods of the nations — the empty, vaporish, worthless things humanity worships — cannot make it rain. They cannot cause a single drop of water to fall from the sky. They are vanities — breath pretending to be power. And breath cannot produce rain.

Or can the heavens give showers? No. The sky does not rain on its own. The atmospheric system does not operate independently. Someone governs it. Someone controls the clouds, directs the moisture, opens the windows. The heavens cannot give showers without the one who made the heavens.

Art not thou he, O LORD our God? You. The answer to every question about who provides, who sustains, who causes the rain to fall and the crops to grow. Not the vanities. Not the impersonal universe. You — the LORD, our God. The covenant God who made all things and controls all things. You are the one who brings rain. And you are the one we wait for.

Therefore we will wait upon thee. The logic of worship: if you are the only one who can cause rain, then you are the only one worth waiting on. The waiting is not passive resignation. It is active, hopeful, directed expectation — bound to the one who holds the rain. We wait on you because there is no one else to wait on. The vanities cannot help. The heavens cannot help themselves. You are he.

For thou hast made all these things. The final argument that settles everything: you made it all. The sky. The water. The cycle that produces rain. The system that sustains life. You made all these things — and the maker of the system is the master of the system. The one who built the rain cycle can activate it whenever he chooses.

What are you waiting on? What 'vanity of the Gentiles' are you looking to for provision? What impersonal system are you depending on to deliver what only God can give? The idols cannot cause rain. The heavens cannot give showers. But the God who made all things — he can. And he is the one worth waiting upon.

Commentary

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Cross References

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