Jeremiah 14:12

12 When they skip their meals in order to pray, I won't listen to a thing they say. When they redouble their prayers, bringing all kinds of offerings from their herds and crops, I'll not accept them. I'm finishing them off with war and famine and disease."

Jeremiah 14:12 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 14:12

When they fast, I will not hear their cry
Or, "though they fast" ^F11; very probably on account of the want of rain, and the dearth or famine, a fast was proclaimed; see ( Jeremiah 36:9 ) , when they prayed and cried aloud, and made a great noise; but their prayers being hypocritical, and not arising from a pure heart, or offered up in faith and love, were not heard and accepted by the Lord: and when they offer burnt offerings and an oblation;
or a meat or bread offering, which went along with the burnt offering; thinking by those outward things to atone for their sins, without true repentance for them, or faith in the atoning sacrifice of Christ: I will not accept them;
neither their offerings, nor their persons: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the
pestilence;
the Lord not only determines the continuance of the famine, notwithstanding the prayers of the prophet; but adds two other judgments, the sword and pestilence, by which he was resolved to consume them; and therefore it was to no purpose to pray to him on their behalf, he was inexorable.

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FOOTNOTES:

F11 (wmuy yk) "quamvis jejunant", Gataker.

Jeremiah 14:12 In-Context

10 Then God said of these people: "Since they loved to wander this way and that, never giving a thought to where they were going, I will now have nothing more to do with them - except to note their guilt and punish their sins." The Killing Fields

11 God said to me, "Don't pray that everything will turn out all right for this people.

12 When they skip their meals in order to pray, I won't listen to a thing they say. When they redouble their prayers, bringing all kinds of offerings from their herds and crops, I'll not accept them. I'm finishing them off with war and famine and disease."

13 I said, "But Master, God! Their preachers have been telling them that everything is going to be all right - no war and no famine - that there's nothing to worry about."

14 Then God said, "These preachers are liars, and they use my name to cover their lies. I never sent them, I never commanded them, and I don't talk with them. The sermons they've been handing out are sheer illusion, tissues of lies, whistlings in the dark.