Jeremiah 14

This is such a pitiful chapter, detailing the great drought that had come over the land of Israel: “Judah mourns, her cities languish; they wail for the land, and a cry goes up from Jerusalem. The nobles send their servants for water; they go to the cisterns but find no water. They return with their jars unfilled; dismayed and despairing, they cover their heads. The ground is cracked because there is no rain in the land; the farmers are dismayed and cover their heads.” (vs 2-4)

It’s not like this drought was surprising, or even uncommon, for that matter. Droughts in the region were frequent, because rain in that part of the world is naturally scarce. That’s why one of God’s promises under the Covenant was the blessing of rain: “The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands.” (Deut 28:12)

On the other hand, one of the “curses” of breaking the covenant was major drought: “The sky over your head will be bronze, the ground beneath you iron. The Lord will turn the rain of your country into dust and powder; it will come down from the skies until you are destroyed.” (Deut 28:23-24)

If God’s people were faithful, He would send the extra rain that wouldn’t normally fall in the region. This way, the people would be blessed with an abundance of food and water, and the surrounding nations would know that the God of Israel was a real God—not a false nothing, like so many of the other nations worshiped.

But as long as God’s people refused to acknowledge Him as God and continued to pursue other “gods,” they were subject to the consequences of their choices. Let them pray to Baal or Marduk or Molech for rain! If any of them could hear their prayers and answer them, the Israelites wouldn’t have been mourning over their dry cisterns.

In this circumstance (and in so many others we face in life), God allowed His people to experience the awful consequences of their choice. They wanted absolutely nothing to do with the Rainmaker, and as a result, they received no rain. If God had continued to send an abundance of rain despite their idolatry, would the people have been emboldened in their idol worship? Would they have concluded that Baal was answering their prayers for rain? Would they think maybe it was worth it to sacrifice another child to Molech?

God allows us to face the consequences of our decisions—even when the consequences are very, very hard. One of the reasons He does this is in an effort to educate us, to help us turn around and change course. But I think another reason He does this is because He is truly into freedom. And the freedom to make a choice also includes the inherent freedom to bear the consequences of that choice.

If God removes forever the consequences of our poor choices, He has, in effect, removed the choice itself. But God is far too much of a Freedom Fighter for that. That’s why He will allow us to experience the consequences of our choices—even when it’s painful and difficult for both us and Him!