We come into this world as innocent babes. However, we do not stay that way for long. We learn to talk, to walk, and to play nicely with others.
In time we stretch our educational wings through formal schooling and extracurricular activities. Not all of it is pleasant, either. We might be the one to carry the football across the goal line as the crowds cheer, but first we endured two-a-days in the heat of August, busting heads with our teammates, and learning the skills to win the game.
Yet, to be the victor is worth all the hardships we endure. The same is true in our Christian walk. When we first come to Jesus, we are as babies, and we are treated with tender consideration. Yet, as we mature, God expects us to take on the educational challenges that will turn us into victors for him.
Hence, Famine 101.
Jeremiah 14:1-6 tells us of God’s two-a-days for his people. It is August; they have regressed in their faithfulness; and God must force them back into shape. He blows the whistle, and the learning begins.
Verse 1: God brings a dearth upon the land.
Dearth in Hebrew can be defined as multiple droughts. The land has suffered and it continues to suffer. However, the suffering has a spiritual connotation for Judah.
Verse 2: Judah mourns for the desolation.
Judah should not have been surprised at the series of droughts. God had promised his wrath if his people slipped back into sin.
Verse 3: The servants can find no water at the wells, and they cover their heads in shame.
The rich and high-born had continued on as usual, ignoring God’s punishment. They saw nothing wrong in how they lived.
Verse 4: The workers in the fields have no crops to harvest.
The seed of Christ’s message can be planted, but if there is no spiritual water to nourish it, the seed cannot germinate, and it will die. Such had begun to happen in Judah.
Verse 5: The wild animals abandon their young as they are born.
The deer has strong maternal instincts. Yet, it left its offspring to die, knowing there was no grass to eat. Judah had abandoned her children to the wiles of the devil, giving them no spiritual nourishment.
Verse 6: The beasts of burden collapse in weariness at the desolation of the land.
When our leaders no longer find their strength in God’s laws, their moral fortitude collapses, and our spiritual foundations are undermined.
We either learn God’s lessons, or we are kicked onto the sidelines, where we can only watch as God leads his victors across the goal line.
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