The prophet Jeremiah had to watch his people, Judah, be carried off into Babylonian captivity by King Nebuchadnezzar in three waves (see Jer. 52:28-30). Jeremiah struggled to find peace in God’s judgment against the ones he loved so dearly. We who are alive today have not seen God execute judgment as He did in Jeremiah’s time, but He promises we will (see 2 Pet. 3:10). When God says, “Time’s up,” every person will desire His favor. Jeremiah 14 shows us why.
In Jeremiah 14, Judah had left God to serve idols, so God brought drought and the Babylonian army to take Judah captive. They cried out to God for deliverance, but their cries were hollow, lacking repentance. Because of their unwillingness to repent, God told Jeremiah in the tenth verse, “Therefore the LORD does not accept them; now He will remember their iniquity and call their sins to account.” For the rebellious people of Judah, time was up. They lived in open rebellion against God, and His patience had finally reached its limit.
When the people asked where they were going, God answered in Jeremiah 15:2: “Those for death, to death; and those for the sword, to the sword; and those for famine, to famine; and those for captivity, to captivity.” God’s answer contained no hope for deliverance for the rebellious ones in Judah. The time to repent had passed, judgment was upon them, and none would escape. In their pain, they learned what is written in Hebrews 10:31, “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Time is running out! Make peace with Him while you have the opportunity.