Jeremiah 14 describes a severe drought in Judah and the prophet’s anguish as he watches the people suffer for their unfaithfulness. These questions are for small groups, Sunday classes, and personal study who want to work through the chapter verse by verse. Each section includes a leader’s note so you can guide the discussion without preparing a separate summary.
Jeremiah 14 at a Glance
The chapter opens with the word of the LORD concerning a drought that strips the land bare. Judah mourns in the gates, nobles send their children to empty cisterns, and even the animals suffer. The people confess their sins and plead with God not to forsake them, but the LORD tells Jeremiah not to pray for them, because their repeated rebellion has gone too far.
The middle of the chapter shifts to the false prophets who promised peace when judgment was coming. God declares that he did not send them, and Jeremiah expresses his grief for the broken people. The chapter closes with a turn back to prayer, as the people ask God to act for the sake of his own name and to remember his covenant.
Observation Questions
Use these questions at the start of the session to slow everyone down and look closely at what the text says. Ask participants to read the verses aloud before answering, and let them point to words in the passage rather than give general impressions.
Jeremiah 14:7
Though our iniquities testify against us, work for your name’s sake, the LORD; for our rebellions are many. We have sinned against you.
(WEB)
Read this verse early in the session to model honest confession and to show that the people’s plea rests on God’s name and faithfulness. It gives the group a clear entry point into the chapter’s tension between sin and mercy.
Jeremiah 14:9
Why should you be like a scared man, as a mighty man who can’t save? Yet you, the LORD, are in the middle of us, and we are called by your name. Don’t leave us.
(WEB)
This verse expresses the people’s confidence that God is present among them and that they belong to him. Reading it aloud helps the group hear the emotional core of the appeal, which is a desperate but hopeful cry for God to stay near.
Jeremiah 14:13-14
13 Then I said, “Ah, Lord the LORD! Behold, the prophets tell them, ‘You will not see the sword, neither will you have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place.’” 14 Then the LORD said to me, “The prophets prophesy lies in my name. I didn’t send them. I didn’t command them. I didn’t speak to them. They prophesy to you a lying vision, divination, and a thing of nothing, and the deceit of their own heart.
(WEB)
These verses capture the clash between the prophet’s sorrow and the false prophets’ promises. Reading them together lets the group hear God’s clear statement that the false messages were never from him, which anchors the discussion of discernment.
Jeremiah 14:20
We acknowledge, the LORD, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers; for we have sinned against you.
(WEB)
Reading this verse reinforces the chapter’s pattern of acknowledging wickedness before seeking mercy. It gives the group a short, memorable confession they can use as a model in their own prayer.
Jeremiah 14:22
Are there any among the vanities of the nations that can cause rain? Or can the sky give showers? Aren’t you he, the LORD our God? Therefore we will wait for you; for you have made all these things.
(WEB)
Close the reading with this verse to end on the note of waiting and trust. It turns the group’s attention from the crisis to the God who alone provides, which prepares them for the closing prayer.
Memory Verse for Jeremiah 14
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we come to you as the people in this chapter did, admitting that our rebellions are many and that we have often looked to voices that comfort without truth. We confess the ways we have trusted our own hearts and the messages that please us more than your word. Teach us to name our sins honestly and to rely on your mercy rather than our own merit. Where our lives feel dry, be the rain and renewal we cannot produce ourselves, and help us wait on you with patient hope. Give us tender hearts like Jeremiah’s, able to grieve with those who suffer and to speak what is true. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
