Jeremiah 5:24
They have not said in their hearts, 'Let us fear the LORD our God, who gives the rains, both autumn and spring, in season, who keeps for us the appointed weeks of harvest.'
They have not said in their hearts
This phrase highlights the internal disposition of the people. In Hebrew, the heart (לֵב, "lev") is often seen as the center of thought and will, not just emotion. The absence of this internal dialogue indicates a spiritual apathy or rebellion. The heart's failure to acknowledge God reflects a deeper issue of faith and obedience, emphasizing the need for genuine internal transformation rather than mere external compliance.

Let us fear the LORD our God
The fear of the LORD (יָרֵא, "yare") is a foundational concept in the Hebrew Bible, signifying reverence, awe, and obedience. It is not a fear that paralyzes but one that inspires worship and adherence to God's commandments. This phrase calls for a recognition of God's sovereignty and a return to a covenantal relationship characterized by respect and submission to His will.

who gives the rains
Rain in the ancient Near East was a sign of divine blessing and provision. The Hebrew word for rain (מָטָר, "matar") is often associated with God's faithfulness in sustaining life. This phrase underscores God's role as the provider and sustainer, contrasting the people's ingratitude and forgetfulness of His continuous care and provision.

both autumn and spring in season
The mention of "autumn and spring" rains refers to the early and latter rains crucial for agricultural success in Israel. The Hebrew terms for these rains (יוֹרֶה, "yoreh" for autumn and מַלְקוֹשׁ, "malkosh" for spring) highlight the cyclical and dependable nature of God's provision. This regularity is a testament to God's faithfulness and the natural order He established, which the people have taken for granted.

who keeps for us the appointed weeks of harvest
The "appointed weeks of harvest" (שָׁבוּעוֹת, "shavuot") refer to the specific times set by God for gathering crops, a period of joy and thanksgiving. This phrase emphasizes God's sovereignty over time and seasons, reminding the people of their dependence on His timing and provision. The harvest is not just a physical gathering but a spiritual reminder of God's covenantal promises and blessings.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jeremiah
A major prophet in the Old Testament, known for his prophecies concerning the judgment and restoration of Israel. He is often called the "weeping prophet" due to his deep sorrow over the sins of his people.

2. The People of Judah
The primary audience of Jeremiah's prophecies. They were often rebuked for their idolatry and failure to follow God's commandments.

3. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant God of Israel, who is portrayed as the provider of rain and harvest, emphasizing His sovereignty and care for His people.

4. Autumn and Spring Rains
These are the seasonal rains crucial for agriculture in Israel. The autumn rains prepare the ground for planting, and the spring rains help bring the crops to maturity.

5. Harvest
A significant event in the agricultural cycle, symbolizing God's provision and faithfulness. It is a time of gathering the fruits of labor and celebrating God's blessings.
Teaching Points
Fear of the LORD
The fear of the LORD is foundational to wisdom and obedience. It involves reverence, awe, and a recognition of God's authority and provision.

Acknowledging God’s Provision
Recognize and give thanks for God's provision in our lives, both in the natural world and in our personal circumstances.

Spiritual Seasons
Just as there are physical seasons, there are spiritual seasons in our lives. Trust in God's timing and provision during each season.

Repentance and Heart Change
True repentance involves a change of heart and mind, leading to a renewed commitment to follow God’s ways.

Dependence on God
Depend on God for all needs, understanding that He is the ultimate source of all blessings and sustenance.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the concept of fearing the LORD influence your daily decisions and actions?

2. In what ways can you cultivate a heart of gratitude for God's provision in your life?

3. Reflect on a time when you experienced a "spiritual season." How did you see God's faithfulness during that time?

4. What steps can you take to ensure that your heart is aligned with God's will, as opposed to merely following religious rituals?

5. How can the imagery of rain and harvest in Jeremiah 5:24 deepen your understanding of God's role as a provider in both physical and spiritual aspects of life?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Deuteronomy 11:14
This verse speaks of God’s promise to provide rain for the land in its season, connecting to the idea of God as the provider of rain and harvest.

Hosea 6:3
This verse encourages the knowledge of God, likening His coming to the certainty of the dawn and the rains, reinforcing the theme of God’s faithfulness.

James 5:7
This New Testament passage uses the patience of a farmer waiting for the autumn and spring rains as an analogy for the believer's patience in waiting for the Lord's return.
God's Gifts of the Rains and the HarvestS. Conway Jeremiah 5:24
Harvest ThoughtsPlain Sermons by Contributors to, Tracts for the TimesJeremiah 5:24
Harvest VoicesAldersgate MagazineJeremiah 5:24
Lessons from the HarvestW. Dickson.Jeremiah 5:24
Lessons from the HarvestH. Caddell, M. A.Jeremiah 5:24
Reflections on HarvestJ. Lathrop, D. D.Jeremiah 5:24
The Former and the Latter RainJeremiah 5:24
The God of HarvestT. Davies, M. A.Jeremiah 5:24
The God of NatureH. Parr.Jeremiah 5:24
The Silken FetterS. Conway Jeremiah 5:24
Voices of God in the HarvestR. Tuck, B. A.Jeremiah 5:24
Nature's Witness Against Blind Eyes and Rebellious HeartsJ. Waite Jeremiah 5:20-24
Adoration of God in NatureJ. Garbett, M. A.Jeremiah 5:20-25
God the Ruler of the WavesJohn Newton.Jeremiah 5:20-25
God's Barriers Against Man's SinJeremiah 5:20-25
God's Government of the Sea and Man's Revolting TendenciesHomilistJeremiah 5:20-25
God's Judgment of Self-WillJ. Parker, D. D.Jeremiah 5:20-25
IndifferenceJ. Burns, D. D.Jeremiah 5:20-25
Persuasives to the Fear of GodJeremiah 5:20-25
Sea and Soil; Divine ProvidenceC. Clarkson, B. A.Jeremiah 5:20-25
Solemn Reasons for Fearing the LordBp. Heber.Jeremiah 5:20-25
The Sand BarrierHomiletic MagazineJeremiah 5:20-25
Israel's ApostasyF. C. Clark, B. A.Jeremiah 5:23-24
Sin is Revolt and Rebellion Against Christ -- Our KingA. Torrey.Jeremiah 5:23-24
People
Jacob, Jeremiah
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Appointed, Assures, Autumn, Due, Early, Fear, Former, Gathered, Gives, Giveth, Giving, Grain-cutting, Harvest, Heart, Hearts, Keepeth, Keeps, Latter, Ordered, Preserves, Preserveth, Rain, Rains, Regular, Reserveth, Season, Spring, Sprinkling, Weeks, Winter, Worship
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Jeremiah 5:24

     1347   covenant, with Noah
     4406   agriculture
     4464   harvest
     4816   drought, physical
     4854   weather, God's sovereignty
     4903   time
     4970   seasons, of year
     4975   week
     7408   Pentecost
     8771   idolatry, objections

Jeremiah 5:21-24

     8702   agnosticism

Jeremiah 5:21-25

     8757   folly, effects of
     8761   fools, in teaching of Christ

Jeremiah 5:22-24

     8334   reverence, and God's nature

Jeremiah 5:23-24

     5896   irreverence

Jeremiah 5:24-25

     8335   reverence, and blessing

Library
A Question for the Beginning
'What will ye do in the end?'--JER. v. 31. I find that I preached to the young from this text just thirty years since--nearly a generation ago. How few of my then congregation are here to-night! how changed they and I are! and how much nearer the close we have drifted! How many of the young men and women of that evening have gone to meet the end, and how many of them have wrecked their lives because they would not face and answer this question! Ah, dear young friends, if I could bring some of the
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Storming the Battlements
Jerusalem had sinned against God; she had rebelled against the most High, had set up for herself false gods, and bowed before them; and when God threatened her with chastisement, she built around herself strong battlements and bastions. She said "I am safe and secure. What though Jehovah hath gone away, I will trust in the gods of nations. Though the Temple is cast down, yet we will rely upon these bulwarks and strong fortifications that we have erected." "Ah!" says God, "Jerusalem, I will punish
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 1: 1855

God's Barriers against Man's Sin
I am slowly rallying. My great struggle now is with weakness. I feel as if my frail bark had weathered a heavy storm which has made every timber creak. Do not attribute this illness to my having laboured too hard for my Master. For his dear sake, I would that I may yet be able to labour more. Such toils as might be hardly noticed in the ramp for the service of one's country, would excite astonishment in the church for the service of our God. And now, I entreat you for love's sake to continue in prayer
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 4: 1858

Tithing
"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in Mine house, and prove Me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it" (Mal. 3:10). Down deep in the heart of every Christian there is undoubtedly the conviction that he ought to tithe. There is an uneasy feeling that this is a duty which has been neglected, or, if you prefer it, a privilege that has not been
Arthur W. Pink—Tithing

How those who Fear Scourges and those who Contemn them are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 14.) Differently to be admonished are those who fear scourges, and on that account live innocently, and those who have grown so hard in wickedness as not to be corrected even by scourges. For those who fear scourges are to be told by no means to desire temporal goods as being of great account, seeing that bad men also have them, and by no means to shun present evils as intolerable, seeing they are not ignorant how for the most part good men also are touched by them. They are to be admonished
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

The Purpose in the Coming of Jesus.
God Spelling Himself out in Jesus: change in the original language--bother in spelling Jesus out--sticklers for the old forms--Jesus' new spelling of old words. Jesus is God following us up: God heart-broken--man's native air--bad choice affected man's will--the wrong lane--God following us up. The Early Eden Picture, Genesis 1:26-31. 2:7-25: unfallen man--like God--the breath of God in man--a spirit, infinite, eternal--love--holy--wise--sovereign over creation, Psalm 8:5-8--in his own will--summary--God's
S. D. Gordon—Quiet Talks about Jesus

Purposes of God.
In discussing this subject I shall endeavor to show, I. What I understand by the purposes of God. Purposes, in this discussion, I shall use as synonymous with design, intention. The purposes of God must be ultimate and proximate. That is, God has and must have an ultimate end. He must purpose to accomplish something by his works and providence, which he regards as a good in itself, or as valuable to himself, and to being in general. This I call his ultimate end. That God has such an end or purpose,
Charles Grandison Finney—Systematic Theology

"And Hereby we do Know that we Know Him, if we Keep his Commandments. "
1 John ii. 3.--"And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments." This age pretends to much knowledge beyond former ages, knowledge, I say, not only in other natural arts and sciences, but especially in religion. Whether there be any great advancement in other knowledge, and improvement of that which was, to a further extent and clearness, I cannot judge, but I believe there is not much of it in this nation, nor do we so much pretend to it. But, we talk of the enlargements of
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Covenanting According to the Purposes of God.
Since every revealed purpose of God, implying that obedience to his law will be given, is a demand of that obedience, the announcement of his Covenant, as in his sovereignty decreed, claims, not less effectively than an explicit law, the fulfilment of its duties. A representation of a system of things pre-determined in order that the obligations of the Covenant might be discharged; various exhibitions of the Covenant as ordained; and a description of the children of the Covenant as predestinated
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

The Medes and the Second Chaldaean Empire
THE FALL OF NINEVEH AND THE RISE OF THE CHALDAEAN AND MEDIAN EMPIRES--THE XXVIth EGYPTIAN DYNASTY: CYAXARES, ALYATTES, AND NEBUCHADREZZAR. The legendary history of the kings of Media and the first contact of the Medes with the Assyrians: the alleged Iranian migrations of the Avesta--Media-proper, its fauna and flora; Phraortes and the beginning of the Median empire--Persia proper and the Persians; conquest of Persia by the Medes--The last monuments of Assur-bani-pal: the library of Kouyunjik--Phraortes
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 8

"If So be that the Spirit of God Dwell in You. Now if any Man have not the Spirit of Christ, He is None of His. "
Rom. viii. 9.--"If so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." "But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth?" 2 Chron. vi. 18. It was the wonder of one of the wisest of men, and indeed, considering his infinite highness above the height of heavens, his immense and incomprehensible greatness, that the heaven of heavens cannot contain him, and then the baseness, emptiness, and worthlessness of man, it may be a wonder to the
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Covenanting Enforced by the Grant of Covenant Signs and Seals.
To declare emphatically that the people of God are a covenant people, various signs were in sovereignty vouchsafed. The lights in the firmament of heaven were appointed to be for signs, affording direction to the mariner, the husbandman, and others. Miracles wrought on memorable occasions, were constituted signs or tokens of God's universal government. The gracious grant of covenant signs was made in order to proclaim the truth of the existence of God's covenant with his people, to urge the performance
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

The Acceptable Sacrifice;
OR, THE EXCELLENCY OF A BROKEN HEART: SHOWING THE NATURE, SIGNS, AND PROPER EFFECTS OF A CONTRITE SPIRIT. BEING THE LAST WORKS OF THAT EMINENT PREACHER AND FAITHFUL MINISTER OF JESUS CHRIST, MR. JOHN BUNYAN, OF BEDFORD. WITH A PREFACE PREFIXED THEREUNTO BY AN EMINENT MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL IN LONDON. London: Sold by George Larkin, at the Two Swans without Bishopgates, 1692. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. The very excellent preface to this treatise, written by George Cokayn, will inform the reader of
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Of the Nature of Regeneration, and Particularly of the Change it Produces in Men's Apprehensions.
2 COR. v. 17. 2 COR. v. 17. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away, behold all things are become new. THE knowledge of our true state in religion, is at once a matter of so great importance, and so great difficulty that, in order to obtain it, it is necessary we should have line upon line and precept upon precept. The plain discourse, which you before heard, was intended to lead you into it; and I question not but I then said enough to convince many, that they were
Philip Doddridge—Practical Discourses on Regeneration

Jeremiah
The interest of the book of Jeremiah is unique. On the one hand, it is our most reliable and elaborate source for the long period of history which it covers; on the other, it presents us with prophecy in its most intensely human phase, manifesting itself through a strangely attractive personality that was subject to like doubts and passions with ourselves. At his call, in 626 B.C., he was young and inexperienced, i. 6, so that he cannot have been born earlier than 650. The political and religious
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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