In chapter 12 Jeremiah pleads with God about His judgments. His pleading is in a humble and submissive manner, which God accepts by making him feel the evil of the people more deeply. At the same time, God sustains the prophet's faith by the personal interest He shows in him. God helps him understand that He has not forsaken His inheritance. The state of things was therefore no longer in doubt. God also revealed His purposes and blessings to His people, and even to the nations among whom they will be disbursed, if these nations would learn the ways of the Lord.
In chapter 13 Jeremiah calls the people to repentance because of the coming judgment. Chapter 14 records Sermon 5, presented as "The Drought" and the nation's doom. In this chapter we read of the terrible calamity (verses 1-6); the empty ritualistic prayers of the nation (verses 7-9); and their rejection by the Lord (verses 10-12). The false prophets, who had no divine credentials, were to blame (verses 14-16) and finally, in the latter part of the chapter, we see Jeremiah again lamenting for the nation he loved so well.
