Thomas Aquinas Commentary Jeremiah 14:19-22

"Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? hath thy soul loathed Zion? why hast thou smitten us, and there is no healing for us? We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of healing, and, behold, dismay! We acknowledge, O Jehovah, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers; for we have sinned against thee. Do not abhor [us], for thy name`s sake; do not disgrace the throne of thy glory: remember, break not thy covenant with us. Are there any among the vanities of the nations that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? art not thou he, O Jehovah our God? therefore we will wait for thee; for thou hast made all these things." — Jeremiah 14:19-22 (ASV)

He begins his argument from the people's former love. Regarding this, there are four points.

1. First, he marvels at the rejection of the beloved people, astonished by the hatred: Have you utterly cast off Judah? It is as if he were saying, “This seems astonishing.” But you have utterly cast us off, you are exceedingly angry with us (Lamentations 5:22). So that there is no healing. With an incurable wound, subjecting the nations in anger (Isaiah 14:6).

2. Second, he speaks of their recognition of the punishment: we have waited. This refers to the verse above: We waited for peace, and there was no good; a time of healing, and behold, fear (Jeremiah 8:15). And of their guilt: we have acknowledged. I have acknowledged my iniquity, and my sin is ever before me (Psalms 50:3).

3. Third, their petition is presented: do not make us. You have made us a reproach to our neighbors, a mockery and a derision to those around us (Psalms 43:14).

4. Fourth, the motive for the petition is drawn from the sanctity of the temple: the throne of your glory. This refers to the mercy seat and the ark, by which you revealed your glory with miracles and revelations. The throne of the glory of the height from the beginning is the place of our sanctification. The expectation of Israel (Jeremiah 17:12–13).

The motive is also drawn from the weakness of idols: For are there among the idols of the nations any who make rain, or can the heavens give showers by themselves, as primary causes? Who is the father of rain, or who has begotten the drops of the dew? (Job 38:28). Finally, the motive is drawn from the power of God: Are you not the Lord our God? You have made these things—that is, the rains and all such things. At his word, he gives an abundance of waters in heaven, and raises the clouds from the ends of the earth (Jeremiah 10:13).

Collations

It should be noted that some peace (Jeremiah 14:13) is false: living in a great war of ignorance, they call so many and such great evils peace . Some peace is fraudulent: they speak peace with their neighbor, but evil is in their hearts (Psalms 27:3). And some is transitory: for when they say peace and security, then destruction comes suddenly upon them (1 Thessalonians 5:3).

It should also be noted that a throne (Jeremiah 14:21) can be understood mystically in three ways.

1. One is the throne of glory, which can be seen in four ways. First, regarding the loftiness of God's nature: I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up, and the whole earth was full of his majesty (Isaiah 6:1). Second, regarding the serenity of peace: They will call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all nations shall be gathered together in her in the name of the Lord in Jerusalem (Jeremiah 3:17). Third, regarding the depth of knowledge: And I looked, and behold, in the firmament, which was above the head of the cherubim, something like a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne over it (Ezekiel 10:1). Fourth, regarding its eternal permanence: But you, O Lord, will remain forever, your throne from generation to generation (Lamentations 5:19).

2. A second is the throne of mercy, which prepares us for several things. It prepares us for obedience to God: I shall fix that stake in a sure place, and it shall be as a throne of glory for the house of his father; and I shall hang all the glory of his father upon it (Isaiah 22:23). It prepares us for the pronouncement of justice: By justice shall the throne of the king be established (Proverbs 16:12). It prepares us for mercy toward our neighbors: And his throne shall be prepared in mercy, and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tent of David (Isaiah 16:5). And it prepares us for the grace of humility: The place of my throne, and the place of my footsteps, where I dwell in the midst of the sons of Israel forever (Ezekiel 43:7).

3. A third is the throne of justice, which prepares for judgment. It prepares us to seek judgment: Who will grant me to know him, so that I may find him, and come even to his throne? (Job 23:3). It prepares for the correction of evil: The king, who sits upon the throne of judgment, scatters every evil thing with his gaze (Psalms 20:8). It prepares to condemn the uncorrectable: I saw the Lord upon his throne, and the whole host of heaven standing by at his right and at his left (1 Kings 22:19). And it prepares to defend the good: He shall sit upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom to establish it, and to strengthen it in judgment, and justice, from now on and forever (Isaiah 9:7).