Author's Note: All previous volumes of this series are here. The first 56 volumes are compiled into the book "Bible Study For Those Who Don't Read The Bible." "Part Two," featuring volumes 57-113, was published in December 2022.
Hi, everyone, thanks for joining our Bible study about rain. How this topic came about was indirect and divinely inspired.
Up until the last possible moment, this study was to be about Samson and Delilah. Why? Over the last week, my dear husband watched a 1949 movie about the pair. Except for knowing that Samson’s strength was rooted in his hair, I wasn't very familiar with the story. I was busy and did not watch it with him. But, because of my husband's chatter, I took it as a sign that I was supposed to write about why the Samson saga was meaningful. To prepare for the study, I dutifully read the story in Judges and then sat at my computer to write, but something happened. I was totally uninspired, as if the car battery were dead.
I took that as a divine sign that my husband’s movie choices should not influence my Bible topics. But also, at that moment, “rain” just popped in my head, and I felt the vibe. So, thanks be to God, “my assignment editor.” I feel blessed, and off we go.
“Rain” is first mentioned in the second chapter of Genesis:
“Lord God made the earth and the heavens. Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground” (Genesis 2: 4-6).
Note how God tells us that He controls when to send rain. And pre-humankind, the earth just watered itself. Mother Nature could be renamed “Father Nature.”
The first time rainfall is mentioned and forecasted in the Bible is in the story of Noah and the great flood. For more about Noah, see Vol. 163, Vol. 164, and Vol. 259. Since the Almighty was displeased with humanity's corrupt, sinful state, He took harsh action to start anew. But God spared Noah and his family (along with the animal kingdom) because he was a righteous man. First, the Lord told Noah what to expect:
“Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made” (Genesis 7:4).
Then, the Lord followed through:
“…on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights” (Genesis 7: 11-12). Note that the Bible’s first rainfall was sent to destroy life rather than to grow it.
We now turn to a demanding yet loving God in Deuteronomy, the last book of the Torah. God’s people are about to enter the Promised Land, but with a stern warning that obedience to His commands will bring rain so they can flourish:
“So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today—to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul— then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil” (Deuteronomy 11:13-14).
Next is a heartfelt prayer that King Solomon offered to God at the dedication of the Temple. The prayer shows the great insight and leadership for which Solomon is known, while addressing rain and its relationship to sin. It further elaborates on what God told His people in Deuteronomy that we just read. Solomon prays, knowing that his people will sin, and asks that God have mercy on them and send rain:
“When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because your people have sinned against you, and when they pray toward this place and give praise to your name and turn from their sin because you have afflicted them, then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Teach them the right way to live, and send rain on the land you gave your people for an inheritance” (1 Kings 8:35-36).
And that, my friends, is a great example of why God chose Solomon to be King.
In the Bible, rain or drought is linked to obedience and to serving Him with “all your heart and with all your soul,” as God commanded in Deuteronomy. With that in mind, the prophet Elijah foretold a prolonged drought because King Ahab and Queen Jezebel oversaw Israel’s turn to idolatry, worshiping Baal. Elijah said to Ahab:
“As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word” (1 Kings 17:1).
But after the God of Israel and His power, channeled through His faithful servant Elijah, proved that He was the all-powerful God who triumphed over the prophets of Baal, heavy rain arrived in response to Elijah’s prayer. Read the details at 1 Kings 18:35-45.
Lastly, we arrive at Jeremiah, where in Chapter 14, there is a major drought. This is the message from the Lord, as told to Jeremiah, slightly abbreviated:
“This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought: ‘Judah mourns, her cities languish; they wail for the land, and a cry goes up from Jerusalem. The nobles send their servants for water; they go to the cisterns but find no water… The ground is cracked because there is no rain in the land; the farmers are dismayed and cover their heads. Even the doe in the field deserts her newborn fawn because there is no grass...’” [Jeremiah replies]:
“Although our sins testify against us, do something, Lord, for the sake of your name. For we have often rebelled; we have sinned against you” (Jeremiah 14:1-7).
A few verses later, God says to Jeremiah: “I will pour out to them the calamity they deserve” (Jeremiah 14:16).
This next passage is especially poignant when Jeremiah pleads to God:
“For the sake of your name do not despise us; do not dishonor your glorious throne. Remember your covenant with us and do not break it. Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Do the skies themselves send down showers? No, it is you, Lord our God. Therefore, our hope is in you, for you are the one who does all this” (Jeremiah 14:21-22).
Although these passages and prayers are all related to rain, you can apply them to “droughts” in your life. Furthermore, always remember that the God of ancient Israel is the same God we pray to today, and He still demands obedience to His commandments. His power has never diminished; it never will through Jesus Christ. In the Torah, we are commanded: “..to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul..” Amen!
Thanks to readers who send heartfelt emails. I try to respond to each one.
Myra Kahn Adams is a conservative political and religious writer. Her book "Bible Study For Those Who Don't Read The Bible" reprints the first 56 volumes of this popular study. "Part 2," reprints Vols. 57 –113. Order it here.
Myra is also the Executive Director of the National Shroud of Turin Exhibit. You can help support our six-month exhibit at the Basilica in Orlando, Florida. Contact: Myraadams01@gmail.com