Solely Trust in the Lord, not Mankind
Scripture Passage: Jeremiah 17:1-11 (NASB)
1 The sin of Judah is written with an iron stylus;
With a diamond point it is engraved on the tablet of their hearts
And on the horns of their altars,
2 As they remember their children,
So they remember their altars and their Asherim
By green trees on the high hills.
3 Mountain of Mine in the countryside,
I will turn over your wealth and all your treasures as plunder,
Your high places for sin throughout your borders.
4 And you will, even of yourself, let go of your inheritance
That I gave you;
And I will make you serve your enemies
In the land which you do not know;
For you have kindled a fire in My anger
Which will burn forever.
5 This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind
And makes flesh his strength,
And whose heart turns away from the Lord.
6 For he will be like a bush in the desert,
And will not see when prosperity comes,
But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness,
A land of salt that is not inhabited.
7 Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
And whose trust is the Lord.
8 For he will be like a tree planted by the water
That extends its roots by a stream,
And does not fear when the heat comes;
But its leaves will be green,
And it will not be anxious in a year of drought,
Nor cease to yield fruit.
9 “The heart is more deceitful than all else
And is desperately sick;
Who can understand it?
10 I, the Lord, search the heart,
I test the mind,
To give to each person according to his ways,
According to the results of his deeds.
11 As a partridge that hatches eggs which it has not laid,
So is a person who makes a fortune, but unjustly;
In the middle of his days it will abandon him,
And in the end he will be a fool.”
SUMMARY
Jeremiah states that Judah’s sin is engraved on the tablet of their hearts “with an iron stylus; with a diamond point.” This expression shows their sins were incredibly powerful and grave, to the extent to cause the wrath of God. He also uses the metaphor of a “bush in the desert” to describe those who abandoned God because they relied on their own strength and wisdom instead of trusting in the Lord. God says the root cause of such sin is in their corrupt and deceitful heart. God emphasizes that “blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD” as he will be like a tree planted by the water, not ceasing to yield fruit.
MEDITATION AND REFLECTION
Jeremiah is describing that the sins of Judah are engraved in people’s hearts with an iron stylus with a diamond point---so deeply embedded to the core of their heart, impossible to reverse or erase. Although there were continuous warnings from God for people of Judah not to fall into serving other gods and abandoning the faith in Him, people did not listen. They were so set in their way of wicked living, they did not want to listen to Jeremiah’s plea to return to God but rather wanted to get rid of him. They wanted to carry on living in sin because in their minds they believed that serving other gods and building strength in themselves would bring more prosperity and longevity in the land. Little did they know the wrath of God was waiting for them. Not only the wealth they accumulated will become a plunder, they will serve their enemies in the land that they don’t even know.
God reminds them true blessing is living a life in the Lord. Verse 8 of today’s passage describes that he who puts the trust in the Lord will be like a tree planted by the water, extending its roots by the stream that it doesn't fear the heat nor the drought. It is someone who thoroughly understands that “everything in life” comes from Him above, therefore only puts his trust on sovereign, living God.
APPLICATION
It is almost scary that when we are so stubborn and rigid in our own beliefs, we are unwilling and unable to listen to the truth. The truth that God is telling me today is that it is a prideful sin to put trust in mankind, relying on its own strength and wisdom, and therefore slowly turning away from the Lord and His leading. On the contrary, “blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose trust is the LORD.” (verse 7) Of course I would like to say that I am someone whose trust is in the Lord, but am I really that person? I think I may be more like a hypocrite who says “I trust you Lord,” yet in my daily life, I am trying to build my own strength and wisdom apart from God. Jeremiah 17:10 says “I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind.” God will see through my heart that may be seeking more of the things of this world rather than the things from God. I pray that I will not end up being the “bush in the desert”: useless and wasted. I pray to be “like a tree planted by the water that extends its roots by a stream,” whose true strength, peace, and wisdom comes from the Lord.
Today I repent of my sin of pride, self seeking, and stubborn heart to change my ways.
PRAYER
Father,
You know me. You know my heart and you know my struggles.
Sometimes I don’t even know the peace I’m feeling is because you are with me, or because I’ve secured myself to be in that place. Lord, search my heart and my life to reveal what’s pure and blameless so I can confidently go before you. But moreover Lord, reveal what’s impure, filthy in sin so I can humbly go before you for forgiveness. May my heart be filled with the joy you provide.
In Jesus’ name I prayed.
Please share your personal meditations on this Scripture passage with the HolyWave community in the comments section below. (We reserve the right to moderate comments.)