God had called Jeremiah to preach the truth and prophesy to Israel and Judah at a time when people were abandoning the Lord God, His Word & His precepts. God’s people had been engaged in pagan religions and practices, idol worship (which speaks of worshiping an image or fantasy) and this turned their hearts away from the one true God. Throughout the Old Testament we see the different cycles of discipline and repentance and this time God raised up the Assyrians and Babylonians to judge His people by taking over the land. God sent Jeremiah to warn them about the impending judgment but instead of turning back to God in repentance they looked to human strength for deliverance. Yet Jeremiah spoke a promise to any who would turn back to God. Let’s look at Jeremiah 17:5-8 (NLT):
This is what the LORD says: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the LORD. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land. “But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.”
Biblical scholars bring out different possibilities of the interpretation of this text. When Jeremiah was teaching this principle was he...
1. Teaching it as a future warning/promise to those who would listen?
2. Teaching this out of what he observed from others in history or was he speaking about Israel’s current situation?
3. Speaking out of his own personal experience that he learned with God?
It was probably all three. How would you interpret what Jeremiah said: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans?” How would you apply this principle today?
Are we cursed for trusting that the postman or woman will deliver our mail during the week, or for trusting in the skill of a repair person, engineer, or doctor? Are we cursed for trusting our friends to help us in difficult times or to give us good advice? Of course not, we all have a measure of trust in people. OT scholar Kimhi said: trusting in other people is “legitimate and allowed” as long as human help is understood as coming from God. The kind of trust spoken about here is: the trust that is placed exclusively in people when it ought to be in God. It is a misdirected trust that takes our hearts away from God.
Can you think of any other places of misdirected trust?
[i.e., in wealth, family heritage or background, in intellectual prowess, in powerful people, military, or governments, trusting my own wisdom or decision-making abilities over the wisdom of God (I know better)]
Jeremiah says cursed is the one who relies on human strength. This word for strength is the same word used for God’s strength. If we think that our strength or the strength of people can accomplish the same things that only an almighty God can, we will be cursed. What does this mean?
Cursed here is in the passive voice. Cursed was the outcome or result of placing trust in the wrong object. Instead of abundance and life, they starved themselves of the spiritual nutrients necessary for spiritual health and strength. They ended up with scarcity, isolation, and defeat.
None of us are immune to this tendency. The troubles of life are constant, and our natural inclination is to look to self and/or others for immediate solutions when we face problems. It isn’t wrong to look to others in times of trouble but there are areas God clearly calls us to look to Him for by faith, such as seeking His will over our own or someone else’s (Hebr 10:36-39), in matters of life and godliness (2 Pet 1:3-8), and eternal salvation (Eph 2:8-9). The religious Jews in Jesus’ day were trusting in Moses (Jn 5:45), in their good works, in their righteousness, and in their Abrahamic lineage for their salvation. Though Abraham and Moses were models of the faith, these men were never meant to be objects of our trust. They couldn’t save anyone nor can our good works or self-righteousness save us. Only the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses could bring salvation. But in every area of life, we should go to God first as He has all wisdom, knowledge, and understanding on every subject. It’s just a matter of waiting on Him for the answers.
In Jeremiah’s day, Judah’s leaders wanted to form an alliance with Egypt to defend themselves against the attack of the Babylonians. They were depending on Egypt to deliver them and, sadly, found out that their hope and trust was misplaced. Jeremiah’s message to Judah and its leaders was to trust in the Lord, not in political and military alliances.
We need to ask ourselves this question: Is there anything or anyone that I trust in more than the Lord for my provision, protection, or my future? Is there anything that I want more than the Lord? It’s important to ask myself these questions as any of these things have the potential to turn my heart away from God.
Jeremiah is saying here that if you are hoping to get the life you are looking for from another human being you will dry up like a shrub, like a bush in the desert whose roots are very shallow (Jer 48:6). The imagery is one of barrenness, isolation, and desolation, of worthlessness and uselessness. Most scholars believe this shrub or bush that Jeremiah was referring to was a Juniper tree (1 Kings 19:4-5 AMP) that is found in the desert, common around the Dead Sea, the Jordan valley, Syria, Lebanon, and in the deserts of Egypt and Sinai. They are beautiful plants, yet they grow alone because of the lack of water and nutrients in these regions and their roots cause nausea and are even somewhat poisonous if eaten. Jeremiah is comparing this bush with people who rely on or put their trust in human strength and are stunted with no hope for the future. They live alone, selfishly and sparingly, just having enough water for him or herself. In the most ultimate sense, such is the end of the one who trusts in people. He or she looks for good to come but will not see it or experience it because the way of life is not in man to find. This person only survives in contrast to the one that thrives.
V. 7 says:
“Blessed is the man” (barûk, meaning blessed by God, filled with strength, [made] full which is different from the other word for blessed which means “truly happy, fortunate”)
Blessing refers to flourishing and the multiplication of life. Many have and will experience things in life that make them feel truly happy or blessed - which is normal, but Jeremiah is taking the blessing to another level. He is talking about the one who receives blessings directly from God. Despite the circumstance - their source of life and strength is secure, and they will experience abundance of fruit. The word trust, both in Jeremiah 17:5 and 7 means, “to feel secure, to trust…to be confident.” The only way you and I can feel secure or trust the Lord is by studying the Scriptures, looking to Him for guidance, following Him and asking Him for wisdom and strength for every facet of life. Where God is, is where life is found. When God’s presence with us is our ambition, we have true direction, true wisdom, a true path.
“When we hope in Christ, we hope in more than a man” (Origen).
“Those who trust in Christ do not trust in a mere human being but in the one who is both God and human, Jesus Christ” (Cyril of Jerusalem, Novatian).
When Christ is our source of life, we have an unshakable hope with genuine peace and joy.
Let’s look at the extreme contrast in these verses - the desert Juniper tree vs. the tree planted by the streams of water. The desert tree is stunted, has no hope for the future, never knows if or when the rain will come, just so it can survive. It lives alone and sparingly day by day in a barren, uninhabited wasteland.
The tree planted by the riverbank, on the other hand, has roots that reach deep into a reliable source of water, which may be deep in the ground but is secure and flourishing. This tree faces seasons of heat and drought, but its leaves are always green, and it never stops producing good fruit.
Have you experienced a dry season in your walk with God? Have you ever felt that God was silent?
Jeremiah had times of spiritual drought. After following God and faithfully speaking on His behalf, he felt that God had abandoned him, especially when the political and religious leaders turned against him. At that point, God was a deceitful brook to him, like unreliable waters sought by a thirsty man (15:18). How did God respond to Jeremiah? He said, “if you repent and give up this attitude of despair and self-pity, I will restore you to a state of inner peace so that you may stand before Me as my representative (v. 19). During that difficult time Jeremiah discovered God hadn’t forsaken him but was stretching his faith and cleansing his heart from doubt concerning God’s faithfulness. And if Jeremiah chose to trust Him, God promised him that though people would fight against him, they would not prevail over him because He would always be with him to save and protect him (v. 20).
Jeremiah learned that he would not make it with a shallow faith, with shallow roots. His roots had to go deeper with God, and he found hope in this seemingly hopeless situation - the hope that is exclusively found in Yahweh. The present passage is Jeremiah’s testimony, an affirmation that God is that source of unending living water. Because of God he could thrive even in the drought.
Even when we faithfully follow the Lord, we will go through dry spells when we feel that God is silent or has abandoned us. At those times, we may be tempted to look for consolation in other things or people. Like Jeremiah, we may feel that when God allows situations when the heat seems unbearable that He just doesn’t care and that He’s far from us. But it’s in those times we find that nothing and no one else can quench our deepest thirst but Him alone. There is a blessing to be found in times of heat and drought, in times of darkness because He is with us every step of the way. Drought and heat will come, and life will not always work out the way you and I had planned but there’s a blessing for those who trust in the Lord. Those whose roots reach down into those waters will experience God’s life and produce an abundance of fruit whether the conditions are favorable or poor. Jeremiah was speaking to everyone including himself. He was saying the one who wholeheartedly trusts in God—will come against challenges in life, yet when facing moments of disorientation or loss, this person can trust in the “Hope” or “Spring of Israel” (Jer. 17:12). A person who is planted by this stream will experience a constantly growing and fruitful life. He or she will enjoy stability, confidence, mental health, freedom from anxiety even in trying times, and a consistently radiant testimony before others (cf. Ps. 1:3).
In light of all that is going on in this world and in our personal challenges, the Lord is calling us to be like trees planted by streams of living water. I believe that the Lord wants our church to be a place where people find spiritual nourishment, healing, and rest - where they will learn to trust the Lord, draw life from Him, and flourish. Last year the Lord called us to lengthen the cords of our tents, to deepen the tent pegs and make room for others in the church. We saw God working in our lives to make this happen. We don’t know what will happen in 2024, but as individuals, we can make a decision to trust the Lord, to be planted by streams of living water, so we not only survive this new year but thrive.
