THE SAYINGS OF THE LORD

The Lord Says:

Verses 5, 6: Cursed is the man

• Who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, and whose heart departs from the Lord (Verse 5).

• For he will be like a bush in the desert and will not see when good comes but will inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited (Verse 6).

Verses 7, 8: Blessed is the man

• Who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord (Verse 7).

• For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes, but its leaf shall be green, and it shall not be anxious in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit (Verse 8).

     The Lord Says:

• The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; Who can know it? (Verse 9).

• I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings (Verse 10).

• As a partridge that broods but does not hatch, so is he who gets riches, but not by right; it will leave him in the midst of his days, and at his end, he will be a fool (Verse 11).

JEREMIAH 17:9-11

JEREMIAH 17:5-8

This passage contrasts two kinds of people: those who trust in human beings and those who trust in the Lord. While we may expect help from our fellow human beings, so far as God enables them to help us, we must put our trust in God alone (Psalm 62:5-8). Those who trust in human beings in times of trouble will be impoverished and spiritually weak; they will have no strength to draw on. But those who trust in the Lord Jesus will have abundant strength, not only for their own needs but even for the needs of others. They will flourish like trees planted along a riverbank (see Psalm 1).

Are you satisfied with being unfruitful, or do you, like a well-watered tree, have strength for times of crisis and even some to share as you bear fruit for the Lord?

In this passage, God makes it clear why we sin—it’s a matter of the heart. Our heart is inclined toward sin from the time we are born. It is easy to fall into the routine of forgetting and forsaking God. But we can still choose whether or not to continue in sin. We can yield to a specific temptation, or we can ask God to help us resist temptation when it comes.

The passage also shows that there is a right way and a wrong way to do any task. The prophet Jeremiah says that the person who becomes rich by unjust means will end up foolish and poor. Whether at work, school, Church, or relationships, we should strive to be honest in all our dealings. Getting a promotion, passing an exam, doing business, or gaining prestige by dishonest means will never bring God’s blessing or lasting happiness. Be warned. Blessings!!!