Daily Devotion (September 21, 2024)
Jeremiah 17:5–8
5 Thus says the LORD: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the LORD.
6 For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited.
7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD.
8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.
Trust! Where do we place our trust. Jeremiah is writing about a nation, Israel, who placed trust in their own wisdom and power. The result of this is they would be disappointed and eventually cursed. They would be like stunted bushes in the desert that had no hope of recovery when the Lord sent the rain of His blessings.
What was the sin of Israel? They trusted in the power of man instead of God. The person who did not trust in God would be cursed. They would be like a stunted bush in the desert. They had no hope of recovery when the good came.
The contrast is of a person who trusted in the Lord. They would be blessed. Even in tough times God would nourish them and root them in life. They would not fear when the trials came but would be conquers for God.
God never fails. Proverbs 3:5–6 tells us to “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” We, the USA, are going to go through some demanding times. Do not forsake God in the good times.
The one who trust God in the good times will be blessed in the challenging times. We can pretend to walk with God but when the troubled times come the ungodly will be exposed. Psalm 1: 4 The ungodly are not so but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.