Thus says the Lord, “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind and makes flesh his strength, and whose heart turns away from the Lord. 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 without inhabitant. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord. For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will 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.”
Jeremiah 17:5-8
This is perhaps one of my favorite passages from the Old Testament. To truly appreciate its value, let’s break it up into two parts in order to see the stark contrast that God is making between those who trust in mankind as opposed to those who trust in Him.
Thus says the Lord, “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind and makes flesh his strength, and whose heart turns away from the Lord. 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 without inhabitant.”
Jeremiah 17:5-6
Cursed! That is the declaration for those who trust in mankind (themselves or others). Imagine a dried up bush in the desert. Having grown up in west Texas, I am no stranger to the tumbleweed and I cannot help but think about those blowing, dry pieces of desert shrubbery every time I read this passage. These people are compared to those who lack prosperity. They are like “stony wastes” in the wilderness. They are a “land of salt.” It is not difficult to see the imagery here. Dried up, wasteful, none prosperous people, lacking any healthy spiritual life at all. Nothing can grow here. This is truly a land of death.
But we should not get caught up in the picturesque descriptions and forget to whom God is referring. These are people who trust in themselves as well as others to accomplish what it is they seek. This is the world’s philosophy and definition of success. Believing (falsely) that mankind is capable of sustaining or advancing ourselves, these people place their faith in themselves and their own abilities. On the outside, and to the casual observer, they seem quite prosperous and successful but, spiritually speaking (in the only things that ultimately matter), they are desolate and barren. Now contrast this with the people who make God their trust:
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord. For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will 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.”
Jeremiah 17:7-8
Blessed! That is the declaration for those who trust in God. And it is not difficult to see the contrast of descriptions. These people are like a tree planted by streams of water. They are healthy and whole, fruitful and prosperous. Their leaves are green and they do not get anxious in a time of drought. They know from where they get their strength. These people, like the flourishing tree, are abounding in God’s blessings. They are spiritually wealthy and in need of nothing because they have placed their faith and trust in the only One who can save and deliver.
Jesus describes these two types of people in the following:
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.”
Matthew 7:24-25
“Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”
Matthew 7:26-27
Notice that the difference between the two types of individuals is that one “acted upon” the truth of God’s Word and the other did not. It is not enough for us to hear God’s Word, we must place our faith in the very things in which it says. Knowing what the Bible says and living our lives around those promises and instructions is two very different things indeed. Consider the writer of Hebrews, as he reveals much the same thing:
Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they (the people of Israel) heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.
Hebrews 4:1-2
Trusting in God means trusting in His Word. Trusting in His Word means trusting in His promises. What we hear from scripture must be united by faith (believing in what it actually says). This is the difference between those who are spiritually “dried up” and those who flourish like the healthy tree.
We should all want to be like the tree. Why not ask God today to begin working in you and to make you like a healthy tree, planted by, fed, and nurtured by the living waters of the Spirit.
Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate (His) faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it.
Psalm 37:3-5
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