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

“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

When it comes to this life, we all have a decision to make. And because there is only one God and only one way of salvation and eternal life, we either build our life on Christ and the power of God’s Spirit and His Word or we do not. It really matters not what we choose other than Christ, this decision does not lead to life now or in eternity. But when we build our lives on the truth of God’s Word, enjoying redemption, restoration, and the power of God’s Spirit within, we live life abundantly now and have everything to look forward to in the future. Serving God, enjoying His favor, and being with Him for all of eternity…this is the reality for all those who surrender their lives to Jesus Christ!

And wouldn’t you know, the Old and the New Testaments both have something to say about this binary decision. Let’s begin by looking at the choice we don’t want to make. In Jeremiah, we read that we are cursed when we do any or all of three (3) things. First, we are cursed when we trust in mankind. People will let you down…they’ll often disappoint you. It’s nice to have a trusted friend and someone that you can lean on. This is an important part of the church, to gather with likeminded believers who will encourage and support you in your walk with Christ. But Jeremiah is referring to a worldly philosophy, one that believes that mankind’s problems can actually be solved by man (humans). But the reality is that no one can solve the spiritual problem that sin and death bring. Only Christ can solve that problem and unless we completely surrender our lives to Him, we can expect to continue the futility of trying to find answers that simply do not lie with humanity alone. 

Secondly, we are cursed when we make flesh our strength. This goes right along with the philosophy that we can figure things out on our own. “Flesh” refers to what we can accomplish ourselves. The problem with human flesh is that it is corruptible, deceitful, and wholly incapable of meeting our deepest needs. Flesh takes us away from the best that God has for us, so it’s not surprising that Jeremiah would make mention of it as an element that contributes to putting us on the dead end road of self-made success and self reliance. 

Thirdly, we are cursed when our hearts turn from the Lord. Putting our trust in mankind and making flesh our strength is indeed synonymous with turning from the Lord and His plans and instructions. We were created for a relationship with God. God desires for us to come to salvation and the knowledge of the truth so that we can avoid the pitfalls that line the road of life. And only when we rely on Him and HIs wisdom, do we find ourselves fully equipped, adequately supplied, and empowered to make good decisions, effectively keeping us from the calamity that is certain for all who turn away from the Lord and reject His promises.  

So what does it mean to be cursed? In scripture, being cursed refers to a judgment or consequence deriving from a choice or decision that has been made. Just like we teach our children that there are consequences for the choices they make, whether good or bad, God’s Word provides us instructions designed to keep us from facing a life of negative consequences and eternal judgment. And Jeremiah uses a word picture to demonstrate what this life, built on something other than trusting in the Lord, ultimately looks like. 

Building our lives apart from the word of God leads to our lives being like “a bush in the desert.” Having grown up in West Texas, I am no stranger to tumbleweeds. They are dried up bushes with no substantial root system to anchor them, therefore, they blow wherever the wind blows. I think of the tumbleweed every time I read this passage. And compare this to what the Bible describes as an “unstable” life:

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. 

  James 1:5-8

An unstable man is double-minded, literally “two-souled.” This person has no anchor when it comes to the truth and because he has neglected to build his life on something other than the word of God, his decision-making leaves him spiritually “unstable.” Consequently, he doesn’t know what to believe and is effectively tossed around like the tumbleweed, having no secure root system to anchor him and provide him direction and purpose. Furthermore, the person described in Jeremiah “will not see when prosperity comes, but will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, a land of salt without inhabitant.” The world has its own definition of prosperity, but in the end, temporal things will disappoint, leaving us wishing that we had heeded God’s instructions. 

Jesus, On How Not To Build Our Lives

Yes, the New Testament speaks of the same choice that we have in this life, one of building our lives on Christ or something else. Jesus speaks to this in the following passage:

“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

Just like the person in Jeremiah, who puts his trust in mankind and makes flesh his strength, effectively turning from God and His ways, is the person who builds his life on the sand. Because the sand provides a faulty foundation in which to build, this person, when faced with rain, floods, and wind, will see his house (life) fall. But what is important here is what Jesus equates to building on the sand. This builder is labeled by Christ as “foolish” and it’s because this person hears the words of Jesus but “does not act on them.” Consider these passages:

But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.

James 1:22-24

But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.

        James 1:25

It’s not enough to merely hear the word of God, we are to meditate on it, believe it, and build our lives on the firm foundation that it provides. Being “effectual doers” and not “forgetful hearers” is the key to true success, being blessed in everything that we do (Psalm 1:1-3, Psalm 37:4).  And if we are honest, this is what separates true, authentic Christians from those who either reject the gospel or are merely posing as followers of Jesus.

Trusting in mankind or trusting the Lord? Merely hearing God’s Word and walking away or hearing and putting them into practice? This is the choice that everyone must make in their lifetime! Which one have you chosen?

He who believes in Him (Jesus) is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 

  John 3:18