Text: Jeremiah 17:5-10: 5 Thus says the LORD: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD. 6 He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. 7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. 8 He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” 9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? 10 “I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

History contains many stories of misplaced trust. More than once, these stories concern a nation’s reliance on its military for protection and for projection of power. One of the stranger stories involves the nation of France and the Maginot Line, a system of forts and tunnels that extended over 60 miles between Germany and France. The French spent the years between 1930 and 1940 building the Maginot Line to prevent a German invasion. Unfortunately for the French, the Germans didn’t consider the Ardennes Forest as impénétrable, as the French did. When they invaded France in June 1940, the Germans simply went around the Maginot Line.

In Jeremiah’s words today, the Jews were relying on almost anything — or anyone — for help in their struggles against the Babylonians. The Jews had a nasty habit of depending on the Egyptians for help against the Babylonians. This seems odd considering the history between these two nations, but when sandwiched between two superpowers, a little nation had little choice.

Or did it?

Jeremiah had a better idea: Trust in God for help. This lesson continues to hold true for us today. Rather than trusting in armaments, treasuries, or other fleeting and failing things in life, we can trust in God to help us in trials.

We find a contrast in these verses that reminds us of Psalm 1. Perhaps Jeremiah also had Psalm 1 in mind when he heard the word of the LORD in this passage.

First, we find the man who “trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD.” This man, according to the LORD, is “cursed.” The Hebrew language actually has at least 6 words that mean “curse.” The word used here was used primarily to describe people who somehow impair their relationship with God. This word frequently appears as an antonym to the word for “bless” we find in verse 7. This word is used in the great call of Abram in Genesis 12; if someone curses Abram (a different word for “curse” that typically means to belittle someone) God would “curse” that person (the word used here in Jeremiah). Some scholars believe this word refers to a “hemming in” by God, implying this person will find himself trapped by his own doing. In this case, the curse will result in the man’s entrapment by the Babylonians.

The person cursed in these passage will be like a “shrub in the desert” that will “not see any good come.” The irony lies in the trust of man by these Jews; they will look for good from Egypt to the south, but disaster will come upon them from the Babylonians in the north. This person will find himself cut off from the blessings of God. Instead of dwelling in a land of milk and honey, as God promised the people as they left Egypt, the person who trusts in Egypt will live in desolate, “parched places in the wilderness” where no one really wishes to live.

We see this in our lives today; when we try to disobey God and trust in ourselves, we find ourselves stranded, “hemmed in” by God until we confess our sins and return to the LORD our God.

What happens when we return to the LORD? We then find ourselves in the position of the man in verses 7-8. Again, this passage reminds us of Psalm 1. We shouldn’t find this hard to believe; if we believe God inspired the Psalmist, we should expect Him to use phrases the people would understand when He spoke to them through Jeremiah.

Let’s revisit those verses: “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. 8 He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” Then, let’s visit Psalm 1:

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. (vv. 1-3)

The word for “trust” in Jeremiah refers to complete dependence on something, to the point of relying totally on the object or person trusted. In this case, the believer can completely rely on God to work on his behalf. In this case, the word reminds us of another verse in the Psalms: “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God (Psalm 20:7).” Although the Egyptians would prove untrustworthy, the believers who relied on God would find Him totally reliable in His protection.

The word for “blessed” implies enrichment, physically, spiritually, and materially. Notice that the one who trusts in the LORD will find himself in a position of permanence: He will have no reason to fear when the “heat” of Babylon bears down upon the unbelievers.

Can we rely on God in our lives today? Of course we can. This reliance often comes in strange ways. To the Jewish leaders, relying on Egypt made perfect sense; after all, they could argue, if God truly cared about them, the Babylonians wouldn’t be breathing down their necks anyway.

However, as verses 9-10 remind us, trusting in our own hearts often causes problems. These verses remind us of another passage:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

What do we do in times of trial in life? Trust in the LORD; He knows what we need, and He will provide for our needs.