Who you trust
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Jeremiah 17.5-10
Jeremiah 17.5-10
What is permanent in power politics? Before you answer that question step away from the current contemporary situation. Look at history on a much grander scale, and take into account not just the United States or the west- look at world history. Then, you find, there is nothing permanent in politics. alliances come and go, friends become enemies with the changing of the government in control… Nothing is permanent.
And for Israel, that was true as well. Look at Isaiah 31.3
The Egyptians are man, and not God, and their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord stretches out his hand, the helper will stumble, and he who is helped will fall, and they will all perish together.
That verse tells us that God was paying attention. Israel had relied on Egypt, babylon, other nation states… when they should have been relying on God.
The passage this morning, interestingly doesnt tell us with any certainty the historical particulars- although many have narrowed it down to 2 possibilities- it really doesn’t matter because the real message of the passage this morning is that we need to rely on God alone in all of life’s circumstances.
The next 4 verses tell us about 2 different kinds of people.… those who rely on God and those who rely on men(people).
Look at Jeremiah 17.5-6
Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. 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.
See? The one who relies on people. Right?
Look at the next 2 verses in Jeremiah 17.7-8
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. 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.”
This should remind us of something the Psalmist said in Psalms 1.3-4
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. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
This passage reflects the people who trust in God… note the results of the 2 possibilities of relying on God or relying on men.
Those who rely on men are found with the result of a curse, look again at Jeremiah 17.5
Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord.
A curse?
“Ah, stubborn children,” declares the Lord, “who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin;
The blessing of the man who trusts in God is found in Jeremiah 17.7-8
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. 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.”
A blessing and a curse… a way to see these things is that depending on men spriritual life cannot thrive. And depending on God means a spiritual life that is healthy, growing and abundant. Therefore, growth and fruit are promised.
Unbelief is a parched desert and faith is a fruitful garden!
Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.
This opposites, or dichotomy of situations leads us to ask the question, “Why would one ever consider depending on people when there are such obvious b enefits to depending on God. ?
The answer is a heart problem. Look at Jeremiah 17.9
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
Wow. quite a statment. Look at Proverbs 4.23
Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
The “springs of life” are the truly good things that come from a heart.… just like blood flowing from the heart in your physical body- but you know the heart and the blood and your veins and arteries are all subject to disease and decay. so just as “springs of life” come from the heart- they have a significant possibility of delivering death and destruction as well.
The heart of every problem is the problem with the heart… and it is deceitful.!
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good. God looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.
For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.
And now for a moment, hold this thought and notice that there is a connection between the heart of verse 9 and the actions of verse 10.… look at Jeremiah 17.10
“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.”
The human heart is corrupt, incurable, and sick. It is beyond being fixed… and most of the time, the owner of that heart has no idea.!!
But God does! Let’s put these 2 verses together on the screen to better understand the rhetorical question that is asked and the answer that is given… look at Jeremiah 17.9-10
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? “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.”
“WHO CAN UNDERSTAND IT???”
The answer given is God. We can’t understand our own actions- but God does. He knows us and our hearts better than we know ourselves.
God knows hearts because He is God and He knows. We know hearts because of what we do or what others do. Please note that difference.
God doesn’t need to wait until harvest to see the fruit- he can look at the seed and into the seed to know what will be with that tree… but how does the tree know?
God knows hearts because He is God and He knows. We know hearts because of what we do or what others do. Please note that difference.
Look at that verse on the screen.- … what we do reveals the fruit of our deeds. of our hearts. What is planted in our hearts is revealed in what it DOES- not on what it says.
The heart is the seat of the emotions, but in the bible it is the seat of the belief system- the object of our actions is what we believe. Even Jesus said, “By their fruit you shall know them.” What you do reveals what you believe.
Think about how many times unbelief affected what Israel did and the messes it got them into.
The Jewish people have a record of unbelief.
It was unbelief that kept the people of Israel out of the Promised Land (Num. 13–14).
It was unbelief that caused them to worship idols and invite the chastening of God during the time of the Judges.
During the time of the kingdom, it was unbelief that kept the leaders from repenting and turning to God for help, and they became entangled in the costly politics involving Assyria, Egypt, and Babylon.
God knows hearts because He is God and He knows. We know hearts because of what we do or what others do. Please note that difference.
God knows what we do because of who we are.
God knows what we do because of who we are.
God doesn’t keep resumes or scorecards. He keeps love letters.
We know who God is because of what He does.
We know who God is because of what He does.
We do know scorecards and resumes. We rarely open the love letters.
What if we tried to know God for Who He is instead of what He does?
What if we tried to know God for Who He is instead of what He does?
