Blessed is the Man who Trusts in the Lord
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord” 8/19/07 pm
Jere. 17:5-8
The setting in which these words were written.
The prophet’s sermons were not all prophetical, but some of them practical;
Zedekiah put his confidence in Egypt and rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar. After Zedekiah’s defeat, his sons were slain in his presence and his own eyes were seared with a hot iron. The blinded king was then led to Babylon as a conquered monarch.
The message is clearly applicable to all men as a warning to trust in the Creator and not in His creation.
Jer. 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.
v5 Thus says the Lord:
Notice who is speaking – The Lord God Almighty
“Cursed is the man who trusts in man
Cursed to call upon divine or supernatural power to send injury upon [1]
Ps. 146:3 Do not put your trust in princes,
Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no 3help (salvation)
.
Isa. 31:1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, (drugs, psychics, treaties)
And rely on horses, (a type of swift strength)
Who trust in chariots because they are many, (numbers)
And in horsemen because they are very strong, (manpower)
But who do not look to the Holy One of Israel,
Nor seek the Lord!
Isa. 30:1-3 “Woe to the rebellious children,” says the Lord,
“Who take counsel, but not of Me,
And who devise plans, but not of My Spirit,
That they may add sin to sin;
2 Who walk to go down to Egypt,
And have not asked My advice,
To strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, (a type of Satan)
And to trust in the shadow of Egypt! (a type of bondage)
3 Therefore the strength of Pharaoh
Shall be your shame,
And trust in the shadow of Egypt
Shall be your humiliation.
And makes flesh his strength,
Isa. 31:3 3 Now the Egyptians are men, and not God;
And their horses are flesh, and not spirit.
When the Lord stretches out His hand,
Both he who helps will fall,
And he who is helped will fall down;
They all will perish together.
Whose heart departs from the Lord.
Heb. 3:12 12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in
departing from the living God;
v6 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.
v6 For he shall be like a shrub in the desert,
Dt. 29:23 23 ‘The whole land is brimstone, (sulfur) salt, (absence of life)and burning(torment); it is not sown(given to or receiving), nor does it bear(unprofitable), nor does any grass grow there(barren), like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, which the Lord overthrew in His anger and His wrath.’
And shall not see when good comes,
Job 20:17 17 He will not see the streams,
The rivers flowing with honey and cream.
Like the 10 spies that only saw the bad of the promise land rather than the good.
v7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
And whose hope is the Lord.
bless•ed : held in reverence : of or enjoying happiness : bringing pleasure, contentment, or good fortune [2]
Ps. 34:8-10 8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
9 Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!
There is no 2want (lack) to those who fear Him.
10 The young lions lack and suffer hunger;
But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.
Ps. 125:1-2 1 Those who trust in the Lord
Are like Mount Zion,
Which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
So the Lord surrounds His people
From this time forth and forever.
Ps. 146:5-9 5 Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,
Whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 Who made heaven and earth,
The sea, and all that is in them;
Who keeps truth forever,
7 Who executes justice for the oppressed,
Who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners.
8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind;
The Lord raises those who are bowed down;
The Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the strangers;
He relieves the fatherless and widow;
But the way of the wicked He 4turns upside down.
Prov. 16:20 20 He who heeds the word wisely will find good,
And whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he.
Isa. 30:18 18 Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you;
And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
Blessed are all those who wait for Him.
v8 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.
v8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,
a tree planted – is placed in its place
by – placed close to needed source of life
the waters – the life sustaining source
A tree that is planted, and planted in the right place, and receives plenty of water grows to be tall, beautiful and strong. It becomes home for birds, shade for man and beast and sometimes even becomes a source of food for both man and beast.
So it is for the person that trusts only in God. They are placed by God, He is always near and they grow strong in the Lord becoming a blessing to God and man.
Which spreads out its roots by the river,
root
1 a : the usu. underground part of a seed plant body that originates usu. from the hypocotyl, functions as an organ of absorption, aeration, and food storage or as a means of anchorage and support, and differs from a stem esp. in lacking nodes, buds, and leaves [3]
Our roots – prayer, bible study, meditation, obedience, fellowship, faithfulness
Notice where our roots are located – by the river – the source of water – living water - Jesus
And will not fear when heat comes;
Is not w/o hope, not w/o direction, not w/o guidance, not w/o source of strength, not w/o comfort, not w/o peace, not w/o a battle plan, not w/o victory
But its leaf will be green,
Full of life because we posses the fountain of living waters
And will not be anxious in the year of drought,
Because we know that hard times are part of this life
Because we know our redeemer lives
Because we know that He is with us, watches over us, and protects us
Because we know He has overcome death, hell, and the grave
Because we have placed our faith and trust in Him alone for our well being
Nor will cease from yielding fruit.
Those that maintain a healthy trust in God will bear fruit fit for the Masters Table.
Love for others
Giving
Caring
Helpfulness
Witness of God
Ps. 1:3 3 He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
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[1]Merriam-Webster, Inc: Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. Eleventh ed. Springfield, Mass. : Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2003
3 salvation
[2]Merriam-Webster, Inc: Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. Eleventh ed. Springfield, Mass. : Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2003
2 lack
4 Lit. makes crooked
usu usually
part participle
esp especially
[3]Merriam-Webster, Inc: Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. Eleventh ed. Springfield, Mass. : Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2003