Contrasts

“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.’” (Jeremiah 17:5–6, ESV)

“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.” (Jeremiah 17:7–8, ESV)

California is an interesting place. We were there years ago on vacation and decided to take a drive from the condo in which we were staying up on the mountain top to the valley below. It amazed me that we left an area with cool temperatures on the top, to the desert valley with only an hour or so of driving. The climatic change was drastic as was the landscape. We went from a region of lush foliage to a barren sandy desert with tumbleweeds blowing across the road. This is a picture of contrasts and it is the metaphor that the Lord gives Jeremiah that describes two types of people.

First, the Lord describes the man who trusts in himself. About this man He stated, “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord.” This person is cursed because his trust is in people, their wisdom, wealth, and might. His underlying problem is in the heart that is turned away from the Lord. About this man, he “is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come.” He dwells in fruitlessness and a very lonely place apart from the Lord.

The second man is presented in contrast to the first. This is the man of faith. The Lord said of him, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.” This man is blessed in every way because his trust is in the Lord and not man. He trusts the infinite wisdom and power and presence of the Almighty in every situation of life. Because of this “He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes.” This man is fruitful in all he does and does not experience anxiety over the future. This is a man whose heart is inclined towards the Lord God.

So, here we see two extremes. Some might say that there is a gradient between the two, but there is not. There are only two types of people. There are those whose hearts are in tune and focused on the Lord and His ways, the people of faith. In contrast there are those whose hearts are turned away from the Lord God, the faithless. Two types of people exist. One is full of blessing and fruitfulness the other is cursed and fruitless.

Yet here we need to understand that blessing and fruitfulness is not defined by the world’s definition. It is not money, power, and prestige. True fruitfulness is realized in the pursuit of God and His righteousness. This comes from the heart. We who have believed in Jesus, by receiving eternal life, are truly blessed beyond measure.