17 The sin of Judah is written down with an iron stylus;
With a diamond point it is engraved upon the tablet of their heart
And on the horns of [a]their altars,
2 As they remember their children,
So they remember their altars and their [b]Asherim
By green trees on the high hills.
3 O mountain of Mine in the countryside,
I will give over your wealth and all your treasures for booty,
Your high places for sin throughout your borders.
4 And you will, even of yourself, let go of your inheritance
That I gave you;
And I will make you serve your enemies
In the land which you do not know;
For you have kindled a fire in My anger
Which will burn forever.5 Thus says the Lord,
“Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind
And makes flesh his [c]strength,
And whose heart turns away from the Lord.
6 “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 [d]without inhabitant.
7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord
And whose trust is the Lord.
8 “For he will be like a tree planted by the water,
That extends its roots by a stream
And will not fear when the heat comes;
But its leaves will be green,
And it will not be anxious in a year of drought
Nor cease to yield fruit.
As this chapter begins, we have two rather vivid descriptions. The first of the sins of Judah, as God reveals to them how ingrained their sins are, and how deep runs their wickedness. He compares their entrenched behavior to writing with an iron stylus with a diamond tip, and there isn’t much more permanent than that.
In the second passage, God compares those who live such lives–who trust in the flesh and mankind over God–with a bush in the desert, who will not see when prosperity comes. Yet that seems strange, as we’ve seen other passages about the wicked prospering, and how unfair that seems. Jeremiah himself had opined on this very point already.
Yet as we continue, the picture becomes a little clearer, as God compares the one who trusts in the Lord with a tree planted by the water (see also Psalm 1). That seems great, so if we sin, we’ll be like a dead bush in the desert, but if we trust in God, it’ll be smooth sailing, a nice bushy tree with a lovely little stream nearby.
However, there’s a wrinkle that is not unlike when Jesus told us “in this life, you will have tribulation…” for in the final verse, we see not just a few weeks of hardship, but a year of drought. What happens to the tree? It still has to experience the hardship of drought, the growth isn’t the same, and on the surface, it seems the tree might falter.
What about that bush in the desert though? How did it get there? The desert sees rain also, and when it does, the landscape becomes alive with greenery, and lovely little bushes pop up and thrive. They seem to prosper… until the heat and the drought also come. Then there is nothing to sustain it through the hard times, as those indeed come to us all.
The roots are the key, for the tree and for us, because we trust not in the fickle rains. Instead, those roots are tapped into a permanent water source, or in our case, a permanent source of life. God is our source, and we must not place our trust in any other. Like the old song, we “dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus name”.
If things are going well, don’t worry, trouble will come… I know, so encouraging ,right? And when it does, or if you’re going through a difficult season, even a year of drought: keep your roots planted in God and He will see you through. It may not look pretty, or be any fun at all, but He is able to keep that which we entrust to Him, even our very lives. God is our very source for everything we need in this life, and He will not let us go, not today, nor tomorrow, for our eternity is held in His mighty hands.