Hey, Everybody!
Soon after this post is published, I’ll be on a plane to Sioux Falls, South Dakota for this weekend’s Living Proof Live. I love going to the Dakotas so I am filled with joy over the privilege to serve there and anticipating God’s gracious and obvious (please let it be, Lord) presence crowded around us and welling up within us. Please pray for Jesus to be exalted, experienced, and enthroned there and for many to be saved and stunningly delivered.
My Scripture memory selection this week is springing up from my Monday morning reading there in my den at home. I’ve mentioned many times that I use a different translation for my devotional and prayer time so that the words will fall particularly fresh on me and so that, if the reading happens to be a familiar segment, I can’t anticipate it and unintentionally dismiss it. The translation I often use is The NET Bible. I’m going to give you the whole segment I read Monday morning so that you’ll see the verse I’ve chosen this time around in its context. This is Jeremiah 17:5-8 (NET):
17:5 The LORD says,
“I will put a curse on people
who trust in mere human beings,
who depend on mere flesh and blood for their strength,
and whose hearts have turned away from the LORD.
17:6 They will be like a shrub in the desert.
They will not experience good things even when they happen.
It will be as though they were growing in the desert,
in a salt land where no one can live.
17:7 My blessing is on those people who trust in me,
who put their confidence in me.
17:8 They will be like a tree planted near a stream
whose roots spread out toward the water.
It has nothing to fear when the heat comes.
Its leaves are always green.
It has no need to be concerned in a year of drought.
It does not stop bearing fruit.
If you are like me, you found the way the NET translates the very first verse (V.5) a little disturbing. You’ll be relieved to know this isn’t the Scripture I’ve chosen to memorize (smiling) but it still needs addressing so that we’re not too distracted by it to engross ourselves in the remainder of the segment. If you’re familiar with the passage, you are probably more accustomed to wording like the NIV: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man.” The fact that the NET makes God the one “putting” the curse on man makes us squirm. Before we let it tie us in a knot and throw us in a lake of fear, we have to remind ourselves of our position in Christ. We have the glorious benefit of living this side of the completed work of the Cross and resurrection.
Galatians 3:13 says to our great relief: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us – for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.'”
Jeremiah 17:5 is still tremendously relevant to us because it unfolds the misery of counting on mere flesh and blood. I wonder if the “curse” talked about in this verse is of the same ilk as the one in Genesis 3 that came directly from God to man after the fall in the Garden. If Adam and Eve were doing anything at all when they ate from that tree, they were shifting their trust from God to themselves – mere flesh and blood – by attempting to be God-like. Though the Cross of Christ bore the curse for us, we can still endure the desolation that invariably results from placing our trust and confidence in people rather than God. This gets us where we’re going in our post today. Look back at Jeremiah 17:6 because this is the part that totally captivated me.
“They will be like a shrub in the desert. They will not experience good things even when they happen.”
Read it again if you need to but don’t proceed until you’ve tried to absorb that second sentence. Have you ever been right in the middle of something good happening and yet missed the full experience and joyful impact of it? Surely you’ve said silently to yourself as I’ve said to myself, “I should really be happy right now. What is wrong with me??” You know the feeling. You’re in a celebration or service of some kind or a holiday gathering and yet you almost feel detached from it. You’re there. But you are somehow disconnected from experiencing it. You know “it” (the positive thing presently happening) but you can’t feel it. It’s a good thing but you don’t feel good about it…or in it. What on earth is that about?
Jeremiah would suggest that the experience of good can be disconnected from the good because we are in a season of shifted trust from God to man. When we’ve set our hopes for happiness in how well all our people are doing…getting along…flourishing…affirming us…satisfying us…and all-around-generally-blessing us, and we even get a glimmer of it, we can’t experience the good because we know down deep that we can’t hold onto it. As much as we love all our people, we know that, ultimately, they are not going to come through for us. One shoe will drop. Then the other. The disappointment will come. And the harmony we feel for this moment with our fellow humans could at any second flip upside down into complete mayhem.
Notice the part that says “they will be like a shrub in the desert.” Isn’t it ironic that the more we depend on flesh and blood to come through for us and to fulfill us, the more isolated we become? You’d think that numbers alone would insure company and community. In other words, why derive our strengths and confidences from one God when we could get infinitely more out of all these people? Out of all these communities? Out of all our fellow church members? Out of all our Facebook friends? Our fellow tweeters? Company is one click away.
But it never works that way, does it? We never can let down our guard completely and find any shred of real security from flesh and blood. The person obsessed with us today can turn on us tomorrow and we know it. The person who makes life worth living for us today could die on us tomorrow and we know it. I don’t mean to be morose. I just mean to point out the emotional tightrope we’re walking. Being vastly people-oriented rather than God-oriented always ends up taking us to a place of isolation because they’re invariably busy when we want to play, invariably distracted when we want attention, and invariably more taken with themselves than with us. And so, there we sit, with our trust and confidence in mere flesh and blood and we end up feeling like a shrub in a desert. Just as Jeremiah 17:6 says, “It will be as though [we] are growing in the desert, in a salt land where no one can live.”
Trust in man can seem a great place to visit but no one can really live there and come out calling it living.
It’s so odd to me that the more drawn I feel to God and the more taken I become with His Presence, the freer I am to love other people and the less I hold them responsible for me. Community with God increases our “experience” of good in a community of people. It is its own paradox.
And all of this brings us to the verse I have chosen for my memory work this time around:
Beth, Houston. My blessing is on those people who trust in Me, who put their confidence in Me. Jeremiah 17:7 The NET Bible
And what earthly difference would that make? Well, let’s see…
“They will be like a tree planted near a stream whose roots spread out toward the water. It has nothing to fear when the heat comes. Its leaves are always green. It has no need to be concerned in a year of drought. It does not stop bearing fruit.”
Notice a very intriguing contrast hidden in Jeremiah 17:8 – “It has nothing to fear when the heat comes.”
Reflect back on 17:6b – “They will not experience good things even when [good things] happen.”
When we place our confidence in mere flesh and blood, we are shortchanged even when good things happen. When we place our confidence in God, the Immortal Invisible, we have nothing to fear even when hard things happen. The former leaves us a dry shrub. The latter makes us a fruit-bearing tree.
We never get this lesson learned once and for all, do we? Or maybe it’s just me. I still get so tempted to put my confidence in people and to think that, if all my loved ones were safe, well, and flourishing, I could be so happy. The truth of it is, I do want those things for my loved ones but God alone can come through for them and for me. Anyway, at the end of the day, I could have everything this world could offer and all the good that man could possibly do me and still sit back and think, “Why doesn’t it feel better than this?”
My blessing is on those people who trust in Me, who put their confidence in Me.
Let’s hear your verses, Sisters!
Tags: Scripture Memory 2013
Jordin, Albuquerque
“Only fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things He has done for you.”
1 Samuel 12:24, ESV
christina, Plano, Texas~
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Ephesians 4:29, NIV1984
Beth, I needed this scripture (again) today!
Fran, Gulf Shores, AL
My blessing is on those people who trust in Me, who put their confidence in Me.
Jeremiah 17:7 The NET Bible
Lisa, Mauldin, SC
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1 (NIV)
Karen, Colchester VT
Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
Psalm 90:14 NIV
Sissy, Waycross,GA
HCSB ” The one who speaks fo rhimself seeks his own glory. But He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and their is no unrighteousness in Him.” John 7:18
Walker, LA
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. (1 Corinthians 13:4 NIV)
Sharon Modesto, california
Ps. 29:2 NIV
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness!
Sandy Bowers, Bryan, Ohio
You are my refuge and my shield;I have put my hope in your word.
— Psalm 119:114 (NIV)
But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.
2Thes 3:3
Karla Dumal
Gulfport, MS
Preserve me, O God, for in you I put my trust.
Psalm 16:1 KJV
You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word.
Psalm 119:114 ESV
Sorry forgot to put my name and city.
Brea B. Gardendale, AL
Brenda, Collinston
“Don’t put your life in the hands of experts who know nothing of life, of salvation life. Instead, get help from the God of Jacob, put your hope in God and know real blessing!” Psalms 146:3&5 The Message
Debra, San Antonio, TX.
My blessing is on those people who trust in Me, who put their confidence in Me.
Jeremiah 17:7 NET
Rebecca, Chattanooga, TN
I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
Psalm 2:7-9 ESV
– This sounds like an odd choice out of context…I am working on the entire Psalm in sections.
Marilyn Wirsz Odessa, FL
“Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.”
Psalm 62:8 ESV
Dee Dee Fernandina Beach, Florida
“The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.”
1 John 2:17
Terri from Mechanicsville, VA,
‘Be completely humble and gentle; be patient; bearing with one another in love.’
Ephesians 4:2 (NIV)
Cathy, Fridley
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. James 5:16 ESV
Punky Tolson
Dallas, TX
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline. (NLT)
Wendy Fort Walton Beach, FL
Psalm 62:8 ESV
Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.
Paulette
Nogalus Prairie, TX
“Direct my steps by Your Word! Do not let any sin dominate me.” Ps. 119:133
NET Bible
Sue ~ Hartland, MI
The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions
never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your Faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22&23
NASB
Suzanne
Tenaha, TX
Psalm 119:114 MSG
You’re my place of quiet retreat;
I wait for your Word to renew me. Ps. 119:114
Vicki
Murfreesboro, TN
Colossians 4:5-6a (HCSB)
“Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the time. Your speech should always be gracious….”
Johanna, Carlsbad CA
1 Corinthians 6:12 (NIV)
“Everything is permissible for me” – but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me” – but I will not be mastered by anything.”
Patti Cocchi San Rafael, Ca.
“And He brought us out from there, that he might bring us in, and give us the land.”
Deut. 6:23
ESV
Emily from Birmingham, AL …
“Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, that He may come and rain righteousness upon you.” Hosea 10:12 (ESV)
Mary Lou, Forest City, Iowa
“But I trust in you, Lord; I say ‘You are my God. My times are in your hands.'” Psalm 31:14-15a (NIV)
For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a whip or in love and with a gentle spirit?
1 Corinthians 4:20,21
Betsy from Westerville, Ohio
Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Proverbs 12:18 NIV
Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Toni, Greer, SC. “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39, NIV
John 14:6 RSV
Joanna Duck, Norman, Oklahoma
Ezra 3:11 KJV
“And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the Lord; because he is good, for his mercy endureth forever.”
Cher Goeder, Toledo, OH
NIV Jeremiah 17:7
“But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.”
Connie from Carterville, IL
For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; as by the heat of summer.
Psalm 32:3-4 ESV
Carla, Pierre, SD
My blessing is on those people who trust in Me, who put their confidence in Me. Jeremiah 17:7 NET Bible
Sherri Bennett, Huntington Beach, CA:
“and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.””
Revelation 21:4, NASB
Judy Heindl – Cottageville, WV KJV
Jeremiah 17:7 “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.”
Linda, Longview: For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. II Corinthians 10: 3-4 NIV
Shirley Barry, Mooresville, NC
Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139:23-24 NIV
Alison from Southport, NC. “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:4. NKJV.
Kristi Rogersville, TN
Psalm 92:2 NIV
Proclaiming your love in the morning
And your faithfullness at night
Cindy, St. Louis, MO: “Yes, I am the Vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in Me and I in them will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 NLT
Leverett, MA
The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous
And His ears are open to their cry.
Psalm 34:15 NASB
Linda, Olympia, WA
“Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!”
Ps. 107:8 nkjv
Lauren, Kentucky, 2 Corinthians 12:9, “but He said unto me, “My grace is sufficient fo you; my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore will I boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
Richelle, Kingston, TN
All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant.
Psalm 25:10 (NIV)
Tatiana, Geneva, IL
And you shall rejoice, you and your households, in all that you undertake, in which the Lord your God has blessed you.
Deuteronomy 12:7 (ESV)