Read Jeremiah 17
17 “Judah’s sin is engraved with an iron tool,
inscribed with a flint point,
on the tablets of their hearts
and on the horns of their altars.
2 Even their children remember
their altars and Asherah poles
beside the spreading trees
and on the high hills.
3 My mountain in the land
and your wealth and all your treasures
I will give away as plunder,
together with your high places,
because of sin throughout your country.
4 Through your own fault you will lose
the inheritance I gave you.
I will enslave you to your enemies
in a land you do not know,
for you have kindled my anger,
and it will burn forever.”
5 This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who draws strength from mere flesh
and whose heart turns away from the Lord.
6 That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;
they will not see prosperity when it comes.
They will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
in a salt land where no one lives.
7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
8 They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.”
9 The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?
10 “I the Lord search the heart
and examine the mind,
to reward each person according to their conduct,
according to what their deeds deserve.”
11 Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay
are those who gain riches by unjust means.
When their lives are half gone, their riches will desert them,
and in the end they will prove to be fools.
12 A glorious throne, exalted from the beginning,
is the place of our sanctuary.
13 Lord, you are the hope of Israel;
all who forsake you will be put to shame.
Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust
because they have forsaken the Lord,
the spring of living water.
14 Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed;
save me and I will be saved,
for you are the one I praise.
15 They keep saying to me,
“Where is the word of the Lord?
Let it now be fulfilled!”
16 I have not run away from being your shepherd;
you know I have not desired the day of despair.
What passes my lips is open before you.
17 Do not be a terror to me;
you are my refuge in the day of disaster.
18 Let my persecutors be put to shame,
but keep me from shame;
let them be terrified,
but keep me from terror.
Bring on them the day of disaster;
destroy them with double destruction.
Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy
19 This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and stand at the Gate of the People,through which the kings of Judah go in and out; stand also at all the other gates of Jerusalem. 20 Say to them, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah and all people of Judah and everyone living in Jerusalem who come through these gates. 21 This is what the Lord says: Be careful not to carry a load on the Sabbath day or bring it through the gates of Jerusalem. 22 Do not bring a load out of your houses or do any work on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your ancestors. 23 Yet they did not listen or pay attention; they were stiff-necked and would not listen or respond to discipline. 24 But if you are careful to obey me, declares the Lord, and bring no load through the gates of this city on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy by not doing any work on it, 25 then kings who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of this city with their officials. They and their officials will come riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by the men of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, and this city will be inhabited forever. 26 People will come from the towns of Judah and the villages around Jerusalem, from the territory of Benjamin and the western foothills, from the hill country and the Negev, bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, and bringing thank offerings to the house of the Lord. 27 But if you do not obey me to keep the Sabbath day holy by not carrying any load as you come through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle an unquenchable fire in the gates of Jerusalem that will consume her fortresses.’”
Go Deeper
Jeremiah 17 balances some of the tough ideas of God’s character, helping us grasp how they all fit together. Jeremiah opens by emphasizing the importance of the heart. The people of Judah had sin marked on their hearts and actions. Their wicked hearts gave into trusting their own ways and riches. Psalm 1 talks about these two opposing ideas: the wicked and the righteous. The ways of the wicked will perish but the righteous are like a tree by the water. In both Jeremiah and Psalms, these passages teach that the health of one’s heart is directly tied to their source; where their roots grow is key. We get the opportunity to abide in Him because He is our source of life (John 15). To delight in His word and trust in His ways is what is where life is found, not by “drawing strength from mere flesh” (v. 5).
When we believe in the Lord, we get to be the tree that lives by the stream because He gives us a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26). But what Ezekiel continues to say in verse 27 is, “I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” Former pastor and scholar Charles L. Feinberg says “from the heart comes action and will.” When we apply this to what we read in Jeremiah is that God is the one who knows the truth of the state of their heart (v. 9-10). We on our own don’t even fully understand the full extent of our sinful nature.
It is not until the Lord softens our hearts to the truth of the Gospel that then we understand the state of our sin and are brought to repentance. God is the one who is in charge of repentance. Romans 2:4 says “God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance.” Because He is the one leading this out, we can find comfort in knowing that He alone is worthy of judgment; He is the one who is able to teach and test and know our hearts in order to bring us to Him.
Jeremiah models this repentance in the way that God’s people continuously fail to do. “Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise” (v. 14). Before Jeremiah says anything else, He goes before the Lord, repenting and submitting. May we follow the model that Jeremiah shows. That the way of the righteous is one of coming before the Lord, delighting in His Word, and trusting in His ways.
Questions
Did You Know?
The word for bush/shrub in verse 6 is the Hebrew word aroer which could mean destitute or bush (specifically a juniper). This comes from the root word arar which means “to strip” or “make bare”. So it is like the shrub is being brought to the end of itself, which is the perfect place for us to lean into the Lord and repent!
Leave a Comment Below
Join the Team
Interested in writing for the Bible Reading Plan? Email hello@biblereadingplan.org.
7 thoughts on “Jeremiah 17”
Blessing or cursing, it matters where we place our trust whether in God or man. The results will be evident as either we will be fruitful or barren. V7-8 reveals, “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” I keenly remember 2020 when our world shut down and through the chaos and unknowns a sense of peace covered my heart. Never in my life did I have so much time to pray and study God’s word and to place my trust in Sovereign God. It will be a time that marked my life for substantial growth where I became more deeply rooted in Christ. John 15:5 reminds us “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
❤️
Our world today says “follow your heart”. Where does that lead? I can testify that it is no where good. Vs 9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? The world is spiritually weak, dry, fruitless and without hope. BUT GOD shows us we can be vs 8 He is like a tree growing near a stream and sending out roots to the water. It is not afraid when hot weather comes, because its leaves stay green; it has no worries when there is no rain; it keeps on bearing fruit.(GNB). Can you, will you turn from, recognize, acknowledge, to repent of your sin to join Him in His way? …or will you follow your own selfish ways to destruction?
This is an amazing chapter of good instructions. 1. Sin engraved on their hearts 2. Mere man is not trustworthy for life eternal 3. BUT GOD is. 4. Heal me, save me, You are my refuge 5. Keep the Sabbath Holy. Listen to God. I am learning more about the Sabbath, it is something not taught very much and we definitely do not do as a society. So that is research for me. BUT GOD is on the move. What we do every minute of the day should be His. Is it?
God thank You for working in me to bring every thought captive and to endeavor to bring all my actions to Your glory. Who can I speak to today? How will my actions bring You glory? Will those who meet me see You in me? God thank You for working in my heart to follow You every minute of this day!! Thank You for growing, learning, understanding and doing things that bring You honor in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
❤️
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” Jeremiah 17: 9-10
I truly wonder if there is anything I’ve ever thought and done with absolutely pure motives…? Deep down, it tends to always be about, “me.” My glory, my recognition, my getting affirmed… God help me become selfless…teach my eyes to be fix on you; depend on you; obey you in all my ways that I naturally forget myself. Amen.
❤️
Yes!