A Tale of Two Trees
5 This is what the Lord says:
Jeremiah 17:5-8
“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.”
A comparison is made between two types of people. The difference is where they place their trust or confidence.
The first person is cursed because he trusts in people and his own strength. He is like a bush in the desert. The word “bush” (עַרְעָ֣ר, ar’ar) is only used here and in Psalm 102:17 (there translated “destitute”) with a similarly spelled word in Jeremiah 48:6. The root means “to strip oneself, to lay bare, to demolish”. It is a play on words with “cursed” (arur). What type of plant is this? One common translation is the juniper, from the cypress family. Others have identified it with the Sodom apple, a type of milkweed with fruit-looking pods which only contain threads inside to spread its seeds. The local Bedouin call it the “cursed lemon”, saying it was a cursed fruit from when Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed (Genesis 19).
The second person is blessed because he trusts in the Lord. He is like a tree (the word is generic) that is luxuriant and green. Psalm 1:3 makes the same comparison. This tree taps into something outside its control, being planted by life-giving water. Even in times of drought, it is cared for.
We have to make a choice. Who/what will we rely on? Do we put our trust in the economy, in government, in science, or in our own abilities? Or will we trust in the unchanging God who made this world? While human leadership is important (and God-ordained), it is not a replacement for God himself. God created science and has gifted many talented people, but they are not God. I pray that God gives leaders wisdom to rule and gives scientists breakthroughs to combat the virus.
I’m not claiming that trusting in him means everything will be fine. The green tree still has to deal with years of difficult drought. However, he has promised to be with us in those times and can use them for his glory. It means taking necessary precautions based on human wisdom but ultimately placing our health and safety in the Lord’s gracious hands.
To Ponder…
- Who/what do you trust the most? On what do you rely?
- Are you confident that God is in control and knows what he’s doing?
- When do you ask the Lord for help: up front or after you’ve tried on your own?
