Cursed…like a desert shrub

“Thus says the LORD: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD. 6 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.” ESV Jeremiah 17:5-6

Last week I made mention of my fondness for the book of Jeremiah. His word pictures are absolutely brilliant. And his message is a timely one for our age. You may recall that in Jeremiah 17:7-8 we pictured a blessed man; blessed because he trusted in the Lord. This week is just the opposite.

Lonesome Dove; High Plains Drifter; The Good The Bad and The Ugly; what do all these films have in common? What picture appears in your mind’s eye? My thoughts immediately turn to the American West where rugged men bore harsh, hot, arid conditions to survive; some through honest commerce, some by dishonest commerce, some with partners and some alone. But the common thread in these movies matches a common thread that permeates our society; selfishness. At the end of the day, the characters in these movies really only cared about themselves. They trusted in no one except themselves. And they were supremely confident in their own abilities.

Our society applauds self sufficient, self confident individuals. We admire them. We place them in our advertisements. (Remember the Marlboro man?) We laud them on the tube. But Jeremiah sees them differently. Jeremiah, speaking for God, says that those individuals who trust only in their own strengths and abilities instead of trusting in the Lord are cursed. This is strong language; and a strong indictment towards our ‘its all about me’ mentality.

Lonely. At the end of the day, all of the movie characters mentioned were lonely. Some of them rode off into the distance alone. Some of them parted ways with friends. Some of them died lonely deaths. None of these endings would surprise to Jeremiah. Jeremiah likens the self centered life to a shrub in the desert.

I let my mind wander about desert shrubs for a bit. I have no recollection of desert shrubs bearing fruit for the benefit of others or future generations. My mind’s eye can’t come up with much foliage to shade the parched earth. There is nothing majestic about a desert shrub. They all seem kind of thorny to me. They seem downright difficult to be near and inhospitable. Everything that comes to mind about a desert shrub has to do with taking instead of giving; with self preservation and survival. So too is the man who trusts only in his abilities and abandons the Lord.

What about you? Are you a giver or a taker? Do you trust in your own abilities or is your trust in the Lord? The difference in this life is striking. The important difference will be in eternity. Trust in the Lord.

Many Tangents

“Thus says the LORD: "Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them, 3 for the customs of the peoples are vanity…”ESV Jeremiah 10:2-3

This past week several things have caught my attention that have reemphasized in my mind the need to learn, follow, and teach our children sound Christian doctrine. Jeremiah didn’t lack reminders in his day for the need to do the same.

In Jeremiah’s world, it was the “in thing” to worship manufactured idols. The idols were innocent looking enough; generally fashioned from wood. They were actually quite attractive and sometimes expensive with ornate silver, gold and jeweled accents. They didn’t physically harm anyone, and since the Babylonians were doing it (who, at the time, were known as the most formidable nation on earth) it must have seemed like a good thing. Oh, how easily we wander off on tangents.

We don’t lack for tangents today. This past week I’ve seen an advertisement for a new television series featuring a lady who speaks to the dead; a modern day fortune teller. Biblically, she would be labeled a soothsayer. The tragedy here is that some folks will actually be drawn into the show. They’d rather be amused for the time slot than seek real truth found in the Bible.

Another thing that caught my attention this week was a news snippet about the Peoples Temple mass suicide from 1978. I’m old enough to remember that event, but it still confounds me. 900 people died that day in a mass suicide that their leader, Jim Jones, orchestrated. Those people had gone off on a tangent and either purposefully or totally inadvertently followed it to their death.

Thinking of Jim Jones brought Heavens Gate to my memory. Many of you remember the Heavens Gate suicide that coincided with the arrival of the Hale-Bopp comet in 1997. 38 people followed a false prophet to their death in a group suicide orchestrated by their leader.

Like I said, we don’t lack for tangents today. Several more could be discussed; Scientology, The Da Vinci Code, I even found some modern day Baal worshipers on the internet. Yes, the same Baal that you find in your Bible. The same Baal that lost 450 prophets one afternoon when they got cross-threaded with a prophet named Elijah. But I digress…

The key to not being led astray on tangents is staying focused on truth. That is truth found in the Bible. And that’s the point Jeremiah is making. He is telling his audience (and us) to gather truth from God, not from man. He’s also warning us not to get caught up in what happens to be the popular tangent of the day. He says we shouldn’t concern ourselves with them, even if entire nations are flocking after them. And he rightly notes that all tangents of man are vain.

This may sound harsh, but we are a vain, me-centered society. I read a great quote in the October, 2007 edition of The Banner of Truth. Speaking of how self-centered we are as a society it says: “As someone once said, ‘God made man in his own image, and man returned the compliment.’” Ouch!

At the end of the day you cannot craft a god of your liking and at the same time expect to escape the consequences of following a tangent or ultimately the wrath of the one true God of heaven. Keep to the straight path. Stick with truth. Teach your children the truth.

Trust in the Living God

7 "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. 8 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." ESV Jeremiah 17:7-8

The more time I spend studying Jeremiah, the more I fall in love the book and the Prophet. His words always paint vivid pictures in my mind and his message is always timely. Today’s verse is no exception.

Study the verse above and let your mind wander; paint a picture in your mind. I see a large mature beech tree next to a stream in the woods. Its canopy unfolds some seventy feet high filtering brilliant sunlight that’s streaming down. Green leaves flutter in the breeze. Its roots hold steadfast as they reach deep into the soil in around the stream seeking nourishment. The forest floor is soft and fertile from years of shedding and many smaller trees have sprouted from its root so that even when it eventually falls, its legacy will live on.

The picture in your mind is no doubt different than mine, but I hope the image you have is one of steadfastness, flourishing, and legacy. So too are the traits of those who trust in the Lord. They are steadfast regardless of circumstances. They flourish even when life brings drought and they leave a legacy (their faith) when they pass.

Steadfast. That’s how you describe those who trust in the Lord. They are not tossed about and distracted by every doctrine that comes along. Instead, they hold steadfast in the truth of God’s word and seek it for nourishment. Circumstances change (jobs, health, wealth, etc.) but they remain steadfast in the truth of God’s word.

Those who trust in the Lord also flourish in all kinds of circumstances. They live out their faith each day regardless of what it brings. They glorify God when life is filled with abundance and they glorify God when life is filled with tragedy. How? They flourish in and through Christ.

Finally, those who trust in the Lord leave a legacy; their faith. Through their witness and daily living others are brought to the faith in the Lord. What greater legacy could we leave?

Many of you know my favorite saying: “Every day is a good day.” Some folks would beg to differ, but for Christians, the saying holds true. I am well aware that many days bring disappointment and even tragedy. But I don’t contend that every day is pleasant, but instead good. Every day is good, if for no other reason, because it is a gift from God. (Admittedly, for unrepentant sinners, the saying can never be true.)

My saying was put to the test this past week. Many of you knew Mark Smith. Mark was killed in a tragic accident last week. As I spoke to the family and looked into their eyes, I saw hope through their tears. That blessed hope that only Christians enjoy; the hope and faith that Mark has left this world to be with his Lord and that one day they’ll be reunited.

They have that hope and faith because of the confidence they have in the God Mark worshipped. You see, Mark’s trust was in the Lord. And like the beech tree I picture when I read Jeremiah, Mark stood steadfast in the truth of God’s word and he flourished in that he shared the love of God in all circumstances. Even in death, he has left a legacy because he shared his faith with others.

Trust in the living God is what allows Christians to see each day as good even when circumstances are tragic. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord.