“Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no-one lives.

But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He 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 the year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:5-8)

In these studies, we are attempting to follow a chronological sequence in the life and ministry of Jeremiah. The earliest prophecies we covered at the beginning of the series were given during the reign of King Josiah, a godly leader who carried out repairs to the Temple. When the ‘Book of the Covenant’ (Deuteronomy) was discovered during these repairs (2 Chron 34) he reaffirmed the nation’s promises of faithfulness to the God of Israel and, much to the approval of Jeremiah, he instituted a policy of cleansing the land from idolatry.

But to Jeremiah’s dismay, Josiah’s son, Jehoiakim, was a pleasure-seeking wastrel who allowed idolatry to spread across the land and especially in Jerusalem. This word that we are considering today is a piece of poetic prophecy that comes from that period which led, as Jeremiah foresaw, to the invasion of Babylon and the surrender of Jerusalem. At the time it was written the invasion was inevitable, but the fate of Jerusalem depended entirely upon whether God would intervene to defend the land - as he had done in the time of King Hezekiah and the prophetic ministry of Isaiah (Isa 37:36-38).

Call to Trust

Jeremiah’s ministry at that time was focused upon trying to alert the leaders and the people to the dangers facing them. It was as though a great cloud of spiritual darkness had descended upon the nation, blinding them to the reality of the danger on the international horizon presented by Babylon. Jeremiah knew that only if the nation put their trust in the Lord was there any chance of national survival. He knew that the tiny army of Judah was no match for the brutal hordes of soldiers under Nebuchadnezzar’s command.

These verses contrast those who put their trust in human values and those who put their trust in God. There was a straight choice facing the nation: if they put their trust in the strength of human flesh, they would bring a curse upon themselves. But if they put their trust fully and completely in the God of Israel, they would be blessed.

At the time this was written the Babylonian invasion was inevitable, but the fate of Jerusalem depended entirely upon whether or not God would intervene.

Time of Drought

Historically, this was a time of severe drought that extended over the whole region and lasted a number of years. Jeremiah saw this as a powerful warning sign from God. The drought was severe in the land of Judah and the whole of chapter 14 is devoted to the drought. It begins with the land mourning and wailing:

The ground is cracked because there is no rain in the land; the farmers are dismayed…Wild donkeys stand on the barren heights and pant like jackals; their eyesight fails for lack of pasture.

It was the same in the city, where the wells were running dry.

The nobles send their servants for water; they go to the cisterns but find no water. They return with their jars unfilled; dismayed and despairing.

The chapter ends with the words,

Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Do the skies themselves send down showers? No, it is you, O Lord our God. Therefore, our hope is in you, for you are the one who does all this.

Remain Deeply Rooted

The word we are considering today comes from the same period, with the background of drought covering the land. This gives added relevance to the contrast between a bush in the desert and a tree planted by a riverbank whose roots draw life-giving water from the stream.

The bush in the desert has no hope of survival. When the drought is finished and showers of refreshing rain fall upon the desert, it will be too late for the bush, which will not survive to see the change in the weather. By contrast, those who put their trust in the Lord God of Israel, the Creator of the Universe, who controls the natural environment and who alone determines whether there will be a drought or rainfall – they have nothing to fear. Even in a time of drought those whose confidence is in the Lord will survive.

Even in a time of drought those whose confidence is in the Lord will survive.

The tree whose roots draw water from the stream will survive a drought because those roots go deep into the ground in the same way as those who put their trust in God have their lives deeply rooted in him. That is why they have no worries in times of hardship and their lives continue to bear fruit.

Jesus says something similar when he reminds his disciples of the necessity of remaining close to him. “No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” He says, “Apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers” (John 15:4-6). This is yet another parallel between the teaching of Jeremiah and that of Jesus.

This article is part of a series on the life and ministry of the Prophet Jeremiah. Click here to read previous instalments.