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.”
9 The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it? 10 “I the Lord search the heart
and test the mind,
to give every man according to his ways,
according to the fruit of his deeds.”
11 Like the partridge that gathers a brood that she did not hatch,
so is he who gets riches but not by justice;
in the midst of his days they will leave him,
and at his end he will be a fool.
12 A glorious throne set on high from the beginning
is the place of our sanctuary. 13 O Lord, the hope of Israel,
all who forsake you shall be put to shame;
those who turn away from you shall be written in the earth,
for they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living water.
14 Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed;
save me, and I shall be saved,
for you are my praise.
REFLECTION:
This passage compares the two types of people who rely on people and those who rely on God. The people of Judah did not trust in Jehovah, but relied on idols and human power, so they became as desolate as deserts and wilderness. On the contrary, those who rely on Jehovah, as described in Psalm 1, are like a tree planted by a stream, and it will bear fruit on time without its leaves withering. In this passage, God clearly pointed out that the root of our sin lies in our own hearts, not social or family reasons. We have a tendency to sin since we were born and it is easy to forget and abandon God, but we can choose whether to continue sinning. When we are tempted by sin, we can easily fall into a trap, or we can ask God to save and help us to escape the snare. In addition, Jeremiah also pointed out that those who use improper means to get rich instantly, will eventually lead to stupidity and poverty. Today, we are in a world that is even more treacherous and corrupt than Jeremiah’s time. We should never abandon our God, seek His salvation and help, and draw strength from Him, because He is the fountain of living water. And we should remember that whether it is work or study, we should all be honest. Anyone who uses disgraceful means to get promoted, pass exams, or gain fame and status will not be blessed by the Lord, nor will it bring long-term benefits.
PRAYER:
Pray for God to strengthen your heart so that you can stand firm and not fall into the traps and snares of the world. Pray for God to enlighten you and enable you to examine whether some of the benefits you currently have are obtained in a way that offends God. If so, confess your sins to God and repent, and ask God to give you strength so that you will never commit the same weakness in the future.
10 “And when you tell this people all these words, and they say to you, ‘Why has the Lord pronounced all this great evil against us? What is our iniquity? What is the sin that we have committed against the Lord our God?’ 11 then you shall say to them: ‘Because your fathers have forsaken me, declares the Lord, and have gone after other gods and have served and worshiped them, and have forsaken me and have not kept my law, 12 and because you have done worse than your fathers, for behold, every one of you follows his stubborn, evil will, refusing to listen to me. 13 Therefore I will hurl you out of this land into a land that neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you shall serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.’
14 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when it shall no longer be said, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ 15 but ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.’ For I will bring them back to their own land that I gave to their fathers.
REFLECTION:
In this passage, Jeremiah declared God’s judgment to the people of Judah on behalf of God: because they were stubborn and rebellious, God would drive them out of the Promised Land where they lived for generations. Then God promised that when the day came, He would bring His people back into the land He gave to their ancestors, and they would experience a miracle greater than that of the exodus from Egypt (v15). The Book of Exodus records how God performed a miraculous salvation to save His people from Egypt’s slavery. God’s promise will never fail. We can see that the history of the Israelite’s return from exile is more glorious and memorable than that of Exodus. This history records the Israelite’s stubbornness and abandoning God, but God still treat them with infinite love and compassion. Today, do you also see the wonder of God’s salvation? In your personal growth experience, even though you are sometimes far away from God, have you experienced God’s guidance to you, never abandoning nor forsaking you?
PRAYER:
Come to God with a grateful heart, count the blessings of God, review your life journey, and see how many times you have been far away from God but He has pulled you back again? Pray that God will hold you tight with a cord of compassion, so that you can develop a closer relationship with Him.
15 O Lord, you know;
remember me and visit me,
and take vengeance for me on my persecutors.
In your forbearance take me not away;
know that for your sake I bear reproach. 16 Your words were found, and I ate them,
and your words became to me a joy
and the delight of my heart,
for I am called by your name,
O Lord, God of hosts. 17 I did not sit in the company of revelers,
nor did I rejoice;
I sat alone, because your hand was upon me,
for you had filled me with indignation. 18 Why is my pain unceasing,
my wound incurable,
refusing to be healed?
Will you be to me like a deceitful brook,
like waters that fail?
19 Therefore thus says the Lord:
“If you return, I will restore you,
and you shall stand before me.
If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless,
you shall be as my mouth.
They shall turn to you,
but you shall not turn to them. 20 And I will make you to this people
a fortified wall of bronze;
they will fight against you,
but they shall not prevail over you,
for I am with you
to save you and deliver you,
declares the Lord. 21 I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked,
and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.”
REFLECTION:
Jeremiah blamed God for not helping him when he needed His help the most. Jeremiah felt anger, pain, and fear in his heart. He only took pity for his own experience and no longer focused on God’s will. God was not angry at Jeremiah, but just re-adjusted Jeremiah’s priorities through His response. As the spokesperson of God, Jeremiah’s primary duty is to influence others, not to be influenced by others. This passage reminds us that as God’s children, God wants us to trust Him in everything. We can express our deepest thoughts and emotions to God through prayer, even if we blame God. God will be gracious to us like He did to Jeremiah. He will be with us and save us from evil. At the same time, He also wants us to understand that no matter what environment we are in or what difficulties we encounter, as God’s people, our primary task is to represent God to influence those in the world who don’t know God, and to bear witness for God to manifest His glory.
PRAYER:
Pour out your incomprehension and even complaints about God in your heart, and listen carefully to God’s loving response. Ask God to make you obey the incomprehensible things, and lead you through this obedience. Make you a humble and holy child of God so that not only you will not be affected by the world, but to be a good witness for God among the non-believers.
