Today's Manna · Tuesday, November 10
Jeremiah 17:5-10 — a devotion
The LORD says: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man, relies on strength of flesh, and whose heart departs from the LORD. For he will be like a bush in the desert, and will not see when good comes, but will inhabit the parched places in the...
Jeremiah 17:5-10Jeremiah 17
- 5나 여호와가 이같이 말하노라 무릇 사람을 믿으며 혈육으로 그 권력을 삼고 마음이 여호와에게서 떠난 그 사람은 저주를 받을 것이라Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.The LORD says: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man, relies on strength of flesh, and whose heart departs from the LORD.
- 6그는 사막의 떨기나무 같아서 좋은 일의 오는 것을 보지 못하고 광야 간조한 곳, 건건한 땅, 사람이 거하지 않는 땅에 거하리라For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.For he will be like a bush in the desert, and will not see when good comes, but will inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, an uninhabited salt land.
- 7그러나 무릇 여호와를 의지하며 여호와를 의뢰하는 그 사람은 복을 받을 것이라Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose confidence is in the LORD.
- 8그는 물가에 심기운 나무가 그 뿌리를 강변에 뻗치고 더위가 올지라도 두려워 아니하며 그 잎이 청청하며 가무는 해에도 걱정이 없고 결실이 그치지 아니함 같으리라For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.For he will be as a tree planted by the waters, who spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes, but its leaf will be green, and will not be concerned in the year of drought. It won’t cease from yielding fruit.
- 9만물보다 거짓되고 심히 부패한 것은 마음이라 누가 능히 이를 알리요마는The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?The heart is deceitful above all things and it is exceedingly corrupt. Who can know it?
- 10나 여호와는 심장을 살피며 폐부를 시험하고 각각 그 행위와 그 행실대로 보응하나니I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.“I, the LORD, search the mind. I try the heart, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.”
KJV and World English Bible — Public Domain · 개역한글 ⓒ Korean Bible Society
Background
Jeremiah was a prophet active in the final days of the southern kingdom of Judah, from the late seventh to the early sixth century BC. Facing the threat of the great power Babylon, Judah tried to form an alliance with Egypt and to secure its safety through political calculation. In this situation Jeremiah cried out that they should rely on God alone, not on people, but the king, the people, and the false prophets would not listen. This passage sits in the middle section of Jeremiah and is a well-known text that uses the image of trees to draw a sharp contrast between the person who trusts in man and the person who trusts in God. Set within a context dealing with Judah's sin and the coming judgment, it asks who the true object of our trust should be.
Reflection questions: 1. In difficult situations, what do I turn to before I turn to God? 2. What can I do to put down roots in God, like a tree planted by the waters? 3. Am I honestly laying the true state of my heart before God?
Today's reflection
Jeremiah draws a vivid contrast between two kinds of people. The one who trusts in man, who makes flesh his strength, and whose heart departs from the Lord is cursed — like a shrub in the desert. He will not see when good comes, and he will dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in a land where no one lives. But the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him, is blessed — like a tree planted by the waters. It spreads out its roots by the river; it does not fear when the heat comes, its leaves stay green, it has no worries in a year of drought, and it never stops bearing fruit.
Theologically, the heart of this passage is the object of our trust. A life that leans on people or circumstances and a life that leans on God may look similar on the outside, but when the heat and drought of trials arrive, the fundamental difference is revealed. The tree by the water stays green in a drought not because the tree itself is strong, but because its roots reach the water.
Simply put, what matters is not our own strength but the source we are connected to.
Verses 9-10 speak of the nature of the human heart. The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately corrupt, but God searches the heart and tests the mind, rewarding each person according to his ways and the fruit of his deeds. We do not fully know even our own hearts, but God knows the deepest places within us. That is why we need to live trusting God rather than human judgment.
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