5 Thus says the Lord , " Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind And makes flesh his strength , And whose heart turns away from the Lord . 6 "For he will be like a bush in the desert And will not see when prosperity comes , But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness , A land of salt without inhabitant . 7 " Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord And whose trust is the Lord . 8 "For he will be like a tree planted by the water , That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes ; But its leaves will be green , And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit . 9 "The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick ; Who can understand it? 10 "I, the Lord , search the heart , I test the mind , Even to give to each man according to his ways , According to the results of his deeds . 11 "As a partridge that hatches eggs which it has not laid , So is he who makes a fortune , but unjustly e ; In the midst of his days it will forsake him, And in the end he will be a fool ."
12 A glorious throne on high from the beginning Is the place of our sanctuary . 13 O Lord , the hope of Israel , All who forsake You will be put to shame . Those who turn away on earth will be written down , Because they have forsaken the fountain of living water , even the Lord . 14 Heal me, O Lord , and I will be healed ; Save me and I will be saved , For You are my praise . 15 Look , they keep saying to me, "Where is the word of the Lord ? Let it come now !" 16 But as for me, I have not hurried away from being a shepherd after You, Nor have I longed for the woeful day ; You Yourself know that the utterance of my lips Was in Your presence . 17 Do not be a terror to me; You are my refuge in the day of disaster . 18 Let those who persecute me be put to shame , but as for me, let me not be put to shame ; Let them be dismayed , but let me not be dismayed . Bring on them a day of disaster , And crush them with twofold destruction !
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Jeremiah 17:5-18
Commentary on Jeremiah 17:5-11
(Read Jeremiah 17:5-11)
He who puts confidence in man, shall be like the heath in a desert, a naked tree, a sorry shrub, the product of barren ground, useless and worthless. Those who trust to their own righteousness and strength, and think they can do without Christ, make flesh their arm, and their souls cannot prosper in graces or comforts. Those who make God their Hope, shall flourish like a tree always green, whose leaf does not wither. They shall be fixed in peace and satisfaction of mind; they shall not be anxious in a year of drought. Those who make God their Hope, have enough in him to make up the want of all creature-comforts. They shall not cease from yielding fruit in holiness and good works. The heart, the conscience of man, in his corrupt and fallen state, is deceitful above all things. It calls evil good, and good evil; and cries peace to those to whom it does not belong. Herein the heart is desperately wicked; it is deadly, it is desperate. The case is bad indeed, if the conscience, which should set right the errors of other faculties, is a leader in the delusion. We cannot know our own hearts, nor what they will do in an hour of temptation. Who can understand his errors? Much less can we know the hearts of others, or depend upon them. He that believes God's testimony in this matter, and learns to watch his own heart, will find this is a correct, though a sad picture, and learns many lessons to direct his conduct. But much in our own hearts and in the hearts of others, will remain unknown. Yet whatever wickedness there is in the heart, God sees it. Men may be imposed upon, but God cannot be deceived. He that gets riches, and not by right, though he may make them his hope, never shall have joy of them. This shows what vexation it is to a worldly man at death, that he must leave his riches behind; but though the wealth will not follow to another world, guilt will, and everlasting torment. The rich man takes pains to get an estate, and sits brooding upon it, but never has any satisfaction in it; by sinful courses it comes to nothing. Let us be wise in time; what we get, let us get it honestly; and what we have, use it charitably, that we may be wise for eternity.
Commentary on Jeremiah 17:12-18
(Read Jeremiah 17:12-18)
The prophet acknowledges the favour of God in setting up religion. There is fulness of comfort in God, overflowing, ever-flowing fulness, like a fountain. It is always fresh and clear, like spring-water, while the pleasures of sin are puddle-waters. He prays to God for healing, saving mercy. He appeals to God concerning his faithful discharge of the office to which he was called. He humbly begs that God would own and protect him in the work to which he had plainly called him. Whatever wounds or diseases we find to be in our hearts and consciences, let us apply to the Lord to heal us, to save us, that our souls may praise his name. His hands can bind up the troubled conscience, and heal the broken heart; he can cure the worst diseases of our nature.