Reflection:
The prophet Jeremiah’s message resonates down the ages so loud and clear in this scripture that it hardly needs an explanation.
The ultimate message is that those who turn their face to Jesus will be incredibly blessed.
For me, there is no choice; I mean, who would not rather be a tree by a stream in the garden of Eden than a shrub in a dry and dusty desert, when with the first option;
All your needs will be met, one way or another.
You will have no fear or anxieties.
You can continue to prosper and help others too.
The final two verses of the psalm are a little more complex. Verse 9 says our hearts are devious, meaning our minds and hearts have become distorted in this broken world.
However, the prophet Ezekiel prophesied that we would be given a new heart to replace the heart of stone. Ezk 36:26
Jesus came to fulfil Ezekiel’s prophecy, and today, we can renew our hearts and minds through baptism and the Holy Spirit. John 3:5
These words are just beautiful; they mirror Psalm 1, telling us that there are two ways we can go. One is barren; in the other, we have the potential for greatness in Christ, whatever our current situations are.
When you choose the right way, all the blessings in these words could be yours – will you choose the path of hope in Jesus?
Jeremiah 17:5-10
5 Thus says the Lord:
Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals
and make mere flesh their strength,
whose hearts turn away from the Lord.
6 They shall be like a shrub in the desert,
and shall not see when relief comes.
They shall live in the parched places of the wilderness,
in an uninhabited salt land.
7 Blessed are those who trust in the Lord,
whose trust is the Lord.
8 They shall be like a tree planted by water,
sending out its roots by the stream.
It shall not fear when heat comes,
and its leaves shall stay green;
in the year of drought it is not anxious,
and it does not cease to bear fruit.
9 The heart is devious above all else;
it is perverse—
who can understand it?
10 I the Lord test the mind
and search the heart,
to give to all according to their ways,
according to the fruit of their doings.
Jeremiah 17:5-10 (NRSV) Biblegateway
Psalm 1 | The Two Ways
1 Happy are those
who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread,
or sit in the seat of scoffers;
2 but their delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law they meditate day and night.
3 They are like trees
planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season,
and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper.
4 The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
Psalm 1 (NRSV) Biblegateway
