Sixth Wednesday after the Epiphany

The Old Testament and Gospel lessons for today contrast the blessings of trusting the true God with the woes in store for those who trust in human might and wisdom.

The focal point of Epiphany, that the true God has revealed himself to us in Jesus Christ, leads to the thought that God has revealed himself to us in Christ for the purpose of saving us and blessing us.

Those who ignore or resist this revelation and continue their selfish and godless ways will not know God’s blessings.

How will we respond to this epiphany? Will we continue to attempt to go it alone, as if Jesus had never come, as if God had never given us his promises and invited us to trust him? That is a sure route to a cursed existence. Far more blessed is it to trust in Jesus, to commit ourselves to his protection, and to depend on him for grace and every other blessing. The children of God will not be disappointed for having placed their trust in a loving heavenly Father.

However, those who insist on going their own way should never expect blessings from God; instead they will receive curses. The reason for the impending destruction Jeremiah’s day is also clearly spelled out. The people had behaved even more wickedly than their fathers. They forsook the Lord and followed the stubbornness of their evil hearts. They ignored God’s Word and took up the worship of idols. The basic problem was a failure to trust the Lord.

Now the people would learn from bitter experience the limits of their own strength and how sorely they would miss the blessings God had given them. So this evening we will look at this section of holy Scripture through two key points: (1). The Curse of Trusting in Man and (2)., The Blessing of Trusting in the Lord.

The Curse of Trusting in Man (vv. 5, 6)

Jeremiah 17:5 “This is what the Lord says. Cursed is anyone who trusts in mankind, who seeks his strength from human flesh, and who turns his heart away from the Lord.”

In the preceding verse, the Lord had told the people of Judah:

Jeremiah 17:4 EHV

4 You will lose your inheritance that I gave you, and I will make you serve your enemies in a land you do not know. You have started a fire in my anger that will burn forever.

The Lord now makes their fault clear.

They turned away from him and placed their hope in weak and sinful man. Judah’s attempt to enlist the aid of Egypt in their struggle against the Babylonians was just one example of their dependence on flesh.

The Lord cautioned: “Now why go to Egypt to drink water from the Shihor? … You will be disappointed by Egypt as you were by Assyria” (2:18, 36).

Diplomacy, military might, economic strength, and the forging of alliances with human powers are no substitute for repentance and faith in the true God.

This evening’s text begins with, “Cursed is anyone who trusts in mankind, who seeks his strength in human flesh...”

This word, “Cursed” is the same Hebrew word the Lord used in the aftermath of the fall into sin (Ge 3) and in setting forth the terms of the covenant in Deuteronomy 28.

Unlike Balaam’s attempt to curse (קָבַב) the Israelites as they traveled through Moab, these curses threatened by the Lord through his prophets warn of the negative consequences of violating one’s covenant relationship with the Lord.

Feelings of safety and security for the people of Judah should have come from believing the Lord’s promises, and not listening to the non-believing world of man.

There are bitter consequences for misplaced trust, both in this life and in the next.

Isolation, deprivation, and condemnation are mentioned here and in the Psalm by the picture of the bush in the wastelands.

The Judean desert and the barren wastes in the western part of the US are both home to stunted bushes such as the prophet mentions here.

When rain comes to other parts of the world, the bush in the wasteland does not benefit. In fact, it is unaware of the growth elsewhere.

Jeremiah had at one time complained that the way of the wicked seemed to prosper, but the Lord assured him that unbelievers will eventually have to face the consequences of their scoffing.

The Psalmist in Psalm chapter 1 describes these folks like “Chaff that wind drives away.”

How often do we do what we want, or what seems right in our own eyes, despite the fact that God’s Word says the opposite?

People who are fully able to get out and move about choose to “watch” worship on the television, in the privacy of their own home, instead of gathering together with other believers for the purpose of mutual encouragement, as the book of Hebrews directs us.

I am not talking about those who are sick and cannot come out because of an illness or disability.

This is for those who either find it more convenient, or worse, they are listening to the world. They are replacing the wisdom of Almighty God in favor of the wisdom of the non-believing world.

Perhaps they don’t understand the difference?

Let’s say you’re watching a movie on television. The characters sit down to a beautiful seven-course meal, and it looks so good that you begin to salivate. The problem is, watching it does our stomach no good. Likewise, God designed the worship service to be done in community with other believers, because it is there He has promised to be — wherever two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there in their midst.

The devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for people to devour, and one of his current tactics is keeping people away from where God has promised to be.

The late Father Alexander Schmemann — a Russian Orthodox Priest, writes:

“The journey begins when Christians leave their homes and beds. They leave, indeed, their life in this present and concrete world, and whether they have to drive fifteen miles or walk a few blocks, a sacramental act is already taking place, an act which is the very condition of everything else that is to happen. For they are now on their way to constitute the Church, or to be more exact, to be transformed into the Church of God. They have been individuals, some white, some black, some poor, some rich, they have been the “natural” world and a natural community. And now...more than what they were: a new community with a new life.”

You and I are a new creation in Christ, and the old way of life is now gone because we are new.

Hebrews 10:19-25 “Brothers, we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place through the blood of Jesus. It is a new and living way he opened for us through the curtain, that is, his flesh. We also have a great priest over the house of God. So let us approach with a sincere heart, in the full confidence of faith, because our hearts have been sprinkled to take away a bad conscience, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. Let us hold on firmly to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful. Let us also consider carefully how to spur each other on to love and good works. Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have the habit of doing. Rather, let us encourage each other, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Hebrews 10:26-27 “For if we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the full knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains any sacrifice for sins. Instead, there is a certain fearful expectation of judgment and a raging fire that is going to consume the enemies of God.”

Friends, this is our call to REPENT from all those ways we are putting our trust in man, instead of trusting God and His promises.

The Blessing of Trusting the Lord (vv. 7, 8)

The Lord is calling humanity to repent, and is promising blessings to those who place their confidence in him.

The basic idea of TRUST is a sense of security, a sense that all is well because there is someone or something to rely on.

The Lord had proven Himself to us to be absolutely trustworthy, and all throughout Israel’s history. What he promised, he fulfilled.

He always provided,

He always delivered,

He always responded to his people’s cries for help.

Jesus invites our trust when he says: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me” (Jn 14:1).

He has gone to prepare a place for us, but he will come back and take us to be with him (John 14:2, 3).

The picture of the fruitful tree is found also in Psalm 1.

Unlike the bush in the desert, this tree is strong, vital, and fruitful.

Even the unremitting heat and dryness of the summer are not threats.

The secret to its fruitfulness is a nearby source of water.

Likewise, God keeps us strong and fruitful by promising us forgiveness, life, protection, and prosperity.

These are promises into which we can sink our roots.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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