The Chosen Key Word in this Chapter is “Heart” it comes from the Hebrew Word “lev” which means “heart.”
Jeremiah contrasts trust in man with trust in God while addressing the deceitful human heart. Welcome to Bible Life Basics Chapter Reviews, I am Chris and this is Jeremiah 17.
Jeremiah declares, “Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. For he shall be like the heath in the desert… Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters,” describing how the “heart,” “lev” in Hebrew, is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it.
Jeremiah declares the Lord searches the heart, He tries the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings, describing partridge who sits on eggs, and does not hatch them, comparing this to one who gets riches, and not by right, he shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool, declaring, “A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary,” urging that those who depart from Him shall be written in the earth, since they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters.
Jeremiah prays for healing and salvation, since God is his praise, urging the people to keep the sabbath day holy, bringing no burden through the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath, nor doing any work, promising that if they diligently hearken to Him, then shall kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David enter through these gates, and this city shall remain forever, but warning if they will not hearken to Him to hallow the sabbath day, then He will kindle a fire in its gates, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched, this chapter’s blend of theological reflection and practical instruction reinforcing the consistent, close connection between genuine faith and obedient, practical living.
Jeremiah’s contrast between cursed trust in mere flesh and blessed trust in the Lord, comparing the two to a desert shrub versus a tree planted by abundant water, offers a memorable, vivid picture of genuine security’s true source. His sobering diagnosis, the heart is deceitful above all things, warns against naive self-trust, insisting genuine self-knowledge requires God’s own searching examination rather than mere confident self-assessment.
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