Trust in the Lord!

Click on the image to see it full-screen.

Heath Monitor Varanus rosenbergi (Rosenberg Goanna)

Jeremiah 17: 5-10 (NIV)

⁵ This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
    who draws strength from mere flesh
    and whose heart turns away from the Lord.
⁶ That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;
    they will not see prosperity when it comes.
They will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
    in a salt land where no one lives.
⁷ “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
    whose confidence is in him.
⁸ They will be like a tree planted by the water
    that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
    its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
    and never fails to bear fruit.”
⁹ The heart is deceitful above all things
    and beyond cure.
    Who can understand it?
¹⁰ “I the Lord search the heart
    and examine the mind,
to reward each person according to their conduct,
    according to what their deeds deserve.”

This passage from Jeremiah 17 reminds me of a painting on my study wall, of a tree sending its roots into a stream of clear water, water abounding with life. I’ve displayed this painting previously, on 1 March 2016, where you may see it.

I am reminded too of Psalm 1 (on which I reflected on the same date). The psalmist likened the one “whose delight is in the law of the Lord” to “a tree planted by streams of water”.

In the passage above, the Lord has spoken to Jeremiah. The Lord has deemed blessed “the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him” (verse 7). Then comes the comparison: these people “will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.” Because of this continuing source of water and nutrients, there is no need to fear heat or periods of drought. Perhaps “heat” can be thought of as representing the pressure on disciples of Jesus from a hostile society which wants nothing to do with the Lord and “drought” can be thought of as the long periods of oppression where the persecution of Jesus’ followers is rife.

Trusting in the Lord, having confidence in him, is what sustains the followers of our Lord through all times of trial and temptation. As the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, “No temptation (or testing) has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted (or tested) beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted (or tested), he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (1 Corinthians 10: 13).

The other parallel with Psalm 1 is the balancing of a blessing with a curse (so evident in the warnings that Moses issued towards the end of his life in Deuteronomy 28). In Jeremiah 17: 5, the Lord proclaims “Cursed is the one who trusts in man … whose heart turns away from the Lord”. Psalm 1 refers to “the wicked” who are “like chaff that the wind blows away” (verse 4).

The Lord knows who are the ones who trust in the Lord and who are those who trust in man and turn away from the Lord. How does he know? Because “the Lord search(es) the heart and examine(s) the mind” (verse 10). Nothing is hidden from his gaze.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3: 5).

Godly wisdom; worldly wisdom

Click on the image to see it full-screen.

“Resilience” by Ante Dabro – suggestive of the effects of extended lockdown?

First Book of Kings 3: 5-14 (NIV)

⁵ At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”
⁶ Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, … ⁷ “Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. ⁸ Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. ⁹ So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”
¹⁰ The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. ¹¹ So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, ¹² I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. ¹³ Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for – both wealth and honour – so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. ¹⁴ And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.”

The humility with which Solomon prayed is striking. He recognised his inexperience as a ruler and his great need. How amazing that a ruler over the twelve tribes of Israel should not ask for long life or wealth for himself but for a discerning heart to govern and for the ability to distinguish between right and wrong. God acceded to his request and, as a consequence, Solomon became famous for his God-given wisdom:

Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East … and his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five (1 Kings 4: 30, 32).

But despite Solomon’s reputation as a man of wisdom, or perhaps because of it, he became “too big for his own boots”. We read of this in 1 Kings 11:

King Solomon loved many foreign women … they were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods …

Solomon turned away from Godly wisdom to follow the ways of pagan nations. He abandoned the Godly life in his quest for “the good life”. He followed the ways of the world and so “The Lord became angry with Solomon” and said to him, “Since this is your attitude, … I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you …” (1 Kings 11: 8, 11).

Here is a message for all – and particularly for us men. Too many men of faith have crumbled in the later years of their lives, turning from God and deserting “the wife of (their) youth”. Let us all pray for the strength and commitment to finish well, to remain faithful to the end.

Holy fear

 Tidbinbilla River ACT

Psalm 111 (NIV)

¹ Praise the LORD. I will extol the LORD with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly.
² Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them.
³ Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures for ever.
⁴ He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and compassionate.
⁵ He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant for ever.
⁶ He has shown his people the power of his works, giving them the lands of other nations.
⁷ The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy.
⁸ They are steadfast for ever and ever, done in faithfulness and uprightness.
⁹ He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant for ever – holy and awesome is his name.
¹⁰ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.

 This is a truly magnificent psalm in so many respects. Find a good commentary on the Psalms and read about this one (and Psalm 112) to begin to appreciate its literary merit. The remarks that follow can point to only a few of its other features.

Psalm 111 begins and ends with “praise”. What a splendid example for us all: so too should every thought we think, every work we undertake, every day we live and every word we utter.

The focus of this Psalm from beginning to end is on God; mention of his creation and of us, his creatures, is made only to reflect back onto him. This is how the focus of our lives also should be – away from self; instead, first and always towards God.

Its final verse addresses a theme woven through the Old Testament: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom”. We find this statement or words very like it in Job (28: 28) and in the Book of Proverbs (1: 7 and 9: 10). Implicit in this is that Godly wisdom should be keenly sought by each of us.

It is helpful to pursue the psalmist’s meaning of “fear” in the context of verse 10. Perhaps we could interpret the word “fear” to mean “reverential love” and to describe one’s willing submission to the Lordship of God and to his commands (“precepts”). Picture the situation where Jesus, in the boat with his disciples, rebuked the wind and the waves, stilling the storm. According to the Gospel of Mark the disciples “were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this?’” (Mark 4: 41, emphasis added).In Matthew’s account (8: 27) the disciples were “amazed” while Luke’s Gospel describes the disciples as being in a state of “fear and amazement” (Luke 8: 25). That depicts for us a valid sense of holy fear.

How far-sighted is the verse that precedes it: “He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant for ever …”. Until the time of Jesus, the redemption provided by God was bought through regular temple worship and sacrifice. Redemption was granted by God in response to God-mandated actions repeated by a human priesthood. We are blessed to live under a new covenant which guarantees an even better redemption through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, effected once for all (Hebrews 7: 27; 9: 12; 9: 26 and 10: 10).

Praise the LORD. To him belongs eternal praise.