Sometimes life teaches us that we must be careful who we trust, but with God it is something different. Jeremiah 17:5 is the clear example of this and will lead us to a precious reflection on trust and the Lord.
Jeremiah Chapter 17 Verse 5
“Thus saith the LORD, Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and putteth flesh for his arm, and his heart departeth from the LORD.”
With this sentence, the prophet Jeremiah gives voice to one of the most recurrent thoughts of Christians and one that most worries society in general: In whom can we trust?
Jeremiah 17:5 shows us how the will of human beings is weak and susceptible to temptation, God is the only imperturbable One to whom we can give our hearts completely.
In today’s article of Your Bible Online, we are going to look at everything related to Jeremiah 17:5 of the Bible especially its context and meaning. We are also going to leave you a nice video reflection at the end of the article that will help you to clarify your possible doubts with what has been explained.
Jeremiah 17 (kjv) in English and large print
Once you have listened to the text, we invite you to read it slowly below, where you will find it complete in English and in sufficiently large print.
All the biblical commentary that follows will be based on this version of the chapter, taken from the King James Bible.
Sin written in the heart of Judah
1 The sin of Judah is written with an iron chisel and with the point of a diamond; it is carved on the tablet of his heart, and on the horns of his altars,
2 while their children remember their altars and their Asherah images, which are by the leafy trees and on the high hills,
3 over the mountains and over the countryside. All your treasures I will give to plunder for the sin of your high places in all your territory.
4 And thou shalt lose the inheritance which I gave thee, and I will make thee serve thine enemies in a land which thou hast not known: for ye have kindled a fire in mine anger, which shall burn for ever.
5 Thus saith the LORD, Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and putteth flesh for his arm, and his heart departeth from the LORD.
6 He shall be like the broom in the wilderness, and shall not see when good comes, but shall dwell in the dry places in the wilderness, in a desolate and uninhabited land.
7 Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is in the LORD.
8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which by the waterside shall cast down its roots, and shall not see when heat cometh, but its leaf shall be green; and in the year of drought it shall not be weary, neither shall it cease from yielding fruit.
9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?
10 I the LORD search the mind, I test the heart, to give to every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.
11 As a partridge that covereth that which he hath not laid up, so is he that unjustly heapeth up riches: in the midst of his days he shall leave them, and in his latter end he shall be foolish.
12 The throne of glory, exalted from the beginning, is the place of our sanctuary.
13 O LORD, the hope of Israel, all they that forsake thee shall be ashamed; and they that depart from me shall be written in the dust, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters.
14 Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved; for you are my praise.
15 Behold, they say to me, Where is the word of the LORD? Let it be fulfilled now!
16 But I have not gone after you to incite you to his punishment, nor have I desired a day of calamity, you know. What has come out of my mouth was in your presence.
17 Be not thou a terror unto me: for thou art my refuge in the evil day.
18 Let those who persecute me be ashamed, and let me not be ashamed; let them be astonished, and let me not be astonished; bring upon them an evil day, and break them with double destruction.
Observance of the Sabbath
19 Thus saith the LORD unto me, Go and stand in the gate of the children of the people, whereby the kings of Judah go in and out, and stand in all the gates of Jerusalem,
20 And say unto them, Hear the word of the LORD, ye kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, which enter in at these gates.
21 Thus saith the LORD, Beware ye for your life that ye bear a burden on the sabbath day, and that ye bring it in at the gates of Jerusalem.
22 Neither carry any burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, nor do any work, but keep holy the sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers.
23 But they did not hear, nor incline their ear, but stiffened their neck, that they might not hear, nor receive correction.
24 Nevertheless, if ye will obey me, saith the LORD, not to bring a burden through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but hallow the sabbath day, not to do any work therein,
25 The kings and the princes who sit on the throne of David, they and their princes, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, shall enter into the gates of this city in chariots and on horses, and this city shall be inhabited forever.
26 And they shall come from the cities of Judah, from around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the Sephelah, from the mountains, and from the Negev, bringing burnt offering and sacrifice, and meat offering and incense, and bringing sacrifice of praise to the house of the LORD.
27 But if ye will not hearken unto me to keep holy the sabbath day, and to bring no burden, nor bring it in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day, then will I bring a fire down upon the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and shall not be quenched.
Explanation and meaning of the verse
After all this contextualization, you can now understand more deeply the meaning of Jeremiah 17:5. Below, you will find a detailed explanation, and we encourage you to complement it with prayers and other biblical commentaries.
In this verse we can see how it criticizes all the people who believe that they can have a life away from the Lord, only trusting in themselves and their judgment. All these people are condemned to live wrongly and on a thin line that will make them fall in the face of any adversity.
On the other hand, all those who place their trust in the Lord and hope fills their lives will have an undisturbed inner peace. The Word of God nourishes us with an unconditional love to which we must give our hearts without hesitation.
Living close to God makes us better people and makes us feel that, even though life is full of problems and adversities, everything will work out. This is the true confidence that faith gives and it cannot be compared to anything earthly.
Have you ever felt the feeling of security when standing before God in a moment of prayer and prayer? It is something indescribable and something that can only be experienced by Christians who are fortunate enough to experience it.
Like Jeremiah, our job is to spread the greatness of the faith and to share with the people around us our beautiful experiences in the Christian life. People should at least know what is this deep trust with the Lord and all the good things it can bring to their lives.
A heart that does not know God is condemned to live an empty and fragile life in the face of temptation. Although some ephemeral joys and pleasures may seem enviable, we must never forget the great value of the following lasting happiness at the Lord’s side.
Reflection on Jeremiah 17:5
Now that you have been able to reflect on the meaning of Jeremiah 17:5, we invite you to follow the following video that will complete everything you have learned previously.
It is a prayer with the verses Jeremiah 17:5-7 that summarizes in broad strokes what we have explained in the previous section. The relaxing music and the beautiful voice of the narrator of this video, make it ideal for close your eyes and free your mind from all the worries of everyday life. Enjoy!
Context of Jeremiah 17:5
Jeremiah 17 belongs to the Book of Jeremiah which can be found in the Old Testament of the Bible. Old Testament of the Bible along with other millinery texts that laid the foundations for our faith today.
As you may well know, it was the prophet Jeremiah who wrote this book, giving voice to the Word of the Lord that came to him through visions and revelations. Israel was in an age full of vice and lust that did not respect at all the ancient law of Moses that had governed this people from time immemorial.
Jeremiah was to warn his people of the coming catastrophes, produced by leading a life so far from the way of God. If you want to know more about Jeremiah’s mission and the other Major Prophets of the Old Testament, we recommend you to read our article about them that will surely clarify all your doubts.
Referring now to chapter 17, we find ourselves in the part of the book in which Jeremiah develops the core of his message. In concrete terms, Jeremiah explains to his people why difficult times are coming The main reason is the worship of false gods and bad habits far from the word of the Lord.
After this precious reflection that you have just heard, here ends this Your Bible Online article on Jeremiah 17:5.
Bless you, 🙂