“CURSED IS THE MAN!”

Jeremiah 17:1-5                                (ESV)

“7 "1 "The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron; with a point of diamond it is engraved on the tablet of their heart, and on the horns of their altars,

2 while their children remember their altars and their Asherim, beside every green tree and on the high hills,

3 on the mountains in the open country. Your wealth and all your treasures I will give for spoil as the price of your high places for sin throughout all your territory.

4 You shall loosen your hand from your heritage that I gave to you, and I will make you serve your enemies in a land that you do not know, for in my anger a fire is kindled that shall burn forever."

5 Thus says the LORD: "CURSED IS THE MAN” who TRUSTS in man and makes FLESH HIS STRENGTH, whose heart turns away from the LORD..”

Today my thoughts were on mankind TRUSTING in his intellect and ingenuity to deliver him from the troubles of life that ensnare so many.  So I went to Jeremiah 17:9  (“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”) and began to read the surrounding verses to make certain that what I was thinking wasn’t taken out of context what I thought I was hearing.  While reading the entire chapter of Jeremiah 17, I couldn’t get passed GOD saying “CURSED IS THE MAN” who trusts in man!

The GOD OF CREATION is declaring that when we turn away from the LORD that our paths will be CURSED.   Why should we be questioning why “the enemy” has such freedom to roam “to and fro” among us?  “You shall loosen your hand from your heritage that I GAVE TO YOU, and I will MAKE YOU SERVE your enemies in a land that you do not know” is a pretty clear indicator of what is happening to “this world”!  

It is more than amazing that ALMIGHTY GOD, our CREATOR and Sustainer, who formed us from dust, and breathed the breath of LIFE into our nostrils, and continues to guide us through our lives with us failing to even acknowledge HIS existence!  Apparently, we are content with TRUSTING IN OUR STRENGTH and so-called intelligence to guide us, but that usually leads straight to disaster!  GOD’s Word will NOT return void, and HE says “CURSED IS THE MAN” who TRUSTS in man and MAKES FLESH HIS STRENGTH!  

Do not read these words as a preacher who has a captive audience.  Read these words as a sojourner who is finding TRUTH in Scripture and doing his best to alert anyone who will listen.  ALMIGHTY GOD is declaring HIS TRUTH and HE is making certain that we have ample opportunity to correct our ways.  Do we want to TRUST IN HIM?  Or do we want to be “CURSED IS THE MAN”???