Our Condition

As I knew Jeremiah was getting close in my daily readings, I was getting a bit more excited. Jeremiah is easily one of my favorite books of the Bible due to the gut wrenching, passionate proclamations and the incredible honesty from God about our condition - namely the condition of our heart.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 mark the blessings of a heart walking in fidelity to God.

"But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green,
and they never stop producing fruit"

Psalm 1:3 notes the very same thing about being by the source, the water, so as to have what is hidden or underneath nourished so what is visible may be of benefit to others, namely good fruit.

In one of the commentaries it talks about v 7:

Jeremiah 17:8 (JFB): Trials shall come upon him as on all, nay, upon him especially (Heb 12:6); but he shall not sink under them, because the Lord is his secret strength, just as the “roots spread out by a river” (or, “water-course”) draw hidden support from it (2 Co 4:8–11).

Right after the promise of being strengthened, the Lord is sure to point out it wont be a result of what our hearts want or desire because Jeremiah 17:9-10 make clear our hearts are in a bad state

"The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,
and desperately wicked.
Who really knows how bad it is? "

The rhetorical question is insightful because people tend to be surprised daily at the depth of wickedness manifest, shuttling phrases like, “I cant believe he did that!”, or “What is wrong with the world?”

Chesterton answered that with one word - Me

I am what is wrong with the world but that takes introspection and more than that, it takes the Spirit of God convicting our hearts of that primary point.

From the Faithlife Study Bible:

Jeremiah 17:9 (FSB): The Hebrew term for the heart metaphorically refers to a person’s inner life—the will, thoughts, motivations, and emotions. This is a different understanding than “heart” in modern Western thinking, which primarily indicates the seat of emotions

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The inner man is where the battle lies and where all victories are first won. We see and hear people of character and forget it has been cultivated where no one sees.

This is true of any success- no one simply shows up for victory. It is won long before in the quietness of the soul and the preparation in practice.

God declares and leaves no doubt in Jeremiah 17:10 by saying

But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according th what their actions deserve.

From where do actions flow? Proverbs 4:23 lets us know if we didnt already figure that out from Jeremiah 17:9.

Guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life

I am not surprised by my sin. I am not surprised when others sin. I am not surprised because the Author of Life declares the condition of our hearts and gives the cure - Himself.

Later in Jeremiah he says he will give us a new heart, not made of stone, but of flesh. In John he says if we remain in Him we will bear much fruit, but apart from him we cannot bear any fruit pleasing to him.

He is the source but too often we think we are the source of our good. We think that because our hearts deceive us and our condition is pitiful.