Cursed and Blessed: Which is it for you?

Epiphany 6, February 11, 2007

Text: Jeremiah 17:5–8

Other Lessons: Psalm 1; 1 Corinthians 15:(1–11) 12–20; Luke 6:17–26

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.

6 He is like a shrub in the desert,

and shall not see any good come.

He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness,

in an uninhabited salt land.

7 “ Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,

whose trust is the Lord.

8 He is like a tree planted by water,

that sends out its roots by the stream,

and does not fear when heat comes,

for its leaves remain green,

and is not anxious in the year of drought,

for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

Introduction: David speaks of it in the first Psalm. Jeremiah speaks of it to God’s people. Paul speaks of it to the Christian Church. Jesus speaks plainly about it to all who will hear. And what they all speak about is this: What it is like to be Cursed or Blessed by God. Jeremiah says “Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is, and Blessed is”. Then, he gives word pictures that depict what each one is, what each one is like. So, that leads me to ask, “Which is it for you?” into which picture do you find yourself? In the picture of the cursed, or the blessed! My prayer is that this question is answered for you in today’s meditation.

What do the cursed do? They trust in man. And boy, there are numerous examples of it—Jim Jones who led hundreds to commit suicide; the leader of Heaven’s Gate who led his flock to commit suicide; David Corresh who led several to choose death over talking to governing authorities. Do you see a commonality of anything in these examples? Death is the commonality that connects them all. Death because they trusted in man. Sadly man has no strength except that which exists in his own human flesh. The Apostle Paul tells us that there was no good thing dwelling in his flesh, even though he was an Apostle of God. To say it clearly, Paul had no trust in man, not even in himself.

People who trust in man are like desert shrubs that take little water to themselves. Oh, there is not always an awareness that they are lacking anything. Even so, they are like seed sown on rocky dry ground. Consequently, the dryness of the plant will not see the good of a bloom. They produce nothing. Such life is lived in parched places that is uninhabitable. In other words, it produces nothing and lives for nothing. How very sad for such as that.

But isn’t that just like us when we fail to take in the food and drink provided by the Lord? Have any among you felt that dryness of life, and thought, “If only the Lord would help me!” Well, the Lord does help! He helps through the very thing that waters life that is dry, weak, and lacking nourishment. And guess what! He does it through a man, Jesus Christ. How absolutely ironic it is that God would stoop down to water and feed souls like us, knowing that we have a penchant toward trusting man. But He does, and so, the one who partakes of that one, is indeed blessed.

Think about this for a moment. We like to be able to trust in a pastor, or a president, or a governor, or a friend. We all, to some extent trust others to do the work they are appointed to do. And there is nothing wrong with that. But, trusting man for the food and water we need to keep the soul alive and connected to God is misplacing our trust, and that means living as one cursed.

Even so, God provides, and He provides for all. He sent Jesus to us. Jesus is the true bread of heaven. His blood is the true drink of heaven. Jesus delivers us out of the cursed by literally watering and nourishing our souls with His own body and blood. And because He does this, we are enabled to produce fruit befitting the Lord. This is what Jeremiah means when he says:

5 Thus says the Lord:

7 “ Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,

whose trust is the Lord.

8 He is like a tree planted by water,

that sends out its roots by the stream,

and does not fear when heat comes,

for its leaves remain green,

and is not anxious in the year of drought,

for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

The it that does not cease to bear fruit is the tree that the blessed is like. That tree is the Lord! And all who are connected to Him by faith are most blessed indeed. The life that is cursed is replaced by the life that is blessed.

You see, the blessed life possesses the kingdom of God even though poor in spirit. This present reality for all who trust in the Lord has present effects. It makes one aware of God’s measure and how far short one falls from the righteousness of God. It makes one hunger and thirst for that righteous life that loves God and neighbor. It makes one weep over the fleshly rebellion against God. It makes one able to endure persecution knowing that there is certain reward in heaven.

So, consider again our theme: Cursed and Blessed: Which is it for you? If you see yourself in the camp of the cursed, be of good cheer. Your sin is forgiven, and you belong to Him whose roots go directly to the heart of God. If you see yourself in the camp of the blessed, great! You have been clothed with God’s eternal grace and trust in the Lord. That means you will bear fruit for the kingdom. God be praised! Amen.