Diagnosing our heart condition (Jeremiah 17)

Abraham Lincoln refused to include a person in his cabinet because he didn’t like the man’s face. ‘But the poor man is not responsible for his face’, objected the person recommending him. ‘After forty, everyone is responsible for his face’, replied the president. It is, of course, true that much can be discerned from someone’s expression, and we all make subtle judgments about people’s character based on facial features. Nevertheless, when there is a horrendous crime discovered in the neighbourhood or someone is unmasked as a sex offender, people are shocked at how a person can have committed such revolting acts when they looked so normal, maybe even likeable. As Jeremiah sums it up, ‘The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?’ (Jer 17:9). Although our chapter seems to hold together several disparate units, there is an overarching theme relating to the heart condition of God’s people that connects them. What can we learn from God’s diagnosis of His people?

Diagnosis and consequences

In the Old Testament, the heart is the centre of the will and the mind so that Jeremiah’s statement indicates how deeply ingrained sin is in the people’s motivation and thinking (Jer 17:1), something we also recognise in our temptations to sin. In fact, the ultimate remedy is in God writing His law (i.e. His will) on the people’s heart in the new covenant giving them a new orientation (Jer 31:33). Meanwhile, Judah is profoundly entangled in idolatry and their engagement with God is contaminated by sin at the very centre of worship (v.1).[1] God, however, will expose Judah’s internal disposition. Since they do not serve Him wholeheartedly, the temple where they can do so will be destroyed and its treasures taken (Jer 17:3; ‘mountain of Mine’ is the temple mount). Instead, the people worshipping other gods (e.g. Asherim; Jer 17:2) will serve their enemies (and their gods?) in a foreign land (Jer 17:4). It is their actions that set in motion the judgment to come (v.4). They reap what they sow.

The core issue – whom do you trust?

Although sin can take many forms from idolatry (v.2) to unjustly acquired wealth (Jer 17:11), at its core, it is about not trusting in God but in one’s own strength (Jer 17:5-8). The choice is set out in the typical fashion of wisdom literature presenting two paths,[2] one leading to curse and deprivation, the other to blessing and a fruitful life. For us the question is no less relevant in the West where confidence in ourselves, self-sufficiency and independence are highly valued. Our cultures oppose so much of what God in Scripture sets out as the right way of living from issues of sexuality to questions of what we should or should not tolerate and support. We carry our cultural values to our reading of the Bible, so that we judge God’s actions and verdicts as if we stood above Him and question His wisdom in advocating this or prohibiting that. So often the visible, the immediate pleasure and advantage entices us into choices that place our trust in the benefits of something other than God.

Living faithfully in the interim

Of course, the simple choice of trusting God is far from simple because we do not always see the truth about our hearts and the consequences of our actions are not immediately visible. Only when the drought and difficulties come that our allegiance is put to the test. Living in the interim is hard and the prophet continues to struggle as judgment is delayed over the wicked, while his words are mocked (Jer 17:15). The only answer is to persevere in doing what God has called us to. For Jeremiah, this is the ministry of a shepherd (Jer 17:16). There is, of course, turmoil, well-expressed in Jeremiah’s contradictory statement of not wanting destruction for the people (v.16) because of the enormous suffering it will bring and yet wanting it, so he may be vindicated (Jer 17:18). For Judah, Sabbath practice will become a test-case for their trust in God, a willingness to take time to rest in Him and allow the Lord to provide (Jer 17:19-27).[3] In whatever way our trust is expressed, may we let down our roots deeply into the Lord who is the fountain of living water and find provision at times of difficulty and pain.

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[1] The horns of the altar were smeared with blood in atonement ceremonies to cleanse the altar from sin and impurities (e.g. Lev 4:24-25). If the sins were engraved on the horns, then this symbolised the lasting effects of the people’s sin that could no longer be atoned for. Inadvertent sinners could also take hold of the horns of the altar to claim sanctuary (e.g. Exod 21:14; 1 Kings 1:51). If the idea of sanctuary is in view, then it may hark back to the temple sermon where Jeremiah castigated the people for their deliberate sins while they ran to the temple for sanctuary (Jer 7:9-11). Alternatively, the statement could have pagan altars in mind and underline the people’s blatant idolatry.

[2] Wisdom literature gives hands-on, practical advice about how to live wisely and it is the type of ancient literature that is found both in and outside the Bible. In the Old Testament, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job and some of the psalms fall into this category. Psalm 1:1-6 is a wisdom psalm, similar to Jer 17:5-8 in setting out two ways to live and their consequences.

[3] For Christian readers Sabbath practice is associated with legalism because of its many abuses described in the New Testament. However, for ancient Israel it was a sign of the Mosaic covenant (Exod 3:12-17) that reminded them once a week that they could rest in God’s grace and provision.

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