From a Curse to a Blessing
“Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8
In verses five and six of Chapter 17, God declared that those who place their trust and confidence in man rather than trusting and depending on God for provision and protection are cursed. To be cursed by God is a terrifying thought. What does it mean to be cursed by God? The Hebrew word used here is “arar” which means to bitterly curse or execrate. To execrate means to call evil down upon someone. I suppose when someone wishes harm to come upon another person, that would be considered a curse upon another. We humans are never to curse anyone nor be glad when calamities fall upon others (Proverbs 17:5). Can God’s curse cause someone to repent and trust in Him? Yes, it can, but doesn’t always because some folks love their sinful pride more than they love God. The LORD describes one who is cursed as a dried-up shrub in the desert.
God’s description of the man or woman whose hope is in Him is vastly different. He says first of all that they are blessed. We saw what it means to be cursed as those who rebel against God, thus what does it mean to be blessed by God? To put it simply, to be blessed is to be given divine favor. That doesn’t mean that our lives will be perfect without any problems or trials. We know that bad things happen to folks who are completely committed to living for Christ and who strive to always do the right thing, who stay in close communion with the Lord through prayer and Bible study, and who exhibit to the world one’s devotion to Christ. We live in a sin-cursed world, therefore the consequences of the enormous amount of sin which is committed across the globe is bound to affect believers. Sin always leaves collateral damage. The opposite is also true. The blessings which God bestows upon His children can also land on those who do not know Him. Jesus said in Matthew 5:45 that God makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. God’s grace also covers those who are not aware nor thankful for His generosity.
Secondly, more good news for believers is that they have help from the Lord to live above their circumstances knowing that troubles will end one day, and everything will be made right. It is difficult to imagine a world without evil–no murder, no theft, no lies, no gossip, no hate, no politicians–because that is all we have ever known. They say that “all good things must come to an end”, but eventually all bad things will come to an end. The person who trusts and hopes in the Lord is described by God as a tree planted by a river whose roots spread out over the bank of the river touching the life sustaining water as it flows toward the sea. Heat does not affect the tree for it is never thirsty, and its leaves are always green and vibrant. Even if drought comes, the tree has moisture stored in its roots, trunk, branches, and leaves to sustain it for long periods of time. It will bear fruit continually for it has all that is necessary to produce luscious fruit. (I am glad that I don’t have to fear “climate change”!) Have you ever been walking along a creek or river and notice how the roots of trees growing on the bank of the stream have their roots exposed? If these same trees were in a desert with their roots above ground, the roots would quickly dry up, and the tree would not survive.
The godly man or woman is like the tree planted by the water in that they are nourished by the Living Water which is Christ (John 4:10). The thirst for love and acceptance is quenched through the blood of Christ which was shed on the cross of Calvary. When hard times come, as they always do, the love of Christ sustains the soul who is weary and worn from life’s troubles. The Holy Spirit cultivates the fruit of the Spirit within the heart of the believer urging and prodding him or her to good works in serving God and serving others. Walking with Christ is a lifelong journey, not always easy, but always rewarding in large and small ways. In the most difficult places in life, the knowledge that we are never alone, and that Jesus has our back gives us enough impetus to keep on keeping on.