“Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.” (Jeremiah 17:5-6)
Do the phrases in verse five remind you of another well-known Bible passage? Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”
Both of these references deal with misplaced trust (trusting in man vs. trust in the Lord), dependence on self (leaning to the arm of flesh and leaning to my own understanding), and direction of the heart (a heart departed from the Lord or a heart submitted to the Lord). When I follow the advice of the Biblical proverb, my paths are peace. But when I lean on the broken staff, I find myself wandering in the wilderness of hurt, anger, disappointment, and confusion. My soul is parched and desperate- I cannot see or even believe that there are good things ahead.
What are some areas where we may lean on fleshly means (any dependence but Christ) for hope and relief?
The arm of flesh CANNOT…
~prolong my own life
~protect my mind from fears and anxieties
~provide power to rescue my friends
~protect my family
~purchase my worldly hopes and dreams
~prevent betrayal
~pause the storm
~procure peace
“For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” (Gal. 6:8)
“…abstain from fleshly lusts, which war (a continual battle) against the soul.” (1 Pet. 2:11)
“Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.” (Psa. 73:25-26) ~V.K.S.
The arm of flesh has failed me- again! How devastating! How disappointing and destabilizing! The flesh fails us in so many ways… *We fail ourselves, by our own sinful, human nature. *Our friends fail us. *Our spouse fails us. *Our church...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
Do you think?! These verses about the strange woman in Proverbs 5 caught my attention this month: “Her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell. Lest thou shouldest ponder...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
The Proverbs have eighty-two references to the heart! This number is eclipsed by only one other book in the Bible. Our heart is the part of us that God sees and knows us to be. So much instruction is offered concerning the heart of man, it’s...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
Proverbs 2 opens with the following verses: “My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom… then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
The Leviathan The LORD continues His message to Job and includes a lesson about leviathan. Leviathan is a transliteration of the Hebrew name for this creature. Leviathan is familiar to the psalmist, as well as to Isaiah, along with Job. The...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
The Behemoth The LORD introduces behemoth in the narrative of Job (Job 40:15-24). God began to answer Job and his company in chapter 38 with a series of questions that demonstrate the might and power of God. When God introduces behemoth, He is...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
The Unicorn The unicorn is found in the book of Job (Job 39:9-10). Many references to the unicorn refer to its strength and/or its powerful horn. The Lord says to Job that the unicorn cannot be harnessed like a horse, an ox, or a donkey to work...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
The Dragon Job mentions dragons in Job 30:29. As is often the case the dragon is a creature of the wilderness and is often mentioned with the owls. Job is complaining that his physical condition sets him apart from the rest of humanity and that...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
The Beast There are several creatures mentioned in the book of Job that have been relegated to the realm of myth by many readers. But the Bible does not deal in the realm of mythology. The English word, myth, is not found in our KJV Bible. The...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
