Shrub or tree?

 

Jeremiah 17:6 He is like a shrub in the desert…

This morning I was reading Jeremiah 17 and was captured by the contrasts I found between the person described in verses 5-6 and the one in verses 7-8,

5-6 says, Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength,  whose heart turns away from the Lord.  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.

Then notice the contrast in 7-8: Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.  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.

Verses 7-8 have long been some of my favorites in their description of the person who trusts in the Lord, likening them to a tree beside a body of water.  I had never before noticed that this description is in contrast to verses 5-6, which describe the opposite – a person who trusts in the strength of their flesh, in themselves.  Notice the contrasts in the two scenarios:

1. One trusts in man, the other in the Lord;

2. One is like a shrub, the other like a tree;

3. One is planted in a desert, the other by water;

4. One experiences no good, the other remains green all the time;

5. One has a parched wilderness for living, the other has refreshing space;

6. One lives in an uninhabited (lonely) place, the other has no anxiety;

7. One lives in salt land, the other reaches water with its roots.

There is no doubt left as to the value of living close to God!