Jeremiah 17:7-8 Blessed Is the Man

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (KJV) 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.

The prophet Jeremiah described the spirit-filled man as being blessed because this man trusts in the LORD and whose hope the LORD is. Truly, faith and hope vitalize a soul and energize the man to be spiritually strong and able to withstand the onslaught of the world, the devil and the flesh.

As it was in Psalm 1 that opens for us the thought that one who feeds upon the Word of God is nourished in the soul so it is in the illustration here – Psalm 1:2-3 (KJV) But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

The river nourishes the tree with the constant supply of nutrients to keep the leaves green. Because the well-rooted tree has strong ability to receive nutrients from its soil, it can withstand even the year of drought. A man of faith who trust in the LORD and hope in Him is likened to such a well-nourished tree. Amen.