Jer 17

Jer 17:1,5,9-10. Contrast "the heart" in those verses with "the Lord" in Jer 17:5,7,13,14. This is a very unpopular thing to do! We usually reserve our best praise for others' hearts, and even our own. My heart and the hearts of friends were certainly tried (17:10), or searched (ESV) this week, and found to be sick (17:9) and corrupt (RSV) in a succession of events by which the Lord tried and searched them.

Yet the heart is the Lord's chief opponent for our trust -- what we rely on, our "arm." (17:5, ESV mg). Whether we rely on our own heart, and/or the hearts of others, maybe the psychologist with only one thing to say to our problems, "stop it" -- is not so far from the mark! Actually, to trust the Lord is the alternative to reliance on heart(s).

I like how Jeremiah will correct us if we want to split our bets, trusting partially in the Lord, partially not, in 17:7. Do we want to partially trust the Lord, partially trust something else, like self or others? Whoever "trusts in the Lord" (17:7) sometimes, Jeremiah reminds, that it's better to be someone "whose trust is the Lord." If our trust IS the Lord, then our investment IS the Lord, not split.