Daily Bread Bible Reading for Friday 17 June 2022 || Jeremiah 17:5-8

During the time of the prophet Jeremiah’s writings (627–586 bc), Judah was surrounded by the powerful nations of Egypt and Assyria and the growing nation of Babylon. Thus, Judah attempted to make alliances in order to protect their nation. But God wanted the people to trust in Him for their strength and security. In Jeremiah 17:5–8, the prophet provided a sharp contrast between those who look to humanity for their help and those who trust in God alone. He used three metaphors to describe the fate of those who turn away from God: a bush in the desert, parched places, and an uninhabited, salt-covered land. Such people’s lives would be dry, lonely, and withered. But as the psalmist declared in Psalm 1:3, those who trust in God would be “like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.” By: Alyson Kieda