Judah's Engraved Sin and Trust in Man

Jeremiah 17: The Sin of Judah is Written with a Pen of Iron.

Jeremiah 17:1-4: "The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron; with a point of a diamond it is engraved on the tablet of their hearts, and on the horns of your altars; while their children remember their altars and their wooden images by the green trees on the high hills. O My mountain in the field, I will give as plunder your wealth, all your treasures, and your high places of sin within all your borders. And you even yourself shall let go of your heritage which I gave you, and I will cause you to serve your enemies in the land which you do not know; for you have kindled a fire in My anger which shall be burned forever."

Jeremiah 17:5-8: "'Thus says the Lord: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit."'

Jeremiah 17:9-10: "'The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who in the world can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart and test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.'"

Jeremiah 17:11: "'As a partridge that broods but does not hatch, so is he who gets riches but not by right; it will leave him in the midst of his days, and at his end he will be a fool.'"

Jeremiah 17:12-18: "'A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary. O Lord, the hope of Israel, all who forsake You shall be ashamed. Those who depart from Me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters—Yeshua the Messiah. Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save Me, and I shall be saved. Indeed, they say to Me, "Where is the word of the Lord? Let it come now!" As for me, I have not hurried away from being a shepherd who follows You, nor have I desired the woeful day. You know what came out of my lips; it was right before You. Do not be a terror to me; You are my hope in the day of doom. Let them be ashamed who persecute me, but do not let me be put to shame; let them be dismayed, but do not let me be dismayed. Bring on them the day of doom, and destroy them with double destruction.'"

The heart of Judah is engraved with sin. Judah's sin is written with an iron pen. God contrasts the cursed man who trusts in man with the blessed man who trusts in Adonai. The crisis is the heart. National judgment comes from inward corruption and national corruption of individuals.