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Jeremiah 17:9–10 and the Other Verses of Jeremiah 17:1–11

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“As Moses lifted up the serpent [the serpent made of bronze described in Numbers 21:8–9] in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that whosoever believes in Him will have eternal life, for God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten [uniquely born] Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

“…for by grace you are saved through faith and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, lest any man should boast.”

Above is the content of John 3:14–16 and the content of Ephesians 2:8–9, respectively.  Itʼs worthwhile to refrain from receiving the mark referenced in Revelation 13:11–18 and to instead receive eternal life for free by believing that Jesus is the Savior.  Before doing any Bible studying and before praying to God the Father, it is useful for a person who has believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior to try to think of any sins that one might have committed since one last confessed oneʼs known post-salvation sins to God the Father, and if one has indeed committed any, to then silently confess those sins to God the Father—confessing only one time for each sin—in accordance with what is mentioned in 1 John 1:9:  

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

This webpage could be periodically updated.  If there is a mass disappearance of people professing to be Christians, and if the original author of this webpage is amongst those people disappearing en masse, then it is possible that this webpage will no longer be updated.  Also, if there is a mass disappearance of people professing to be Christians, it is worthwhile to consider the possibility that those people have exited from the earth on the occasion known as the Rapture instead of assuming that that mass disappearance involves extraterrestrials abducting those people or involves the annihilation of those people or involves anything else other than the Rapture.  

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Also, it is possible that it is worthwhile to print this content in case of time periods involving lack of Internet connectivity.  

When studying the Word of God, it is beneficial to keep in mind the content of Hebrews 4:12:  

“Indeed, the Word of God is alive and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and the spirit and of the joints and the marrow and is a critic of thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Note:  The heart refers to the mind.  

It is also beneficial to keep in mind the content of 2 Timothy 3:16–17 when studying the Word of God:  

“All Scripture is God breathed and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God might be mature, having been thoroughly furnished unto all good work.”

It is the responsibility of a pastor-teacher to endeavor to correctly understand the Word of God and then to accurately teach the Word of God, as per the content of 2 Timothy 2:15:  

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the Word of Truth.”

A pastor-teacher is a communicator rather than a crutch on which to be leaned.  In that regard, a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ should refrain from putting oneʼs trust in and thereby serving as a devoted follower of and thus worshiping a pastor-teacher.  Likewise, a believer should refrain from putting oneʼs trust in and thereby serving as a devoted follower of and thus worshiping anyone other than the Trinity [God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit], as per Joshua 24:15, the content of which references Joshua speaking to the Israelites:  

If it is disagreeable/bad/evil/wrong/wretchedness/displeasing in your sight to serve/worship Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One, choose for yourselves today whom you serve/worship:  whether the gods ['elohiym / false gods] which your fathers have served/worshiped which were beyond the river or the gods ['elohiym / false gods] of the Amorites in whose land you are living.  As for me and my house, we serve/worship Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One.

Note:  Joshua, the leader of the Israelites after Joshua had been serving as the assistant of Moses while Moses was the leader of the Israelites, set the example for the Israelites.  Joshua chose to put his trust in and thereby serve as a devoted follower of and thus worship God the Father rather than Joshua choosing to put his trust in and thereby serve as a devoted follower of and thus worship the lesser of multiple evils amongst multiple choices of 'elohiym [el-oh-HEEM].  The word 'elohiym with a lowercase e can refer to false gods, to angels, or to human rulers or judges.  The word 'Elohiym with a capital E refers to the Trinity.  The word 'elohiym can also be used to refer to might as in mightiness.  In that regard, the use of the word 'elohiym in reference to false gods, to angels, or to human rulers or judges involves the connotation of mightiness in comparison to an average human.  When a person puts oneʼs trust in and thereby serves as a devoted follower of and thus worships an angel or human, that angel or human is that personʼs false god.  Regarding the foregoing, the content of Joshua 24:15 involves Joshua calling attention to the choices that the Israelites had, and that content involves Joshua permitting the Israelites to make their choices while Joshua led by example with his choice.  

The gift of pastor-teacher is for the purpose of each pastor-teacher functioning as a messenger who communicates the Word of God rather than functioning as a priest between the Trinity and mankind.  In that regard, the time period that can be referred to as the Church Age started fifty days after the Lord Jesus Christ was resurrected, and all Church Age believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are priests.  The Lord Jesus Christ is the High Priest of Church Age believers, and believers should be willing to acknowledge/confess/profess to people the believersʼ faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, as per Hebrews 4:14–15:  

Therefore, since we have a great High Priest Who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast the acknowledgment/confession/profession.  Indeed, we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One Who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

Also, the Lord Jesus Christ is the High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek [mel-KIZ-uh-dek], who was the ruler of Salem when Abraham was still named Abram.  Melchizedek was both a king and a priest, as per Genesis 14:18, which references Melchizedek greeting Abram:  

Then Melchizedek king of Salem has brought out bread and wine, and he is a priest of 'El [AYL] 'Elyown [el-YOHN] / God [focusing on God the Fatherʼs power] Most High.

The Lord Jesus Christ is also both a king and a priest because the Lord is the Priest according to the order of Melchizedek, as per Hebrews 7:14–17:  

Indeed, it is evident that our Lord has arisen from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests.  Also, it is still much more evident:  that according to the similarity of Melchizedek, Another of a different type of priest arises, Who has become such not on the basis of a law of fleshly command / physical requirement but according to the power of an indestructible life.  Indeed, it is attested:  “YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER, ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK.”

Note:  The Lord Jesus Christ is from the tribe of Judah.  Also, the Lord Jesus Christ is qualified to be a priest because He was resurrected and therefore has an indestructible body.  The above content in all capital letters is a reference to Psalm 110:4.  

Because a king is royalty, a king who is a priest is a royal priest.  In that regard, Church Age believers are royalty because they are members of the Lord Jesus Christʼs family.  Therefore, all Church Age believers are royal priests, as per 1 Peter 2:9–10:  

However, you are A CHOSEN PEOPLE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR ACQUISITION/PRESERVATION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him Who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light, for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are GODʼS PEOPLE.  You had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.

Note:  Before the Church Age, Gentiles were not Godʼs people.  In the Church Age, both Jewish and Gentile believers are Godʼs people.  The content of 1 Peter 2:10 references Hosea 2:23.  In that regard, Peter uses references involving Israel in the Old Testament to refer to Church Age believers.  

Itʼs the message rather than the messenger that should be the focus of the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Put succinctly:  itʼs the message rather than the messenger.  In that regard, it is beneficial to keep in mind the content of Revelation 22:8–9, which was written by the apostle John, who, in addition to writing The Revelation to John, wrote The Gospel According to John, The First Epistle of John, The Second Epistle of John, and The Third Epistle of John:  

I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things, and when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things, but he says* to me, “Do not do that.  I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who keep the words of this book.  Worship God.”

*Note:  The word says is in the Greek historical present tense.  By means of the Greek historical present tense, past action or future action can be described from the perspective of someone seeing the action as it occurs.  

Regarding messages, believers should use the Word of God to examine what is being communicated.  That is what the Bereans who are mentioned in Acts 17:10–12 did:  

The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, who, when they arrived, went into the synagogue of the Jews.  Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, who received the word with all eagerness / readiness of mind, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.  Therefore, many of them believed, and not a few prominent Greek women and men.

Note:  The phrase not a few means “quite a few.”  

Today, the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to meet believers in the Lord Jesus Christ in the clouds on the occasion of the Rapture is one day closer than it was yesterday.  The Rapture involves both deceased and living believers in the Lord Jesus Christ meeting the Lord in the clouds in the atmosphere of the earth, receiving glorified immortal resurrection bodies similar to the Lord Jesus Christʼs glorified resurrection body, and going to Heaven with those resurrection bodies.  Before the Rapture occurs, deceased believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are in Heaven without glorified bodies.  While it is possible that the Rapture will occur on the day of the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah [yahm tuh-ROO-uh or yohm tuh-ROO-uh]—which is what some people call Rosh Hashanah and which some people celebrate for two days—the next occurrence of which will possibly be during August, September, or October of 2026, it is worthwhile for believers in the Lord Jesus Christ to get into the habit of being prepared every day for the return of the Lord, just in case the Rapture will occur on a day other than the day of the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah.  Furthermore, it is worthwhile to be in the habit of being prepared for the Rapture so that if it does occur on the day of the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah, one can be prepared for that day because of already being in the habit of being prepared.  Examples of being prepared for the Rapture include applying the content of 1 John 1:9 whenever one sins, being unselfish, and whenever circumstances are such that an opportunity arises, sharing the gospel—the good news that believing that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Savior Who was judged on the cross for the sins of humanity is the means by which a person is able to have eternal life.  Regarding sharing the gospel, one could also have a written or printed message containing the gospel with that written or printed message located somewhere where it could be easily noticed so that if a person or people were to read or hear that written or printed message either before or after the Rapture occurs, that person or people would thereby read or hear the gospel by means of that written or printed message.  

Regarding information about the Rapture, it is beneficial to keep in mind the content of 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 and 1 Corinthians 15:51–52:  

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18

Now we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope, for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again—and we do indeed believe that Jesus died and rose again—so also God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus.  Indeed, this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive who remain until the coming of the Lord will not precede those who have fallen asleep, for the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout of command, with a voice of an archangel and with a trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive who remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.  Therefore, comfort one another with these words.

1 Corinthians 15:51–52

Behold, I tell you a mystery:  we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for a trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed.

After the Rapture will be the seven-year Tribulation.  The believers who will be alive on the earth when the Rapture occurs will escape the Tribulation.  1 Thessalonians 5:1–11 covers that topic.  In that regard, in the book 1 Thessalonians, the content of 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 is immediately followed by the content of 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11.  

1 Thessalonians 5:1–11

Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you, for you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord is coming just like a thief in the night.  While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.  However, you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief, for you are all sons of light and sons of day.  We are not of night nor of darkness; therefore, let us not sleep as others, but let us be alert and sober.  Indeed, those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night.  However, since we are of day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and benevolence/goodwill, and as a helmet, the hope / absolute confidence of deliverance, for God has not destined us for wrath but for obtaining deliverance through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.  Therefore, comfort one another and edify one another, just as you also are doing.

Note:  In this context, the day of the Lord is the time period that consists of the Rapture, the seven years of the Tribulation, and the Second Advent.  In that regard, deliverance from the Tribulation is the deliverance in this context.  Also, unspecified is who will be saying “Peace and safety!”  In this context, sleeping refers to a lack of alertness.  The alertness in this context involves being ready for the Rapture.  In order to be ready for the Rapture, a believer needs to be filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit and to pay attention for historical trends such as people saying “Peace and safety!” and for historical trends that match the pattern of the world being on the brink of tremendous calamities like those that will occur during the Tribulation.  Regarding being filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit, once a believer commits a sin after salvation, that believer is no longer filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit and is out of fellowship with the Trinity.  After that believer has confessed/acknowledged to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins, fellowship with the Trinity and the filling with the power of the Holy Spirit are restored.  The procedure for confessing/acknowledging to God the Father all of oneʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins is mentioned in 1 John 1:9:  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  Fellowship with God the Father and God the Son is mentioned in 1 John 1.  Being out of fellowship with God the Holy Spirit is referenced in Ephesians 4:30.  In that regard, when a believer sins, that believer grieves the Holy Spirit.  Losing the filling of the power of God the Holy Spirit is referenced in 1 Thessalonians 5:19.  In that regard, when a believer sins, the power of God the Holy Spirit is quenched in that believer.  After a believer has confessed/acknowledged to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins, that believer is then filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit again and in fellowship with the Trinity again.  

The verses of the day for July 2nd are Jeremiah 17:9–10.  Jeremiah was a prophet of the tribe of Levi.  For geographical context, below is a link to a map of the locations of tribes of Israel.  Absent from the map is any reference to the land of the tribe of Levi.  The land of the tribe of Levi consisted of forty-eight cities and nearby land within the lands of other tribes.  The topic of the cities and land of the Levites is covered in the content of Joshua 21.  The reference to the total of forty-eight cities and associated land is in the content of Joshua 21:41–42.  

https://Classic.NET.Bible.org/images/maps/ot4.jpg

If the above link is inaccessible, the below link can be tried instead.  

https://NETBible.org/media/images/maps/ot4.jpg

Below is a link to a map of Israel when divided into the Northern Kingdom (also known as Israel) and Southern Kingdom (also known as Judah).  During the time periods described in the book Jeremiah, the Israelites were divided into the Northern Kingdom and Southern Kingdom.  

https://Classic.NET.Bible.org/images/maps/ot5.jpg

If the above link is inaccessible, the below link can be tried instead.  

https://NETBible.org/media/images/maps/ot5.jpg

Many Israelites of the Southern Kingdom, which is also known as Judah, were exiled to Babylon in 586 B.C.  Israelites returned to the land in 516 B.C., which was seventy years later.  In that regard, the prophets are categorized as pre-exilic, exilic, and post-exilic prophets.  Jeremiah is categorized as a pre-exilic prophet.  

Because it is useful to study verses that share the same context, below is content related to Jeremiah 17:1–11.  

Note: In verses 1–4, Jeremiah is quoting God the Father.  

Jeremiah 17:1

“The sin of Judah is written down with an iron stylus.  With a hard stone point, it is engraved upon the tablet of their heart and on the projections at the corners of your altars.  

Note:  Unspecified in the Hebrew of Jeremiah 17:1 is what type of hard stone is referenced in this verse.  Also, the heart refers to the mind.  

Note:  Inside the square brackets below, the letters i.e. are used to represent the phrase that is.  The two letters are an abbreviation for the Latin words id est, which mean “that is.”  When one reads those two letters, one can either say, “eye ee” or “that is.”  If one is reading out loud, and if any hearers of that reading are unaware of what the letters i.e. represent, it is best to say “that is.”  Also, the letters i.e. need to be followed by a comma.  

Jeremiah 17:2

“As they remember their children, so do they their altars and their Asherim [i.e., wooden symbols of a female false deity] by green trees on the high hills.  

Note:  The content of Jeremiah 17:2 indicates that Judahites were as fond of false-god worship as they were fond of their children.  In that regard, the word altars as used in this verse refers to altars for worshiping false gods.  Also, the plural noun Asherim refers to multiple idols representing a false goddess named Ashtaroth [ASH-tah-rohth].  The word Asherim is a plural form of the noun Asherah.  

Regarding the false goddess named Ashtaroth, people in various cultures have worshiped false goddesses.  For example, the Babylonians and Assyrians worshiped a false goddess named Ishtar [ISH-tahr].  This false goddess is similar to the Aphrodite [af-ruh-DIGH-tee] / Cytherea [sith-uh-REE-uh] worshiped by the Greeks and the Venus worshiped by the Romans.  A similar false goddess worshiped by the Phoenicians, Syrians, and Canaanites is named Astarte [uh-STAHR-tee].  That false goddess is also known by the names Ashtaroth, Astaroth, Asharoth, Asherah, and Ashtoreth.  

Jeremiah 17:3

“O mountain of Mine in the countryside, I give over your wealth and all your treasures for booty, your high places for sin throughout your borders.  

Note:  In this verse, the phrase high places refers to places where false gods were worshiped.  The mountain referenced in this verse is Zion [ZIGH-uhn], which is the mountain on which Jerusalem is located.  Also, the word Zion can be used to refer to Jerusalem.  In that regard, the phrase mountain of Mine in Jeremiah 17:3 refers to Jerusalem.  

In this verse, the use of a present tense in the phrase I give over is a reference to the future.  Such a use of a present tense has a rhetorical effect.  In that regard, using a verb in a present tense to refer to the future can help a reader or hearer of the Word of God imagine future events as though the reader or hearer is watching those events as they occur.  

Jeremiah 17:4

“You, even of yourself, have let go of your inheritance that I have given to you, and I have made you serve your enemies in the land which you have not known, for you have kindled a fire in My anger which burns for a long period of time.”  

Note:  The use of the perfect tense in the phrase You, even of yourself, have let go of your inheritance is a reference to the future.  The perfect tense in this verse has a rhetorical effect.  In that regard, why would verbs in the perfect tense be used to refer to what will happen in the future?  Doing so in reference to something being indicated can communicate that what will occur in the future is 100% certain to happen and that because it is 100% certain to happen, it is as though it has happened already.  The same applies to the phrase I have made you serve your enemies in the land which you have not known.  

The word anger in this verse is an anthropopathism [an-thruh-poh-PATH-iz-uhm].  An anthropopathism is a usage of terminology involving human emotion to describe a manifestation of a characteristic of the essence of the Trinity.  The Members of the Trinity donʼt literally become angry; the usage of the word anger in this verse helps human beings understand the wrath of God the Father.  

The Hebrew word עוֹלָם [pronounced oh-LAWM and transliterated as `owlam] can mean “for a long period of time,” and it can also mean “forever.”  (Hebrew is written and read from right to left.)  In the context of Jeremiah 17:4, the use of `owlam involves people of Judah being punished by having to serve their enemies in a foreign land; therefore, the usage of the word `owlam in this verse is in the sense of a long period of time.  

Jeremiah 17:5

Thus has said Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One:  “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind and has made flesh his strength/arm and whose heart turns away from Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One.

Note:  In Jeremiah 17:5, the noun arm is a metaphorical reference to strength.  Not only does Jeremiah 17:5 apply to refraining from trusting in the strength of other human beings, but it also applies to refraining from trusting in oneʼs own strength.  Also, the heart refers to the mind.  

Jeremiah 17:6

“He has been like a bush in the desert and does not see when prosperity comes but has lived in stony wastes in the wilderness, a land of salt and not inhabited.

Note:  In this verse, as with verse 4, the use of the perfect tense to refer to the future is done for rhetorical effect.  The same applies to the use of the present tense in this verse.  

Jeremiah 17:7

“Blessed is the man who trusts in Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One and whose trust has been Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One, 

Jeremiah 17:8

and he has been like a tree planted by the water that extends its roots by a stream and does not fear when the heat comes, but its leaves have been green, and it is not anxious in a year of drought nor ceases to yield fruit.

Note:  The perfect tense is used for rhetorical effect in this verse, as in verses 4 and 6.  The same applies to the use of the present tense in this verse.  

Jeremiah 17:9

“The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick.  Who can understand it?

Note:  The heart refers to the mind.  This verse calls attention to the old sin nature (OSN) corrupting the thinking of all humans except the Lord Jesus Christ.  Every human except the Lord Jesus Christ has acquired an old sin nature, and each humanʼs old sin nature is in the body of that human.  The old sin nature, which is referenced in Ephesians 4:22 with the term old man, can also be referred to as the sin nature.  It is also referenced using the word flesh in Ephesians 2:3 and Galatians 5:16.  The content of Romans 6:6 associates the sin nature with peopleʼs bodies, and the content of Romans 7:17–18 references the sin nature being in peopleʼs bodies.  Adam and Ishshah [ish-SHAW] (the name of Eve before Adam renamed her Eve) were created without old sin natures, and they acquired old sin natures when they sinned.  All other human beings have been conceived.  Only the Lord Jesus Christ was conceived without an old sin nature.  All the other humans that were conceived have been conceived with old sin natures.  Likewise, all humans in the future will be conceived, and the conceiving of each of them will involve each of them receiving an old sin nature at the moment that each of them will be conceived.  

Regarding sinning, once a believer commits a sin after salvation, that believer is no longer filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit and is out of fellowship with the Trinity.  After that believer has confessed/acknowledged to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins, fellowship with the Trinity and the filling with the power of the Holy Spirit are restored.  The procedure for confessing/acknowledging to God the Father all of oneʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins is mentioned in 1 John 1:9:  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  Fellowship with God the Father and God the Son is mentioned in 1 John 1.  Being out of fellowship with God the Holy Spirit is referenced in Ephesians 4:30.  In that regard, when a believer sins, that believer grieves the Holy Spirit.  Losing the filling of the power of God the Holy Spirit is referenced in 1 Thessalonians 5:19.  In that regard, when a believer sins, the power of God the Holy Spirit is quenched in that believer.  After a believer has confessed/acknowledged to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins, that believer is then filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit again and in fellowship with the Trinity again.  

Without believing in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior and then learning and obeying the Word of God, a personʼs mind will remain in a condition of metaphorical sickness.  In that regard, the content of this verse describes the mind of a person with an old sin nature until that person believes in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior and then learns and obeys the Word of God.  In that regard, until a person believes in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior and then learns and obeys the Word of God, that person thinks in terms of what can be referred to as human viewpoint.  The term human viewpoint refers to any viewpoint that deviates from the Word of God.  In contrast, the term divine viewpoint refers to the viewpoint of the Trinity.  All three Members of the Trinity have the same viewpoint.  Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ can learn divine viewpoint by learning the Word of God.  Therefore, the term divine viewpoint refers to the viewpoint that comes from a proper understanding of the Word of God.  With human-viewpoint thinking, a person has unrealistic expectations regarding life.  Such a person is divorced from reality.  

The question in the second half of this verse calls attention to the fact that humans lack the ability to by themselves understand the corruption of the thinking that results from having a sin nature.  The Members of the Trinity understand the corruption of the thinking that results from having a sin nature because the Members of the Trinity are omniscient [all-knowing].  As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ learns more and more of the Word of God, that believer can more and more understand the corruption of the thinking that results from having a sin nature.  In that regard, understanding is more than simply being aware of the corruption of the thinking that results from having a sin nature.  Instead, that understanding involves becoming aware of the various ways in which the thinking can be corrupt.  

Jeremiah 17:10

“I, Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One, search the heart; I test the kidneys even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.

Note:  The heart refers to the mind.  Also, the kidneys refer to the emotions.  In addition, the word fruit in this verse refers to the results of what a person does.  This verse calls attention to the fact that God the Father ensures that there are consequences for what people think and do.  Regarding the reference to emotions in this verse, emotions are associated with the thinking.  In that regard, the emotions should be influenced by thinking that involves obeying the Word of God.  When a personʼs emotions swell up, that person can be tempted to commit one or more mental-attitude sins.  In that regard, the swelling up of emotion can involve any type of the full gamut of emotion—in other words, it can be any type of emotion.  

Regarding mental-attitude sins, sins can be categorized in various ways.  There are three broad categories of sins:  mental-attitude sins, verbal sins, and overt sins.  Verbal sins can also be referred to as sins of the tongue.  They can also be referred to as communicative sins because that category also encompasses non-verbal communication that involves sinning.  Communicative sins can also involve physical means of communication such as facial expressions, other forms of body language, tone of voice, and demeanor.  

If a person commits one or more mental-attitude sins when that personʼs emotions are swelling up, that person ends up controlled by his or her old sin nature and in a condition that can be referred to as emotional revolt of the soul.  In that regard, a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ should be alert for temptations so as to refrain from succumbing to emotional revolt of the soul.  With regard to being alert, levels of alertness can be categorized in terms of a mindset color code that involves four colors.  The mindset color code describes states of awareness.  The mindset color code can be utilized for matters outside oneself; for example, the color code can be applied to both physical dangers and also to the dangers of stumbling blocks that can lead a Christian to sin.  Also, the color code can be utilized introspectively with regard to the temptations that can originate from oneʼs sin nature.  Below are the conditions of alertness of the mindset color code and descriptions of them.  

Jeremiah 17:11

“As a partridge has brooded and has not brought forth, so is he who gets wealth but unjustly.  In the midst of his days, it abandons him, and in his end, he is a fool.”

Note:  In the context of birds and eggs, the term brood refers to sitting on one or more eggs for the purpose of hatching the egg or eggs.  In that regard, the term bring forth could refer to the laying of one or more eggs or to the hatching of one or more eggs.  If the term bring forth as used in this verse refers to the laying of one or more eggs, then the phrase has not brought forth refers to a partridge brooding over one or more eggs that that partridge had not laid.  If the term bring forth as used in this verse refers to the hatching of one or more eggs, then the phrase has not brought forth refers to a partridge brooding over one or more eggs without anything ever hatching from that egg or eggs.  Regardless of whether the partridge referenced in the analogy in this verse hatches eggs which it has not laid or broods over eggs that do not hatch, the message of Jeremiah 17:11 is that it is foolish to try to use unjust means in order to acquire wealth.  In that regard, the reference to wealth abandoning could be a metaphorical reference involving wealth personified as a person who abandons someone and thereby provides no benefit to the abandoned person.  Likewise, when a person unjustly obtains wealth, that wealth provides no happiness for that person who unjustly acquired that wealth.  Regardless of the specifics of the metaphorical references in Jeremiah 17:11, the message of this verse is that it is foolish to try to use unjust means in order to acquire wealth.  

Sincerely,

John