Reading Jeremiah 17 today I came across this:

Cursed is the man who trusts in man
and makes flesh his strength,
whose heart turns away from the Lord.
He is like a shrub in the desert,
and shall not see any good come.
He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness,
in an uninhabited salt land.

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
whose trust is the Lord.
He is like a tree planted by water,
that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
for it does not cease to bear fruit.

This is in the context of many chapters of rebuke for evil deeds, warnings of judgments on evil deeds, demands for a change in behavior, and promises of rewards for changes in behavior.  This passage is not some alternative to the rest but an explanation of the problem and the new obedience being demanded.  It is all about faith in Yahweh versus unbelief (or also faith in false gods).

I guess I don’t have much to say about this passage that isn’t obvious.  I had forgotten of this parallel to Psalm 1 and am really  writing about the verse because I really appreciates reading it.