What are some examples of misplaced trust?
Psalm 40:4Oh, the joys of those who trust the Lord, who have no confidence in the proud or in those who worship idols.
Psalm 44:6-8I do not trust in my bow; I do not count on my sword to save me. You are the one who gives us victory over our enemies; you disgrace those who hate us. O God, we give glory to you all day long and constantly praise your name.
Psalm 118:8-9It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.
Psalm 146:3Don’t put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there.
Isaiah 2:22Don’t put your trust in mere humans. They are as frail as breath. What good are they?
Isaiah 30:2-3“Without consulting me, you have gone down to Egypt for help. You have put your trust in Pharaoh’s protection. You have tried to hide in his shade. But by trusting Pharaoh, you will be humiliated, and by depending on him, you will be disgraced.”
Isaiah 30:15-16This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it. You said, ‘No, we will get our help from Egypt. They will give us swift horses for riding into battle.’ But the only swiftness you are going to see is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you!”
Isaiah 31:1What sorrow awaits those who look to Egypt for help, trusting their horses, chariots, and charioteers and depending on the strength of human armies instead of looking to the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.
Jeremiah 17:5This is what the Lord says: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord.”
Trusting in human strength or weapons or political powers cannot bring true and lasting security. That can only come from God!
Leviticus 19:4“Do not put your trust in idols or make metal images of gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God.”
Isaiah 42:17“But those who trust in idols, who say, ‘You are our gods,’ will be turned away in shame.”
Isaiah 57:13“Let’s see if your idols can save you when you cry to them for help. Why, a puff of wind can knock them down! If you just breathe on them, they fall over! But whoever trusts in me will inherit the land and possess my holy mountain.”
Habakkuk 2:18“What good is an idol carved by man, or a cast image that deceives you? How foolish to trust in your own creation—a god that can’t even talk!”
Trusting in anything other than God is idolatry and meaningless.
Deuteronomy 28:52“They will attack your cities until all the fortified walls in your land—the walls you trusted to protect you—are knocked down. They will attack all the towns in the land the Lord your God has given you.”
Job 8:13-19“The same happens to all who forget God. The hopes of the godless evaporate. Their confidence hangs by a thread. They are leaning on a spider’s web. They cling to their home for security, but it won’t last. They try to hold it tight, but it will not endure. The godless seem like a lush plant growing in the sunshine, its branches spreading across the garden. Its roots grow down through a pile of stones; it takes hold on a bed of rocks. But when it is uprooted, it’s as though it never existed! That’s the end of its life, and others spring up from the earth to replace it.”
Isaiah 22:8-11Judah’s defenses have been stripped away. You run to the armory for your weapons. You inspect the breaks in the walls of Jerusalem. You store up water in the lower pool. You survey the houses and tear some down for stone to strengthen the walls. Between the city walls, you build a reservoir for water from the old pool. But you never ask for help from the One who did all this. You never considered the One who planned this long ago.
Jeremiah 5:17They will devour the food of your harvest; they will devour your sons and daughters. They will devour your flocks and herds; they will devour your grapes and figs. And they will destroy your fortified towns, which you think are so safe.
Jeremiah 7:14So just as I destroyed Shiloh, I will now destroy this Temple that bears my name, this Temple that you trust in for help, this place that I gave to you and your ancestors.
We must be careful not to trust in our own resources and defenses, and even in our buildings meant to honor God. God is beyond and above any human construction.
Luke 18:9-10, 14Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. . . . I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Romans 3:19-20Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.
Romans 9:32Why not? Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law instead of by trusting in him. They stumbled over the great rock in their path.
Trusting in strict obedience to God’s law without trusting in the God who made it is legalism, which cannot save us. Our obedience will never be complete, and only God’s grace can save us.
Proverbs 3:5-6Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
Proverbs 28:26Those who trust their own insight are foolish, but anyone who walks in wisdom is safe.
Jeremiah 48:7Because you have trusted in your wealth and skill, you will be taken captive. Your god Chemosh, with his priests and officials, will be hauled off to distant lands!
Habakkuk 2:4“Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.”
Personal knowledge and skills are valuable and God will use them in our lives, but we dare not trust in them rather than in God. They remain finite and imperfect, while he is eternally perfect.
Job 15:31“Let them no longer fool themselves by trusting in empty riches, for emptiness will be their only reward.”
Job 31:24“Have I put my trust in money or felt secure because of my gold?”
Psalm 49:6-7They trust in their wealth and boast of great riches. Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death by paying a ransom to God.
Psalm 52:7Look what happens to mighty warriors who do not trust in God. They trust their wealth instead and grow more and more bold in their wickedness.
Psalm 62:10Don’t make your living by extortion or put your hope in stealing. And if your wealth increases, don’t make it the center of your life.
Proverbs 11:28Trust in your money and down you go! But the godly flourish like leaves in spring.
Isaiah 2:22Don’t put your trust in mere humans. They are as frail as breath. What good are they?
Jeremiah 48:7Because you have trusted in your wealth and skill, you will be taken captive. Your god Chemosh, with his priests and officials, will be hauled off to distant lands!
Jeremiah 49:4You are proud of your fertile valleys, but they will soon be ruined. You trusted in your wealth, you rebellious daughter, and thought no one could ever harm you.
Luke 12:15-20Then he [Jesus] said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.” Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’”
1 Timothy 6:17Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.
We must be careful not to trust in money or wealth. Relying on money or possessions for security is a shaky foundation that will only collapse in the end.
