How the Old Paths Lead Us to God

In the Book of Jeremiah, the prophet, speaking on behalf of the Lord, says this: “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls (Jeremiah 6:16).” I have long loved this appeal from the Lord because I am an old-fashioned soul living in postmodern times. I know many of you can appreciate the sentiment.

The context of this verse, however, is obviously not modern America; it is ancient Judah. So, at face value, we must read it for what it means: God is making an appeal for Judah to abandon the wrong paths that have led them away from Him and return to the old paths that led them to Him. Principally, though, there is much here for the modern Christian to glean. Let’s look.

First, let’s look at the usage of the words “way” and “path”. Seemingly, they mean the same thing. In a literary sense, they can be used interchangeably. In a moral sense, however, they mean something different. In this passage, the word for “way” speaks to one’s actions – the things they do. In this sense, we would say things like, “Their ways are eccentric” or “They have a different way of doing things”. The word for “path” speaks more to the direction in which one walks i.e. the wide and narrow paths. Together, these words form an appeal to both the mind and body. They appeal to one’s thinking and one’s behavior. Ultimately, they form an appeal from the Lord for wisdom (because that’s what wisdom does: it guides the mind and body).

Second, there is a comparison taking place in this verse between what the Lord calls “current” ways and “old” ways. Now, this is not to say that all current ways are bad (or vice versa), and it’s not to say that all old ways are good (or vice versa); it’s simply a comparison between the two. To appreciate this, you and I can probably think about some of the old ways we used to do things. Many of these ways seemed simple and functional. Over the years, however, many of them essentially died out. Contrarily, we can think of many of the new ways in the same sense. There are many new ways of doing things that are more efficient and industrious. There are many, however, that are not.

And this is where the Lord took issue with Judah. Judah had abandoned the ways of God and began walking paths that were not good. They had traded core, fundamental truths for cheap, progressive things. They had adopted worship of false gods. They had abandoned the Law. They had embraced wickedness.

So, the Lord makes an appeal for them to return to wisdom. “Go back and walk in the good ways (moral and spiritual pathways), and you will find rest for your souls,” the Lord says. This appeal to wisdom reminds us that, “Her ways are pleasant, and all her paths are peaceful (Proverbs 3:17).” It reminds us that, “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn (Proverbs 4:18).” It reminds us of the words of the psalmist when he said, “Direct me in the path of Your commandments (Psalm 119:35).”

In a modern context the same is still true. God’s ways are always better than man’s ideas. God’s truths are always better than man’s opinions. And God’s paths are still always better than ours. Unfortunately, modern man has become much like the ancient Judean: he is arrogant, proud, and wicked. He thinks that he knows better than God, and he thinks that he can escape judgment for whatever he decides to do.

Thus, the appeal from the Lord still stands today: “…ask for the old paths where the good way is and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls.” The truth is that God, through the ministry of Jesus, the indwelling Holy Spirit, and the presence of His Word, is still making an appeal to return to Him. His desire is that all people will repent from their sin and return to Him; that wisdom would override the folly of our own imaginations; that the old paths would become desirable again.

Blessings,
Bro. Ben