The Ancient Paths

When Jeremiah pointed his people toward "the ancient paths,"   (Jeremiah 6:16) his intent was to give them life and hope instead of the destruction and hopelessness which lurked in every place.  As they lived midst the unfolding chaos, they had many choices.  Anxiety was surely one.  Marching into battle was another.  And, of course, resignation was likely very high on the list of embraced options.  The prophet encouraged them to slow down, take a breath, and ask about the ancient paths which had been walked by their ancestors.  

Those ancestors were people like Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, and King David.  Their history was filled with periods of faithfulness and faithlessness, but the awareness of being God's chosen was ever present.  They had never been utterly forsaken.  Always He had loved them, even when they raced after the gods and the custom of other cultures.  As they turned to the ancient paths, the reality of their identity rose before them with great clarity.    

There is value in searching for the ancient paths in our own troubled days.  There are, of course, two kinds of trouble.  There is the trouble of our own making and there is the trouble which simply comes to our doorstep for no apparent reason.  Regardless of the nature of the trouble, it is important that we are not led down a way that provides nothing more than temporary relief while the hole is being dug deeper.  The Word of God declares that the ancient path which is the path of faithful obedience to a faithful God is the only good way worth walking.