A Path that Beckons

The ancient paths beckon us.  Jeremiah is the one who spoke of this path long centuries ago, "Thus says the Lord:  Stand at the crossroads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies; and walk on it, and find rest for your souls."  (Jeremiah 6:16)  It was a time when the Hebrews, the people who heard the Word from the mountain saying, ""I am the Lord your God.....you shall have no other gods before me," (Exodus 20:2-3) were hedging their bets.  Instead of holding firm in their devotion to the Lord, they went after the gods of the culture.  They did not desert Yahweh, they just worshipped Baal alongside Him just in case He was not able to deliver what they wanted Him to deliver.   

It is because their apostasy sounds familiar that the words about the ancient paths have such relevance for us today.  We have not abandoned God for another god, but we hedge our bets by putting our trust in Him and the common consensus of culture.  It is one of the reasons that our lives seem so unstable, one of the reasons why we feel like feet in the sands of the shoreline that pull us one way and then another, and it is one of the reasons we can be described in the words of James the Apostle who spoke of people "being double minded and unstable in every way."  (James 1:8)    

To use the language of Jeremiah, our souls are not at rest.  They stay in a state of confusion.  Unfortunately, the ancient ways are dismissed simply because they are ancient.  They are ancient; therefore, they can surely have no relevance for a society that is bombarded with constant change.  The Word promises that the ancient way is the good way which when walked provides rest for the soul.  It is such a tragedy that so many would choose some other way.