The Beaten Path
Today’s Verse:
Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. ~Jeremiah 6:16
A beaten path is a pathway that is tried, proven, and frequently travelled. A destination off the beaten path is a place not known by or popular with people. In our devotion this morning, we are reflecting on the old paths: the spiritual paths that are proven and prudent for us.
We see the priority.
“Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see….” The old paths are the commands, precepts, and practices that God has given to us. God is commanding us to stand in the way of the old paths and see. The old paths are the spiritual roads travelled by the spiritual giants who paved the way for us: men like Moses, Joshua, David, Elijah, Elisha, Daniel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Paul, and Peter. Foremost is the fact that Jesus has made the way for us.
We see the prayer.
“Ask for the old paths….” The people in Jeremiah’s day travelled down a different path. They were people who did not endure sound doctrine, but heaped to themselves teachers, having itching ears. They turned away from the truth. God told the people to stand, see, and ask for the old paths. When the old paths are refused, people place roadblocks and detours in the way. God told them to ask for a revival of old paths: preaching, old-paths holiness, old-paths soulwinning, old-paths separation, old-paths faith, and old-paths Holy Spirit power.
We see the proper.
“Where is the good way….” The old paths are the good way. They have the blessing of God upon them. They are biblical. Being biblical is believing and doing things God’s way. They are like a shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. They are paths of righteousness. They are paths that result in fruitfulness. The old paths are the way of life that is above to the wise.
We see the pursuit.
“And walk therein….” After we pray for the old paths, God commands us to walk in them. We are to stay on the beaten path that is proven and will not fail us. We must be careful of succumbing to pragmatism when it comes to the path that we are to take. Israel made the mistake of making a new oxcart to transport the ark of God. Someone always tries to find a new way to worship God, bring a crowd to church, appeal to the culture, and communicate God’s Word. The end result is that they make a path that leads to compromise and disaster.
We see the peace.
“…And ye shall find rest for your souls.” In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus told us to come to Him with the burdens of our life, take His yoke upon us, and find rest for our souls. The old paths are a place where we find rest for our souls. The old paths point us to Jesus. The old paths give us rest for our souls. They will never disappoint or fail us. “Great peace have they which love thy law….”
We see the protest.
“But they said, We will not walk therein.” The people refused to go down the old paths. They were defiant and rebellious. Like Rehoboam, they chose to listen to the counsel of their peers instead of following the old paths of the older men who were much wiser. Be careful of being scornful of the old paths. Ask for the old paths and walk in them.
Have a prudent God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: 2 Kings 20-22