Jeremiah was sent to declare God’s message and to offer Judah a chance to repent of their idolatry. One of the factors to God’s judgment upon His people were the false prophets and priests. Judah’s false prophets offered them a religion of peace and prosperity when in fact there wasn’t any. Judah had lost their way and a generation was about to be taken into captivity. It seems modern preaching is doing much of the same. The prosperity, and health and wealth gospel offer a false peace that only disguises captivity.
With a generation that faced opposition, carnality, idolatry and false hope, God spoke through His prophet Jeremiah and told them this: “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” (Jer. 6:16).
Judah was to stand in the ways, see and ask for the old paths, and walk in them. The reason for the people’s judgment was their straying from the ancient ways of the patriarchs and drifting towards idolatry. Jeremiah pictured travelers who had lost their way. When they were to arrive at crossroads, the moment called for clear decision (v.16). To go one way can mean death; to go another, life. What looked outdated, and outmoded was in fact the path they were to take. To return to God is to take the path that leads to God.
Notice the verbs in this message: stand, see, ask, walk and rest.
Stand! The message says to stand unless you go astray in the wrong direction. Before you aimlessly walk, you are to consider the ways. Picture a man traveling by foot and he comes to two directions, two roads. The man has to consider the place where he stands, and where he wants to go.
The Hebrew word used for “see” means to advise oneself, or to consider and discern. How can you know which path is good if you don’t stop and look?
It’s good to ask for directions when you aren’t sure of the way to take. Many well-intentioned people have been led astray because they didn’t stop and ask questions. Only a fool will refuse to ask for directions when he is lost or cannot find his way.
The paths which are to be sought for are “the old paths,” and it is their age which seems representative of them offering safety. And it is called “the good way.” It is not the easy way. Neither is it the popular way, for few there be that find it. But it is the good way, created by a good God.
The standing, the seeing, the asking are the means. Walking, however, is the ends. There will be those who have stood, seen, asked and know but they won’t walk in it. They will do everything in their power to avoid walking in the old paths. They are enamored with the new and shiny. But all that sparkles isn’t gold. Everything that is new isn’t always correct.
You have to walk on the old paths. It is not enough to just stand, see and know of them, you must tread upon them yourselves. Here on the old paths, you will find rest for your souls.