The Good Way
by PJ Salas
"Thus says the Lord, stand at the crossroads, and look, and ask for the old path, where the good way is, and walk in it … " Jeremiah6:16.
Significance
Jeremiah chapter six and verse sixteen was written for ancient Israel, for their correction and understanding; and it stands today for our admonishment as well.
The explicit intent of the expression "old path" is "God's way", the upright road, wherein righteousness is. Both the context, and the Hebrew word עֹלָם עוֹלָם which is translated in English as "old", plainly declare the "everlasting path", emphasized by the statement that follows, calling it – "the good way".
As with Israel, who lost their way, so it is with us, we have lost our way and are traversing the wrong road. In our efforts to be enlightened and politically correct, we have abandoned the good way, God's way.
Contrary to God
In our purpose to be all-inclusive and accepting of whatever, we no longer understand the need for distinction between the moral and immoral. We have made bad seem good and good seem bad; and God indeed warns us of such a course.
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness. (Isaiah5:20). The Bible says that there is a way that seems right to people, but the end there off is death. (Proverbs14:12;16:25)
Stand at the crossroads and look, see the good way and walk in it.
God's Way
The simplicity of God's truth, of His way is lost to us because we think we have evolved to something better; but the reality is that we have walked away from our Creator to follow another way.
King Solomon said, there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes1:9); and he is right. We walked away from God in the Garden, and we are still walking away from the Creator. We want to be independent of the Sovereign and pursue the different path. (Genesis3:6;1John 2:16). In so doing we forsake God and choose the way of death, though we think otherwise.
God in His mercy calls us to stop, stand still, look about and inquire of the eternal path, which is the good way, and walk therein.
Wrong Direction
Our world is spiraling down into the dark corridor, the unenlightened road, though we feel certain of the antithesis. Holiness, and the beauty it fosters, has always been the good way, and it still is the excellent path.
Holiness really means wholeness, in the truest sense. Upright living is not walking around with our hands folded and purporting our hallowedness; rather it is the modesty and humility of forthrightly following the way of God set forth in His Word, the Bible.
We need God's truth, His good way, to let it resonate within us, and follow the eternally excellent way, to walk with Jesus.
Need God's Direction
The ancient way, the old path, the first course, before sin, is the good way. Instead of learning from the first earthly couple, who failed to realize the necessity and tremendous import of staying on the right course, we continue on the same fractured fault lines.
In our attempt to progress, we digress, falling into the cracks, crevices, and rifts, and eventually swallowed up in the exploits of wickedness. Instead of order and correctness, we are dwindling into abysmal decay, and expiring in disrupt of the explosive kind.
Instead of acting independently of God, our need is to get back on course with Him. We need His direction and His clear path, the illuminated good way.
Call Back
God is calling us back to Himself; He has made the way for us to return to His path through the death of His Son. The Almighty has laid Himself down that we may be lifted up. Our Creator has taken action on our behalf to not only call us back to Himself, but to show us the way, and to help us walk in it.
God has given us His Word, the Bible, that we have a compass continually pointing us in the right direction. It is our light in a world full of darkness, decay, and wickedness. To neglect it is to traverse the obscure and bleak pathway.
Our Help
Christ lived the life of a human being that He may know first-hand the difficulties and distress of His creation in a sinful world. He lived an impoverished life filled with struggle, heartache, and trial, that He may understand the depth of our pain. Further, He willing laid down His life to extinguish the debt of sin that we may be free to live a life of uprightness.
Jesus who was the Word made flesh (John1:14), walked this earth in human flesh, and adhered to the Bible. His life was a walking testament to what it means to live out the Word of God in our life.
Illuminated Good Way
Christ the living example of God's Word is our light, and He has given us His Word that we may follow His light. Our Lord has not left us to ourselves to continue stumbling down the dreary road of sin.
Jesus is the light of the world, and those who follow Him will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. (John8:12).
"Thus says the Lord, stand at the crossroads, and look, and ask for the old path, where the good way is, and walk in it … " Jeremiah6:16.
