JEREMIAH’S ADVICE/ANCIENT PATHS

A Word From Karen

January 11, 2022

“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” (Jer. 6:16)(KJV)

Let us look at the Prophet Jeremiah’s advice and apply it to the present. Jeremiah tells us exactly what to do in order to go forward and to be at rest in our souls at the same time. “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” (Jer. 6:16) (KJV)

Stand: First we are to stand. When we stand along our ways, we stop for the moment and remain firm. Picture a crossroads.
See: To see we must perceive (Hebraically, hear) the voice of the LORD so we know how to take the next step. We don’t move until we SEE. This comes from spending time in prayer and in the Word, in a one-on-one relationship with God.
Ask: We are told to ask for the old paths/ancient paths. Once we ask, the LORD will begin to reveal His strategy. The ancient path leads to the correct destination. Ecclesiastes tells us that the thing that has been- it is what will be again, and that which has been done is that which will be done again; and there is nothing new under the sun. Ecc. 1:9 In order to go forward, we must look backward.
Walk therein: Ancient path information points us back to Abram. The Lord told Abram “Get YOU out of your country….” (Gen. 12:1). In Hebrew, the LORD is telling him to start walking and “Go for yourself.” To walk in ancient paths is not part of “majority rule.” Abram had to take a stand against the evil spirit of his times, the same spirit believers stand against today. This, of course, created opposition. The moment we ask for the ancient paths, we become separated from a perverted society that idolizes power and whatever else is not of God.

ANCIENT PATH INFORMATION IN THE BOOK OF ACTS

Studying Acts 2:38-42 uncovers ancient path information that is to be used by all churches and synagogues.

Repentance: Shuv (H). The Hebrew word for repent is “shub” (Hebraically, the Shin and the Beth.) The original word picture for “shub” means to be taken captive. “The ancient conquerors wanted their captives to become a part of the conquering kingdom. This could never happen if the new captives wanted to return to their old home. So, to effect a total break with the past, the conquerors would force the captives to watch as their old home was being completely destroyed.”¹ When we repent (burn our old ways), we are choosing a covenant and a new kingdom.
Be baptized: “When a person immerses himself in water, he places himself in an environment where he cannot live.” “When a person submerges himself in baptism, he momentarily enters the realm of the non-living, so that when he emerges, he is like one reborn.” ²
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching: “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11).
They devoted themselves to the breaking of bread: They came together in fellowship.
They devoted themselves to the daily praise of God and prayer.

And the LORD added to the Church daily such as should be saved. Lord, may we model ourselves from the actions and attitudes of the ancients.