Why Back to the Old Paths?
Back to the Old Paths…
What does it mean?
Why did I choose it for the name of my blog?
What are the old paths?
Luke 3:4-7
4 As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth;
6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
In his devotional book, Morning and Evening, Charles Spurgeon uses this passage in the January 3rd evening reading. He describes how the four directions in the text must have our serious attention…
Every valley must be exalted
Every mountain and hill shall be laid low
The crooked shall be made straight
The rough places shall be made smooth
Every valley
Every valley must be exalted
Low and grovelling thoughts of God must be given up
Doubting and despairing must be removed
Self-seeking and carnal delights must be forsaken
Every mountain
Every mountain and hill shall be laid low
Proud creature-sufficiency
Boastful self-righteousness must be levelled
Not haughty or highminded – lowly, contrite in heart
The crooked
The crooked shall be made straight
Wavering heart – straight path of decision for God and holiness marked out for it
Not double-minded
Not a stranger to the truth – be in all things honest and true
The rough places
The rough places shall be made smooth
Stumbling blocks of sin removed
Thorns and briers of rebellion uprooted
The picture Charles Spurgeon paints is one of ridding our lives of anything and everything that gets between us and God. Anything that turns our eyes and our focus away from Him and His ways. Any redefining of terms He has clearly defined already in His Word. Any new notions and ideologies that are not clearly in line with the Scriptures.
So much that is going on around us these days threatens to derail us, get us off track. Things are happening so fast we can easily be confused and overwhelmed. The ONLY way to get back on track is to return to the old paths, and stay on them.
But again, what do I mean by that? To answer the questions I asked at the beginning of this article…
Back to the Old Paths… What does it mean?
Why did I choose it for the name of my blog?
What are the old paths?
The old paths are what God set before us in His Word, the Bible.
“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” – Psalm 16:11
This is the secret of living in this life. Any other path we take will only bring us confusion and heartache in the end. Why? Because God has created us for Himself, for fellowship with Him.
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” – Psalm 119:105
God shows us the path in His Word; and His Word is the lamp that lights our path.
So many believers have gotten off the path in recent years. We have taken our eyes off our Saviour and Master, the Lord Jesus Christ, in our daily walk. We walk in fear, and listen to the voices of alarm all around us. We need to be reminded often to return to Him, to find our strength and peace in Him.
“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…” – Jeremiah 6:16
And that is why I chose “Back to the Old Paths” for the name of my blog.