Staying on the Ancient Road
Scripture Passage: Jeremiah 18:13-17 (NASB)
13 “Therefore this is what the Lord says:
‘Just ask among the nations,
Who ever heard anything like this?
The virgin of Israel
Has done a most appalling thing.
14 Does the snow of Lebanon leave the rock of the open country alone?
Or is the cold flowing water from a foreign land ever dried up?
15 For My people have forgotten Me,
They burn incense to worthless gods.
And they have stumbled in their ways,
In the ancient roads,
To walk on paths,
Not on a highway,
16 To make their land a desolation,
An object of perpetual hissing;
Everyone who passes by it will be astonished
And shake his head.
17 Like an east wind I will scatter them
Before the enemy;
I will show them My back and not My face
In the day of their disaster.’”
SUMMARY
The Lord says virgin Israel has done a horrible thing which is forgetting the Lord and serving other gods. Because Israel had deserted Him, the Lord says He will make their land desolate and He will scatter them before their enemies and turn His back on them and not notice their distress.
MEDITATION AND REFLECTION
As the snow covers the rock of Lebanon and as the cold water flows from foreign land, it should have been natural for Israel to serve the Lord. However, Israel had forgotten the Lord and “burned incense to worthless idols.” When that happens, the Lord allows disaster upon His people and when they are in the middle of disaster, the Lord will turn His back on them. I meditate on how as people who belong to the Lord, we must stay on the ancient road, the ways of the Lord, and how believers may be tempted to stray from the way, thinking there is something better that can be gained apart from the Lord, but forgetting the Lord and straying the tradition has disastrous consequences, big or small.
When I begin the day with praise, worship, and the word, I have a victorious day, but when I begin the day with distractions, or sin, I end up having a horrible day. Just recently, I had one of those days, when I began the day with my thoughts on ungodly things. Instead of reading the bible the first thing and meditating on the word, I woke up to look at my phone for news. All day, I was running a little bit behind schedule and ended the day getting upset at my husband and starting a fight with him. I felt like the Lord did not rescue me from my troubles that day because of the way I started my day. I had to accept that the awful day I had was really all my fault for not putting Christ first.
APPLICATION
I really want to break the cycle of repeated sin I struggle with. I want to commit to refraining from my idols for the next 40 days, but limiting media, shopping, and excessive eating. I want to spend more time with God by devoting my morning to meditating on the word and praying.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, I thank You for disciplining me when I have strayed from You. I deserve the trouble I get into when I have not been devoted to You. I pray I will never depart from You, but stay faithful to You. Help me Lord! In Jesus name, Amen.
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