Crossroads

Jeremiah 6:16(ESV) says, “Thus says the Lord: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’” The NIV says it this way, “This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’”

Have you ever come to an intersection (whether driving, walking, bicycling, etc.) where you had to make a decision as to which way to turn? Even though you knew where you were heading? A detour or road construction blocked your path and you found yourself at a crossroad requiring a decision. A decision which says, “Which way do I go?”

A definition of “standing at the crossroads” might sound like this: “A point at which a crucial decision must be made that will have far-reaching consequences.” Life is going to require you to make many of those types of decisions. Once you make the first cut into a stone it can’t be undone. It sets in motion a series of choices.

Let’s breakdown this verse from Jeremiah 6:16 –

1. Who’s talking here? Answer = “the Lord says.” If the Lord says it, it means it is final, true and guaranteed to come to pass as His Word does not return void.
2. “Stand at the crossroads and look” – STOP, examine each way before going any further!
3. Use the following criteria for discerning the best path –
1. “Ask for the ancient paths” – take a look in a mirror; go ahead, right now and look in a mirror. What do you see? If you see white or even gray hair on top of your head, you’ve arrived – you meet the criteria for “ancient”!
1. Job 12:12 – “Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days.”
2. 1 Kings 12:6-8 – “6Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?” 7And they said to him, “If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever.” 8But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him.
2. “Asking for the ancient paths” – can also mean returning to the established, godly, and faithful ways of the past rather than following new, rebellious, or idolatrous paths.
1. Proverbs 3:5-6 – “5Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
2. Philippians 1:9-10 – “9And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ…”
3. “Ask where the good way is and walk in it” - the “good way” is following God’s ancient paths of righteousness, which involves obeying His commandments, living justly, showing mercy, and acting with humility
1. Micah 6:8 – “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
2. Romans 12:21 – “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
3. Ephesians 2:10 – “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
4. “And you will find rest for your souls” – There’s a benefit/reward for making the right choices!
1. Matthew 11:28 – “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
2. Psalm 62:1 – “For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.”
5. “But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’” – There is also a warning for disobedience.
1. Proverbs 13:13 – “Whoever scorns instruction will pay for it, but whoever respects a command is rewarded.”
2. John 3:36 – ““Whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.”

If you have found yourself going down the wrong path in life and asking yourself, “How do I get back on the right path?” “How do I get back on the right path when I’ve made bad decisions?” Take these Scriptures to heart:

Acts 3:19-20– “19Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, 20that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus…”

Ephesians 2:1-5– “1And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—"