By: Jimmy W. Bates
The prophet Jeremiah called upon the people of Judah to “ask for the old paths” and “walk therein…but they said, we will not walk therein” (Jeremiah 6:16). From the beginning of man there have been basically two “paths” in which he may walk. He can walk or live according to the will (instructions) of God which Jeremiah referred to as “the old paths,” or he can reject the will of God and walk in the paths of satan. God created man with the power to choose which path he will follow (Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-6).
Every individual must choose (cf. Deuteronomy 30:19; Joshua 24:15). The paths of God and satan go in opposite directions (Matthew 7:13-14) and there are no paths in between, no middle ground (Matthew 6:24; 12:30; Romans 6:16). One is either walking in “the old paths” or he is walking in the paths of satan.
While man has the power to choose and must choose one or the other, he cannot escape the consequences of the choice he makes! Through the pages of the Bible, God uses two great incentives to encourage us to make the right choice and walk in “the old paths.”
One, he shows the consequences of “walking therein” (Jeremiah 6:16), which involves his love, mercy, goodness, and blessings toward those who make that good choice (cf. Romans2:4). Hundreds of examples could begiven to show God blesses those who follow his instructions.
Two, God shows the consequences of failing to walk in the old paths, which involves his wrath (punishment) upon those who make that poor choice. Moses declared to the second generation Israelites that they had two choices; they could “love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments” and receive God’s blessings or, they could turn away from God and “surely perish” (Deuteronomy 30:15-20). The apostle Paul warned, “Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise-thou also shalt be cut off” (Romans 11:22). The burden of this article is to show the wrath of God upon those who reject “the old paths!”
Biblical Examples
God warned Adam and Eve of what the consequences would be if they ate of the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:17), and when they rejected God’s instructions, they learned that God meant what he said (Genesis 3). When Cain departed from God’s will he suffered the consequences (Genesis 4). The majority of the earth’s population was destroyed by the flood because they rejected the paths of God (Genesis 6-8). In Genesis 19, God showed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah the consequences of their grievous sins of sodomy or homosexuality as he rained upon them brimstone and fire out of heaven destroying them. The Israelites were the recipients of God’s wrath on numerous occasions because of their rebellion and refusal to walk in the paths of God (cf. Exodus 32; Numbers 11, 16, 21; 1 Corinthians 10). Nadab and Abihu (priests) were devoured by fire from the Lord because they used a fire to burn the incense that was unauthorized by the Lord (Leviticus 10:1-2). The prophets penned God’s wrath against the nations of Israel and Judah because they would not walk in “the old paths.”
The wrath of God will be brought upon the unbeliever (John 3:36), the ungodly and unrighteous (Rom. 1:18; 2:8), the disobedient (Eph. 5:6; Col. 3:6), the false teacher (Gal. 1:8-9; 2 John 9-11), because all such involves failure to walk in “the old paths.” Ananias and Sapphira were the recipients of God’s wrath upon their disobedience (Acts 5). All that the Bible says about hell/*eternal destruction is a reminder to us of the consequences of failing to walk in the paths of God (cf. Matthew 10:28; 23:33; 25:46; Luke 16:19-31; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9).
The Warning of Jeremiah Needed Today
God called Jeremiah to prophesy to the nation of Judah (Jeremiah 1:4-5). God’s people were on the brink of 70 years captivity. Jeremiah warned them of God’s wrath unless they repented (Jeremiah 6:11-12; Jeremiah 7:1-7).
Some of the same attitudes and sins that led to God’s wrath upon Judah, exists in the church today!
- The word of the Lord was a reproach to them (Jeremiah 6:10). They had no delight in it. Why do many members of the church refuse to attend Bible classes, Gospel meetings, etc.? They have no delight in the word of God! They do not hunger and thirst after righteousness(Matthew 5:6).
- “For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness” (Jeremiah 6:13). One of the greatest hindrances to the cause of Christ today is the obsession with material gain by so many in the church (cf. Matthew 6:33; Luke 12:13-21; Colossians 3:5).
- Although they were repeatedly warned, they refused to recognize error and said, “peace, peace, when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:14). Many in the church have the same attitude today! They refuse to hear warnings of error and departures from the old paths!
- “They were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush” (Jeremiah 6:15). No sense of shame, no regret. They were deceived and hardened (cf. Hebrews 13:3). The same could be said of many in the church today with regards to modesty, social drinking, dancing, vulgar language, etc.
- They refused to walk in the old paths (Jeremiah 6:16). By attitude and practice many today are saying, “we will not walk in the old paths!”
The nation of Judah went into 70 long years of captivity because she would not heed the warnings of God through Jeremiah. She suffered the consequences (God’s wrath) for refusing to walk in the old paths. Will we make the same mistake? If you refuse to walk in the old paths, then expect for the wrath of God! (P.O. Box 97, Nettleton, MS 38858)
*Added for clarification: “eternal destruction”
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