The Old Paths and The Former Days
by an Old Disciple of Jesus Christ
“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. But they said, We will not walk therein.”~ Jer. 6:16
“Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this.”~ Eccl. 7:10
There is no contradiction here. In the latter case, Solomon speaks of the carnal man, “the man under the sun,” who thinks any and all of ‘the good old days’ were better than his present ones, desiring to go back to them. This type applauds the past and is appalled by the present. But in the former text we have a spiritual man, Jeremiah, speaking on God’s behalf, emphasizing not the any and all things of the past but particular paths, those ways tried and proved to be goodly. He is not saying go back to everything, but rather transport some things, the good of the past, forward.
But it is the second of these texts, I’d like to comment on, “the former days being better that these.” Interestingly, the Prisse Papyrus, held by many to be the oldest bit of known writings in existence, starts off with these words, “Alas, times are not what they used to be!” Sound familiar? Statements such as this, says Horace Greeley, “Have probably pervaded in every age.” We are not the first generation to be discouraged by our contemporary surroundings. The 16th Century was one of the turning points in history, with the Protestant Reformation, but Erasmus, who lived then, called it, “the excrement of the ages.”
Remembering the good things of the past is one thing; trying to relive them is another. It is alright to keep one eye on the mirror, as long as the other one is on the road.
"In the worst of times, there is still more cause to complain of an evil heart than an evil world."
(Robert Fleming, 1630-1694)
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Yes and Amen my dear brother
Richard, I appreciate your wisdom here. You've gone around the sun 20 more times than I have, but I feel older than you in my heart. I find it very difficult to not long for the "good old days" of my growing up years. So wow, learning to distinguish between the "good old paths" of godliness versus the "good old days" that really weren't so good. Thank you, and blessings be multiplied to you.