Ask for the Old Paths

How old are the ancient ways? The question seems to answer itself, but consider: even the ancients called the old paths ancient!

I pose this in contrast with "new" paths, called progressive and liberal, which we young-uns readily subscribe to. If the education of today was left to its own devices, we would want to be as far removed from the old paths as possible. Besides, peer pressure and movies increasingly glorify the anti-establishment rebel. "New improved this-and-that" is a byline that sells brands like hot cakes. Yet new lifestyle choices and "isms" from communism to neoliberalism, backed by science-so-called, are doomed to pass away. Indeed there is nothing new under the sun, and so much of the "new" stuff is the same old transient vanity newly come around.

Ecclesiastes 1:9
The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

The old paths are the faith of our fathers, which endured for generations and handed to us a rich legacy. Our spiritual fathers are not our biological fathers, but those whose faith we have made our own example to follow. The heroes of the Protestant Reformation shared one thing in common, for which they withstood persecution: "We have no king but Jesus!" They have as much to teach us today because the principle still stands.

As Abraham by faith became an heir of the promise, so we by faith can become heirs of the same promise made to Abraham. And the promise made to Abraham was an eternal reward and heritage through Jesus Christ. Yet indeed even at Abraham's birth, the old paths were already very old! We could go backward in time from the apostles to the ancient patriarchs and we would find that each one of these heroes of faith found the old paths well worn already. Even Adam at his creation awoke to a paradise whose every pulse resonated in harmony with the ancient and perfect will of GOD.

The old paths are older than us, from eternity to eternity. Our best bet is to abide in the old paths as our fathers did - to maintain faith and obedience in Jesus Christ, the Rock of ages.

1 John 2:17
The world passeth away, and the lusts thereof ; but he that doeth the will of GOD abideth forever.