“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. Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken,” Jeremiah 6:16-17.
Rev Samuel Fitton, minister of Kilskeery Free Presbyterian Church, preached upon the verse 16 at both services on the Lord’s Day past. He has chosen it as the motto text for the new year. His exposition was most instructive and I commend both messages. The messages may be viewed here and here. There was a problem with the sound in the evening broadcast but it was restored before the preaching begins, so simply fast forward to about 30 minutes into the recording.
Companion
This text has been a long time companion of mine from when I first encountered it. It took on greater importance for me when in my first year in the Free Presbyterian Theological Hall, Dr Bert Cooke said with his unique way of emphasising a truth, ‘Jeremiah is the book for today!’
I was moved to study it closely during my three month stay in the Crumlin Road Jail, back sixty years ago in 1966. I have seen repeatedly and increasingly the truth of Dr Cooke’s words as the years have passed and the apostasy has deepened and impacted upon those who foolishly have seen fit to try and narrow the gap between the apostasy and the Lord’s separated witness!
Whispered
The response of the disobedient and defiant, recorded twice here — “We will not walk therein . . . We will not hearken” — may be heard whispered amongst our ranks. That is alarming and frightening for any who believe what the Lord says in the verses that follow our text!
Please consider . . .
I. THE COMMAND OF GOD PLAINLY GIVEN.
“Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths . . .”
These words carry all the authority of heaven! They are not the product of Jeremiah’s mind or heart, though of course he was in complete agreement with what is said by the Lord. No, this was a divine directive to a confused and deceived people in need of direction.
1. It encapsulates the Law of God. The word “old” carries the meaning of “everlasting, perpetual”.
It is a reference to the “way” outlined to Moses by Jehovah on Mount Sinai (Exodus 20:1-17) and summarised as the Ten Commandments.
That is the way in which the Lord WOULD EVER have His people walk.
The society in which we live has increasingly abandoned and cast off the Law of God. There is not one of the Ten Commandments but has been replaced by an assertion that whatever is forbidden of God in His Law is perfectly proper and right to engage in!
The death penalty for murder (Genesis 9:6) has been long abandoned. Marriage (Genesis 2:24, Ephesians 5:31, Hebrews 12:4) is almost entirely abandoned and illicit relationships abound with the resultant illegitimacy of the offspring of such unions. I need not mention the welcoming by the majority in our society of abortion, of sodomy and its related perversions, nor the many other breaches of God’s Law that have been ‘normalised’ and ‘sanitised’ today!
2. It is a call to God’s people to obey His revealed will. Nothing is more repeatedly set forth in Holy Scripture than that which the Lord would have us do. It has been preached generation after generation since the dawn of time; it has been recorded by divine inspiration and preserved most wonderfully over thousands of years for us to read today in our Bibles. Every form of simile and parable and illustration has been employed by God, through His servants, to make simple what it is the Lord requires of us. That it is set forth simply so even a child may understand its basics is seen in Paul’s statement to Timothy. “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; and that from a child (Greek – infant, young child) thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus,” 2 Timothy 3:14-15.
But still there are those who whine and whimper and moan that it is ‘too hard to understand’!
It is not a matter of difficulty but of depravity and defiance by the naturally sinful heart of man!
I read but a few days ago: “But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it. But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus,” Acts 4:15-18.
Here was a recognising of — being utterly unable to deny — the miraculous power of God at work in the witness of the two apostles, Peter and John. But here also is a wicked show of defiance by the religious leaders in their seeking to silence that which they were forced to acknowledge as being of God!
Man understands all too well the mind and will of God but by nature he is set against obeying God. Do you remember the words of Christ in the parable of the nobleman going into a far to receive a kingdom? “But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us,” Luke 19:14.
That epitomises the character of wicked mankind and which is manifested in the response of those addressed by Jeremiah!
3. It is in the Law we are required to ‘stand and walk’. The word stand means ‘endure, remain, continue.’ That is the place in which we are to position ourselves and remain unmoving. The Lord Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me,” John 14:6. He is the ONLY path to the Father and eternal salvation!
Standing refers to our openly declared, settled position in life.
Walk refers to the direction of our life and progress through the daily affairs of this world. We respond to all that confronts us daily by ‘walking forward in God’s path, obeying the directions of His Word.’
4. It is the ‘good and restful’ way. The peoples of the world may seem to be following a great variety of ‘ways’! In truth they are but following one of two ways!
“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it,” Matthew 7:13-14.
It matters not what a person’s social status is, or the money they may have in the bank, or how well known and admired may be their sporting prowess or their popularity or acclaim — they will be travelling through life on one of these paths, heading for one of two most certain destinations!
Conversion
Gospel conversion is that work of God’s grace whereby the sinner, born in sin and following the ‘the way that leadeth to destruction’, is transferred from the path of damnation and onto the ‘narrow . . way, which leadeth unto life.’
The Lord Jesus declared that “the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost,” Luke 19:10. Those who are on the broad way that leads to damnation are undoubtedly lost and in need of redemption! Christ came to rescue such by His mercy and love and so change them from what they were by nature, pardoning their sins and imparting eternal life to them through the ‘New Birth’.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new,” 2 Corinthians 5:17.
As Noah and his family entered the ark and were saved from the flood, so a sinner may heed the Gospel call, come in faith and repentance to Christ and be placed in Christ, the One pictured for us by Noah’s ark.
Paul wrote to the converted people in the church at Ephesus: “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast,” Ephesians 2:4-9.
I say again, as it was with the Ephesians, the Lord can ‘transport’ a sinner from the path of destruction onto the path of life. Note what Paul emphasised. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” This is all of God and His mercy and not of us.
Peter
Peter was rescued from drowning by calling upon the Lord and being lifted to safety by the hand of Christ.
“And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased,” Matthew 14:28-29-32.
The rescuing of Peter WAS NOT of or by Peter!
II. THE CONTRARINESS OF SINNERS CLEARLY SEEN.
“But they said, We will not walk therein. . . . But they said, We will not hearken,” verses 16 and 17.
1. This was an emphatic double rejection. They openly defied the Lord. They “said’. They did not merely think defiantly but they publicly pronounced their rejection of God’s command..
Irrespective of how quiet a person may be about their religious views, they nevertheless ‘SAY’ for the Lord to hear and for the discerning to likewise hear, what their heart is saying in response to the call of God.
I often think of the parable of the man who made a great supper and invited many guests. The response to the invitation by many is that of the response to the Gospel invitation today.
The invitation read: “Come; for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come,” Luke 14:17-20.
In truth they were saying, in so many words: ‘We will not come’.
They sought to conceal and excuse their rejection of the invitation but their words simply amounted to ‘NO’!
Likewise, no matter what excuse is offered to the Gospel invitation, it simply means NO!
It may be ‘I am busy just now but perhaps next week.’ Or, ‘I want to think a little more about this decision.’ But whatever form the excuse takes, the Lord knows it is a ’NO’ that is being uttered!
2. Gospel rejection entails a most foolish defiance of the Lord. The Gospel invitation: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light,” Matthew 11:28-30, is not something we can reject with impunity.
No, the invitation is to be OBEYED!
Mars Hill
Paul preached on Mars Hill in Athens, Greece: “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; and hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: for in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead,” Acts 17:24-31. The gospel ‘invitation’ is a ‘command from the Lord’ and must be obeyed!
3. Irrespective of this truth, man is such a defiant and blind sinner, he will not hear nor heed! “But they said, We will not hearken.”
What ignorance of the sinfulness of this reaction and what blindness to the almighty power of God is evidenced in this response to the Gospel. The sinner is thus defying the One of Whom Christ said, “I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him,” Luke 12:4-5.
If this truth was before the minds of sinners who are listening to the Gospel, they would not reject it!
Sadly, “There is no fear of God before their eyes,” Romans 3:18. Sin has blinded them to God and the devil has deceived them into believing they can ‘thumb their nose’ at the Gospel without any eternal repercussions!
What a dreadful awakening awaits the Gospel-rejecting sinners!
“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death,” Revelation 21:8.
III. THE CONSEQUENCE OF THEIR REJECTION IS DENOTED BY THE SOUNDING OF A TRUMPET.
“Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken,” verse 17.
1. That is the trumpet of war. Sinning against God is a declaration of war. He will respond in kind when mercy is repeatedly rejected. That is made plain in Amos 4:12 when the Lord spoke to a recalcitrant Israel. This is not a call to prepare for eternity by receiving Christ, as it has so often been preached. No, ‘the Lord was coming forth as an enemy to issue the controversy with them; they are called upon to meet, him in a hostile way, and muster up all their forces, exert all their power and strength, and make use of their best weapons and military skill, and see what would be the consequence of all this; feeble worms set in opposition to the mighty God,’ – Dr John Gill.
It was indeed a declaration of war which came after many acts of chastening for their sins but which they chose to ignore! The phrase, “Yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD” repeatedly appears in this chapter 4 of Amos, as verses 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, record. Repeated rejection of the Lord’s merciful overtures, results in severe judgment.
“Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; when your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: for that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: they would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices,” Proverbs 1:23-31.
This is what is entailed when a people reject the ‘old paths’ and refuse to heed the ‘trumpet’ of God’s Word, warning them of the consequences of their disobedience, as did Judah.
“Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken,” Jeremiah 6:17.
2. The Word sent to erring Judah was most explicit. The Lord plainly let it be known what would be the consequences of their defiance.
“Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it. To what purpose cometh there to me incense from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country? your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me. Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will lay stumblingblocks before this people, and the fathers and the sons together shall fall upon them; the neighbour and his friend shall perish. Thus saith the LORD, Behold, a people cometh from the north country, and a great nation shall be raised from the sides of the earth. They shall lay hold on bow and spear; they are cruel, and have no mercy; their voice roareth like the sea; and they ride upon horses, set in array as men for war against thee, O daughter of Zion,” verses 19-26.
3. This is what is happening now in Northern Ireland! What we are experiencing now, to an increasing degree, is just such an ‘invasion’, resulting in the loss of the blessings and liberties enjoyed in past times.
We have suffered many years of IRA terrorism and ‘loyalist’ criminality, but few have taken any heed to these warnings of worse to come.
Consequently, Ulster Protestantism is being increasingly submerged in a religious tide of ecumenism and popery and a greatly diminished Gospel witness is one of the results.
Furthermore, on the political side, the political arm of the IRA has taken over control of our land and that with the unprincipled aid of London!
Daily, we see ‘Unionism’ vainly struggling amidst the quicksands of compromise and appeasement. All of which, as struggling in quicksand but brings the trapped victim nearer to total engulfment, so we are nigh to being swallowed by popery and Irish republicanism!
Compromise with sin doesn’t work!
The placating of our enemies, moral and political, by ceasing a bold and scriptural defying of their embracing of depraved trends such as sodomy, and in the case of the DUP, actually embracing and endorsing such, has offended the Lord and only increased our distresses.
The letter columns of local newspapers indicate that there is a growing recognition of what one letter heading declared:
‘Problems facing NI’s car market is another example that we are being pushed out of the UK.’
It was in response to a recent statement by TUV leader, Mr Jim Allister QC, MP, in which he highlighted the alienation of Northern Ireland from the UK as part of the deceitful agreement the DUP made with London.
‘In Northern Ireland 2026 will begin where 2025 left off, with the further tightening of the EU noose.
On 1st January veterinary and pet medicines from GB will be banned and a new regime of tighter customs controls will be imposed at the Irish Sea border – called ICS2 (Import Control System 2), requiring more paperwork and costs, and at a stroke removing much of the proclaimed benefits of ‘the green lane’.
All of which is a reminder of the dastardly lies told to get the sell-out Donaldson/DUP Deal over the line. Remember ‘no checks, no paperwork’, ‘Irish Sea Border gone’! Sadly, every day since has underscored the audacity of these blatant lies.
And, of course, the intended consequence of the Protocol takes shape before our eyes: the reorientation of our economy away from GB and the building of the stepping stone of an all-Ireland economy.’
Take up the cry of old
Will not the Free Presbyterian Church give a lead and cry out again for an obeying of Jeremiah 6:16-17? Should not our congregations endeavour to step to the very centre of the ‘old paths’ and walk as our founding forefathers set us an example in 1951, seventy five years ago?
Let us remember the words of Isaiah and fear:
“I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, and the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses. For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour. In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them,” Isaiah 63:7-10.
Rev Ian Foster (Rtd)
7th January 2026