A recent television commercial for car insurance shows a couple listening to their car’s navigational system, simply directing them according to the Cha Cha Slide. This renders the passengers driving through barbed wire fences and becoming stranded in a secluded rural area. When Apple first launched its maps mobile app with navigational capabilities, there were numerous reports of people driving into lakes. However, Google Maps has also had its fair share of challenges. That which was supposed to be leading navigational listeners in the right direction was, in some cases, producing disastrous results. By their prophets, Israel succumbed to the same lack of poor directions.
By the time Jeremiah is introduced, Israel has strayed considerably far from God’s original intentions. They have disregarded God’s initial direction and, since then, his constant heed to return to righteousness. The time for punishment through captivity by Babylon is quickly approaching. However, one of Israel’s major problems is that they don’t know that they’re lost. Their moral compass has failed, and their prophets—those who were supposed to lead them in the right direction—have led them to serve their own purposes. Furthermore, they have convinced Israel that everything is okay and to continue proceeding in the same direction.
In almost a last-ditch effort, God implores Israel to return to him. In essence, he tells them to stop, take an assessment of where they are, and progress accordingly—use the previously given directions to return to the right path. Of course, anyone who, during a road trip or a trail hike, becomes lost would do the same. They would stop and look for a sign—any marker, blaze, or cairn—to reestablish their bearings and proceed in the appropriate direction.
Road markers and guideposts provide two helpful bits of information. First, they provide direction. If you are in a position where you do not know where you are, guideposts are essential for determining your location and direction. They serve as a compass that guides us. For more experienced hikers, using posts along with the angle and length of the shadow cast by the sun can help determine direction and time of day. Additionally, guideposts and road signs present a choice. We can either choose to follow the guideposts or ignore them. If we have an intended destination, we must consult the road signs and follow their direction.
Second, they inform us of the distance to our destination. In the case of being lost, road markers tell us exactly how far we’ve strayed off our path, and they tell us how far we must go in the correct direction before we return to our desired trail or highway. Additionally, road markers remind us that where we are, most likely, is not the result of some instantaneous decision—it is the result of multiple choices over time. We must also remember that there are often repercussions that accompany those decisions. Taking a wrong turn can cause us to lose hours of travel time. Straying too far off a remote trail in the woods can quickly become a life-or-death situation.
God’s word serves both purposes. It informs us of the right direction, and when we have strayed, it gives us the necessary distance to return to the path God has intended for us. It is a light for our path, a lamp for our feet—literally, a candle that gives us just enough direction for each step. While God’s grace is instantaneous, the course correction and healing may not be. Both may take considerable time, depending on the damage and the distance from straying. Replacing a blown tire can be done in a few minutes with the right tools and knowledge, while healing a broken arm from falling over dangerous rocks will take weeks, if not a few months. Neither are necessarily punishments, but both are natural repercussions of traveling across terrain we would have never encountered if we had followed the correct route. We will be required to take steps to help right our journeys and, in some cases, make amends with those we’ve hurt. But God is gracious, and he will accept us if we return.
If you find yourself lost, stop and consider the road signs.