The Way of Life

In Jer 21:8, Jeremiah prophesied to Zedekiah of the way of life and the way of death.

The way of life was to go into captivity with the Chaldeans.  Zedekiah and those who would go into captivity with him would live among the Chaldeans for the seventy years of sabbaths, Jer 25.  Many, like Daniel, did just that.

The way of death, on the other hand, was to fight against the Chaldeans.  Jeremiah prophesied that those who would stay to fight would die of pestilence, famine, and the sword. No mercy.

According to Prov 15:24 the way of life is above to the wise.  That is, Zedekiah would have to look to God and God’s words through his prophet to know the way of life.  And then he had do what the Lord said in order to live.

According to Prov 14:12 the way of death is down here.  “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death”.  Zedekiah did what seemed right to him to do, which was to stay and fight.  He didn’t want to look bad among the captives for surrendering.

Thus, Zedekiah, through what seemed right to him, actually chose death.  He died just like Jeremiah said he would.  And many people and much of Judah and Jerusalem were destroyed.

We must learn the lesson of the way of life from Zedekiah’s choice.  Wise men learn from the mistakes of others.  When we hear the way of life, we must chose life.

However, the hard thing about choosing the way of life is found in Prov 6:23.  “The reproofs of instruction are the way of life”.  When you hear the way of life presented to you, it’s going to be delivered as a reproof.  Just like Jeremiah did to Zedekiah.

Jn 16:8 says, And when he is come (the Comforter), he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.

• Of sin, because they believe not on me;
• Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
• Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

The Holy Spirit reproves to get you to believe on Jesus.  And people don’t like to be reproved.  He tells you that you’re a sinner and that your sin of unbelief will damn you.  Who wants to hear that?

You don’t have a perfect example of righteousness since Jesus is now in heaven.  So, the Holy Spirit shows you that you don’t have enough righteousness to obtain eternal life.  And no self-righteous person likes to be told that they aren’t right.

And since the prince of the world is judged, so also all who follow what he did in rejecting the Lord will be judged and in hell with him.  And no one wants somebody else telling them that they are on their way to hell.

People generally have the same negative reaction to the Holy Spirit’s reproof that Zedekiah did to Jeremiah’s prophecy and reproof.  And they meet with the same result!!

Furthermore, it doesn’t do you any good to hear the reproof if you aren’t going to keep the instruction of the reproof.  Prov 10:17 says, “He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction”.

In other words, there are many people that know that Jesus is the way to have life.  1 Jn 5:12, “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life”.  But they haven’t subsequently believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and then begun to live the eternal life that he offers.

You face a two fold decision when choosing the way of life.  One is to receive Jesus Christ.  He gives you life.  Two is to then live the life he gives you, which is going to involve multiple reproofs of instruction throughout your life to keep you in the way of life.  These reproofs are not to keep you saved, but to keep you in the way, growing and living.

Do we have an example of this?  The best example, by far, is Jesus himself.    Acts 2:28 “Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with the countenance”.  Quoting from Ps 16:11 which says, “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in they presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore”.

Jesus chose the way of life.  For him, this meant choosing to accept the cup of wrath and die.  He lost his life to save it.  He was raised the third day, and then ascended to heaven.  In God’s presence he is experiencing fulness of joy.  At the right hand of God, he is enjoying pleasures for evermore.

Zedekiah couldn’t see that to keep Jeremiah’s instruction was to live.  It didn’t seem right to him.  And thus he died in the way of death.  A horrible death.

How about you?  Can you see that you are in the way of death if you have still not heeded the Holy Spirit’s reproofs and turned to Jesus for eternal life?  Would you choose the way of life today?  Raise your hand up if you would.

All right, if you have already received Jesus, can you see that if you don’t heed the reproofs of instruction and keep them, that you are not enjoying the joy and pleasures of the way of life.  You’re saved, but you aren’t living in the way of life.  You are missing out down here now and you will continue to miss out up there later.  You will suffer loss.

It’s like you are a saved person living in the way of death.

Paul wrote in Eph 5:13-14, “All things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.  Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light”.

This is why you can’t even tell whether some people are saved or lost.  Saved men with eternal life walking in the way of death live like dead men.  They’re doing everything that seems right in their own eyes.  And they won’t take the reproofs of instruction.

Take this reproof and get off that way of death.  The way of life is above to the wise; not down here where all your attention is.  Start listening to God and keep his instructions.  Then you will be living on the way of life.  And you will enjoy the pleasures of his life.