Jeremiah 5:5
“I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they have known the way of the LORD, and the judgment of their God: but these have altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bonds.”
When Jeremiah said, “I will get me unto the great men,” he was showing from whom his principles, philosophies and direction in life would come. The word “great” is talking about older men. Jeremiah wasn’t just going to men who were considered great in his day, but he considered older men who had known the way of the LORD to be great men. To Jeremiah it wasn’t about how much they were known to others that considered them great, but he personally defined greatness as those of an older generation who had been where he wanted to go.
Years ago a man said to me, “Find you an older man and make him great.” To be honest with you, I thought that he was teaching me to find an older man and help him become known. Yet, when you look at the verse above this man’s statement doesn’t mean that at all. What this man was telling me was that I needed to find some older man who was experienced and allow him to become great in my eyes. This counsel has helped me through life. I’ve always tried to surround myself with men older than me so that I will know the way of the LORD. I want men around me to guide me and correct me when I get away from the ways of the LORD. My desire for my life is to continue in the ways of the LORD until the day of my death. One thing that will help me do this is to find an older man and allow him to become great in my eyes.
If you are going to walk in the ways of the LORD, then you need to surround yourself with older people who have known and are practicing the ways of the LORD. These people don’t have to be well-known people, they just need to be people who have served God their whole life and continue to serve Him. So, where do you find these older people whom you should make great?
First, look in your church for the older people. All around your church are elderly people whom you could make great. No, they won’t be flashy, and they probably won’t know all about technology, but they do know about the ways of the LORD. You need to get to know these people. These people need to become great in your eyes.
Second, get to know the older men and ladies who your pastor brings to your church. When I was a boy, I had the privilege of sitting with older people who came to our church. I would question them and watch them so I could learn. When your pastor has an elderly preacher and his wife come to your church, be sure to get around them. Spend time with them and learn what has made them who they are. Learn the ways of the LORD from them.
Third, read books from those of generations past. There are many people God has used in a great way who wrote books that are still around today. You would be wise to find these books and read them. Read the biographies of men and women from the past who knew the ways of the LORD. Make these people the ones who are great in your eyes.
Christian, get yourself unto the great men. They will not come running to you, you must go to them. They will not demand your attention, but you must give your attention. Learn from them the ways of the LORD so that you can continue in those ways and keep yourself from straying from what it is that God wants you to do.