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.”
The verse above may be one of the most misused verses in the Scriptures. We often hear because of the verse above how the Scriptures teach that we should go to the “great men.” The problem with this statement is that the rest of the verse has been completely ignored. Certainly, this statement may sound great, but the verse above simply isn’t teaching us to run to the great men.
The word “great” carries several definitions. It means those who are elder, have position and power, or someone who has had great success in an area. Just because they men were great didn’t mean we should run to them for what we should do. When you look at what these great men did, you see that they had perverted the “judgment of their God,” and they left the ways that the Scriptures taught them to live. They were certainly not people who should have been looked to as role models for advice.
The result of running to the “great men” is that these men believed they were above the law. Man will begin to live a sinful life anytime he believes he has the power to do what he wants to do. Just because someone has built something or has accomplished something great doesn’t mean we should blindly follow them. Certainly, men should be honored for what they have done for the LORD, but they should never take the place of God. Running to men instead of God is nothing more than idolatry, and it always leads that leader to be tempted with doing whatever he wants to do.
Furthermore, when we run to the “great men,” it often results in followers setting up gods and living immoral lives. Man is sinful at best, and to set man up as a standard leads people to do what they want to do. Verse 7 shows how these people swore themselves unto gods and lived immoral lives. This was all caused because they ran to the wrong place for their answers.
What is the answer? The answer is simple; run to the Scriptures for your answers in life. My friend, you will never fail when you use the Scriptures as your model for where you should stand, what you should do, and how you should do it. We are to serve the LORD and not man. Just because great men have known the way of the LORD doesn’t always mean they are right with everything they do. Just because great men have known the way of the LORD doesn’t mean they will teach His way all the time. This is why the Scriptures must be your final authority.
Christian, let me encourage you to get yourself to the Scriptures instead of the “great men.” Please don’t take this as an attack against those whom God has used in a great way, for it is not meant for that. Certainly, people whom God has used greatly in the past can be looked to for examples, but they must never take the place of Scriptures. 1 Corinthians 11:1 puts it best when it says, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.” If you keep the mindset of getting to the LORD through the Scriptures and prayer, you will never fail to find what you should do. Remember, the Scriptures have the answer for every situation in life.