This is what the LORD says:
Jeremiah 6:16
“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.
Last week my work sent me to Savannah, Georgia. This was the first time I have traveled for work, giving me a new opportunity. It was nice to leave cold, snowy Michigan behind for a few days (although it hasn’t been a very cold or snowy winter) and be able to walk around outside without a coat on.
Exploring downtown Savannah, I made my way to the Savannah River that separates Georgia from South Carolina. Being a major shipping port, I saw a couple large freighters carrying large cargo containers heading out to sea.
Along the river is historic Savannah. The road is made of cobblestones with older buildings lining it, overlooking the waterfront. It was a nice place to visit.
Like Savannah, Israel was also a major place of trade in antiquity. A major highway crossed it from southwest to northeast, carrying traders from around the ancient world. Despite being on the coast, ancient Israel never had a real presence on the sea. That turned around shortly before Jesus was born when Herod the Great built one of largest ports in the Roman Empire at his new city of Caesarea. Sitting among so many major powers around it has given it the nickname The Land Between. God placed his people at the crossroads of civilization to tell the world about him. Savannah was founded in 1733, making it an early American city. Various signs dot the walk along the river, telling bits of the history of the city. However, having spent so much time in Israel, 1733 doesn’t seem all that old. In fact, something built in 1733 wouldn’t be considered “historic” under Israeli law. The cutoff date is 1700. Anything earlier is protected, but anything after isn’t. Calling something “old” is relative.
The ancient one built by Herod was much longer.