The Old Landmark

Proverbs 22:28

Do not remove the ancient landmark

which your fathers have set.

The ancient landmarks were set up during that era of Israel's history in which the land was divided among the tribes and then apportioned to families. Property ownership was designated by divine direction to pass from one generation to the next of the same family, and if it was sold, or mortgaged, or lost in any other way, it would return to the original family's possession ever 50 years. This was so that no one would lose their inheritance in the land, and the old landmarks were put up to show the boundaries of property. To move one was to cheat some other family out of their rightful inheritance.

Now think about it in a Spiritual sense, the markers that our forefathers put up for us in the faith. Times and cultures change, but the Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel change not. There is no shadow of turning with God; Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. There are some things that were good enough for Paul and Silas that are still good for us today. But I speak of substance and not style.

Are there traditions handed down to us that are worth keeping? I am not in favor of anchoring so solidly in the past that we can't make adjustments for the 21st Century in which we live and labor. But I'm not for change, just for change's sake either. Just because something is old doesn't make it useless. The things that became traditions wouldn't have become so if they weren't worth repeating.

Some traditions and commandments of men are just that. They are opinions made up by well-meaning individuals which have no practical reason for being today. For instance, many years ago in my denominational background, women couldn't wear pants, jewelry or makeup, and neither could they cut their hair. Today, those particular standards of attire have been adjusted and most in our church circles don't think that way anymore. Our songs have changed, our music has evolved, our mode and method of doing church has been modified to better suit our society's needs. But I believe we run the risk of throwing the proverbial baby out with the bathwater.

Before we just sweep everything that is old or past away and replace it with something new, perhaps we need to first examine those traditions and determine whether they are simple adornments that can be changed with the time, or if they are old landmarks that should never be moved. There are some things that are worth keeping, but our standard is not our own subjectivity; it must be the Word. What does the Word say about that which we wish to change. Where the Word is silent, we have liberty to make adjustments and changes as necessary. But let us never make changes to the Word to suit our modern fancies.