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.
After Jeremiah went looking for any person who was doing right, he concluded that he would get himself unto the great men. He wanted to speak to them because they have known the way of the LORD. These men saw God do mighty things in their lifetime. They knew what it was like to see God work. They understood God’s Word and what it could do in someone’s life. When he got unto these men, they were no longer doing what they once used to do in serving God.
When we think of great men, we must consider people whom God has used mightily in their lives. One thing I have sought after since I was a teenage young man was to be around people whom God used mightily. I can think of men like Jim Lyons, a great soul-winning evangelist, with whom I got to spend time soul winning and gleaned valuable insights on how to be a better soul winner. As a teenage boy, I had the privilege being able to spend time soul winning with Joe Boyd, who was a great soul-winning evangelist. God has also given me the privilege to be able to spend personal time with men like Dr. Lee Roberson, Dr. Tom Malone, Dr. B.G. Buchanan, and Dr. Jack Hyles. These men are great men who I was able to glean much wisdom from them before they went to Heaven.
Sadly, we live in times when many are trying to destroy the great men instead of getting unto them to glean their wisdom of how to do something mightily in our day. The fact that Jeremiah said that he would get himself unto the great men shows several principles that can help you in your life.
First, spend time with people whom God has used. You can spend time with great men of the past by reading their books or listening to their sermons. God used these men mightily, and you would do yourself a great favor by getting unto these men to learn what caused God to use them. Yes, they were sinful men, but God still used them mightily. You are sinful like they are, and if God used them, He will most certainly use you if you do what they did to get God to use them.
Second, don't destroy the great men because of their weaknesses, but glean from their wisdom how God used them mightily. Jeremiah said about these men, for they have known the way of the LORD. These great men he got himself to no longer knew the works of God. There are great men whom God did use that may not be seeing God’s great works anymore, but they can still tell you how God did great works through their lives. I think of a man that, when I was a boy, had a large and thriving church, but today his ministry is limited. I have purposely got to know him because I want to hear what he did for God to use him in such a great way. I have gleaned thoughts from this man to help me be a better pastor. Don't let the weaknesses of great men cause you to miss their wisdom because of your pride to think you are better than them.
Third, get yourself unto the great men who know God’s mighty works. There are people whom God is presently using that you would be wise to get around. Yes, some have known the works of God, but some are now experiencing the works of God. You would be wise to spend most of your time with those who are experiencing the mighty hand of God on their lives.
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