O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps. (Jeremiah 10:23)

Do Not Stop On Tracks

The railroad has been the lifeblood of America since the 1820s. Today, there are nearly 136,729 miles of track servicing the nation from coast to coast and border to border. Thousands of cities owe their beginnings to the rail, depending on it for travel and commerce. In every city where the train comes into conflict with the automobile, precautions are taken to secure safety for both train and car. Steel rails are embedded in the roadway to make the passage a smooth transition. Lights, sounds, warning signs, and mechanical arms are in place to warn of a train approaching. Trains are one of the most familiar sounds, as horns warn of the arrival of the train.

One of the signs found at many crossings is, “Do Not Stop On Tracks.” The warning is clear and the message unmistakable. Where the steel rails are is where the train will pass. Leaving an automobile on the tracks will endanger the lives of the passengers. The weight of the train makes it impossible to stop or even slow down to avoid a collision if the warnings are ignored. More than 900 people are killed each year in highway-rail grade crossings. It would seem clear that stopping on the tracks would be a very dangerous thing to do, and yet warnings are posted to remind people of the danger. And people stop on the tracks and die.

The challenge of human wisdom lies in the fact that humans lack wisdom. God created man as an intelligent being, but one that is reliant upon divine guidance. There are many things humanity has accomplished since creation, and there is no doubt the genius of the human mind will devise many other great wonders in the future. In the midst of these great accomplishments is the need to caution people not to stop on the tracks of a railroad crossing due to the danger. That would seem to be a foregone conclusion, but the human mind does not work that way. Reason would suggest stopping on the tracks where a 200-ton machine is barreling down would not end well. Human wisdom needs a reminder.

God created man to be dependent upon His will to survive. It is not in man to know the best course to choose apart from the word of God. A man cannot plan his own course of life without complete failure. The world in the day of Noah is the clinical experiment of what happens when man seeks his own laws. God not only destroyed all humanity, saving Noah and his family, because of the wickedness of the human heart; but it was also to show why man cannot be a law to himself. He needs signs reminding him not to stop on the tracks. Why did Jesus come to earth? Could the world save itself? Was there something in human wisdom that would raise the soul of man to be perfected as righteous? Nothing man could do would save him. It took the intercession of God to send His Son to die for man–to save man.

It is not in man to direct himself because he cannot answer the question of death. Jesus answered that question by His death. The world could not answer the question of eternity until the One from eternity came and opened the doors of eternal life. God gave the world His word to remind us not to stop on the tracks. Divine law is required to save humanity because humanity cannot save itself. Refusing to heed the warnings will result in catastrophe. Read the Bible. It is God’s word to save you from your sins through the blood of Jesus Christ.