Judges 2:6 – 9 “After Joshua had dismissed the people, the Israelites went out to take possession of the land, each to his own inheritance. And the people served the LORD throughout the days of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great works that the LORD had done for Israel. And Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of 110. They buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath-heres in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.”
10 – 15 “After that whole generation had also been gathered to their fathers, another generation rose up who did not know the LORD or the works that He had done for Israel. And the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals.
Thus they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and they followed after various gods of the peoples around them. They bowed down to them and provoked the LORD to anger, for they forsook Him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. (fertility gods and goddesses)
Then the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of those who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. Wherever Israel marched out, the hand of the LORD was against them to bring calamity, just as He had sworn to them. So they were greatly distressed.”
Joshua was dead. All the others who had accompanied Joshua to the Promised Land were dead. And now “another generation rose up who did not know the Lord or the works that He had done for Israel.” HUH???? WHY??? The Israelites had made a good beginning, and Joshua and Caleb and others had received their land promised to them by the Lord. But now there was a new crop of Israelites who didn’t know anything about God.
Repeatedly, Moses had warned the Israelites that they had to teach their children the facts about their slavery in Egypt, about God’s deliverance, and about how God had led and protected them. Moses had also warned that if the Israelites failed to follow God, God would stop helping them and would allow their enemies to triumph.
“In the future, when your son asks you, “What is the meaning of the decrees and statutes and ordinances that the LORD our God has commanded you?” then you are to tell him, “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Before our eyes the LORD inflicted great and devastating signs and wonders on Egypt, on Pharaoh, and on all his household, but He brought us from there to lead us in and give us the land that He had sworn to our fathers. And the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes and to fear the LORD our God, that we may always be prosperous and preserved, as we are to this day. And if we are careful to observe every one of these commandments before the LORD our God just as He has commanded us, then that will be our righteousness.” Deuteronomy 6:20 – 24
What happened to the Israelites was very simple; they failed to teach their children anything and they failed to model faithfulness to God. In addition to these failings, the Israelites also failed to eliminate the demon worshipers and their places of worship. These failures to keep covenant with God left the next generation uninstructed, unprepared, and vulnerable. The results were disastrous.
APPLICATION: The Ashantis in Ghana have a saying that “The one that cuts the path doesn’t know that it’s crooked.” (It’s only the person coming along behind who can tell whether or not the path is straight.) Another proverb says, “”When you follow in the path of your father, you learn to walk like him.” While the Israelites were busy conquering Canaan, they forgot to teach their children about God and all the great things that He had done for them. They failed to eliminate the potential sources of moral pollution that dotted the landscape. And they failed to set good examples for their children.
In an earlier generation, there was a saying, “Do as I say, not as I do.” Unfortunately, that idea never worked well. Children are realists and they can spot a hypocrite instantly.
Several years ago, we worked with a nurse who owned a drinking bar bearing the slogan “Drink deep or taste.” Despite the fact that this lady was profiting from the sale of alcohol, she forbad her own children to drink and lectured them on the evils of alcohol. The predictable happened: her son followed her example and not her verbal teachings. One night the son and a friend were drinking together when the friend became annoyed. Pulling a sharp pair of scissors from his pocket, the friend stabbed the nurse’s son in the heart, killing him. By the time the young man was rushed to the hospital, it was already too late.
What examples are we setting for our children and our friends? Are our actions an encouragement towards righteousness, or might someone use us as an excuse to pervert themselves? When we fail to worship God in our own lives, our children will fail to worship Him in their lives as well. If we drink or gamble, we cannot say anything if our children or friends do so as well. If we fail to teach our children about the One True Living God, they will find something else to worship. If God does not have first place in our lives, our children will know.
St. Augustine wrote in the beginning of his “Confessions” that “while turned from Thee, the One Good, I lost myself among a multiplicity of things.” How many of us find ourselves distracted and confused? The answer is simple: return to God. Confess that you have put other things before Him. And ask for His forgiveness and His strength to change and to cut straight paths. Your children’s lives depend on your decision.
PRAYER: Father God, help! We thought we were cutting straight paths, but we were wrong. Forgive us for getting hooked on ________. (Fill in your pet sins here.) From this day forward, help us to follow hard after You, to love You, and to serve You. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.
Burunche's Blog 
Leave a comment