Articles
A Generation That Knew Not God
A Generation That Knew Not God
Judges 2:10 And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.
This was a society that passed its stories down. Abraham was chosen "that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.” (Gen. 18:19).
Yet they somehow failed to pass on the most important stories of all - the stories of God. God had provided for the passing of this information by giving them families, speech, memories. God had instructed the priests to teach these to the people (Lev. 10:11). God had provided for them the whole system of festivals, memorials and other customs. For example they were to keep the Passover so "that all the days of your life you may remember the day when you came out of the land of Egypt" (Deut. 16:3).
They had set up memorials like the one at the crossing of Jordan in Joshua's day (Josh. 4). When their children would see these and ask about them, they could answer: that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever" (Josh. 4:7).
They were not only to take care that they didn't forget these things, they were to make them known to their children and to their children's children (Deut. 4:9). The people were to recite the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-5 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.) They were to teach this to their children (Deut. 6:7, 20). God had Moses to write songs to teach the people (Deut. 31:19-22). Such songs were designed to "live unforgotten in the mouths of their offspring". They were taught in Deut. 11:19: "You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." Then again Moses said to them, "Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law" (Deut. 32:46). The Psalmist wrote: "We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children" (Psalms 78:4-6).
The generation of Moses is gone. The generation of Joshua is gone. The generation that knew Joshua is gone. Now, it is a generation that knows not God. How quickly it can end. It was not the children's fault for being untaught. Yet they would now pay the penalty. Without being taught they simply did not know, love, or obey the LORD. Such met with punishment from God.
Fathers, bring up your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6:4). What would the history of Judges have been if they had all been like Timothy and from childhood they had been acquainted with the sacred writings? (see 2 Tim. 3:15).
You can't teach what you don't know. Parents must FIRST learn God's word.
You teach more by example than by word. Parents must FIRST live God's word.
You teach more in informal situations than formal - talk of them as you sit, walk, ride, etc. Make them the backbone of your life and activities.
