The Next Generation

Judges 2: 6 When Joshua had dismissed the people, the sons of Israel went each to his inheritance to possess the land.  7 The people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of the LORD, which He had done for Israel. 8 Then Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of one hundred and ten. 9 And they buried him in the territory of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. 10 All that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel.

(Observation) Under Joshua and the elders who survived him, the people served the Lord.  The generation that followed neither knew the Lord or His works.

(Interpretation) What God warned Israel about in Deuteronomy 6: 10-12 came to pass; the next generation did “forget the LORD who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” I suggest to you that at least two things were lacking in the generation that did “forget the Lord; “first the knowledge of the Lord and His works were either not passed on or not accepted and second, a generation who never knew anything but peace and prosperity saw no need for the Lord.

(Cross-reference) Deuteronomy 6: 10 “Then it shall come about when the LORD your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you, great and splendid cities which you did not build, 11 and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you eat and are satisfied, 12 then watch yourself, that you do not forget the LORD who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

Luke 18: 8 “I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

(Application) Where I grew up, a generation ago, in the mid-west, my parents, leaders and elders, were God fearing people.  I knew personally of no one from my parent’s generation who would deny the existence of God.  However, some of my peers did deny Him, quoting a slogan of the time “God is dead.” I suggest to you that in my generation evidence of the same two things lacking in the generation following Joshua’s began to show themselves. My generation either failed to pass on the works of the lord to the next generation or they would not accept them and for the most part, the generation following mine, never knew anything but peace and prosperity.

By the grace of God, my kids are God fearing, but they live in a world, which is not.  I fear greatly for future generations and our nation. As our Lord Jesus said; “when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”  Therefore, I ought to be praying for the salvation of even those yet unborn in my family and for revival in this nation that God has so graciously blessed with peace and prosperity.

What do you think? Is our own next generation in danger of forgetting God? If so, what can you do? If not, why not?

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