One of our current frustrations as believers is seeing many churches that once were thriving congregations dwindling or even closing because the children have lost interest. The same thing happened in ancient Israel.
I once heard a speaker say, “The sins one generation commits in moderation, their children will do to the extreme.” While there are certainly exceptions, this principle is based on the truth from the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:5): the sins of one generation are passed on to the succeeding generations. We see an example of this in today’s passage. The older generation had failed to completely obey God’s commands to drive the Canaanites out of the land, and now the current generation was being oppressed by them. Rather than seeing the error of their parents’ ways, the next generation turned even further from God until the oppression was too great to endure. Then they cried out to God and he graciously sent a deliverer. This pattern was repeated every generation or two, and is the recurring theme of the book of Judges.
From this we are challenged to realize how important it is to live as godly people before the eyes of our children and grandchildren, and to train them up to serve the Lord with all their hearts. We also need to pray for them and for regular times of revival in our churches. Only then can we avoid the sad cycle of apostasy we witness in today’s passage.
“We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done … so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands” (Psalm 78:4, 6–7, NIV).
Jim Jensen, Prophetstown, Ill.
Extended Scripture: Judges 1–3
