Judges 2:10: “When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel.”

April 16th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

The children of Israel that entered the Promised Land had vivid, personal recollections of all the miracles and judgments that God Almighty had done among them. They remembered and were careful to walk with the Lord in faith and purity. But they failed to teach their children sufficiently about the Lord. And so the next generation was ignorant of the experiences of their parents and fell easily into sin. This new generation did not have a personal relationship with God, and were not true believers. However, many of the judges did genuinely know the Lord, and some who did not initially live by faith eventually threw themselves on God’s mercy.

A relationship with God is not biologically transmitted, but must be believed and developed by each new generation. God has no grandchildren, only children. So here we find a new generation that did not know God or what He had done for their parents. This is really a failure of the parents to share their faith in their own homes. How we need to tell our children and grandchildren (and any other young person who will listen) just what God has done for us. We need to do everything we can to ensure that they know God. Deuteronomy 4:9 says:

Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren

But it wasn’t just that the parents forgot to tell their children; it was also the result of them living with Canaanites all around. The Canaanite’s gods snared the children of the new generation. We parents not only have a duty to pass on the knowledge of God and what He has done for us to our children, but we also have a duty to keep them away from Canaanites who will snare them with their bad values!

“LORD, give us grace and boldness to speak well to the younger generation of Your love. Make our lives reflect that reality in our own hearts.”