[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during November 2021]
I was reading through the book of Judges in parallel with the current sermon series when a particular phrase caught my attention:
There arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. [Judges 2 v10 KJV]
Something there sounded familiar. We can find a similar phrase in the beginning of the book of Exodus: “There arose a new Pharaoh who knew not Joseph”[1]. In that case the new Pharaoh did not know how his country had been saved by the actions of a God-fearing man and he made a series of disastrous decisions. It is a sequence that has been repeated throughout history.
There is a recurrent theme throughout the book of Judges: the nation turns away from God, it gets into trouble, it appeals to God for help, he sends a leader through whom he can restore the nation and they all lived happily … until another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. Then the cycle repeats. It is summed up in the final verse of the book, which acts as a type of epitaph:
In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
[Judges 21 v25 NKJV]
Henry Ford is credited with saying “History is bunk!” but now it is Henry Ford who is history. Do we learn anything from history or is it simply a thing of the past? The current trend to ignore the lessons of history, both social and spiritual, suggests that once again they will be repeated.
The final and arguably the greatest of Israel’s judges in those times was Samuel. His story is recorded in the first book that carries his name. He had God-fearing parents but he was, in effect, brought up by Eli the priest, who taught him how to guide the spiritual life of the nation. It is ironic, therefore, that both Eli and Samuel are found in the ranks of God-fearing men whose own children do not share their convictions[2].
In the book of Deuteronomy Moses reiterates the Ten Commandments and gives the people additional instructions on how to make sure the nation continued to stay on the right path.
These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. [Deuteronomy 6 v6-7 NIVUK]
Are we guilty of allowing a new generation to arise that knows not what the Lord has done for his people?
[1]: Exodus 1 v8
[2]: 1 Samuel 2 v12, 1 Samuel 8 v3.
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Contributed by Steve Humphreys; © the Author
