At Study 'n Share, we're reading through the Bible again. Our goal is to read 15 pages a day straight through. I love how you can read the Word over and over again, and new things strike you each time. One thing that has really impressed upon me this time as I'm reading is how one generation can really know God and the next one completely forsake Him. For example, Judges 2:10 says: "After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel."
Can you imagine? I really thought about what that meant. God had set His people free from bondage in Egypt, and the Israelites watched all the plagues of frogs, gnats, blood, locusts, boils, hail, darkness, etc. up through the firstborn of every animal and person being killed as they plundered the Egyptians and left. They saw the parting of the Red Sea as they crossed on dry ground, they witnessed water from the rock and manna from heaven. Over and over again, they saw how God provided for them. They even saw the fire by night and cloud by day that lead them to the Promised Land. The next generation would have seen the Promised Land and witnessed the many battles that God won for them. They would have been lead by Moses and then Joshua, whom God spoke with and gave great victory to. Then, when they all died, we see in the above verse that the next generation "knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel." WHAT!?!?!
I remember reading before this passage in Deuteronomy 6:6-8 "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. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads." Again we see in Deuteronomy 11:18-20 how God told them to teach His words to their children, specifically "Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates..." In Exodus 12, God told His people to observe the Passover and tell their children why they do it.
So, we see God reminding His people to teach their children about Him. Yet, we see how short-lived it is. Israel goes through an extremely rough time. We see the period of Judges (or leaders) where a judge would be raised up to save Israel, but the people would go on doing evil in the Lord's sight and be handed over to their enemies. Then God would deliver them again with a new leader. Eventually the people asked for a king, and God raised up David "a man after His own heart" (after Saul). But after David came his son Solomon, who started out doing God's will and eventually married wives he wasn't supposed to and worshiped their gods, provoking the Lord to anger. Then Solomon's son rejected God completely, and the kingdom of Israel was divided in two - Judah stayed with a king in David's line due to God's promise to him while the other 10 tribes went to yet another evil king (if you're wondering where the 12th tribe is, Levites were considered priests and didn't have their own territory but lived among the other tribes).
As we continue reading about the kings in the Bible, some would start serving God but their sons would do evil in God's sight. Eventually God gives them all over to destruction and lets Babylon carry them off into exile. He warns them first, but they don't stop idol worship or begin to serve Him wholeheartedly.
As I read these passages, I again am reminded of the awesome responsibility we have in teaching our children about God and to worship and serve Him only. We as parents need to "Know Him to Show Him" as we were taught yesterday. Do my kids know why we go to church? Will they grow to read the Bible and apply it to their lives? Will they seek the Lord wholeheartedly? My prayer is that they will always know Him and walk in His ways, that they will bind His word on their hearts, that they will have a relationship with the Lord similar to the ones of the men they were named after...or even better! May this be my legacy to them. Help me, oh God, to teach my children Your Word.
We also watched this song clip yesterday, and I've liked the song since I first heard it, so I thought I would share it here. Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment