Judges: The Cycle of Forgetfulness and the Faithfulness of God
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The grief of God.
4 When the Angel of the Lord spoke these things to all the people of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept loudly. 5 They named that place Bokim, and they sacrificed to the Lord there. (Jdg 2:4–5)
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The ___________________________ of a generation.
6 When Joshua dismissed the people, each of the descendants of Israel went to his own inheritance to take possession of the land. 7 The people served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, those who had seen all the great deeds that the Lord had done for Israel. (Jdg 2:6–7)
8 Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of one hundred ten years. 9 They buried him within the borders of his inheritance, in Timnath Heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Ga’ash. (Jdg 2:8–9)
This Book of the Law must never depart from your mouth, and you are to meditate on it day and night, so that you will act faithfully according to everything written in it, because then you will prosper in everything you do, and you will succeed. (Jos 1:8)
You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit! You are doing just what your fathers did. (Ac 7:51)
Tim Keller: [Joshua] … unlike every leader of Israel from Joseph to Moses, he had the privilege of dying and being buried "in the land of his inheritance" (v9).
19 … “You are not able to serve the Lord, … 20 If you forsake the Lord and you serve foreign gods, then he will turn and cause disaster for you … remove the foreign gods that are among you, and turn your heart to the Lord, the God of Israel.” (Jos 24:19–20, 23)
10 After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them, who did not know the Lord or the deeds that he had done for Israel. (Jdg 2:10)
Tim Keller: They had not learned to revere and rejoice in what God had done. In other words, they had forgotten the "gospel" that they were saved from slavery in Egypt and brought into the promised land by the gracious, mighty acts of God. Put simply, they forgot.
4 Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God. The Lord is one! 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 These words that I am commanding you today are to be on your heart. (Dt 6:4–6)
This is the first and greatest commandment (Mt 22:38)
7 Teach them diligently to your children, and speak about them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as a sign on your wrists, and they will serve as symbols on your forehead. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates. (Dt 6:7–9)
20 When your son asks you in the future, “What are these testimonies and statutes and ordinances that the Lord our God has commanded for you?” 21 then you are to say to your son, “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand. 22 Right before our eyes the Lord gave great, devastating signs and wonders in Egypt against Pharaoh and against his whole household. 23 Then he brought us out of there to bring us in and give us the land that he promised to our fathers with an oath.” 24 Then the Lord commanded us to carry out all of these statutes, to fear the Lord our God for our own lasting good, to keep us alive, even as we are today. 25 Righteousness will be ours when we are conscientious about carrying out this entire set of commands in the presence of the Lord our God as he commanded us. (Dt 6:20–25)
Tim Keller: Deuteronomy 6 is not a "technique" that guarantees that someone's children will be believers, because their own wills and choices play a large role. However, when a whole generation turns away, we have to expect that the parents have failed to model real faith and disciple their children.
Deuteronomy 6 teaches us to be ____________________ in our behavior, clear about how faith in God _______________ our everyday lives and blunt about the highs and lows that we _____________________ as a child of God.
Generations:
Boomers - Born: 1955-1965
Generation X - Born: 1966-1976
Generation Y/Millennials - Born: 1977-1995
Generation Z/iGen - Born: 1996 - TBD
Tim Keller: Most Christians rely on institutions and formal instruction to "pass on the faith." We think that if we instruct our children in true doctrine, shelter them from immoral behavior and involve them in church and religious organizations, then we have done all we can. But youth are turned off not only by bad examples, but also by parents who are not savvy about the lives and world their children are living in, or who cannot be open about their own interior spiritual lives.
The Small Catechism was intended as a simple handbook for families and children. It presented basic Christian teachings in a question-and-answer format that could be easily memorized and taught in homes. Luther wanted fathers to be able to instruct their households in essential religious knowledge.
Points to Ponder
- What is one thing that stood out for you from this week’s message?
- What does Judges 2:6–10 reveal about the spiritual condition of the next generation after Joshua? What caused their forgetfulness?
- In what ways do you find yourself forgetting what God has done in your life? What reminders help you stay grounded in God’s faithfulness?
- What would be your spiritual epitaph? In what ways are you living out your calling to be a “servant of the Lord”?
- If you are a parent: How are you passing your faith on to your children? What has encouraged you and what has challenged you today? If you're not a parent with children living at home: How are you praying for and sharing your faith with younger generations in your church?
- How can we actively teach the next generation about the Lord? What practices (in church or home) can help ensure His works are not forgotten?
- How might our church unintentionally contribute to a “forgetful generation”? What can we do to build a culture of remembrance?
Read: Judges 2-3:4
