Yesterday I read chapter one, which is basically an account of how, despite some initial victories, the people of Israel failed to claim their inheritance and completely conquer the promised land that God had given them. Today, in chapter two, we find out a bit more about the reasons for that failure.
God had commanded the Hebrews to drive out the heathen peoples that were living in Canaan when they arrived there. Instead, they often lived among those people, intermarrying with them and idolatrously worshipping their gods. This prepared the way for the roller coaster of peace and war, victory and defeat, commitment and corruption that we read of throughout the whole book of Judges.
Have you ever wondered why God doesn't miraculously get rid of all the difficulties and temptations that could cause us trouble in our Christian life? Chapter 2 of Judges makes it clear that, although many of the predicaments and challenges we face may be from "the enemy," many are of our own making. Rather than simply wiping these challenges out of way, God sometimes allows us to face them (see verses 22 - 23) to test how we will respond to them and whether we will obey the things He has shown us.
The Israelites had created their own difficult circumstances: by not driving out the heathen peoples as God had instructed them, they had left those people to be a constant trial and their gods to be a constant temptation for them.
While the people were responsible for their own disobedience to God's commands, the previous generation also bore some of the responsibility: the fact that the generation who didn't personally see God's miracles when entering the land (vs 7 and vs 10) was so quick to fall away from following Him suggests a serious failure in mentoring and discipling. The "parent generation" had failed to keep telling them about what God had already done or to give them opportunities to experience God's power for themselves.
So what about you and me, whether we're parents, Sunday school teachers, or just ordinary church folks whose lives interface a little with today's children and teenagers or today's emerging church leaders? Are we faithful in sharing our stories of the ways we've experienced God at work in our life, in our family, in our church? Do we talk about the things God has spoken to us, the things He has instructed us to do? Are we diligently sharing the lessons learned and the ways we discovered more about who God is?
But, perhaps even more important, are we giving today's young people opportunities to experience the reality of God in their own lives.... or are we shielding them from the sorts of experience that would help them grow in their faith and know that God truly is who He says He is?
When our young people need finances to go to a camp, for example.... do we just hand that money to them, or do we help them step out and trust for God's supernatural provision?
When there's an opportunity to reach out and serve the homeless people or the refugees.... do we leave our children at home watching TV, or do we take them along with us on that ministry opportunity?
When there's some kind of outreach or evangelistic project in our town..... do we assume that our kids wouldn't be interested in that, or do we take them with us, giving them opportunities to give testimonies or to pray for people in the street?
When there's an all-night prayer vigil at church.... do we find a babysitter for our kids, or do we take them with us so that they too can pray and be part of hearing God's voice?
Things went better for the Israelites each time God sent them a judge, a hero to deliver them from their predicament (see verses 18 - 19) but it was an external restraint: whenever the judge died, the people returned to their corrupt ways.
Let's not be part of raising up a generation like that, a generation that will only do the right thing when they have parents or youth group leaders telling them what to do, a generation that will turn away from God once they've left home or moved away to university, or got married and had children of their own...
Let's be part of raising up a generation that knows the ways of God and that has experienced His goodness, His love and His power in their own lives.
