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Judges Chapter Two（ESV）

The Death of Joshua

6 When Joshua dismissed the people, the people of Israel went each to his inheritance to take possession of the land. 7 And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the Lord had done for Israel. 8 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110 years. 9 And they buried him within the boundaries of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash. 10 And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.

Israel’s Unfaithfulness

11 And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. 12 And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the Lord to anger. 13 They abandoned the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth.

 

REFLECTION

1. This passage makes it clear that each generation influences the next. Here the test tells us that “after the whole generation (which had fought with Joshua for Canaan) had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what He had done for Israel” (v10).  Somehow a whole generation had failed to communicate the reality of its experience with God to the next.  The parents failed to trust God and their children didn’t know God.
2. We can’t guarantee our children will know the Lord or live for Him. But if we trust God enough to act on His Word, if we are obedient in our daily lives, our children will never be able to say of God, “I didn’t know Him.”
3. There is nothing more important we can do for our children than love, trust, and obey the Lord; and teach them in His ways.

 

PRAYER

God, indeed there is no guarantee that I can influence anyone to know You and trust You.  However, help me to live a life of trusting, loving and obeying You daily.  Use me as an instrument for You to influence and change the lives of those that are dear to me.