Judges 2:10

Judges 2:10 "After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel."

After Joshua and Caleb and that generation died, their faith apparently died with them. This generation knew of the Exodus. They knew about the Red Sea, the Big 10, the manna, the water from a rock, the plagues, the fire by night and the cloud by day. They saw firsthand how God brought them across the Jordan. They were there for Jericho. They saw the sun stand still. They saw God defeat an army by raining hail down on them. They saw God deal with Achan at Ai and they saw God deliver this land to their hands. They were there when they renewed the covenant with God. And they kept this all a secret. They never told their kids who God was and what he had done for them.

That generation that followed would go on to do evil in the eyes of God (2:11). Not just your ordinary sin. No, they did evil. There was no compass to guide their morality without God. No standards for living.

They served the Baals (2:11). People will serve and worship something. Even those people who don't believe in a god at all. They will serve some agenda. They will worship something, whether it is political, social or personal. Money, spouses, relationships, materialism, success, power, influence, ego...people will find something to worship.

The next generation had limited options. Without knowledge of God, they could only worship the gods of the people around them. The Baals, the Ashtoreths. And since God is pretty clear about how he feels about idolatry, he acted in anger and allowed them to be stuck in this cycle of conquest, struggle and pain that required judges to deliver them.

How could they not tell their friends and children and grandchildren about who God was or what he had done?

How can we not tell our friends and children and grandchildren about who God is to us or what he has done for us? Are we not confident? Not comfortable? Not consistent? Not competent? Do we want to afford our children the freedom to discover God for themselves? How did that work back in Judges?

How can we NOT tell them? Does God just not matter to us? Do we just not care about who God is and what he has done for us?

God dealt with the people out of his anger and provided judges like Gideon and Samson to deliver them.

God deals with us out of his love and provided Jesus Christ to deliver us. This isn't cyclical either. Once and for all we can be freed from the sin that so easily ties us up.

So tell your friends and family about who God is and what he has done for you. The gospel is not lived. It is shared. Jesus didn't just live a good life. He spoke about God and who God was and what God had done for them.

So tell your kids and friends about your favorite verse and when and why it became the tops for you. Let them know what your favorite spiritual song or hymn is and why it is your fave. Tell them how you met Jesus and made him the Lord and Savior of your life. Talk about God's blessing and how you met your spouse and the birth of your kids and what God has taught you through your relationships.

Tell your kids and friends about your most important God moments - when he took the pain and hurt and disappointment and the confusion and loneliness that makes life ugly and merely through his love and presence made your life beautiful again.

Tell your kids and friends about the significant places where you felt God so closely and clearly and powerfully.

Do not let your faith die with you. Share it. Tell your children and your family and your friends who God is and what he has done for you.