Joshua Judges a Generation

And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. -- 2 Timothy 2.2

One of the reasons the Kingdom of God in the Western World has been losing ground is because of our attitude toward what it means, in a practical sense, to be a Christian.

Consider what happened in the transition from the days of Moses to the book of Judges: Joshua knew God for himself. The elders had (merely) witnessed God's involvement. Their kids neither knew Him, nor served Him. Not only did they not serve God, but they replaced Him with idols.

Where did it all break down? In only two generations, Israel went from seeing the Sun stand still in the sky, and crossing the Jordan on dry ground, to wholesale apostasy.

It was in the complacency of the intermediate generation. They were content to watch God at work, they rested in the comfort that they had a leader who could pray. 'Somebody else' (that famous ethereal non-entity) would see to the 'religious' matters. They knew who God was. They knew what He had done, and as such, they did not fall to rival religions or ideas. They saw the hand of God in action, and so they did not depart from Him.

But their kids didn't know and hadn't seen (not even in their parents). So they did depart and did fall.

It should come as no surprise that the Kingdom of God was first introduced to a family: Abraham, Issac and Jacob. Children are instructed in the ways of their parents. Values, culture, language and a multitude of other things are passed from parent to child. So also is faith. This is not limited to natural families (rejoice o barren!) but is also seen when an established believer teaches the novice what the Christian life is all about.

The problem with the Judges generation, is not that customs were not passed down, but rather that the relationship was not passed down.

We see this even today.

We talk about morality, and try to teach our kids morality. Curriculums are built upon it. This is only a beginning. When this is an end to itself, it will fail. When temptation comes, the kids will eventually captitulate if somone can give a convincing arguement to undercut the reasoning behind the prohibition.

Only slightly better is a Worldview. This is an integrated perception of all aspects of life, how they relate to one another, and where we fit within that framework. Because of the interplay between one and another aspect of life within a worldview, someone may more readily recognize when something is alien to the way they want to live their life. This is still only as stable as the core beliefs sustaining it, and core beliefs are often contested by outside forces.

The solution to this problem is found in Scripture, James 4:7-8, to be precise. Develop the relationship with God, and strength will be found to resist when temptation comes.

So how does this relate to either Paul's exhortation to Timothy, or to Joshua and Judges? Because we see the contrast between these two accounts, the success of the one compared to the tragedy of the other.

In Judges, we see no evidence of the intermediate generation either persuing a relationship with God themselves, or exhorting the next generation to do the same.

In the Epistle, we see that Paul deliberately made disciples of many people, and even more importantly, taught them to do the same.

We have the opportunity to reverse the trend in Western Society. We can have RELATIONSHIPS with the people we are training in the Gospel. We can first know God for ourselves in a meaningful, not a subjective way. With a living relationship with God, we can instruct others how to have the same. Notice that nowhere in Scripture will you find a ten-point discipling programme. The Biblical emphasis is not on programming and law, but rather in mentoring and establishing an understanding of the Word, and relationship with God. Disciples are made in much the same way children are raised... by following the example of another.

But what does it matter, really, whether I take the time to disciple or not? (you may ask)

Besides the fact that to neglect it is to blow off a direct commandment of Jesus Christ, what is the result of THAT generation's sins of sloth and apathy?

They were commanded to take the land. They did not. They were told to be faithful to God, and instruct their families to do the same. They failed in that, too. What was the result of those failures? God Himself proclaims them, in Numbers 33.55,56, "(those who remain)...will harrass you in the land where you dwell, Moreover it shall be that I shall do to you as I thought to do to them." What does that mean in practical terms? Well have you ever read any news from that part of the world? It seems they're still being harassed. This is Millenia later!!!

What will be the price of our sloth and apathy if present trends continue? What weight will our kids bear? May God grant that we never have to answer, nor answer for, that question.