The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua (but)… another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. Judges 2:7; 10-12
Think back, do you recall learning to ride a bike? Who taught you ? Was it a friend or maybe a parent or grandparent? Wasn’t an easy task; did you learn it quickly? Or did you struggle? Maybe you fell down and skinned your knee. Maybe you needed encouragement to get the job done.
There was once a young boy whose dad was trying to teach him to ride a bike, but he was always terrified of falling over and hurting himself. After years and years, he finally just gave up because he was so embarrassed about it and it was a sensitive subject. Eventually, he grew up and became a father too. One Christmas, his wife decided to buy their son a bike. Suddenly, the man had to confess that never learned to ride one himself.
Growing up, there are a lot of things that we have to learn. Riding a bike is a pretty small thing, but there are big things too. If you don’t study cooking, then you could cause a fire. If you don’t learn to budget your money, you’ll ruin your finances. If you don’t develop a relationship with God, then you will drift through life without purpose.
In the book of Judges, a new generation is born and grows up in the promised land. This generation never knew slavery in Egypt or wandering in the desert. Most importantly, they never learned about God. The entire nation of young Israelites began to drift away from the God of their parents. They never took time to learn about God, and, as you can guess, things start to go wrong for God’s people. Throughout the story of Scripture, the people of Israel will turn away from God again and again. When they do, God will send leaders to help put them back on the right track. These leaders are the heroes and heroines of the Book of Judges. As we reflect on this part of the story, how can you be a better student of God’s teaching?
Kena Hawkins Newkirk 