A Generation That Doesn’t Know God

The people who had grown up during the forty years in the wilderness, and those who had grown up during the occupation of the Promised Land Had seen God’s power and how it affected them.  as a result, they had no problem making the commitment Joshua asked them to make in Joshua 24, as Judges 2:7 tells us.  “And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD, that he did for Israel.”  Their faith was based on their own experience with God, not just on Joshua’s words.  Joshua’s death did not change their commitment or their faith. 

No matter how great a leader may be or his staff, sooner or later age or death forces them to step down.  One day Joshua and those who had made that commitment all died, as we see in Judges 2:8-10.  “And Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old.  And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathheres, in the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash.  And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.” 

The next generation got to enjoy the benefits of what God had done for Israel in Joshua’s day, but they had not had to struggle for those things.  While they had heard the stories about God’s power and his actions on their behalf, they had not experienced them personally, and their knowledge of God was purely theoretical.   They no longer had the same commitment to God their parents had had.  As a result, Judges 2:11-13 tells us, “And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim: And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger.  And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.”  Because they had no deep commitment to God, the younger generation readily adopted the morals and beliefs of the people around them.   

Today, we see many who profess to be Christians but have adopted the moral standards or religious beliefs of other religions or philosophies because like the new generation in Judges, they have no personal experience of God’s having worked in their lives.  They have an intellectual belief in God, but no real commitment to him.   Sadly, many preachers and churches have ignored the fact that salvation requires more than an intellectual belief in Christ.   James 2:19-20 addresses this fact.  “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.  But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?”  Only a fool says there is no God.  Even Satan and the demons believe there is a God and are afraid of his judgment, but simply believing in God is not enough.  If that belief does not result in action it is a dead and worthless faith.  Saving faith will result in a sincere commitment to Christ, not just saying you believe or repeating some words after the preacher.    

Without a clear understanding of who God is and who Christ is, how can a person make a sincere commitment?   Even winning people to Christ requires their understanding more than what most soul winning programs explain.  Such programs only work when the person knows more than is presented in the script.  When they do not, there can be no real commitment to Christ, because they have nothing to base a commitment on.  Any profession they make is similar to the people who came out of Egypt simply because they hoped to escape slavery, but had no commitment to God.  Far too often they are the children or grandchildren of dedicated Christians.