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10250 North Freeway @ West Road
Houston, Texas 77037
Tel: (281) 447-8484
SURVEY OF BIBLE HISTORY
(THE JUDGES TO THE KINGS)
A Great Turning Point for Israel
Written by Dr. Lester Hutson
Copyright - Lester Hutson -
1998
This material is copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced without the express
written permission of Dr. Lester Hutson.
Lesson 3
Judges 2:6-10
II. THE GENERATION OF ISRAELITES WHO KNEW NOT THE LORD:
A. The death of Joshua was a great turning point in Bible history:
1. Though the book of Joshua ends with a recording of his death Josh. 24:29 the book of Judges opens with an early record of his death, Joshua 2:8.
- Joshua was one of Israel's all-time great conquering heroes.
- The end of his life is one of the clear-cut turning points in God's historical account. With his death, momentum stopped; and once forward momentum stopped, soon decay began. (With any enterprise, this is the pattern.)
2. The collapse of conquering Israel into bondage was not instantaneous. After Joshua died, many who had served with him still lived; and to a lesser degree, continued his policies. Although, these lacked Joshua's drive and zeal; and they failed to reproduce their love for God and his service in their children and friends. The stunning result was that as soon as they died, the Israeli nation turned from the works of the Lord. Listen to the key verse stating this truth, Judges 2:10 "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.
3. Two extremely important lessons are evident here:
a. One that really stands out is the need for and value of strong central leadership. Every time Israel had a really strong, God-fearing leader, she flourished. Not one single time did she ever flourish when she didn't have a strong godly leader. The point is unmistakable. The well being of this people was inseparably linked to their leadership. They literally rose or fell with their top leadership.
Many Israelites found it very hard to follow central leadership. Everybody had his own opinion of how things ought to be done, as in the case of Miriam and Aaron in Numbers 12:1-11 and Korah and his supporters in Num vs. 16:1-40. It is very hard to play team ball, and follow the person God has put in charge; but it is vital to the well being of any enterprise, as the picture of Israel so vividly shows.
In fact the opposite end, of, the spectrum is emphasized in this book of Judges. The opposite of strong central leadership is everybody doing his own thing. That is where everybody doing what he pleases, and nobody follows anybody's leadership. Everybody figures his word and opinions are just as good as the next person Here is where civil liberties are exalted above all else, individualism is "the thing", and teamwork and surrender of personal wills in favor of the well-being of the whole enterprise is "out the window.' That happened here in Judges. Twice the scriptures note, 'every man did that which was right in his own eyes". Judges 17.6 & 21:25. The very opposite of the conditions under Moses, Joshua, and David existed. Nobody would follow a leader; everybody demanded a voice. And, the results were utter chaos, as the following 1 lessons will show. Israel sunk to one of the lowest, ugliest, most miserable conditions in its entire, history.
And, what we see in Israel is the way of life. To flourish, every enterprise, be it a family, business, Sunday school class, Youth department, choir, government, or church, must have strong leadership, and a people willing to follow. Nowhere do you find an enterprise flourishing very long without it. It's still hard to play on a team, and to surrender personal preferences in favor of the best interests of the enterprise as a whole; but it must be done, if the enterprise is to prosper long. All good leadership welcomes input and advice; yet when all the input is in, it is the leader who must "bite the bullet", make the final decision, and go on. Nothing will destroy an enterprise, especially a church, quicker than an absence of leadership and central direction. Confusion and anarchy rise or fall in direct proportion to the strength of godly leadership. And, when leadership is absent, these prevail; and when these prevail, the enterprise fails.
So, the picture of Joshua and what, followed at his death is a clear lesson on the need for strong, godly leadership in any enterprise.
b. The second lesson is the importance of reproducing yourself in the life of your children. Judges 2:10 says as soon as the old god-fearing men of Israel died, their children "knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which He’d done for Israel" Apparently these old Jews had been so preoccupied in their personal service and love for God that they forgot to share it with their children. What tremendous things God had done for Israel: deliverance from plagues in Egypt, water from dry rock in Sinai, manna from heaven, clothes and shoes that didn't wear out for 40 years, crossing the mighty Jordan on dry ground at flood stage, Jericho's walls fallen flat without a shot, victory and the sun standing still in the Ajalon valley, victory at the waters of Merom, and on and on. Yet, the kids were almost totally ignorant of these things.
How tragic that we Christians are so derelict in reaching our children. Our only hope of survival is there. Not one of us will outlast one mortal lifetime. If our kids don't carry on the work of God, it will die; yet too often we're too preoccupied to see that our kids love and embrace the things we love and embrace. Christian parent, what you believe must become what your offspring believes. This must be true with our natural offspring, with our spiritual offspring; and it must be true of the church and its offspring. If they don't get it, pick up the torch and carry it when we're gone; then bondage and destruction are surely ahead.
Reproducing ourselves in the lives of others; that must be a top priority with each of us, who knows the Lord. The apostle Paul wrote in II Tim, 2:2 "And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses. the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." Many times with our own natural offspring, we tell them what they should believe and we take them to church. We require them to act Christian. Yet, we seldom spend personal quality time with them making what we hold dear and precious to look good and desirable. We don't tell them the "whys" they need to hear; and the foundation of faith that is so vital to its survival. The sad result is that the truth we know becomes "Dad's religion" or "Mom's beliefs" or "what the church believes" to our offspring. They may stay with it for awhile because they "have to"; because they feel "obligated", or because it is "new and novel" to them. But, in the long run, because it is "Dad's", "Mom's", or "the churches', and not their own, they desert it, quit it, and turn to a way that seems "right in their own eyes". Until what you believe and practice becomes what your offspring believes and practices you have not reproduced yourself in your offspring, You have not truly reached him or her until what you believe and practice becomes not "Dad's", "Mom's", or "the church's"; but "mine". Your offspring must think 'this is what I am. Yes, Dad believed it; but so do I; and I'd believe it even if Dad didn't, or Mom didn't, or my church didn't; for this is now my heart, my soul, my life."
Solomon wrote, Train up a child in the way he should go, Prov. 22:6. If the enterprise is going to last more than one generation, it must be this way. If we fail here, what we believe, and the prosperity of what we're involved in will end. Think about that, preacher. Think about that, music people. Think about that, teacher. Think about, that, church; and parents; and you who are so busy doing the work of the Lord that you have no time to pass it on!
Moses trained a Joshua; but Joshua didn't train anybody. Joshua and those men of Israel were great conquerors; but when they died, there were no more conquerors. How sad and heartbreaking; yet this script is being followed to the letter by many today.
QUESTIONS ON "A GREAT TURNING-POINT FOR ISRAEL"
1. What event in early Judges marked a great turning-point for Israel?
2. Summarize the life of Joshua.
3. What stopped at the death of Joshua?
4. What did Joshua have that his contemporaries, who survived him, lacked?
5. What was the biggest failure of Joshua and his contemporaries?
6. How many times in Israel's entire history has she ever prospered and excelled without a strong, godly, central leader?
7. How have Israel's fortunes always been inseparably linked to her leadership?
8. What lesson is here for modern day enterprises?
9. Explain how "playing team ball" is vital to strong leadership and prosperity in any enterprise.
10. Explain what is on the opposite end of the spectrum from central leadership?
11. Consult the description of this condition in Judges 17:6 and Judges 21:25.
12. What conditions prevailed when this condition prevailed?
13. What happens to unity and central direction without central leadership
14. What soon happens to every enterprise where central leadership is absent?
15. What is one of every believers most profound and important responsibilities?
16. Of what were the children of Joshua and his contemporaries basically ignorant?
17. What happens to our enterprise, if we fail to reproduce our thinking in our children?
18. When can you say you have truly reproduced yourself in your offspring?
19. How do we parents delude ourselves into thinking we've reached our own children?
20. Moses trained Joshua. Who did Joshua train?
"It Does Make a Difference What You Believe"