A Generation That Did Not Know God

A Generation That Did Not Know God 1/2/11
Judges 2:6-23, Isaiah 60:1-9, Matthew 2

Whenever we talk about the downfall of society, I think about these quotes that were attributed to those of long ago...

Attibuted to Socrates, by PlatoThe children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. Theycontradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers

Attributed to Peter the Hermit, 1274 ADThe world is passing through troublous times. The young people of today think of nothing but themselves. They have no reverence for parents or old age. They are impatient of all restraint. They talk as if they knew everything, and what passes for wisdom with us isfoolishness with them. As for the girls, they are forward, immodest and unladylike in speech, behavior and dress

G. K. Chesterton: "I believe what really happens in history is this: the old man is always wrong; and the young people are always wrong about what is wrong with him. The practical form it takes is this: that, while theold man may stand by some stupid custom, the young man always attacks it with some theory that turns out to be equally stupid."

Today, we talk about a generation that did not know God. This quote is taken from the Book of Judges, a unique time in the history of Israel.

The Story of Scripture: 2010 Review
September/October: Genesis
(Creation, Fall, Dysfunction Spreads, Noah, Abraham &
Covenant, Isaac the child of promise, Jacob, Joseph)
November: Exodus
(slavery, the birth of Moses, salvation, wilderness)
December: Leviticus-Joshua:
(Law & Order, Entering the Land, Joshua as Moses’ successor)

In short, a nation is created (Genesis), redeemed (Exodus) and sanctified (Leviticus-Joshua). God is their king and has given them the land to live in, find God’s blessing and keep its covenant. Unfortunately, the nation ultimately chooses another direction.

Israel’s Encyclical Behavior:
Sin, Judgment, Deliverance
The people fall from God, receiving the previously promised judgment from God for falling, which leads to cries for deliverance, which God sends by way of Judges.

Judges should not be perceived in the same role we have today. They were, rather, warrior/kings, and in the case of Deborah, warrior/queen.

After the death of the leader, the people revert back to their ways and repeat the cycle.

Forgetting the Covenant From God:
The Covenant was that Israel would be God’s people and God would be Israel’s God, with which came the benefits of protection and provision.

There was also land, the blessings of it, and the relationship with the Creator. God would be their God and King. The people did not need to look to political leadership.

But the people looked around them, and wanted what everyone else had.

REALITY VISION Pt. A to Pt. B.
Judges Isaiah Matthew

Reality: Judges
--A generation that did not know God.
--Everyone did what was right in their own eyes

Judges is about A Nation Falling Apart: (G. Campbell Morgan)
1. Religious Apostasy (leading to blindness)
2. Political disorganization (leading to folly)
3. Social Chaos (leading to immorality)

Vision: Isaiah
The sons and daughters return. The wealth of nations comes. Israel does receive its promise, eventually.

Pt. A to Pt. B: Matthew
· the light of the star gives joy as we follow it.
· Gifts come to the home, sometimes in surprising ways.
· Sometimes you hear a voice sent from above.
· Sometimes you have to get up and go.
· Sometimes you have to wait and live in an unfamiliar place.
· Sometimes we see the madness and horror of godlessness.
· Sometimes you get to come home.
· Sometimes you have to make a decision.

Spiritual formation occurs in the midst of these life circumstances, not apart from it.

One More Thing:
Ruth, is a book during the time of the Judges, out of which the Messianic Line is traced.

Epiphany:
A little bit early, actually the 13th day after Xmas. Today is the 9th day of Xmas.
See the light of Jesus Christ for your soul.
Be the light of Jesus Christ for the world.