(Judges 2:11-19 NKJV) Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Baals; {12} and they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the LORD to anger. {13} They forsook the LORD and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. {14} And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel. So He delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. {15} Wherever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for calamity, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn to them. And they were greatly distressed. {16} Nevertheless, the LORD raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them. {17} Yet they would not listen to their judges, but they played the harlot with other gods, and bowed down to them. They turned quickly from the way in which their fathers walked, in obeying the commandments of the LORD; they did not do so. {18} And when the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed them and harassed them. {19} And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they reverted and behaved more corruptly than their fathers, by following other gods, to serve them and bow down to them. They did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way.
The period of the Judges was a cycle of spiritual renewal and spiritual decline. These seasons, which for the most part lasted for forty years, continued on into the period of the kings. Why? Why did this occur? The answer, in part, is found in the following text.
(Judg 2:7-10 KJV) 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. {8} And Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old. {9} 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. {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.
While this is a historical passage, it contains lessons relevant to contemporary Christianity. As long as Israel had Godly leadership, the nation served the Lord. But when the godly leader died, "...they reverted and behaved more corruptly than their fathers..." (Judges 2:19). Why? The event itself gives us three answers, three reasons for their backslidings.
I. AN ABSENCE OF GODLY LEADERSHIP - The Biblical record nest, some of us need to ed the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua..." (Judges 2:7).
David, in Psalm 12 declared, "Help, LORD, for the godly man ceases! For the
faithful disappear from among the sons of men." The absence of godly men and
women bring out the worst in society. According to 2 Thessalonians 2:7,
lawlessness is already at work but is being restrained by a righteous influence.
When that righteous influence is removed lawlessness will abound.
When Elijah
was taken up by a whirlwind into heaven, a startled Elisha cried out, "My
father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!" (2 Kings 2:12).
Elijah had been of greater worth to Israel than all of its armies. Mary, Queen
of Scotts, feared John Knox more than the massive armies of her enemies. His
powerful prayers and his faith in God were a wall about his nation.
How
desperately our world needs godly men and women who know God. Our hope does not
rest in the election of a conservative Republican president, but in men and
women who have a personal intimate relationship with God; uncompromising men and
women who will stand for God and against unrighteousness. We are in need of men
and women of conviction who will be the conscience of our land.
Sin isn't something many people spent much time worrying about in the past 25 years. But we will say this for sin: it at least offered a frame of reference for behavior. when the frame was dismantled during the sexual revolution, we lost the guidewire of personal responsibility, the rules for proper conduct of sexual relations. Everyone was left on his or her own. It now appears many people could have used a road map. They needed to be told the direction their sex life was taking was simply wrong.
But moral judgments aren't made much anymore, especially not in print or on TV. Among intellectuals and commentators, judgment was long ago replace by therapy. Ministers and priests gave way to clinics and counselors. Instead of giving your kid a dressing-down, you now give him (or her) a condom.
This is not an appeal for prudery, but for prudence. The United States has problems with drugs, high-school sex, AIDS and rape. None of these will go away until people in positions of responsibility come forward and explain, in frank moral terms, that some of the things people do nowadays are wrong. -Wall Street Journal
II. THEY DID NOT KNOW THE LORD - The word "know", as used here, refers
to a personal knowledge of God and means to be personally and intimately
aquatinted with God. It is the same term used when scripture declares that "Adam
knew Eve his wife" (Gen 4:1). The generation that followed Joshua and the elders
was not personally and intimately aquatinted with God.
(Hosea 4:6 NNAS) "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge [an intimate personal relationship with their God]...."
(Isa 5:13 NNAS) "Therefore My people go into exile for their lack of knowledge..."
For years Jacob referred to God as the God of his father. It wasn't until he had his own personal encounter with God that he called Him the God of Israel.
Bible Colleges can impart a knowledge about God, but they aren't known for being seed beds of revival. Most of the firebrands that were used to kindle revival weren't Theologians, but ordinary men who had a passion for God.
III. THEY DIDN'T KNOW THE WORKS OF THE LORD - They didn't have a first
hand knowledge of God's power. They were void of an experience. Pentecost is
more than a doctrine. It is a dynamic encounter with God. It is an indument with
power from on high. It is a know-so jolt of heavenly electricity. Israel was
void of men who had encountered God in a personal undeniable supernatural
way.
Gideon had a right word when confronted by God. He asked, "...if the Lord is
with us...where are all of His miracles which our fathers told us about..." (Jud
6:13). Allow me to contemporize that question. "If this is that which Joel
prophesied, then why isn't this more like that?"
Our forefathers prayed and sought God under the gun of persecution. Their
faith was proven in the fires of adversity. They held on to God until their
generation experienced an outpouring of the Holy Ghost.
Most second and third generation Christians do their best to observe all the
"do's" and "don'ts" of the Church. When they get saved there's not much that
needs to change because they've been raised on Christian values. Their reference
point isn't a powerful meeting with God, but the Christian life style they've
grown up with.
The second generation was birthed into an environment of Godliness. They have
grown up in homes with praying moms and dads and know nothing of battling the
hordes of hell. They've never prayed in a revival. They've never prayed anyone
through to the Baptism in the Holy Ghost. Many of them do not know why they
believe what they believe. They, if asked to give a reason for the hope that is
in them, would be unable to comply. They haven't had to plow through such issues
as holiness, the triunity of God and so on. Their faith hasn't been proven in
the fires of adversity. Even so, they will soon be thrust into positions of
authority within the house of God. They will be called upon, in the days ahead,
to provide leadership for the people of God.
CONCLUSION Yes, our world is in desperate need of godly leaders who
have a personal relationship with God.
Yes, there are many in the next generation who do not know God, nor have a personal testimony of God's power. They go to church only because they are made to by their parents. They don't have a clue as to what is at stake in this battle. They have no prayer life and think that their secure little world will be sustained no matter what they do. They do not realize how dangerous their attitude is.
Yes, our world is in need of young people and moms and dads who will sell out to God and make Him the center of their life.
All of this is true, but I would be wrong to end this message on such a negative note. I would be wrong to leave you with the impression that all is hopeless. I would be remiss in my duty if I didn't tell you that there are some encouraging lights in this day of moral decay and darkness. There are within this very room people who are being stirred to a high level of commitment to Jesus Christ. Young men and women who want God more than popularity. Young men and women, who like their forefathers are pursuing God with all of their energies and heart affections. Young men and women like William Borden.
In 1904 William Borden, heir to the Borden Dairy Estate, graduated from a Chicago high school a millionaire. His parents gave him a trip around the world. Traveling through Asia, the middle East, and Europe gave Borden a burden for the world's hurting people. Writing home, he said, "I'm going to give my life to prepare for the mission field." When he made his decision, he wrote two words in the back of his Bible: NO RESERVES. Turning down high-paying job offers after graduating from Yale University, he entered two more words in his Bible: NO RETREATS. Upon completing studies at Princeton Seminary, Borden sailed for China to work with Muslims, stopping first at Egypt for some preparation. While there he was stricken with cerebral meningitis and died with a month. When friends leafed through his Bible, underneath the words NO RESERVES and NO RETREATS, they found the words NO REGRETS.
If we're honest, some of us need to abandon our own agenda and rededicate ourselves to His purpose for our life. We need to sell out to God.
