Judges 2:6-10 – Leaving a rich spiritual legacy

These verses take us to the time after Joshua dismissed the sons of Israel at Shechem. In Joshua 24 is the farewell speech of the leader and how the people of Israel pledged to serve Yahweh. Here, verse 9 recalls the death of Joshua the servant of the Lord who had taken the people across the Jordan into the promised land. He was buried in the hill country of Ephraim. The success they experienced only lasted two generations i.e. when Joshua was leading, and the generation of the elders who succeeded him. By the time the third generation arose, the descendants of Israel had forgotten Yahweh. Neither did they serve Him. The sad words found in verse 10 are, “…and there arose another generation after them (the elders who survived Joshua) who did not know the Lord, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel.”

What we see in these verses show us the apparent failure of the community to maintain their fervency for the Lord. They had failed to keep alive the memory of what Yahweh had so graciously done to save and preserve them. Obviously, they had abandoned their responsibilities. This is a reflection of the failure of the elders. Unlike Joshua who gathered them in Shechem and challenged them to be faithful, the elders did not take the time to help their children focus on the Lord. This portion of Scriptures is an indictment on the failure of the elders who succeeded Joshua. They had neglected to pass on the right values to their children. Bear in mind that when one loses sight of the grace of God, he or she will soon lose sight of God and all the obligations owed to Him. Thus, this passage issues a challenge for us who are parents to leave behind a great spiritual legacy for our subsequent generation. It is great to walk well with the Lord but it would be greater to teach, impact and do all that we need to, to ensure that the next generation after us will follow in the footsteps of the Lord.

We must not only remind ourselves, but also our children that to love the Lord with all our hearts, souls, minds and strength is utmost important. There are so many things that we can think of that will help us build a strong second generation. If we are creative, there are inexhaustible ways to get the future generation on board and moving in the direction of the Lord. We must always remember that there is a subsequent generation looking up to us. The example we leave for them can help them to further their venture with God. Therefore, it’s important that we always put God first in everything. If we fail to put God at the centre of our life now, we will pass on the idea that having God at the centre of their lives is not important. We must do all that we can to help them make their decisions in the light of their relationship with God by making our decision in the light of our relationship with Him. Make God central in our life. Let Him be at the centre of everything in our life. Whether at home or at work, in worship or in recreational activities, let all things we do revolve around Him.  Make God central and leave behind this rich legacy!