Dropping the Ball

 Joshua was Israel’s leader after Moses. Joshua brought Israel into the promised land of Canaan. When Joshua was old and near death, he made this statement to the Israelites: “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15)

   Does it seem odd for Joshua to say, “…if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD”? Why would Israel think it evil to serve God after all He had done for them? He brought the ten plagues on Egypt, parted the Red Sea, and saved them from slavery. He sustained them for forty years in the wilderness, and gave them numerous military victories. Why would Joshua say that?

   Here’s why: God warned Moses and Joshua privately, before Joshua took over as leader, that a time would come when Israel would stray from God: “Behold, thou [Moses] shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land,” (Deuteronomy 31:16) This truth may have been in the back of Joshua’s head the whole time he was leader. He was obviously determined to be sure it did not happen on his watch.

   Eventually Joshua died and his generation: “And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being an hundred and ten years old.” (Judges 2:8) “And also all that generation (Joshua’s) were gathered unto their fathers:” They also died. Watch what happened next: “... and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.” (Judges 2:10)

   Think about that. The generation after Joshua’s did not know what God had done for them: deliverance from slavery in Egypt, the ten plagues, the passover, the parting of the Red Sea, the destruction of Egypt’s army, manna in the wilderness, water out of the rock, or the fall of Jericho. How could they not know all these things? Apparently their parents didn’t think it was that important. Maybe they didn’t want to “push religion” on their kids. They didn’t teach them what God had done for them. They dropped the ball.

   Thus what God had said would happen did happen in the next generation: “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.” (Judges 2:11-12)

   If you’re a parent, surely you want to be a good one. But do your kids know about God and the Bible? Deuteronomy 6:6-7 says, “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children,” Teaching your kids about God is your job. This is not “pushing religion.” It is teaching the truth. Besides, there are plenty of people willing to teach you and your kids their version of religion, just as the heathen people taught the Israelites.

   You may feel a little awkward if you do not know much about the Bible yourself. Yet it’s  never too late to learn, and the more you get into the Bible, the more important it becomes to you. And when you go to a Bible-believing Christian church faithfully with your kids, God can use your example to help them see it as important to them, just as it is to you. Whatever you do, though, please do not drop the ball.

   Most importantly, do your kids know about Jesus who died for them, was buried, and rose again so they could have their sins forgiven and go to heaven? Do you? If not, please go to www.clevelandbaptist.org, click “Helpful Links,” then “How Do I Go to Heaven?”