Generation to Generation

When I think of father’s in the scriptures many pictures and individuals come to mind… My favorite however is a man we know very little about, his name is Enoch. Genesis 5:21-22 simply states this about him...

Genesis 5:21–22 NASB95

Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah. Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters.

There is something about become a father that makes a man think differently about how he lives. He is now invested in the next generation to come in a much deeper more impacting way.

I have enjoyed spending time with my brother in law who is a great dad, but we were talk ing one evening and he was reminiscing when he would ride his motorcycle in speeds of excess of 160 MPH… as he shared the story you could see that far away look. I asked him how long it had been since he went that fast, he responded with a smile and said ever since he became a dad.

I guess fatherhood brings enough of a rush we don't need fast motorcycles!

We live differently… they are watching, they are following, they look up to you… and there is a God given responsibility to train up the next generation.

This responsibility and mandate is given throughout scripture… Today rather than look at one man individually I would like us to look at some generations of FATHERS.

When God gave His holy law to His people Israel consider what He says in the first two commands… Exodus 20:3-6

Exodus 20:3–6 NASB95

“You shall have no other gods before Me. “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

We see that God tells the generation there receiving the Law of God that: The sins of the father have ramifications on the generations to follow… YET, the one who obeys and follows God will see His lovingkindness for thousands!!! This was given to Israel I know but we see it in every nationality, culture, and generation. Consider this:

Swindoll’s Ultimate Book of Illustrations & Quotes Family—J. Oswald Sanders, A Spiritual Clinic

Two families from the state of New York were studied very carefully. One was the Max Jukes family and the other was the Jonathan Edwards family. The thing that they discovered in this study is remarkable: like begets like.

Max Jukes was an unbelieving man and he married a woman of like character who lacked principle. And among the known descendants, over 1,200 were studied. Three hundred and ten became professional vagrants; 440 physically wrecked their lives by a debauched lifestyle; 130 were sent to the pen for an average of thirteen years each, 7 of them for murder. There were over 100 who became alcoholics; 60 became habitual thieves; 190 public prostitutes. Of the 20 who learned a trade, 10 of them learned the trade in a state prison. It cost the state about $1,500,000 and they made no contribution whatever to society.

In about the same era the family of Jonathan Edwards came on the scene. And Jonathan Edwards, a man of God, married a woman of like character. And their family began and they became a part of this study that was made. Three hundred became clergymen, missionaries, and theological professors; over 100 became college profs; over 100 became attorneys, 30 of them judges; 60 of them became physicians; over 60 became authors of good classics, good books; 14 became presidents of universities. There were numerous giants in American industry that emerged from this family. Three became United States congressmen and one became the vice president of the United States.

Now some may be thinking… there is no hope with my family past, or some of you may be thinking there is no way I can fill the shoes of those before me… God’s Word today has something for each of you and anywhere you may be in-between!

Consider the generation that recieved God’s law first hand

Brought out of Egypt

Crossed the Red Sea

Feed by God and given water in the wilderness

Given the Law...

This Generation disobeyed the Lord, did not follow Him, Trust Him, did not want His blessings… So in 40 years time all over the age of 20 died in the wilderness. God would raise up a generation to follow Him!

A Godly Generation

This generation was brought up under the instruction of Moses, lead into the promise land under the leadership of Joshua.

They saw God provide, protect, and work wonders

They watched as God parted the waters of the Jordan River

They saw God drop the walls of Jericho

Time and Time again they saw God be God in their lives!

They celebrated, they worshiped, they loved the Lord

After they enter the Promised Land Joshua challenges them in a powerful speech REMINDING THEM of ALL GOD DID! and in Joshua 24:14-15 and he makes the bold statement we are familiar with…

Joshua 24:14–15 NASB95

“Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

NOTICE: to serve is never the option… rather it is who you serve!

You follow along in the verses that follow and the people respond they too will follow and serve the Lord!

This was an amazing Generation! Full of men who loved the Lord, followed Him with their lives!

A Generation Does Not Know

We read something that should bring a somber evaluation of our own personal hearts in another passage… Judges 2:6-10

Judges 2:6–10 NASB95

When Joshua had dismissed the people, the sons of Israel went each to his inheritance to possess the land. The people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of the Lord which He had done for Israel. Then Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of one hundred and ten. And they buried him in the territory of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. All that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel.

Good Godly men, strong leaders who loved the Lord and followed Him!!! WHAT HAPPENED???

The nation had been looking to Moses, then Joshua...

After Joshua gathered the people he dismissed them to their own portions of land

The fathers would lead their own homes and tribes

They were each to go to his portion responsible to his tribe and drive out those there

They were to drive out sin and idols from the land (clean house so to speak)

Some chose to allow some to stay and serve them, never thinking the ones who serve them one day could rule them

These Godly men died, passed on and generations came behind them…

These generations had some of the inhabitants from the land among them

Things began to creep in and slowly consume their worship… God became undesirable to them because they forgot!

They did what was right in their own eyes… this is the mantra of the book of Judges!

It was most likely not that they were unaware… they did not want to know the Lord. a choice they made in WHO they serve.

The Generations to Follow

God would continue to be faithful… throughout Judges we see God raise up judges who would draw the hearts of the people back to God

We would see God work with the nation as a whole, we see Him work with tribes/Families individually

Through Generation to Generation God shows Himself as a perfect Heavenly Father both disciplining and loving His people.

Many generations have followed since God gave His law, since Joshua stood before the people with his challenge, and since that powerful generation in Israel has passed on...

What about your generation?

I have heard many discuss the amazing Godly men who have passed on:

Warren Wiersbe

Howard Hendricks

Billy Graham

Nate Saint & Jim Elliot

D.L. Moody

Chuck Colson

and many others like them and many others to follow...

I look around our church and I see good Godly men, fathers, grandfathers, great grandfathers…

Often I see that it is not for lack of example or teaching rather it is choices that cause a generation to stray from the Lord...

Dads… we have some amazing shoulders of some Godly men to stand on to do greater things for God, to go further for the cause of the cross, to lead our families in powerful God honoring ways

May we observe from those who have gone before us

May we Teach the generation to come

And to those who follow in our footsteps may You Listen to the instruction of God given.

Generation to Generation the Lord remains the same… Ma we as fathers follow our Heavenly Father. Happy Father’s Day.