The Lost Generation

Judges 2:6-10
6 When Joshua dismissed the people, the people of Israel went each to his inheritance to take possession of the land. 7 And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the Lord had done for Israel. 8 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110 years. 9 And they buried him within the boundaries of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash. 10 And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.

Did this generation of Israel, the one during Joshua's time, neglect to teach the next generation? Or was this next generation just plain rebellious for rebellion's sake?

And with that question, how are we, as parents, teaching the next generation? Are we giving our children everything they need so they don't rebel out of sheer ignorance?

We can do everything that is needed to teach our children about the Lord, but there is still the issue of free will. Our children may just rebel because they can. Though depressing, we can still have hope. The journey of Israel recorded in Exodus, Judges, Kings & Chronicles shows us that God will forgive, and that He will take His children back after they have wandered off. The story of the Prodigal Son reflects this too.

Though we claim them as "our children" they truly belong to the Lord. All we have to do is love them and teach them about the awesomeness of our Lord.

Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.