That whole generation was also gathered to their ancestors. After them another generation rose up who did not know the Lord or the works he had done for Israel. (Judges 2:10 CSB)
This verse prefaces the pattern of rebellion that would endure throughout the rest of the book—generations of rebellion and faithlessness with its origins right here. One generation failed to point the next generation to the Lord. This is how Tim Keller puts it:The word “knew” probably does not mean that they did not know about the Exodus, the Red Sea, the crossing of the Jordan, and the walls of Jericho falling, but rather that the saving acts of God were no longer precious or central to them. They had not learned to revere and rejoice in what God had done. In other words, they had forgotten the “gospel” that they were saved from slavery in Egypt and brought into the promised land by the gracious, mighty acts of God. Put simply, they forgot. [1]
The Israelites in that next generation likely knew of God, they just didn’t know Him. Why? Because the prior generation failed to connect with the hearts of their kids. They may have reached the minds, but they didn’t go much deeper than that.The goal of the gospel
“Remember the gospel” is a mantra we would do well to live by. Let’s be careful not to think we are any better than either of the two generations mentioned in Judges 2:10. We’re not. We are just as susceptible to laziness, pride, and sin. We are just as prone to fail to hold the beauty of the gospel before others and we are equally as apt to forget it in our own lives. And because of this, we need to work diligently—week-by-week, day-by-day—to remember the gospel in our own lives and in our ministry. Because the peril is just as real for us as it was for those generations, and many more than followed, back in Judges. Don’t take my word for it, take Jesus’ word:You pore over the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, and yet they testify about me. But you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life. (John 5:38-40 CSB)
This was directed to the Jewish leaders who were giving Jesus grief for healing a man who was unable to walk at the start of this chapter. Notice what Jesus says about them: they knew the Scriptures, much in the same way Keller believes the Israelites did in Judges 2. These religious leaders of Jesus’ day were Old Testament experts. They knew it inside and out. And they practiced it just as well. But look at what that got them: death. Here is the sobering truth: Bible knowledge does not save. Being undefeated in Bible trivia does not absolve a single sin. Knowing the Bible is vital, but not for the sake of knowing it, but rather for knowing the One it is about: King Jesus. That is what we want our kids to know about. We want them to hear of the gospel—what Jesus has done, respond to the gospel, be changed by the gospel, and live out the gospel. That is the goal of the gospel.The goal of kids ministry
But that is not what we are called to do. It is not our primary mission. Now, hear me out for a minute. Yes, we are called on as kids leaders to present the gospel to our kids, but we are not the ones God called on to do this primarily. Parents are. The parents of our kids have been given this mission as their primary one. As kids ministry leaders, we have been called on to support them—to echo them to their kids. This was the failure of the generations in Judges 2. The next generation failed to love the gospel, not because of the failure of Bible study leaders (I know, they didn’t quite exist then, but you get the idea). The next generation suffered because of the failure of their parents. Think about it. God’s design makes sense. Who has the most time a kid to train him in the gospel? Parents. Who knows a child the best? Parents. Who holds a child’s heart the most? Parents. We can impact kids—greatly. Don’t mistake that. But if we truly want to impact a kid with the gospel, we will need to partner with parents. We need to encourage parents. Challenge them. Support them. Love them. And we need to work alongside them. You want to impact a kid for an hour? I mean really impact them? Spend that hour discipling that kid’s parents. What I am talking about is not either/or. It is both/and. I hope you see that. I don’t mean to diminish in any way what we do on campus each week. It is critical. But it is also critical that we equip parents for their primary role. Whatever you do, make this part of your ministry. Guard time to at least say hello to parents at drop-off and pick-up time. Thank them for bringing their kids. Let them know you love them and pray for them. Be sure to send the parent resources home. Send them emails or texts. Take them to coffee. Do what you can do to be the biggest hero of the parents in your church. Because in doing so, you might just be implanting the gospel much more deeply in the hearts of those kids you love so much.Though [God] has indeed no pleasure in afflicting us, He will not keep back even the most painful chastisement if He can but thereby guide His beloved child to come home and abide in the beloved Son.” – Andrew Murray (1828-1917) [2]Preschool Tip: The Book of Judges can be challenging for your preschoolers. But that does not mean it isn’t worth teaching to them. All of Scripture is profitable. Keep the big ideas in mind as you navigate this session and the rest in the unit. If you feel some of this will go over the heads and hearts of your preschoolers, keep it on a level that will not be as likely to. For example, the main take-away from this session is that all people sin over and over again, yet God forgives that much more. That is an easy enough take-away, but one that sure is beautiful. Kids Tip: This session is important for kids to grasp because it sets the stage for the rest of the sessions in the unit that follow. Each of these accounts is powerful by itself, but they are that much more powerful when you consider them together—recognizing the pattern of sin that continues over and over again and how none of the various judges was good enough for Israel. Take your time in explaining this pattern to your kids. [1] Timothy Keller God’s Word For You: Judges For You (p. 30). (The Good Book Company: Purcellville, VA, 2017) Retrieved from https://app.wordsearchbible.com. [2] Andrew Murray, Abide in Christ, in The Essential Works of Andrew Murray, ed. Tracy M. Sumner (Barbour, 2008) [eBook].