And every man did what was right in his own eyes

In Sunday school class we are just finishing up the book of Judges. We are determined to get every ounce of wisdom, information and spiritual knowledge that we possibly can from each Scripture, so we dig a little deeper. In digging in, we discovered that over and over again Israel would fall into apostasy (meaning they turned away from God and did evil). God would then allow other people groups to overcome them in some manner or another. Finally the Israelites would cry out for help, and God would hear their cry. God would then rescue them by raising up a man, a judge or leader who would help them overcome their adversary. But, once that leader died, the Israelites would again fall away from God and start worshipping idols. God would again take away His blessings, and the people would be in subservience all over again. This went on for centuries. But, the book of Judges is just a microcosm of what we, too, have been doing for decades.

Why, did the Israelites start worshipping other idols and doing evil? The main reason is that the parents did not teach the next generation to worship the Lord and obey Him. They did not teach their children that God wanted them to love and glorify Him. Everyone just lived their lives the way they wanted to live them.

How do we know that the apostasy came from the parents’ failure to teach their children about God and how to live for Him? Well, in Judges 2: 7-12 we are told exactly how their apostasy developed. At first the Israelites followed Joshua and then the elders, who taught them to serve the Lord. But verse ten tells us that after Joshua and the elders died things began to change and a shift happened: “… also all that generation [of people and elders who were taught by Joshua] were gathered to their fathers [meaning they had died], and there arose another generation after them who did not know (recognize, understand) the Lord, or even [know about] the work which He had done for Israel. And the people of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and served Baals [idols]. And they forsook the Lord, the God of their fathers Who brought them out of the land of Egypt. …” – (Judges 2: 10-12. Amplified, but bracketed words are mine).

Every time God gave them a good leader or judge, the Israelites would come back to the Lord. They would live in peace for awhile. But then that generation would fail to teach the next generation about God.  Within a few years that next generation was doing what they wanted to do.  Chapter 17: 6 sums it up very well: “… every man did what was right in his own eyes.” – (Amplified). Do those words sound familiar today? It should, because that is the way we are living today. We have failed to mentor our daughters and other young women in knowing and living for God, so they can in turn mentor their children too.  Active Relational Christian mentoring can give our young women and ladies the foundation they need to serve the Lord and obey Him. We just have to step forward to actively mentor for the Lord.