Thought for September 20

 History:

• 622: Muhammed arrives in Medina
• 1519: Magellan begins first circumnavigation of the globe
• 1814: Star Spangled Banner published as a song
• 1859: Electric range patented
• 1913: Francis Ouimet wins US Open
• 1932: Gandhi begins hunger strike
• 1951: Switzerland fails to allow female suffrage
• 1961: James Meredith denied enrollment at Ole Miss; he would enroll in 1962
• 1973: Billie Jean King beats Bobby Riggs
• 1984: Cosby Show premiers
• 2011: "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy ends
• 2021: Pfizer annouces Covid drug for 5-11 year olds
• Born: Upton Sinclair, Red Auerbach, Anne Meara, Sophia Loren, Dale Chihuly [glass sculptor], Sylvester [cartoon character], Guy Lafleur [hockey HOF], 
• Died: Jacob Grimm [Fairy Tales], Jean Sibelius [Finlandia], Jim Croce [Bad Bad Leroy Brown], Simon Wiesenthal [Nazi hunter], Polly Bergen, Howard Hopalong Cassady [HOF], William Kirkpatrick.

William Kirkpatrick composed the tunes for "We Have Heard the Joyful Sound," "He Hiddeth My Soul," "Redeemed, How I Love to Proclaim It," and the words and music for "Lord, I'm Coming Home."

Thought:

Reading Judges 2 this morning and focused on 2:10--" there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord, nor the work He had done for Israel." This is one of the scariest passages in the Bible. Take a look at 2:7. While Joshua the elders who had seen all the great work the Lord had done for Israel lived, the people served the Lord. BUT, a generation arose that did not know the Lord or what He had done. How could this happen? How could everything change in one generation? 

Perhaps we are seeing this tragedy repeated in our world today. We talk about a lost generation or a generation that grew up without prayer in the schools and adherence to our patriotic customs. We worry about the lack of knowledge about the Bible among our people and the fact that other nations are sending missionaries to America. What happened? Well, let's blame the liberal schools, the Supreme Court, the Congress or our State houses. But you know, prayer and Bible reading has always been allowed in our homes and churches. So how can a generation grow up without knowing God. It must be liberal academics and the music and entertainment industry. But parents have always had the ability to teach and example a Godly home. 

I suspect the same thing is happening now that happened to the Israelites--they failed to teach their children and grandchildren the truth of God's word, the priority of God's Sabbath, the authority of His word, and failed to example a life dedicated to His kingdom. Travel teams became more important than church, singers and actors and athletes became more well know than Noah, Joshua, Moses, Elijah, the Patriarchs, and the Apostles. 

Look down at 2:11 and 13--they served the baals and forsook the Lord. So we worship the athletes and teams and know all their stats, but fail a simple Bible quiz. We take our children away from church for "more important things" for years and then are dismayed when they do not attend church. 

Maybe the blame lies with me. Lord forgive us for blaming everyone else when the truth is we are to blame--we did not teach our children by word and example that the Lord He is God. And now a generation is lost and that lost generation is unable to teach the next generation. Send revival in the land. 

Blessings

Larry