"Why do you have to be so negative? All you talk about is Jehovah worship at the tabernacle as if that’s the only true form of worship. Why do you have to keep saying that our neighbors the Amorites are wrong and that their worship of Baal is sinful? Have you tried it? How do you know it’s so bad? They’re religious too, and they’re nice people. I went to the well the other day and their daughter was there getting water for the family and she was friendly. She didn't have horns and didn't curse Jehovah. You've gotten old and lost touch with reality. Besides, we have to live in today’s world if we’re going to have any influence on our neighbors."

As we noted yesterday, every generation, including mine and yours, has its own unique set of problems, sins to be more specific, that need to be addressed directly, honestly, and Biblically. Just because the next generation has its own sin problem doesn't mean everything it says about the previous generation should be ignored. However, just because the previous generation has its own sin problem, that doesn't mean the next generation's so-called “solution” actually fixes the problem, especially if it calls for compromise with the sinners surrounding us.

While it may sound familiar to many of us, the imaginary conversation we began with could have happened just a few short years after the death of Joshua and the conquering generation when the next generation came along and “didn’t know Jehovah” or what He had done for Israel (Judges 2:10). The key to that generational change was they “did not know Jehovah”.

Their parents failed to fully obey God by driving out all the inhabitants of the land. As a result they became a thorn in Israel’s side and a trap for their children (Judges 2:3). But their biggest failure was in not teaching their children about God’s grand majesty. The children “did not know Jehovah,” and whose fault was that? The parents!

So when we hear that speech from our children instead of just saying “You're wrong” we should ask ourselves, “Did I really tell them about God and show them genuine faith?” The way to help keep the “new generation” from falling for Satan's lies isn't to pretend ours was perfect but by showing and telling them about the God who is grand and glorious. Start now before it's too late. Get your life right with God and share God's glory with your children.