A strong connection exists between faithfulness to the Lord and knowing the redemptive story of which one is a part. This is consistent theme throughout the Scriptures, and it surfaces clearly in Judges 2.
After the death of Joshua, who had assumed leadership following Moses, God’s people began to stray from the narrative of God’s great redemptive acts on their behalf. The generation that had witnessed all that God had done for Israel in bringing them into the promised land grew old and perished. Judges 2:10 explains that in their wake, “there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.”
The text immediately connects this lack of knowing God’s gracious redemptive activity with a most unfortunate result. “And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. And they abandoned the lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the Lord to anger” (Judges 2:11–12).
Failure to rehearse the great redemptive narrative led the people away from their gracious God and into pagan idolatry. Further, “They abandoned the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies” (Judges 2:13–14).
This reality underscores the great importance of continually teaching and dwelling on the gospel story. In fact, the Lord had instructed his people to embody certain habits and routines in order to cultivate such knowledge and remembrance of his great saving acts. For example, Deuteronomy 6 instructs God’s people to actively teach this narrative to future generations. Further, in Deuteronomy 26:5–10, God included the regular, verbal rehearsal of God’s gracious redemption as part of the customary process of offering first fruits of one’s harvest to the Lord.
The upshot is clear. We must regularly, routinely, and with great care, rehearse the gospel story. We must teach it to ourselves and to generations coming behind us. Failure to promote and pass on this redemptive narrative leads to peril both for us and our children.