Most of the feasts and festivals of the Old Testament were built on the presupposition that each age group needed to be reminded about what God had done for His people. Whether it be the Passover or the building of the Booths on Sukkot each of them help describe in an outward way something real that Jehovah had done for their forefathers, and through them for those living in that day. It only takes one generation to forget what a previous generation knew. 

Over the past several months I’ve been somewhat slowly going through the Book of Deuteronomy in my private devotions. In many ways it is my favorite book in the whole Bible. From beginning to end it is a testimony to the love of God for His covenant people as well as a display of His wisdom. What is basically happening in that portion of Holy Scripture is you have Moses preaching to the Israelites on the plains of Moab to prepare them to go into the promised land. They need to know why they are at the shores of the Jordan and how they are to order their society after the conquest. This generation didn’t grow up in Egypt. They’ve been born since the Red Sea and have experienced so much about the ways of the LORD, but they need to understand more deeply about why God has done things in the manner that He has and also what He expects of them in the future.

Remedial training is helpful for all kinds of folks, but most especially for those who have not been through it before.

Most of the feasts and festivals of the Old Testament were built on the presupposition that each age group needed to be reminded about what God had done for His people. Whether it be the Passover or the building of the Booths on Sukkot each of them help describe in an outward way something real that Jehovah had done for their forefathers, and through them for those living in that day. It only takes one generation to forget what a previous generation knew. The old saying about wealth, that one generation makes it, the next enjoys it, and the last loses it is true of the teachings of the Bible. It was vital that the truth of the LORD be promoted and taught in full measure so that not any of it is lost. However, what happens after Joshua leads the destruction of Canaan is that all those who made the covenant at Shechem soon did that forgetting. They sadly overlooked what Moses had said, what God had promised, and most certainly the warnings God gave if they didn’t keep their pledge to Him.

There is a reason why the Book of Judges is as chaotic as it is.

Those who grow up in the Church can sometimes be like the Israelites of this age. They didn’t necessarily see all the work that went in to founding a local congregation and they weren’t a part of the battles of previous generations. Some call this a “silver spoon” mentality. You are born on Third Base and think you hit a triple.

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