Our Duty To The Next Generation

Our duty to the next generation.  As I was reading today, and continue to think about our morning service, the more I am convinced we have a duty to our next generation.  Our actions will make an impact well beyond our lifetime.  The Scripture today states, Gather the people – men, women, dependents, and the resident aliens within your city gates – so that they may listen and learn to fear the Lord your God and be careful to follow all the words of this law.  Then their children, who do not know the law, will listen and learn to fear the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 31:12-13).  Gathering to hear, desiring to learn, and diligence to obey the Word of God will impact the next generation, those who do not know the law.  It will cause them to listen and learn to fear the Lord.  Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown commentates, “we are to aim at in hearing the word; we must hear, that we may learn and grow in knowledge; and every time we read the Scriptures, we shall find that there is still more and more to be learned out of them. We must learn, that we may fear God, that is, that we may be duly affected with divine things; and must fear God, that we may observe and do the words of his law; for in vain do we pretend to fear him if we do not obey him. That the rising generation might betimes be leavened with religion; not only that those who know something may thus know more, but that the children who have not known any thing may betimes know this, how much it is their interest as well as duty to fear God.