For Me + My House
I have always been fascinated with the Old Testament miracles in the Bible...
During my early years of studying the Bible, I came across a verse that stopped me in my tracks.
“And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.” -Judges 2:10
I remember reading that verse, and my spirit immediately became upset. All of the childhood Bible stories that I had learned in children’s church came flooding back to my memory: Daniel in the lion’s den, the parting of the Red Sea, bread raining from heaven, the 10 plagues, and several others. At this point in my spiritual journey, I didn’t have a clear timeline of when all the events in the Old Testament actually occurred. What I was certain of was that the section of Judges that described the new generation of Israelites was the children or grandchildren of the same Israelites who walked across the dry sea floor, whose clothes and shoes never got holes or worn down while traveling in the wilderness for 40 years, and who had experienced the great exodus from Egypt. So, that is why my spirit was confused, saddened, and frustrated all at the same time after reading Judges 2:10.
After all the mighty and supernatural miracles that the Israelites had personally experienced, whyyyy was there a generation that did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel?? Did they not share those stories with their children and grandchildren?? My heart was saddened for the new generation, and my mind couldn’t comprehend how such a thing could occur!
Since I didn’t have a clear or detailed timeline of events in the Old Testament memorized, I did what every normal person would do when conducting an investigation. I followed the Israelites’ story backward from Judges all the way through the books of Joshua, Deuteronomy, Numbers, Leviticus, and Exodus, until I finally stopped and sat in frustration with what I had discovered.
Exodus → Deliverance (God rescues Israel from slavery).
Leviticus → Worship & Holiness (How to live as God’s holy people).
Numbers → Wilderness Testing (Rebellion and wandering).
Deuteronomy → Covenant Renewal (Moses’ final sermons before entering the land).
Joshua → Conquest & Settlement (God gives them the land He promised).
Judges 1–2 → Decline (Israel forgets the Lord after Joshua’s death).
My mind was trying to put today’s understanding of why the new Israelite generation chose to forget God after Joshua’s death. I tried rationalizing how they could forget their Lord, after all the battles won against giants in the Promised Land, and all the provisions and blessings, but I couldn’t understand it.
Then I heard God say to me,
“What do you think is happening now in this generation?”
Talk about being humbled!!! I had been casting judgment onto the Israelite parents and grandparents of the Old Testament without realizing there was a stick in my own eye. Did my children know the Lord or what He had done for Israel or what He had done for me in my life, or the miracles of today?? The answer was no, and the main reason was that my knowledge and wisdom of scriptures was limited, so I wasn’t comfortable teaching my children. I relied on Sunday school or VBS to do the teaching.
We live in a world where life around us happens at an ever-increasing pace, and distractions are growing daily. Our attention and time is being divided among work, sports, events, volunteer activities, household chores, grocery shopping, and many other tasks. I wonder if the Mothers and Grandmothers of Judges 2:10 had similar struggles? The demands of motherhood have been similar since mothering began in Genesis, so who was I to think they wouldn’t have had time struggles, excessive to-do lists, baggage, and overwhelm that stole their days, just as they do today?! Unfortunately, satan’s tactics of keeping our schedules overloaded have worked since the beginning of time. His main objective is to eliminate the options of sitting down to study the Bible and to share our faith testimonies of God’s goodness with our children. Then, after enough generations, the truth and knowledge of God becomes lost.
Data from recent years (2022-2024) shows that less than 10% of Gen Z are "Bible engaged" with a high view and regular reading, while a larger percentage are "disengaged" or "skeptical" of the Bible. The data makes me think that we are raising another generation like the one in Judges 2:10. If they never open their Bibles, much less study them, how will they know God, his faithfulness to Israel, or His faithfulness to his promises today?
Since the day I first read Judges 2:10, I have been on a mission to ensure my children know how to study their Bibles, why it’s important, how much God loves them, and how to write scripture on their hearts for their own personal faith journey. None of this is done through the lens of the “perfect Pinterest Mom”, but instead the raw and real of strong faith. The joy and the tears of following Jesus when it feels lonely or going against culture. It’s the moments of feeling like ‘ugh, did they hear or get anything I just said’, and then they repeat it back to me in such a spiritually mature way, confident in walking out that day’s Biblical truth. It’s done on the days I feel confident and on the days that I feel unworthy and full of Mom guilt.
Moms, teaching our children the Bible and God’s truth for their lives is not an easy road; it’s preparing soldiers for battle. It’s setting a firm foundation of faith that will hopefully be unshakable in situations when we aren’t there to protect them. It’s filling their minds, hearts, and spirits with truths about their identity in Christ, so when the world tries to hold them back, they will stand firm in their faith!
I do understand this is easier said than done, trust me. However, we can’t let the distractions of the world and our limited time be our excuses. We are required to plant the seeds, and God will cause them to grow.
“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9 For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.” - 1 Corinthians 3:6-9
Morning Bible studies do require getting up a little earlier and adding a bit more structure on my end, but at least five days a week, the kids and I sit down together and do a Bible Study in the mornings before school. I want my kids to know that putting God at the beginning of their day is just as important as anything else they will accomplish the rest of the day. Most days are great, but there are days when we run out of time, have some tired tears, and other things happen; however, I still keep going. Their eternity depends on it…
It’s not an easy or perfectly orchestrated journey of motherhood. It’s a mission to raise strong and faithful disciples. The fight is worth winning their souls for eternity in Heaven, and for every other soul they will win because of their own personal testimonies one day. I have written Bible studies specifically with the next generation in mind. These are not surface-level topics, but rather deeper levels of truth rooted in Jesus’ love and God’s sovereignty.
Suppose you are a Mom who desires to teach your children about the Bible, but feels unqualified due to your limited knowledge. In that case, I invite you to follow along with this ministry for resources, Bible Studies, tips, and other encouragement. If we as Moms stand in faith together, we can reverse the curse of Judges 2:10 on this current generation. Instead of being a generation that doesn’t know God or His faithfulness (what He did for Israel), this generation will have it boldly written on their hearts, bursting to be shared with the world around them.
You were created to “Mother” for such a time as this!
-Sincerely,
Marlee
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