I was talking to someone recently on the fact that no matter how things seem to change –things are still the same. Solomon was right when he said, “Meaningless, meaningless, utterly meaningless –there is nothing new under the sun.” Throughout the generations of man, we have developed and progressed in many areas of our lives. Technology has thrust us to the moon and back. Computers have changed paradigms and text messaging has reduced vocabularies to mere letters. The fast pace of societal conglomeration is sending national autonomy into a tailspin and soon there will be -one world.

But no matter how things have changed, they still remain the same. I am speaking of the time nearly 3,200 years ago. The Israelites had received the Promise Land and had lived there long enough to get comfortable and… forget God. It’s sad, but that is what happened. It happened throughout the years and it is happening today. Oh, it may not be happening in your life, or in this particular church, but I guarantee it is happening. What is it that causes one to forget God?
It comes through the neglect of the Word of God.

Samuel was the last judge of Israel and when he was just a boy Eli was a priest in the house of the Lord. Now, it says that while Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli –In those days the word of the Lord was rare- there were not many visions. Israel had fallen away from the true worship and servitude to God. It began shortly after they entered the Promise Land. The parents failed to teach their children the things of God and a whole generation grew up not knowing the Lord (Judges 2:10)

It is imperative that children be taught the things of God. It is of the utmost importance that they know the Scriptures. It is our obligation to God that we train up our children in the way of the Lord. Consequences of failing to do this bring heartbreak and sorrow, and ultimately, nothing short of death. When the Word of God is held in high regard by the parents the children will grow up knowing what it means to fear the Lord.

But, even in the midst of the 19th century, the people of the United States began to neglect their Bibles and place importance more on transient things. Secular education began to germinate and journalism prodigally left the home of faith. Children grew up in the 20th century with a “take it or leave it” attitude about religion. Now, in the birth of the 21st century we have a society that tramples truth in its streets and the Word of God is rare. How can we remedy this dangerous course of action?

It is my opinion that each of us must take a serious look, in self-examination, to see what sort of priority we hold concerning the Word of God. If it is something that we truly desire in our lives then we cannot tarry any longer. All the sentimentality we muster up will not suffice. We must act. We must read. We must believe. We must act on what we believe. I am not a pessimist –I am a realist, and it is a real danger that faith in our society, and in particular, in our own lives, will vanish if we do not regard the Bible as the Word of God.