As I Was Saying is a forum for a variety of perspectives to foster faith-related conversations among our readers with the goal of mutual learning, even in disagreement. Apart from articles written by editorial staff, these perspectives do not necessarily reflect the views of The Banner.
Assumptions can lead to unintended consequences or hurt.
A child waits at school after practice because both parents assumed the other was picking her up. A guest sits confused in a worship service because the pastor assumes everyone knows the routine. A sibling misses a family outing because everyone assumes all were notified of the details. In each case, hurt could have been avoided with more communication and less assumptions.
The danger of assumptions has existed throughout human history. I wonder if assumptions were at the heart of one of the great spiritual tragedies recorded in Scripture.
In Joshua 24, we find Joshua leading the Israelites in renewing the Lord’s covenant with them. After Joshua declares in 24:15, “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord,” the Israelites answer similarly in 24:18: “We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.” As readers, we celebrate this commitment of God’s people in response to his covenant commitment to them. We go on to read in Judges 2:7, “The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel.” Praise the Lord!
But only a few verses later is a terrible shift. Judges 2:10 reveals a tragedy: “After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel.” As readers, our celebration suddenly turns to wondering and grief. How can this be? How can things change so quickly, within one generation?
Assumptions
I wonder if this beginning of the downward spiral of the book of Judges can in part be attributed to the danger of assumptions.
Could it be that Israelite elders simply assumed people knew the Lord and what he had done and therefore didn’t make a point of teaching his Word?
Could it be that Israelite fathers and mothers assumed their children knew the Lord’s gracious acts and therefore neglected speaking about God and his Word “when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” as they were commanded in Deuteronomy 6?
Could it be that God’s people assumed that the next generation would come to know and trust the Lord without praying for the Lord to move in their hearts?
While we don’t know the answer to these questions definitively, it is not difficult to see how covenant memory fades when God’s people cease to intentionally teach “the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done” (Ps. 78:4). Assumptions can lead to tragic results like those described in Judges 2.
The Lesson
In light of the drastic and heart-rending shift from Joshua 24 to Judges 2, please allow me to offer some encouragement to us as churches and as believers. I urge us to move beyond assumptions and ask questions, teach basic biblical truths, and pray earnestly.
Ask what may seem like simple questions with obvious answers: What is the gospel? Why do we believe in Jesus? What did Jesus do for us? What does the Holy Spirit do for us? Why do we pray? Why do we worship?
Do we ask those questions, or do we hesitate because we just assume everyone knows the answers?
I encourage us to ask these kinds of questions at the dinner table, in Catechism class, in the fellowship hall after worship, in the Council room to those professing their faith, and in an ordination exam. I encourage us to ask those questions of ourselves as well.
And if we’re not sure of the answers, we can search the Scriptures, draw from our creeds and confessions, and seek out someone in the church to process these truths with us. Know the truth firmly in your own heart and mind, and then ask questions. Ask not to stump your friend or your son or daughter, but to genuinely listen to their responses and point them to the Bible where necessary.
As one who often leads the time of prospective members meeting with the elders to profess their faith, I have been deeply encouraged by hearing believers give testimony of God and his grace in response to these simple questions. I have been so blessed by clear articulations of the gospel and hearing genuine, heartfelt love for the Lord in answers to these questions.
But here’s the thing: we will never experience those moments if we just assume everyone already knows these things and so never ask!
I fear this is what an entire generation of Israelites did that led, in part, to the tragic fall from Joshua 24 to Judges 2. They didn’t ask, they didn’t teach, they didn’t encourage, they didn’t pray.
May the Lord lead us beyond assumptions in the church so that we can “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Pet. 3:15). Instead of simply assuming everyone already knows even basic biblical truths, let’s ask and listen and encourage. Let’s make the glorious truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ part of regular conversations at the dinner table and in fellowship halls. May these conversations become so natural among us that we continually “encourage one another and build each other up” (1 Thess. 5:11), from generation to generation.
Our faith and the faith of future generations is just too important to leave to assumptions.