Generation to Generation

What happens when one generation faithfully passes on their testimony of God’s goodness to the next?
In this powerful message from Psalm 22, we explore how God works through generations, hears the prayers of His people, and transforms trials into testimonies. – Generation to Generation

On Friday, we spoke from Judges chapter 13. The name of the man Manoah is written sixteen times in that chapter.
Chapter 13 speaks about Manoah, Samson’s father, and his prayer. Even after receiving the message through his wife, he prayed, “Lord, please come once again and speak with me.”
In verse 12, we read about a father who makes a declaration of faith, saying, “Let it happen just as You have said.”
In verse 15, we see a man who desires to offer worship and honor both God and the Angel of the Lord.
Throughout chapter 13 until the account of Samson’s marriage, the Bible repeatedly mentions “his father and mother,” “his father and mother,” showing the constant presence of his parents.
Even though Samson plunged into the depths of failure, God extended great grace to bring him back. Yet in Judges 16:31 it is written that he was buried in the tomb of his father Manoah.
After Samson’s death, he was buried in a place called Mahaneh-dan. The meaning of Mahaneh-dan is “the camp of the tribe of Dan.”
Samson died as a man of faith before God. It was his family and his brothers who gathered his body from among the ruins.
At that time, Israel was living in fear under the oppression of the Philistines.
Yet the tribe of Dan received the courage and strength to go, retrieve the body of Samson who had slain so many Philistine rulers, and bury him.
After Samson’s death, six hundred warriors from the tribe of Dan came and camped at Mahaneh-dan.
Samson had fallen from one failure to another, but when he returned to God in prayer, not only was he restored, but even through his death his tribe was established and strengthened.
My thought is this: the prayer and dedication of Manoah.
Therefore, today we must all pray before God, especially remembering our fathers. The light and courage they provide are among the greatest gifts.
Whether all the brothers come next Friday or not, on Sunday when I preach, the message will be based on Psalm 22:30–31.
The Lord has been speaking to me these days about generations standing together.
Likewise, generations should come together before God, do His will, and worship Him.
While I was preparing this message, Sheba sent me a message. I read it and saw the PCNAK theme: “Generation to Generation.”
I had read that theme before but had forgotten about it. Usually, when we think about PCNAK, we think about whether to go, how to go, and how to return.
I was very happy because the theme matched exactly with the Word the Lord had been impressing on my heart.
The psalmist David is going through a great crisis. As he goes through that crisis, he remembers that his father and the fathers before him had gone through many crises and that God delivered them when they prayed.
Many of David’s children are watching him go through this crisis.
David’s generation and the generations after him are watching him receive God’s blessing in response to prayer.
They will share that experience with the next generation that has not seen it.
At least four generations are pointed out here .As we go through our trials, we should remember that our fathers also passed through such trials. They prayed and received deliverance.
When we go through difficulties and pray, the Lord will give deliverance. When our children face difficulties in their lives and pray, they too will see the Lord’s deliverance. When their children pray before God, they also will see the Lord’s deliverance.The experience described here is that all generations witness God’s great deliverance.
These four generations have personally experienced God’s deliverance and His power.These four generations are the generations that will declare God’s works to the next generation.
In other words, from the oldest person to the youngest person, everyone has come to the worship gathering after experiencing God’s deliverance.
They worship God together. They testify together that the Lord has delivered them. There is a message in this: our problems should not remain only our own problems. The coming generation must know about the trials we face.
When they face trials, our testimony should encourage them. Just as our fathers received deliverance, we must learn to receive deliverance. And as we receive deliverance, the next generation should learn to receive an even greater deliverance.
This means that when we go through difficulties, it is not only for ourselves; it becomes a testimony for others as well.
Our failures and our victories become lessons for others.The failures and the glory of our fathers are lessons for us too.David committed a great sin in his life.
The Lord disciplined him thoroughly.After David, many powerful kings ruled Israel, some of whom were not very godly.
Yet none of them acted before God the way David did.Before the Babylonian exile, the Lord continually pursued them, calling them to abandon idol worship.
After returning from Babylonian exile, Israel never again returned to idol worship.May there be an experience here where generations worship together.Let us not say that some are old and some are young. If everyone experiences God and prays together, that is the first message.The second message begins with the title “The Doe of the Dawn.”This psalm has been given that title.This psalm is known by that title.Many consider Psalm 23 to be the greatest psalm, but some scholars also regard Psalm 22 very highly.The phrase “The Deer of the Dawn” is actually a musical setting.There is a reason for that.
During certain seasons, deer are hunted at night.Likewise, predators chase them throughout the night.But when morning comes, deliverance arrives for them.In the same way, David is being chased and hunted like a deer.
David prays at dawn. In verse 2 he says:”My God, I cry out, but You do not answer.”But when we come to the end of verse 21, a new dawn arrives.A new dawn comes, and he experiences God’s deliverance.
At the end of verse 21, David says:”You have heard my prayer.”In verse 2 he says, “I pray, but You do not hear.”An entire night passes. It seems as though God is not hearing.
From the moment he saw the enemy, he began to pray.As sorrow poured out from within him, he kept praying.Yet in verse 21, in the Spirit of God, he declares:
“You have heard my prayer.”Today we worship a God who hears our prayers.”Lord, I prayed yesterday. I prayed all night long. When will You hear my prayer?”
In Luke 18 we read about the widow. After telling the story of the widow who continually troubled the unjust judge, Jesus asks:Even if God is patient concerning those who cry out to Him, will He not hear their prayers and bring justice?Jesus Himself answers the question.
Usually, the Lord’s style is to have those who are questioned provide the answer.But here the Lord Himself answers:”Certainly He will deliver.”God has appointed a dawn for you.
Like a deer crying out before God, unable to defend itself, there is a time when God responds to its tears.Whether it is a valley or a wilderness, God has appointed a day of deliverance for you.
One more thing before I conclude.This psalm very clearly speaks about the Messiah.In the first verse we read the cry of our Lord:
“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”It is written exactly like that.In verses 7 and 8 we read that people mocked Him and shook their heads.
Do you see it? The very things the Jews did to Jesus while He hung on the cross are described here.In verse 16 it says:”They pierced my hands and my feet.”In verse 18 it says:
“They cast lots for my garments.”This psalm proclaims both the sufferings of Christ and the joy of His resurrection.It speaks of a Father who gave His own Son for His creation.
There is another word connected with this.David uses a certain image in verse 6 when he prays:”I am a worm.”Four different words are used in the Old Testament for worms.
But the word used here is “tolaath” or “scarlet worm,” a red-colored worm.This is not referring to the maggots that come upon wounds, as mentioned elsewhere in Scripture.
David is specifically speaking about this scarlet worm.There is a reason for that.The sash of the high priest and the veil of the temple were red in color, and the dye used for that color came from this worm.
The red color of the veil came from this worm.When the veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom, it was that veil.
This worm does some remarkable things.Toward the end of its life, it climbs onto a tree.It attaches itself firmly to one side of the tree.It clings so tightly that it cannot be removed.
A hard covering forms over it.Inside that covering, it lays its eggs.By the time the eggs are laid, the worm is near death.When the young hatch, they feed on the body of their mother.
As this happens, the red color spreads onto the tree and onto the young ones.The trees that were once plain become stained with its color.After all the red color has been transferred to the young, the worm becomes a white, cotton-like substance.
When we hear this, does it remind us of someone?It reminds us of our Lord who made the wooden cross red with His blood.Do you remember how He poured His blood upon us?
When His color was imparted to us, do you remember how the experience of holiness came into us and how He, the Holy One, shone forth?Do you know why the Lord spoke of a worm?
Do you know why the Holy Spirit led the psalmist to speak of this worm?It was to show His humiliation, His degradation, and how He became nothing.Yet even in that, the Lord gives a message:
No matter how low He descended, no matter how He died on the cross, no matter how He was laid in a tomb, God’s purpose was to make you and me holy and present us before Him.
The shell breaks open, and the young come out.When they emerge, all of them bear that red color.Today our pain and sorrow may seem to belong only to us.But they will become God’s testimony.
The trials in our lives are not our story alone; they are the story God is writing through us.This has great significance.We love to quote:
“As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”But if I ask you the next question, can you answer it? What were the names of Joshua’s children?hen Joshua’s story ends, the Bible says Joshua died, the elders died, and then a generation arose that did not know the Lord.
There was another man who stood alongside Joshua.He had no sons.But we all know the name of his daughter.We also know the name of her husband, Othniel.Why?
Because when her inheritance was divided, she went to her father and said:”You have given me land in the Negev; give me springs of water also.”So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs.
Do you know what she was asking?She was not asking for more possessions. She was asking that the inheritance God had given her would become fruitful through His blessing.She did not say, “This is something men handle; my father can take care of it.”
Instead, she stepped forward and asked for what was needed to glorify God.David had descendants who continued to stand before God generation after generation.When Solomon was about to become king, David did not simply announce him as king and leave.
He instructed him.Before Solomon became king, David told him to deal wisely with Shimei and Joab.David says, “You are a wise man.”So Solomon was already wise.But wisdom alone was not enough to rule.
Even though he was intelligent, he did not say, “I will manage everything myself.”When God asked him what he desired, he replied:”I need wisdom to govern this people.”He understood that his own wisdom was not enough.
He could deal with Joab and Shimei, but he could not shepherd God’s people without divine wisdom.See this? David trained and imparted something, and an even greater king emerged after him.
John the Baptist had no children and was never married.Yet before leaving, John pointed people to the Lord.He entrusted even his own disciples to Christ.
Jesus also trained disciples before He left.It must not be that after us comes a flood of destruction.The knowledge of God must be passed from generation to generation.
These days, when I look at our church, it gives me great joy.Every responsibility that has been entrusted is being carried out with full strength.Everyone works together with great enthusiasm.
There is an experience of building together.May generations stand together before God and build together.I am coming to my conclusion.Secondly, regarding the Deer of the Dawn:
God has appointed a time to answer you.That answer is not merely to bless your life.It is so that God’s name may be glorified before everyone.
Just as the generations before you received from God,we see in Scripture that when the apostles faced opposition, they prayed.When they came together in prayer before the threats of the people,
the book of Acts says they became filled with great grace and great power.They already had grace.They already had power.But after facing opposition and praying together, they received even greater grace and greater power.
May the problem of one family become the concern of every family in this church.May the blessing of one person become the blessing of all.As we pray together, we are going to see the glory of God.Like a deer exhausted from running day and night, suddenly seeing the sunrise,
we too will see the Sun of Righteousness rise and glorify God.Finally, we reflected on the life and purpose that the Lord has imparted to us.The Lord has imparted His own color upon us.
He is white and ruddy, and He is transforming us into His likeness.Therefore, let us all stand together before God.Let us build together.
The testimony of one person is the testimony of the whole church.
May the Lord bless us through these words.