‘THERE IS A GENERATION’
Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on March 13, 2022 under 2022 |
Bethany Bible Church Sunday message; March 13, 2022 from Proverbs 30:11-14
Theme: There is a ‘generation’ from which we must keep ourselves distinct.
(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).
Click HERE for the live-stream archive of this sermon.
Click HERE for the audio version of this sermon.
I grew up in the late sixties and early seventies. And that means that I grew up hearing a lot of talk about my ‘generation’. (In fact, as I recall, there was even a song about that.)
Before that time, of course, sociologists studied and wrote about how different generations related to one another. But my generation’s time was when common, everyday people like us began to pay serious attention to ‘generations’ as cultural sub-groups. My generation was officially given a name: The Baby-Boom Generation. They called the generation before them ‘The Greatest Generation’. Since then, the Gen-X-ers have followed after the Boomers, and Millennials (or Gen-Y-ers) have followed after the Gen-X-ers, and Gen-Z-ers have followed after the Millennials. Some are now even referring to people born between the years 2012 and 2025 as Generation Alpha.
These different generational groups, we’re told, have distinct characteristics, values and commitments—often brought about because of common cultural experiences. Marketing research companies and cultural experts pay very careful attention to these different sub-groups; because they often have dramatically different and opposing cultural values from one another. Back when I grew up, that’s when the term ‘the generation gap’ came into being.
Now; I say all of this because this morning’s passage—and in the particular translation that I’m reading from—makes reference to a particular “generation”. But what it says has very little to do with a particular sub-cultural group of people who were born within a particular time frame. Rather, this passage is speaking of a group of people that are identified by a certain set of values and beliefs—what we might call a prevailing ‘world-view’ perspective. It’s a kind of “generation” that can be found in any culture and at any time in history.
And it also happens to be a very dangerous one.
* * * * * * * * * *
In Proverbs 30, we find the words of a very wise man named Agur. He wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and commented on several different matters of life. In verses 11-14, he wrote this observation down:
There is a generation that curses its father,
And does not bless its mother.
There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes,
Yet is not washed from its filthiness.
There is a generation—oh, how lofty are their eyes!
And their eyelids are lifted up.
There is a generation whose teeth are like swords,
And whose fangs are like knives,
To devour the poor from off the earth,
And the needy from among men (Proverbs 30:11-14).
If you are using a different translation than the one I’m using, you’ll find that what is called ‘a generation’ in my version is expressed in a different way in other versions. Some translations simply say, “There are those who …”; or “There is a kind of man who …” I think, however, that the phrase “There is a generation” is a good way to express it—so long as we understand that Agur is not talking about a specific sub-group that was born within a certain time frame. Rather, he’s talking about a prevailing way in which a group of people end up thinking and believing and behaving—a rebellious and ungodly world-view.
This kind of group, and this characteristic way of thinking, can be found at any time in history—in any place in the world. It was spoken of all the way back in the time of Moses among the people of Israel. In Deuteronomy 32:5—after the people of Israel had spent 40 years wandering in the desert for disobeying God—Moses spoke of this ‘generation’ and said,
“They have corrupted themselves;
They are not His children,
Because of their blemish:
A perverse and crooked generation” (Deuteronomy 32:5).
What a name! “A perverse and crooked generation”! God Himself spoke of them in that same passage; and He described their main characteristic when He said,
“I will hide My face from them,
I will see what their end will be,
For they are a perverse generation,
Children in whom is no faith” (v. 20).
And there we see that the main thing that characterizes this “perverse and crooked generation” is that it rejects faith in God, and that it isn’t faithful to Him. Jesus Himself spoke of that generation in His own time—and spoke of that same characteristic when He said;
“O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you?” (Matthew 17:17).
And let me suggest to you why it is that God has preserved these words of Agur for us in His holy Scriptures. It’s to warn us about this ‘generation’ in our own time—this unbelieving and rebellious collective ‘world-view’ perspective—so that we don’t embrace it ourselves, or fall victim to it. Much of the evil and suffering that we see in the world today is a product of this wicked, unbelieving world-view. And our hearts ought to be especially humbled by the things that characterize this kind of thinking; because Agur’s words describe how we ourselves would behave if we hardened our own hearts to God’s grace. In fact, it is only by the grace of God that anyone—including ourselves—can ever be delivered from it.
These words from Agur, then, warns us that ‘there is a generation’ in our own time—a people characterized by a prevailing attiude of unbelief and rebellion against God—from which we must be on guard and keep ourselves distinct.
* * * * * * * * * *
Now; Agur tells us four things that characterize this ‘generation’—this ungodly and rebellious subculture. These four characteristics represent a downward spiral. The way that this spiral begins leads inevitably to the horrifying way it ends.
And it begins with what I would call …
1. REJECTION OF AUTHORITY.
Agur begins in verse 11 by saying,
There is a generation that curses its father,
And does not bless its mother (v. 11).
In Hebrew poetic form, these two lines are expressing the same basic idea: that is, that this world-view curses, and does not care for, and despises the most foundational encounter with authority that we can have in life—and that is through our parents. Among the ten commandments that God has given us is the one found in Exodus 20:7—the fifth commandment:
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:7).
It’s important to understand that the fifth commandment is a kind of ‘transitional’ commandment. It’s the one that stands between the first four commandments regarding our relationship with God, and the last five commandments regarding our relationship with our fellow human beings. The fifth commandment is what joins the two sections together. If we don’t honor our father and mother, then we won’t learn to honor God’s authority. And if we won’t honor God’s authority, then we also won’t submit to the commandments He gives us with regard to our fellow human beings. So then; to curse our father and to refuse to bless our mother is, in a very real sense, the starting point down a path that inevitably leads to disobedience to God in every other area of life.
Consider some of the things we’re told in Proverbs—the book from God that teaches us how to live wisely. In Proverbs 19:26 says;
He who mistreats his father and chases away his mother
Is a son who causes shame and brings reproach (Proverbs 19:26).
Refusing to honor one’s own mother and father is the starting point to a life of shame and sorrow. God will bring judgment on anyone who curses father or mother. Proverbs 20:20 says;
Whoever curses his father or his mother,
His lamp will be put out in deep darkness (20:20).
“Deep darkness” is an expression that describes eternal judgment. And if that doesn’t hit home with you, then here’s one to really make your toes curl. In Proverbs 30:17, Agur writes;
The eye that mocks his father,
And scorns obedience to his mother,
The ravens of the valley will pick it out,
And the young eagles will eat it (30:17).
Now; I know that many of us have had some less-than-exemplary experiences in life with our parents. Some of us have had very cruel fathers and very cruel mothers. And as a church, we need to be sensitive to that. People need to be able to talk about the hurts that may have been caused, and to seek Christ’s healing for the wounds that have been inflicted in the past. But we must be very careful before God not to fall into the kind of practices and perspectives that are so popular and celebrated in this wicked and crooked generation. We must not ‘curse’ or ‘blame’ our parents for our problems in such a way as to lead us to dishonor them—and thus end up despising God’s established pattern of authority over us through them. If we do that, then we soon end up ‘cursing’ and ‘blaming’ all authority—including God’s authority over us.
And doesn’t that characterize the ungodly generation that we see all around us today?
* * * * * * * * * *
A second characteristic of this ungodly and rebellious world-view is one that springs from the first. It’s what I would call …
2. BLIND SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS.
In verse 12, Agur wrote;
There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes,
Yet is not washed from its filthiness (v. 12).
When we’re no longer respectful of authority, then we will no longer be obedient to God’s commandments. And when that happens, we wil no longer listen to God’s rebuke to our consciences for the sin of breaking those commandments. We will begin to evaluate ourselves as ‘righteous’ and ‘pure’ and ‘good’ on the basis of our own made-up standards of ethics. We will, as it were, paint a moral ‘bullseye’ around ourselves in order to show ourselves how ‘on target’ we are. And the whole time long, we never let ourselves see the objective truth—that we are sinners in the eyes of a holy God who desperately need to be saved and cleansed of our sins.
Again, the Proverbs warn us about this. It tells us in Proverbs 3:7;
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and depart from evil (Proverbs 3:7).
To refuse to listen to God’s commandments—to no longer heed His rebuke—and to instead be ‘pure in one’s own eyes’ on the basis of a ‘right and wrong’ that we make up for ourselves, is not a wise course in life. It is, in fact, profoundly foolish. Proverbs 12:15 says;
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
But he who heeds counsel is wise (12:15).
We absolutely need God’s examination of our hearts. As it says in Proverbs 16:2;
All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,
But the Lord weighs the spirits (16:2).
There’s perhaps no greater illustration of this than the Pharisees of Jesus’ day. They were the most outwardly religious people around. They considered themselves pure and righteous. But they could no longer see the truth of their real condition before God. Jesus said to them;
“Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness. Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you. But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them” (Luke 11:39-44).
To reject the authority and rebuke of God’s commandments, and to set one’s self up instead as ‘pure’ on the basis of one’s own human-made standards, is a characteristic of the times that we live in the midst of today. It’s as if the Lord says to such people—in the words of Revelation 3:17—that they consider themselves ‘rich’ and ‘wealthy’ and in ‘need of nothing’; and yet do not know that they are ‘wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked’.
Dear brothers and sisters; we must keep ourselves from falling into that pattern of thinking! We must keep ourselves distinct from this wicked and perverse generation.
* * * * * * * * * *
Again, another characteristic of this rebellious and ungodly world-view—as yet another step in its downward decline—is what I would call …
3. ARROGANT PRIDE.
In verse 13, Agur writes;
There is a generation—oh, how lofty are their eyes!
And their eyelids are lifted up (v. 13).
When we’re truly humble before God—when we truly recognize what sinners we are—we tend to have a down-cast posture. We almost dare not lift our eyes toward heaven from shame and sorrow. But here, we’re told of how this crooked and perverse ‘generation’—the people who are characterized by this ungodly, faithless world-view—have a lofty look. They scoff at all feelings of guilt. Their eyelids are raised up. They’re arrogantly looking up when they ought to be humbly bowing down. It may even be that their eyes take this upward gaze because they look down on other people around them. What a picture of pride!
And once again, Proverbs has much to tell us about this. Take Proverbs 6, for example. There, we find a list of things that God hates. That would be a rather important list to have; don’t you think? Proverbs 6:16-19 says;
These six things the Lord hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren (Proverbs 6:16-19).
That’s quite a horrible list! And do you notice the first thing on it?—”a proud look”. God hates such pride. And yet, this ungodly generation actually celebrates pride! Such an ungodly prideful look contaminates everything else before God that someone can do. Proverbs 21:4 says;
A haughty look, a proud heart,
And the plowing of the wicked are sin (21:4).
And that arrogant pride goes on to lead this ungodly generation to despise their fellow human beings. Think of the story that the Lord Jesus told in Luke 18;
Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:9-14).
* * * * * * * * * *
Now; as I suggested to you earlier, this passage is describing a downward spiral. The way it begins eventually leads down to the way that it ends. The rejection of authority eventually leads to blind self-righteousness; and blind self-righteousness eventually leads to arrogant pride. And now, notice that all of these things eventually lead to what I would call …
4. INHUMANE GREEDINESS.
In verse 14—in words that are almost horrifying—Agur writes,
There is a generation whose teeth are like swords,
And whose fangs are like knives,
To devour the poor from off the earth,
And the needy from among men (v. 14).
The picture this gives us is that of a ravenous beast—a lion or a beast of prey—whose sharp teach and grinding fangs mercilessly chew up and eat those who are helpless. And that is a dreadful thing to do; because God watches out for those who are helpless. In Psalm 14, King David wrote;
Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge,
Who eat up my people as they eat bread,
And do not call on the Lord?
There they are in great fear,
For God is with the generation of the righteous.
You shame the counsel of the poor,
But the Lord is his refuge. (Psalm 14:4-6).
Even the rulers of Israel had fallen into this wicked way of thinking. In Micah 3:1-3, God Himself says;
Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge,
Who eat up my people as they eat bread,
And do not call on the Lord?
There they are in great fear,
For God is with the generation of the righteous.
You shame the counsel of the poor,
But the Lord is his refuge (Micah 3:1-3).
Jesus said that even the Pharisees of His time “devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers” (Matthew 23:14).
We really don’t have to look very hard to find examples of such inhumane greediness on the prowl in this ungodly generation today, do we?
* * * * * * * * * *
Now; hear Agur’s words one more time. He wrote;
There is a generation that curses its father,
And does not bless its mother.
There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes,
Yet is not washed from its filthiness.
There is a generation—oh, how lofty are their eyes!
And their eyelids are lifted up.
There is a generation whose teeth are like swords,
And whose fangs are like knives,
To devour the poor from off the earth,
And the needy from among men.
That’s the ungodly. unbelieving, rebellious world-view that we see around us—this wicked and perverse “generation” that can be found at any time period in history and in any place in the world. It’s very much at work in our own time and in our own culture. And it’s very brutal and dangerous and destructive. And what should we do? Should we hide from it? Should we do battle with it? Well; let me close with two things God’s word tells us to do.
First we must be saved from it. In Acts 2—in his great sermon to the people of Jerusalem—the apostle Peter told his people about Jesus Christ and urged them to believe on Him. And his sermon was summed up in this way in verse 40:
And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation” (Acts 2:40).
The message of the gospel is not about fixing the world’s problems. It’s not about healing this wicked and perverse generation. It’s about being saved from out of it—by faith in Jesus.
But though we’re to be saved from it and kept distinct from it, it’s not as if we don’t have any influence upon it. There’s a reason why God saves us in Jesus and then leaves us in the midst of it. We’re to be Jesus’ witnesses to it. In Philippians 2:14-16, the apostle Paul wrote;
Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life … (Philippians 2:14-16) …
* * * * * * * * * *
“There is a generation …” But may God help us, dear brothers and sisters, to live distinctly, so we can reach the people in it with the message of the good news of Jesus Christ!
AE
