The Saddest Verse in the Bible?
By Pastor Jason Hinton
Have you ever thought- “What is the saddest verse in the Bible?” Have you experienced waves of sadness as you have read certain passages? Maybe the shortest verse in the Bible is the saddest verse: “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). Was it sadness that led Jesus to tears over the death of Lazarus? Maybe so, but sadness isn’t the only emotion that provokes tears. Or maybe the saddest verse relates to God’s people turning away from Him as found in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Certainly, we should be grieved over our own sins and the reality that all have chosen the path of rebellion against God. This may certainly be one of the saddest verses of the Bible.
Let me suggest to you another passage that may be one of the saddest verses in the Bible. It comes from the book of Judges in the Old Testament, and deals with the most precious and vulnerable people among us: children!
Judges 2:8,10 says, “Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten… After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel.”
I would suggest that Judges 2:10 is perhaps the saddest verse in the Bible. It mentions “another generation that grew up who neither knew the Lord not what He had done for Israel.” How did this happen? A whole generation? We have many questions! Did the parents not tell the stories to their children, as instructed in Deuteronomy 6:7? Did the tribes not gather for worship and sacrifices, and in doing so model to the next generation who God was and what He had done? Did Joshua and his generation fail as leaders to set an example for teaching and investing in the next generation?
I think the appropriate response for us is, “May this never be the case again, that a new generation rises up with no knowledge of God!” Investing in families, both parents and children, is vitally important to the ministry of First Alliance, and one of the most strategic discipleship initiatives that we can pursue.
In fact, it is my conviction that every single member of First Alliance has the opportunity to invest in the children’s ministry in one way or another. We will be talking about this from the front over the next few Sundays, and next week’s newsletter will lay out some specific initiatives and strategic ways for you to be a part, whether you have children or youth in your home or not.
Stay tuned!