2 Chronicles 10:16
“And when all Israel saw that the king would not hearken unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? and we have none inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to your tents, O Israel: and now, David, see to thine own house. So all Israel went to their tents.”
King David was no doubt the glory of Israel. You cannot think of Israel without thinking of David. Other than Jesus Christ, David is probably the most prominent figure in Isreal’s history. His reign established Israel as a world superpower. You would think that the people of Israel would always be grateful for what he did for them and honor his work.
However, the actions of one generation soured Israel on David. Rehoboam had barely become king. The people came to him and asked him to lighten the “grievous servitude” that Solomon placed upon them. After forsaking the counsel of the older generation, Rehoboam informed them that his reign would be marked by a stronger control than Solomon. This action soured the people towards Rehoboam and David. They said, “What portion have we in David? and we have none inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to your tents, O Israel: and now, David, see to thine own house.” The actions of one generation caused Israel to leave the ways of David which were the ways of the LORD. From this point and forward, Israel compromised and left the ways of the LORD all because one generation changed the mindset towards the philosophies, principles and actions of previous generations. There are a couple of lessons we need to learn about rewriting mental history.
First, let each generation stand on their own merit. Be careful about judging past generations on the actions of a present generation. Just because someone stands in the place of authority where men who were used by God greatly once stood does not mean they all agree. If we start judging past generations by the actions of a present generation, then we could rewrite mental history and cause many people to never want what the previous generations handed down to us.
Second, don’t let the present generation who is soured on the past generation rewrite what the past generations actually did for you. In an attempt to validate their place in history, many present day leaders have tried to rewrite the philosophies, methods, principles and beliefs of the past generation. Oftentimes a present generation minimizes the past as hateful and divisive just so they can validate their own compromise. Be careful that you don’t let their sinful and compromising actions dictate what you do.
Simply put, just because the present generation may do something wrong doesn’t make the past generation bad. Be careful that you don’t judge parents by a child who has gone wayward as an adult. Be careful that you don’t judge those who were used greatly by God in the past by the sinful actions of those who took their place. This is exactly how the Devil gets us to compromise. If he can rewrite your mental history towards those who stood for right because of the actions of a present generation, then he will win the battle by getting you to change. No generation is perfect, but you must not allow yourself to completely change what you do just because a present generation has soured you. Keeping your eyes on God will help you to keep the past generations in their proper place.