It's Somebody Else's Problem

In Isaiah 39 we find Hezekiah showing off all his riches to the visiting envoy of the Babylonian empire. When Isaiah finds out what Hezekiah has done he tells him that God will one day remove all these treasures and even his sons will be exiled to Babylon. Hezekiah's response is shockingly cold and detached, "'The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.' For he thought, 'There will be peace and security in my days'" (Is. 39:8).

Hezekiah's response, however, shouldn't surprise us all that much. It's always easier to put off our problems on a future generation. They're nothing more than unnamed faces; let them make the sacrifices.

My fear is that this mentality has crept into our zeal for the Great Commission to be finished and the gospel be proclaimed to every tribe, tongue, and nation.  We believe that it will happen - after all Jesus made clear that it would, "And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14). I just don't think we really believe that it could happen in our generation. And, as a result, we begin to pass the responsibility to the next generation.

Of course, we should be preparing the next generation for this great work. But, let's work, pray, and give with the goal that there's not going to be any work left for them to do. Let's not wash our hands of the hard work and think our job is just to get the next generation ready. If all we're every doing is preparing the next generation the job will never get done.

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