experiment with the idolatry of the godless nations around them. As a result, Israel plunged into moral, spiritual, and political disaster. One of two things was true: either the older generation had failed to instruct their children and grandchildren in the ways of the Lord, or, if they had faithfully taught them, then the new generation had refused to submit to God’s Law and follow God’s ways. “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Prov. 14:34, NKJV). The Book of