The nation of Israel was described by God as a “perverse and crooked generation.” He says, “They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children: they are a perverse and crooked generation.” (Deuteronomy 32:5) The gracious God who had done so much for Israel should not have been treated this way. “Do ye thus requite the LORD, O foolish people and unwise? Is not he thy father that hath bought thee, and established thee?” (Deuteronomy 32:6) The rest of the chapter illustrates Israel’s perverseness and how it made God feel. (32:15-22f)
Even in Jesus’ day, He called the Israelite nation a “faithless and perverse generation.” “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? Bring him hither to me.” (Matthew 17:17)
This same Jewish nation was still “perverse” on the day of Pentecost when Peter accused them of crucifying God’s Son. (Acts 2:23, 36) “And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, Be saved from this perverse generation.” (Acts 2:40, NASB) The ASV uses the word “crooked” generation. The word “crooked” is from the Greek word “skolios”. “Straight” is the opposite of crooked and comes from the Greek word “orthos”. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon says “skolios” means “crooked or curved, metaphorically, perverse, wicked.”
Paul asked Elymas, the sorcerer, this question, “… Wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?” (Acts 13:10) God’s way and commandments are straight and right. When men deviate from God’s straight path to follow their own ways, this is considered by God to be sin and wickedness. All men have sinned. (Romans 3:23)
When Peter encouraged those on the day of Pentecost to save themselves from destruction that would happen to their generation, he had already told them how this salvation could be accomplished. Earlier, Peter had said, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 2:38) When will our generation today cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
Many Jews and Gentiles left the perverse generation behind and became the people of God. “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praise of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: which in times past were not a people, but are now the people of God…” (1 Peter 2:9-10) You can be saved from this perverse generation!
God’s people in every generation are to be a light to the perverse generation in which they live. Paul said to the Christians of his day, “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life …” (Philippians 2:15-16) Paul was encouraging Christians not to be like the Israelites of old, and even used the same phrase from Deuteronomy 32:5 of “crooked and perverse” in Philippians 2:15. In verse 14, Paul mentioned “murmuring”, a sin of which ancient Israel was often guilty. God’s people can live blameless lives, even while surrounded by a world of perversity. They can be lights to those in darkness. (Matthew 5:16) Christians are to hold forth the Word of Life to those who are still a part of a perverse generation.