What does it mean that God visits the iniquity or the sins of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation? Are those children doomed spiritually? Are they bound to repeat their parents’ sins? Will they bear the guilt or the punishment for their parents’ wrongdoings?
Find out in today’s post. Also, why is it so important to read Scripture in light of other Scripture? And is it wise to co-sign someone else’s loan?
Welcome, to “God’s Word Day by Day.” This year I’ve added a couple of new features. First, check out the “Free Resources” tab at the top. You’ll find a downloadable, printable PDF with “Going Deeper Study Questions” for each day’s post and a list of all the Bible readings so you can check them off as you go. You’ll also find the daily posts on YouTube. The daily emails now have a link to both these Soul Survival posts and the YouTube videos. If you’re not already signed up, you can do it here.
Today’s Readings:
Numbers 13 & 14
Psalm 31.19-24
Proverbs 11.15
Mark 10.32-52
Sins of the Fathers & How They Affect Us Today
Numbers 13 & 14:
Are the Sins of the Father Held Against Their Children?
We’ve probably all heard the phrase “the sins of the fathers.” Even secular people have used it in titles and conversations often without knowing its biblical roots. But let’s look at verse 14.18:
The LORD is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generations.
What does that mean? Are those children doomed spiritually? Are they bound to repeat their parents’ sins? Will they bear the guilt or the punishment for them?
To help us consider those questions, let’s look at another passage.
Read Scripture in Light of Scripture
Ezekiel 18.20 says:
The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.
Scripture never contradicts Scripture and according to this passage, God holds each of us responsible for our own sins. He doesn’t hold us responsible for anyone else’s sins. This is illustrated even more clearly when you read the entire passage in Ezekiel 18. Verse 30 concludes, ” ‘Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, each according to his conduct,’ declares the Lord God.”
Temporal Consequences
It’s my understanding that when the word translated “visited” is used, it refers to physical or temporal consequences. And children do, often, suffer natural consequences for their parents’ sins.
They may be exposed to horrible lifestyles, suffer abuse, live in poverty, or be neglected. When parents divorce, children are tossed back and forth between two households, sometimes put in the middle of arguments, and have limited time with one or both parents.
Here in Numbers 14, God said:
27 “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? … 28 Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you: 29 The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above. 30 Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in. 31 But your little ones, whom you said would be victims, I will bring in, and they shall know the land which you have despised. 32 But as for you, your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness. 33 And your sons shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years, and bear the brunt of your infidelity, until your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness.
So, even though God’s ultimate judgment was on the adults, the children, too, spent 40 years in the wilderness and had to watch their parents die there. The sins of the fathers had consequences for them, too. When we sin, we don’t do so in isolation either. Our sins, also, affect other people.
Regardless of the Sins of the Fathers
But Psalm 145.18-20 says that the Lord is near to all who call upon Him; He will hear their cry and will save them.
That included the generation of children who spent 40 years in the wilderness and it includes children raised in terrible circumstances today.
In the New Testament, John’s gospel says:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God (Jn. 3.16, 18, emphasis mine).
“Whoever believes,” regardless of the sins of the fathers. In fact, God often uses the painful circumstances of our lives to show us our need for a relationship with Him.
What, too often, keep us from turning to God are unforgiveness and bitterness. So while we are not responsible for the sins of our parents, grandparents, or others, we are responsible for our responses to them. We are not helpless victims of our circumstances or upbringing.
If you are struggling in this area, I want to recommend a booklet entitled Bitterness by Lou Priolo. You can find it on Amazon and many other websites. I frequently use it in counseling but you can easily read through it yourself. It just might be life-changing!
And if you need more help, I would encourage you to talk to your pastor or find a biblical counselor. You can find one in your area on the Association for Biblical Counseling website.
And now a few thoughts on today’s other readings:
Psalm 31.19-24:
He Always Gets It Right
How great is Your goodness, which You have stored up for those who fear You … (v. 19).
We must realize that God is good and He always does what is good and right and holy. We may pray for something and when we don’t immediately see the answer, are tempted to believe that He is withholding it from us. But we need to remember that He always gets it right. His answers and His timing are perfect.
Proverbs 11.15:
Co-Signing Loans
He who is surety for a stranger will suffer, but one who hates being surety is secure.
It’s often better to give to someone who has a need rather than co-signing a loan. Otherwise, we are at the mercy of their willingness to repay.
Mark 10.32-52:
He Came to Serve
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve … (v. 45).
This is the key verse in Mark’s gospel. Mark presents Jesus as the Suffering Servant sent from God.
He is our example of selfless servant-hood. The greatest illustration of this is when the Creator of the universe girded himself with a towel and washed His disciples’ dirty, dusty feet (Jn. 13).
May God help us to be servants, not merely looking out for what we need, but for the needs of others.
Coming Up:
In the coming days, we’ll talk about how God guides His children, and look at modesty, discretion, and what, if anything, God’s Word says about how we dress.
I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss them.
Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
Note about this post:
I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.
A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”
I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
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