Influencers Weekly Devotional

Generational Sin by Bryan Craig

"You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord Your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me." Deuteronomy 5:8-9

Have you ever heard the term, "generational sin?" I'm sure the definitions vary, but I have always understood this term to be tied to the scripture above. The verses above come from the Ten Commandments, the 2nd Commandment. We have always had an understanding of idolatry and God's disdain for it. Growing up, when I heard the talk about idols, I thought of golden statues. I always pictured the scene in the movie, The Ten Commandments, with Charlton Heston, as the Israelites built the golden calf and began worshipping it. In The Journey, we expand idolatry to include any "hindrance" that is blocking the flow of God in a man's life. This helps us think about the grip of sin on our lives and how it can really thwart God's purposes. I love Susanna Wesley's definition of sin (She was the mother of church father John Wesley): "Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, takes off your relish for spiritual things, whatever increases the authority of the body over the mind, that thing is sin to you, however innocent it may seem in itself." Yes, sin and idolatry really seem to go hand in hand. God tells us that this is a serious matter, not just for us, but for our children, our grandchildren and our great grandchildren. Most of us can, perhaps, justify some sin in our life, feeling as if we are not really harming anyone. However, when we think about that sin harming our children and future generations, it might cause us to pause. In my recent "self-feeding" on God's Word, I read about two clear examples of this "generational sin" being played out. Most of know the story of Cain and Abel, Adam and Eve's sons. Cain was so jealous of his brother Abel, and God's pleasure with him, that he killed him. God tried to intervene when He knew this thought was in Cain's mind. However, Cain ignored God and killed his brother. Cain was a murderer, but his motivating sins were jealousy and pride. If you follow Cain's life a little further, you will see his lineage. He had a son, Enoch, who had Irad, who had Mehujael, who had Mehushael, who had Lamech. In Genesis 4:23, Lamech says, "I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for injuring me. If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times." In Lamech, five generations later, we still see Cain's sin alive and well. However, Lamech had a son named Noah. As you know, scripture says, "Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God." Finally, the generational sin was ended. Another example of generational sin can be found in the story of Abraham. In Genesis, 12, as Abraham was following God's instruction to go to a new country, he entered Egypt. He was afraid the Egyptians would see how beautiful his wife was and kill him so they could have her. So, he lies. He tells them that she is his sister, and Pharaoh takes her to be his own wife. Abraham sacrificed his own wife to save his own neck. Thankfully, the Lord protected his wife Sarah from being defiled. One generation later, Abraham's son, Isaac, is in a situation where he, too, lies about his wife, Rebekah. He, too, is worried the Philistines might kill him to get his beautiful wife. So, he lies and says she is his sister, just like his Daddy. Once again, God prevented the Philistines from sleeping with Rebekah, despite Isaac's sin. Isaac's son, Jacob, lied to his father, pretending to be his brother, Esau, to obtain the coveted "father's blessing." Jacob's sons lied to him, after they sold Joseph into slavery, saying he was killed by a wild beast. The sin of lying was passed down at least three generations. So, when God says in the Ten Commandments that he punishes the children for the sin of the fathers, it seems that one way he does this is by allowing the children to struggle with the same sin. We see this played out all the time. How many times do we see children of alcoholics become alcoholics or children of divorced parents become divorcees. Sin is insidious. It works itself through our being and gradually down into our children. We must take note of this! There is only one antidote to break the curse of this generational sin....Love. If we love the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and love others as ourselves, we will find freedom and power to live new lives. Our lives will begin to fall in line with God's Will and our sin will be forgiven and overpowered. In Deuteronomy 5:10, God goes on to say that Love will be passed on generationally 1000 times over! Love is more powerful than sin. We may struggle with a particular sin as a thorn in our flesh, but if we surrender this to the Lord, we can discover a new grace, as Paul did in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. He says: "He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." God loves you too much to let you remain trapped in sin. He wants you to discover His wonderful grace and power. Guys, no matter what your past contains or what your parents have passed down to you from their parents or with what you are currently struggling, there is Hope. Let the Lord into your life. Surrender to Him so He can break the chain of sin that is holding you in bondage. Do it before you pass it on to your children and grandchildren and great grandchildren. Download file