The LORD is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation. Numbers 14:18 HCSB
In our Scripture passage for today, God has become upset with the Israelites once again. He has brought them from slavery in Egypt and they are complaining about Moses. They even go so far as to suggest they choose another leader and return to Egypt and to slavery. They have scouted out the Promised Land. They are so close, but some of the scouts complained because the people were giants. But Joshua, one of the scouts, said it was a good land and he trusted God would help them take it. So, the people are whining and complaining. It gets so bad God is ready to strike them with pestilence and disinherit them (Number 14:12) and make of Moses a nation even greater than the Israelites. But Moses tells God the Egyptians will hear about it and say God was not able to bring them into the Promised Land. This leads us to our Scripture passage.
The Old Testament speaks of generational curses. Childbirth occurs the way it does today, with so much pain to the mother because of a generational curse that God put on Eve when she sinned in the Garden of Eden. It sounds unfair that God would punish us for things our ancestors did. It also seems unfair that He would punish our children for things we do or don’t do. But through Him, many generational curses can be broken.
In Exodus 20:5 in the Ten Commandments, God warns against serving other gods saying He is a jealous God and will visit the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate him. But it says in verse 6 He will show mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
Sexual abuse is something that is often found to be passed down through the generations. Domestic violence is another issue that seems to be passed down. Could these two things be considered generational curses? Our children are likely to repeat what they learn from us, so keeping this in mind they will repeat the good, the bad and the ugly. If we show them how to have a good work ethic, hopefully they will have a good work ethic. If we teach them how to manage money, hopefully they will learn the value of money.
But sadly, if our children grow up in a home without God in charge of it, they will never learn the importance of a good solid relationship with Him. If our children grow up in a home filled with chaos, this will become comfortable to them, and they will want the same for their children whether they realize it or not. Thus, it could lead to generations of chaotic homes.
When the Bible talks about these generational curses, it is referring to the fact that sin is handed down from generation to generation just like a treasured piece of jewelry or grandma’s silverware. When a child grows up in a home filled with God’s love, they will be comfortable in His love. They will seek this when they are older. I know from personal experience. I had been taught by my mother and paternal grandmother to always put God first. I had been taught to stay in constant communication with Him. But I strayed from that when I got older. I thought I was capable of doing things on my own. It was that background and those early years of learning of God’s great love for me that made me crave a life lived with Him. It made me want to put Him first in my life again. It was the early learning I received in my home and in church that made me realize Christ could fix what I had broken.
Maybe your parents never brought you to church or read the Bible to you or prayed with you. Maybe you come from a chaotic homelife and feel you are under a generational curse. Know that with God’s help, you can break this curse. You can do better by your children. You can turn to Him and trust in Him.
If you don’t know where to begin. Draw near to God (James 4:8). Call out to Him, study His word and pray to Him throughout the day. Find a bible teaching church. Fellowship with other Christians. God will help you break that curse. Simply trust and obey Him.
Have a great day!