Exodus 34:6-7 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.”

This passage is of great importance in understanding God, because it is an instance where He describes Himself. We have the enormous advantage of having the whole Bible as a guide to the character of God, but Moses and those he led had hardly anything to go on. Condensing this description in contemporary terms today, we could express it as, “God is love, but He’s not Santa Claus.” In saying how loving and gracious He is, He also had to make it clear that actions have consequences, and those who should be punished get punished. These days we seldom hear the second half of that preached, yet we are seeing the “3rd and 4th generation” thing manifested all around us in an epidemic of fatherlessness. God would not be holy, and He would not be truly loving, if He allowed us to get away with stuff with complete impunity. He sent Christ to take the penalty for our sins, but those sins must be repented of to receive that forgiveness. On top of that, as I was reading in an article recently, forgiveness is not the same, nor as good, as never having committed the sin in the first place. Even forgiven sins have consequences. King David is a prime example of that. His heartfelt repentance is an example for us all, but he still suffered some pretty severe consequences for his sins. God doesn’t pick on us, but He wants us to understand that our actions have consequences not only for us but for those around us, and those consequences endure for generations.

I am personally the beneficiary of multiple generations of people who loved God and were actively faithful to Him, but it is interesting to look at my relatives and see what they have done with that heritage. Likewise, I minister in a society where the vast majority of people do not have a heritage of faith, and the results are evident. It is a major challenge to help 1st generation Christians establish households of faith, recognizing the generational issues that have to be dealt with and walking through the steps of cleansing that God prescribes. There is no universal prescription, apart from clinging to Jesus Christ by grace through faith, because every situation is different. I’ve got to be willing to work with that, recognizing that I have neither wisdom nor strength to deal with all the issues, but God does, and He wants to use me in deliverance and blessing.

Father, You’ve made it clear I’m to speak on A Broken Heart this Sunday, based on David. Help me speak Your Word indeed, not getting in Your way but allowing Your Spirit to flow through me so that Your Word may accomplish everything for which You send it. I ask for deliverance and healing indeed for all who hear, so that the works of the devil may be destroyed (1 John 3:8) and Your kingdom established in hearts and lives, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!