Sins Of The Parents

Yahweh! The LORD!

The God of compassion and mercy!

I am slow to anger

and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.

I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations.

I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin.

But I do not excuse the guilty.

I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren;

the entire family is affected —

even children in the third and fourth generations. Exodus 34:6-7

MOSES HAD ASKED TO SEE THE GLORY OF GOD. And while Moses couldn’t see the fullness of God’s glory and live, God did allow Moses to catch a glimpse of him as he passed by. And as he moved past, he called out to Moses these words that revealed the essential essence of his character. He is the God of compassion, meaning he feels for us at the center of his being. He is a God of mercy, meaning he doesn’t give us the punishment we deserve. He lavishes love and forgives rebellion. But we’re not sure what to do with what comes next. What does God mean when he says that he lays the sins of parents upon their children and grandchildren? Does it mean that God punishes sinless children for the sins of their parents?

God does not take out the punishment you deserve on your children. If you have been joined to Christ, you can be sure that God exhausted the punishment you deserve on him. It was dealt with at the Cross. All of it.

But God does let the effects of parents’ sin take their natural course, infecting and corrupting the hearts of their children. Sadly, some of the consequences of our sinful actions and attitudes fall on our children. Surely this is one of the most sobering texts of the Bible for parents who love their children. All the more reason to forsake sin. All the more reason to follow Christ.

Lord, please show me the patterns of sin in my life that are finding their way into the lives of my children, and give me a heart of genuine repentance. Give me the grace to trust you with the regrets that haunt me over my sins and their effects on my children.