Daily devotional, January 23, 2024
Fruit loops
“Bitterness about your parents’ brokenness will kill you. Be the grace-filled end of generational sin in your family.”
John Piper
“Kung ano ang puno, siya rin ang bunga” (whatever the tree is, so is its fruit) is one Filipino proverb that holds almost the same meaning as the English sayings such as “like father, like son” and “the apple does not fall far from the tree.” Such play of words evoke that parents get to pass on traits to their children, hence they will have the same values be it negative or positive.
Another Filipino proverb close to this line of thinking is “ang Mangga hindi kailanman mamumunga ng Bayabas,” (Mango trees could never bear Guava fruit), which to my mind renders an offspring of a wayward person as utterly hopeless. Hopeless because he can never get out of that bad mold, that he is expected to be just as worse as his parents.
In the Bible, there are passages that allude to warnings that wicked ways of parents could cause them to get punished along with their children, grandchildren and further generations. One passage of which is from the Book of Exodus:
"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 parents to the third and fourth generation.”
Exodus 34:6-7
The same idea was again impressed in Numbers 14:18. Later on it was again repeated in Deuteronomy as part of Moses’ reiteration of the commandment against idolatry:
"You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,"
Deuteronomy 5:9
As parents, the above-mentioned verses will make us more conscious about what we do with our lives as it may affect our children. It can also lead us to reflect on how our own parents’ behavior may have affected our life. Are we living a curse set upon our parents who have been disobedient or idolatrous? Are we burdening our children with our sins?
Biblical scholars though say that the punishment towards succeeding generations pertain to the sin of idol worship. Such behavior, they say, is usually passed on to children.
For instance, in our present day, parents who worship money, pleasure, comfort, and fame (as opposed to worshipping and prioritizing God alone) unconsciously pass on the same values to their children. And when the children grow up loving the things of the world instead of growing up in Christlikeness, they too, will get to live a life apart from the Lord.
Like their parents, they will never get the peace and contentment reserved for those who lead a quiet and simple life of loving and proclaiming Jesus. It is a life of a never-ending cycle of sin.
If we are children of parents who have lived wayward lives because of worshipping Gods of money, sex, and power, we should take heart that there is hope for us. In the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel, it was said:
"The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him."
Ezekiel 18:20
On the other hand, if we, as parents, have been wayward at some point, we should not fret as well because our God is a merciful God.
“But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live."
Ezekiel 18:21-22
If we sincerely repent and mend our ways, our children will not be punished for our transgressions. When we turn our backs from sin, accept Jesus as our personal Lord and savior, and teach our them to follow Him, our whole family and succeeding obedient and faith-living generations will be blessed with the Lord’s peace:
"Just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.”
Romans 5:18-19
Let us not wallow into depression because of our sins and failures, instead let us reach into God’s redeeming hand and offer of salvation. Likewise, let us not allow ourselves to become embittered by the failures and mistakes of our parents. We can rise up from the past, and start anew with our Lord Jesus Christ.
“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”
Romans 6:4
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on Ezekiel 18 to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: Do you feel guilty of passing on negative traits to your children? Do you think you have also inherited negative traits from your parents? How can focusing on the Lord let you get past these sins?
Conversation with the Lord: Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for redeeming me and giving me hope for the future. Thank you for assuring me that forgiveness is at hand and that I should not bear the iniquities of my forefathers, and my children will likewise not be punished for mine as long as I repent and raise them in Your likeness. I thank you for being the God of second chances, and for your mercy and love. Amen