Friday
God is answering a question that seems to be implied in this passage of scripture by the exiles, who is guilty, are we paying for the sins of our fathers?
God wants them to know that each person, is held accountable for His actions. This question is posed to Jesus in John 9, the disciples asks, “who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” and of course, Jesus responds that it was neither. But because of it, they (and us) are witness to the greatness of Jesus.
But, you see, the belief was that if you sinned, your children and your children’s children could bear the punishment. We read as much in Exodus 20:5, “punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.”
We can see this happen in families where, take for example the parents are not god-fearing and so the children are never exposed to Christianity, and subsequently they follow false beliefs. But in either case, God is not disputing this passage of scripture, what He is saying is that it is not always cut and dry. In this case, I feel that it is not an either/or but rather a both/and. We can’t begin to understand God’s ways. But I do know that all that God does, is to bring us to His throne of grace, to draw us closer to Him so that we will love Him and no other.
In today’s reading then, God says, “Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit.” This punishment is not because of your parent’s but that you are just as guilty. There comes a time in our lives when we must own up to our own mistakes and sins, and repent of them, and not blame everyone else. We can often times be our worst enemy.
Keeping God first in my life!
Pastor Kathy