The Lord says this to the people through Moses, "You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments." (Deuteronomy 5:8-10)
Earlier in our study of the Old Testament we discussed what we believe is meant when the Lord says He punishes the children for the sin of the parents. I don't think that when hardship comes into a person's life it's because his grandfather sinned, for example. What I think is happening here is this: The people of the early Old Testament lived very long lifespans and a man could live to see multiple generations of his descendants. In his long time on earth he could have a very strong influence on all those descendants. Imagine if he were a wicked man who hated the Lord. His children would grow up watching him serve false gods and hearing him blaspheme the name of the Lord. His children could grow up to be just like him, as could his grandchildren and great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. By that time he would be considered an elder and an elder was to be respected and obeyed as a leader of his family. A wicked family elder who hated the Lord could entice his entire family into sin. If multiple generations of that family rejected the Lord because they followed the example of their elder, those generations would fall under judgment for their sins.
A person's wickedness may influence their family for a few generations, but what about a person's righteousness? The Lord says this affects a thousand generations! What mercy this is! What goodness! To use an example from the Bible, I believe Abraham prayed for the Lord's blessings on all his descendants. The Lord told Abraham about the good land He intended to give his descendants and I think Abraham prayed they would do well in the land and that they would keep serving the Lord. I believe the Lord is still answering Abraham's prayers for Israel today. To bring it down to a more personal level, you and I may have had ancestors who prayed to the Lord for His blessings on all generations to come from their family line. We may never have known those ancestors, yet the Lord is blessing us today because they prayed to Him long ago. More recent relatives have prayed for us, such as parents or grandparents or great-grandparents who have gone on to be with the Lord, but their prayers were heard and are still being answered even though they no longer walk among us on this earth. This should encourage us to pray not only for our family members who have already been born but also for all our family members who will be born in the future. The Lord will bless and watch over them for our sakes because we have loved and served Him.
What is one way to be a godly influence on our family? By honoring the name of our Lord. "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name." (Deuteronomy 5:11) One example of misusing the Lord's name is when people say His name like it's a curse word. Another example is when someone uses His name as an exclamation of surprise, delight, or dismay in an irreverent way. Yet another example is when someone who does not actually serve the Lord throws His name into conversations in a pious manner in an effort to appear religious when they actually are not. Any way in which we use the Lord's name that is not reverent and respectful is misusing His name.
Every time the Lord's name crosses our lips it should be for the purpose of acknowledging His power and holiness. We may speak His name in prayer. We may speak His name to comfort others. We may speak His name when quoting Scripture. We may speak His name when giving our testimony about the great things He has done for us. We may speak His name in songs of praise. These are all acceptable, reverent ways of using His name because these things bring glory to His name.
Join us tomorrow as Moses keeps expounding on the Ten Commandments in his sermon to the congregation of Israel.
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