Sins Of The Fathers, Part Two
Jeremiah 32:17-18
Carrie Burnett

Okay, so the original audience of the Bible would have had no trouble understanding what it means for sin’s effects to linger for generations (long past the ‘personal responsibility statute of limitations’). But we all know that our God is not the source of guilt and shame, and God’s plan for us is victory and radical holy love. So how do we get there, if we’re shouldering the weight of a bunch of stuff we didn’t even do!

First, understanding generational effects of sin means we have to even SEE what the sin is.   For us now, in a disconnected, individualistic society, a lot of this is implicit memory; meaning, it’s not spoken…it’s completely  nonverbal, but it can carry across generations.  After a while you don’t even have to say anything…it can pass without memory…the dominant American cultural identity and story includes dehumanization. That’s true whether we like it or not. It’s implicit, in the subconscious, but it’s real.  If it’s implicit and connected to us, deeply rooted in our DNA, then we must do something to recognize it.   When it comes to the subject of race in America…we must be willing to look boldly at what was before, so we can boldly walk forward, changed.  So when we consider the beliefs and the sins and the emotions of the people who went before us we like to think that it was a very long time ago.  But in the grand scheme of things, we are only 5 generations removed from slavery…1 or 2 generations removed from Civil Rights.  It’s not that long ago.  So what belief was there?  The law and the census said black people were to be considered 3/5s of a person.  The law said black people were property.  The stereotypes communicated that black people were dangerous and needed to be controlled.  The media and art of the day portrayed black people as literal apes.  After hundreds of years of dehumanization, dangerous stereotypes that we may never have EVEN ACTUALLY HEARD are still hurting us.   

Second, it means that when we SEE the sin, we do better.  We have a choice.   We can perpetuate the SIN and CURSES of those before us…or we can pass along BLESSINGS from God.  Deuteronomy 30:19 puts it this way:   

“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!” 

Yes, we know and believe we are connected.  We believe that we carry a responsibility from the people who went before us.  The amazing thing about this concept from the Bible is that yes, that culture believed you carried the weight of the sin for 3 to 4 generations.  But the good news is that the sin and curse can STOP with you and me.  Listen to what God says about the power of BLESSING…  In Exodus 20:6, God says, “But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.”  Sin’s curse is that 3 or 4 generations will have to deal with the consequences.  God’s promise is that for those who CHOOSE LIFE, the consequences of that last thousands of generations.  And when we do that, we can honestly say, “Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. You show love to thousands…Great and mighty God, whose name is the Lord Almighty”  

May we be a people who choose life and BLESS others.