The Sins of the Father

Tuesday, July 25, 2023

“The day is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will greatly increase the human population and the number of animals here in Israel and Judah.  In the past I deliberately uprooted and tore down this nation.  I overthrew it, destroyed it, and brought disaster upon it.  But in the future I will just as deliberately plant it and build it up.  I, the Lord, have spoken!  “The people will no longer quote this proverb:  ‘The parents have eaten sour grapes, but their children’s mouths pucker at the taste.’  All people will die for their own sins—those who eat the sour grapes will be the ones whose mouths will pucker.  “The day is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah.  Jeremiah 31:27-31

This text was the focus of study in this past Sunday’s lesson at church.  That phrase about children experiencing puckered mouths because their parents ate some sour grapes became a well-known idiom of that time, largely due to sin’s judgment affecting an entire family.  It was Old Testament law:

I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me.  Exodus 20:5[1]

But Jeremiah said that was all coming to an end.  God’s special people would be responsible individually for their sins.  No longer would judgment extend to the son for the sins of the father.  The inverse would also be true…no longer could there be an automatic benefit of righteousness because you were born into a household of the righteous.  Each individual would bear the judgment of his or her own actions.  That was welcome news to Israelites born during the Babylonian captivity.  They had been born slaves, due to the sins of their ancestors; now they were to be a restored nation.

In his day Jeremiah delivered mostly unwelcome news, judgment – a message of gloom and doom approaching because of sin.  Often called The Weeping Prophet, Jeremiah’s prophecies were the main reason he spent a good deal of time in jail.  What king likes to hear everything he does is more cause for God to bring the hammer down?

But the ultimate message was one of great news and blessing…there was a new covenant of grace on the rise:

“But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the Lord.  “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts.  I will be their God, and they will be my people.  And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’  For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already,” says the Lord.  “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”  Jeremiah 31:33-34

That’s the way it is with prophecy; sovereign God does what a sovereign God does, rule over His people.  A loving, grace-filled, mercy-loving God does that which is righteous and best.  He fulfilled that promise on Calvary’s cross.

For You Today 

We live in a sometimes-brutal world, where people experience repressive forms of brutal government.  Those who live in democratically-governed countries know an individual freedom that scoffs at the notion we might suffer judgment for a parent’s sins (or anyone else’s).  Truth-told, we may experience the effect of a parent’s substance abuse, or the weight of a sibling, spouse, or child’s irresponsible or cruel behavior…but God’s hand will never be that.  His Spirit may convict us of our own sins, but never those of our neighbor.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,600 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  

 

Title Image:  via Pixabay.com   Images without citation are in public domain.   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©  

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[1] These words were repeated in Exodus 34:7, Numbers 14:18, and Deuteronomy 5:9

 

Four Confession Booths; No Waiting!

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Friday, October 13, 2017

Praise the Lord!  Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!  His faithful love endures forever.  Who can list the glorious miracles of the Lord?  Who can ever praise him enough?  There is joy for those who deal justly with others and always do what is right.  Remember me, Lord, when you show favor to your people; come near and rescue me.  Let me share in the prosperity of your chosen ones.  Let me rejoice in the joy of your people; let me praise you with those who are your heritage.  Like our ancestors, we have sinned.  We have done wrong!  We have acted wickedly! 

Psalm 106:1-6^(NLT)

Scripture records how, in the Garden of Eden God held Adam and Eve accountable for their actions of disobedience.  In the entirety of the rest of Scripture there is an unmistakable pattern of:

·       God’s ways being clearly laid-out,

·       followed by humankind’s disobedience and rebellion,

·       and that followed by God’s invitation to return to fellowship. 

The Psalmist’s pattern is no different. 

When we read Psalm 106 we can stop short with praise the Lord and thanking Him for his good and faithful love.  We can be mesmerized by his glorious miracles.  We can (and do) spend much time in asking to be remembered in his favor and rescue (including tons of prayers for Aunt Susie’s toenail infection, heart procedures and gastric problem relief).  We pray heartily for participating in the prosperity of the chosen ones.  We want to take part in the joy of [God’s] people.  We want all of that!

But too often we forget the final verse of that praiseworthy litany:

Like our ancestors, we have sinned.  We have done wrong!  We have acted wickedly!  Psalm 106:1-6^(NLT)

I was having a discussion with other pastors on a Facebook page this week about the Matthew 22 passage where Jesus is teaching about the kingdom gathering for the celebration of the Bride (church) being married to the Bridegroom (Jesus, the Son).  One man shows up without a robe, and is kicked out of the party.  The discussion centered around why the man wasn’t accepted; obvious (and orthodox) theology tells us it was because the robe is required.  That robe represents righteousness, and it is only available through faith in Christ’s sacrificial death and resurrection.  The man without the robe sauntered into the banquet hall in his own costume (self-righteousness), and God, the Father of Christ the Bridegroom, had the arrogant one ejected. 

This is a picturesque and common teaching method to get across the point – we aren’t connected to God or His salvation in any other way than the way God has proscribed.  We come to Him on HIS terms, not ours.

And that way is still the cross, by way of humble confession of our sins

For You Today

The title of this devotion is somewhat misleading, or under-stated; there are more than four confession booths…there’s one for each human who has ever lived.  Yours is in the same place mine can be found…in our hearts and minds.  When you confess Christ as Lord and Savior, he dresses you in a robe fit for the wedding feast of the ages!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road…have a blessed day!

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[1] Title Image: Courtesy of:  Pixabay.com