“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.” Exodus 20:5b-6 (NIV)
My great grandfather was a pioneer missionary in Japan in the 1880’s. That was just after “The Last Samurai” era when Japan opened itself up to allow foreigners in. Ministering in Japan for nearly 20 years, Barnabas ultimately became a leading expert in the Japanese language. Jump to the present time, my siblings and myself could not learn foreign languages! In fact, it was the worst subject in school for me! What happened?
I believe the loss of the ability to learn languages was just a symptom of the inheritance that was lost, or reduced or came out of alignment!
My grandmother, who was born in Japan, grew up hating God, because from her perspective, He had caused her to be separated from her parents when she was sent away to boarding school for many years of her life. As far as I know, she never “forgave God” or surrendered her life to Him. Only God knows what transpired in her last moments. She had many praying for her salvation. I remember talking to her about Jesus and the rage that flew out of her, as her face turned red and the arteries in her neck bulged out. My great grandfather was a wholehearted, faith-filled lover of Jesus, while my grandmother, his daughter, hated Him!
God desires to pour out blessing through the generations, but sin (call it rebellion, disobedience or hatred of God) blocks the Godly inheritance. Though it is clear that children are not guilty for the sins of their forefathers (Ezekiel 18:20), that does not mean these same children are not impacted by it! The punishment for one’s sin rests directly on that person. But our sin does influence the generations to come.
God wants to bless us and restore our inheritance! But the enemy looks to where he can kill it, steal it and/or destroy it (John 10:10). I have been asking God to realign the blessing from my great grandfather so that it can be passed on to my children, and their children someday! And I am not just talking about language ability! I am asking God to cover my grandmother’s rejection and hatred toward Him, with the blood of Jesus. I am not asking God to forgive her of her sin, because I can’t do that. But I am asking Him to cover the sins of my forefathers so that the blessing He desires us to walk in can be released.
Take some time and ponder what has been shared in this post. Ask God if there is any place that the blessing He desires for you and your children, has been blocked, stolen or hindered through those who have “hated Him” before you. Ask God to also show you the blessing that He desires to pour out on you and your children. Begin crying out for Him to realign the funnel from heaven to earth through you. He may lead you to fast and spend focused time seeking Him about this. This is a season of realignment. Make sure you are in position to receive the fullness of your inheritance.
