The sins of the parents get passed down to their children
Then they got Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. They took the ornate robe back to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe.” ~ Genesis 37:31 – 32
Context: Joseph’s half-brothers had just sold him into slavery to Egypt. Their jealousy over their father’s obvious favoritism devolved into hatred and violence, and the opportunity presented itself for them to get their revenge. But they had to cover-up their crime, so they slaughtered a young goat, dipped Joseph’s special coat their father gave him in the goat’s blood (the same one that shouted, “I love you most!”), and presented it to Jacob.
Jacob surmised that Joseph was killed by wild animals and was heartbroken. The guilty brothers escaped justice for many years.
But wait a minute, haven’t we watched this episode before? What do we see if we wind the clock back about 35 – 40 years?
Jacob experienced the wound of favoritism because his father, Isaac, loved Esau more. “Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.” ~ Genesis 25:28
Prompted by the scheming of his mother, Jacob deceived Isaac while pretending to be his brother to steal Esau’s blessing. (They even slaughtered a young goat to cover up their crime.)
Esau’s jealousy and hatred of Jacob grew into a violent plan to murder him, and Jacob had to flee his brother’s wrath by leaving his home for more than 20 years.
We see in the story of Jacob and Esau’s family the hard truth of Exodus 34:6 – 7 where God describes himself to Moses as: “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”
All families experience this generational cursing – this re-enactment of the sins of our parents and grandparents and the suffering and disintegration that always follows. Can you identify those patterns in your family? Are there sinful patterns, habits, attitudes, addictions or idols that you’ve inherited? What steps are you taking to stop the cycle of generational cursing in the lives of your children and grandchildren?
How do we deal with these generational curses once we identify them?
We name them for what they are: sinful, idolatrous patterns that promise life but deliver death. (This means we honor the truth above protecting our family’s reputation.)
By naming them we confess them appropriately to our families and seek God’s forgiveness (and often the forgiveness of those who’ve been harmed).
We turn away (repent) by changing our minds, our hearts, and our behavior in the affected areas and place the full weight of our trust on Christ.
Do not despair! Rather, cling to the promise God gives that if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).